recent varieties are of larger size than formerly, spikes well balanced and good 
growers, once that young stock is obtained, but as only large bulbs are usually 
exported by Lemoine, stocks of the more recent ones are in small supply. To 
anyone enjoying sharp color contrasts with a large, but usually pleasing blotch, 
the Lemoine varieties should be worth growing; to the exhibitor needing varieties 
for the “With Conspicuous Markings” Classes these French varieties are indis¬ 
pensable. Among the more recent ones are Angkor, a pale yellow with heavy 
orange red blotch, that makes a tall straight exhibition spike, the large flowers 
well placed, with seven or eight of the eighteen buds open at once; Madelon, a 
creamy white with crimson blotch, is a decided improvement on the old favorite 
Mad. M. Sully, and D’Artagnan, a bright scarlet that makes tall spikes, with 
larger flowers than many of his varieties. Although not so recent, his Rouget 
d’Lisle, illustrated elsewhere, a red orange with maroon blotch edged chocolate, 
with 10 open, makes a wonderful spike; General Mangin is a showy dark pure 
red, with a heavy darker blotch and 10 flowers open at once, placed as perfectly 
as on a Rouget d’Lisle; Paul Gambon, a coppery red; Paul Deschanel, a not well- 
enough known rose pink, with dark blotch; the well known Roi Albert and Jean 
de Tallies, with the even better known Emile Aubrun, the parent of so many 
good ones, are others that stamp Lemoine as the leader of the French hybridizers. 
Pfitzer’s varieties have been the best known of German origin in the United 
States for many reasons and only recently have those from Barth attracted any 
attention. Certainly Wilhelm Pfitzer, from Stuttgart, has given the Gladiolus 
fraternity many of the outstanding varieties of recent years; especially superior 
are his so-called “blues”, and whites. Many of his originations are extra large 
and well placed on spikes, that are usually straight ( Coryphee being the out¬ 
standing exception) ; about six or seven open blooms are the average, although 
such as J. S. Bach and Rosemarie Pfitzer will open 10 or more. 
In the light “blues” first came Mrs. Von Konynenburg, followed a year 
apart by Heavenly Blue, Mrs. Gertrude Pfitzer, Ave Marie, Blue Triumphator, 
Blue Danube and Libelle both in 1929; then a year of no light-colored blues; 
in 1931 came Bella Donna, then Max Reger and the past season Allegro. 
Certainly he has gone ahead a bit each year for Max Reger is a better variety 
than any of similar shade and should replace the good Ave Marie; although 
Allegro has flowered only the past season it appears to be a fine new novelty, the 
color is most pleasing and the small darts of white at the tips of the two darker 
blue blotches brighten it up; it opens eight or more nicely placed blooms on a 
good spike; still far from the objective “blue”, Max Reger and Allegro seem 
another step in the right direction. 
Vielchenblau was the outstanding dark “blue” when it was introduced in 
1922; then came Aida, four years later; next Pelegrina, and finally this last 
spring Rudolf Serkin, Pelegrina is as pleasing in color as any of these dark 
ones, and, as often every remaining bud shows color when the first five or six are 
open, it is especially attractive; Rudolf Serkin from one season’s experience 
seems rather similar to Pelegrina and possibly a bit better but as Pelegrina is 
early and Rudolph Serkin late there is room for them both in the short list of 
dark “blues”. Until these later Pfitzer “blues” came along one expected all 
of this color to be weak in growth, poor increasers, and the bulbs to look badly 
when dug. To those who have grown the first great “blue” Badenia, the sight 
of TAbelle and Pelegrina blooming from bulblets in ordinary field culture here 
in New England proves that much headway has been made by Pfitzer in the 
past 10 years. 
Ten years ago Purest of All was introduced and from this Pfitzer variety 
many fine whites have been bred. Albatross is a good “dead white,” although 
the placement of the lower floret is usually bad and personally the “dead white” 
