63.11 
II o V 
I J A N 
\ V l 
/ 935 Annual Prio 
From 
I u. fL Tv«vvrtsnfm• if Ai’vk 
Boulder 
Glad Gardens 
Address: D. L. SKIFF. 717-9th Street. Boulder , Colorado 
Boulder, Colo., Nov. 1 9, 1934 . 
Dear Friends:— 
Another eventful year, with its many 
changes, has gone by. 
We had a dry summer, just as most 
of you d.d, but we had some fine rains 
in early summer, and water came down 
to us from the Rocky Mountains all 
summer. I could have used moie than 
I was allowed, but succeeded in raising 
a nice lot of Gladiolus bulbs again. 
Bulblets are not quite so numerous as 
they ate sometimes, but bulbs are of 
good s'ze and clean. 
Me have had a long Indian Summer 
this fall. Nasturtiums, Calif, Poppies, 
Phlox, Marigolds, Calendulas, a n d 
Snapdragons are still in bloom. This 
morning we had strawberries for 
breakfast from the garden 
I have been told that I should rais Q 
more varieties o f Glads than I do. 
Well, I wart to find and grow the best, 
so am continually looking for and 
trying new varieties, and discarding 
those that have too many faults. If I 
had k^pt a 1 1 I evm tried, I would have 
perhaps 175 kinds, but why raise any¬ 
thing inferior when there are so many 
variet-'es to choose from. 
I thank my old customers for stay¬ 
ing bv me through the “lean years”, 
and hone my offerings for 1935 will 
be wanted. 
Ten Favorites 
Below are the ten Gladiolus favor¬ 
ites, in the order of preference, accord¬ 
ing to the latest vote among American 
Gladiolus Society members: 
1. —Picardy 
2. —Minuet 
3. —Marmora 
4. —Betty Nuthall 
5. —Mr. W. H. Phipps 
6. —Commander Koehl 
7. —Mother Machree 
8. —Pfitzer’s Triumph 
9. — Dr. F. E. Bennett 
10.—Mrs. Leon Douglas 
Aflame is No. 14; Golden Dream, 
No. 12: Emile Aubrun, No. 15; Maid 
of Orleans, No. 17; Giant Nymph, No. 
18: Mrs. P. W. Sisson, No. 19: Ave 
Maria, No. 20; Bagdad, No. 21; Our 
Selection, No. 22; Coryphee, No. 24 
Jonkheer Van Tets, No. 25; Bert. 
Snow, No. 29; Purple Glory, No. 31: 
Veilchenblau, No. 32; Aida, No. 34; 
Red Phipps, No. 49; and Paul Pfitzer, 
No. 50. 
How To Raise Gladioli 
It any of the readers of this circular 
would like information about growing 
the Gladiolus, I will, on request, send 
them a copy of Glad Lore, my last 
5 f a i s circular. If I were writing those 
directions now, I should recommend 
corrosive sublimate, both as a disin¬ 
fectant and as a means of killing any 
stiay Thrips that might be clinging to 
some of the bulbs. After my bulbs were 
cleaned, I got the inspector up here, 
and he made an examination. He could 
tind no Thrips, but it is recommended 
to treat a 1 ! bulbs before planting, what¬ 
ever the source of supply. At the same 
t me you are killing disease germs that 
mav be present on the cleanest looking 
bnlh^ This treatment is not difficult. 
DP solve 1 ounce of ccrio'lve sublimate 
in S gallons of water, or 14 ounce in 2 
gallons. Soak bulbs in this solution for 
7 or 8 hours. Do not use metal con¬ 
tainer 0 . Use wood or a crock. The in- 
pnector found my bulbs free from 
Thrins and disease, and I will inspect 
carefully myself before sending them 
out. 
Making Seeds Grow 
So many have difficulty in making 
fine seeds grow, out in the garden, 
that I have decided to give some sug¬ 
gestions here about the process. I be¬ 
lieve it is more difficult to make seeds 
grow out here than it is in the East, 
as the evapoiation is so rapid here. 
There are two rules that must be 
obeyed to have success. The first is: 
Plant at the proper depth, and the se¬ 
cond is: Keep the seed bed moist. A 
writer in a garden magazine instructs 
us to plant fine seeds like Poppy, Snap¬ 
dragon, and Petunia, the depth of the 
tlrckness of the seeds. A lady in my 
neighborhood sows her fine seeds on 
top of the ground, and does not cover. 
Of course the soil must be right before 
planting; moist, fine, loose, and level. 
I cover seed bed with excelsior until 
the plants begin to come up. Burlap, 
grass clippings, or straw might do to 
help ho'd moisture. Weight the cover¬ 
ing with brush or something so it will 
not blow away. Remember, keep seed 
bed moist. Seeds are good and will 
grow if treated right. No seed company 
vould be foolish enough to send out 
poor seeds. Seed houses always dis¬ 
claim any responsibility about the ger¬ 
mination of the ! r seeds. They do not 
know under what conditions they will 
be planted. 
