Nordwijk. The royal Rajah, Red Em¬ 
peror, and Empress of India are the 
very finest of the rich, deep reds and 
are particularly desirable. 
A point of interest is the selection of 
bulbs. It is a mistake to entertain the 
notion that size is virtue. It is essential 
that the bulbs should be of the proper 
age, fully developed and healthy rather 
than over-fed, soft, and punky, though 
large. 
In cutting the flower spikes, it is ruin¬ 
ous to cut the stalk where the flowers 
end. There must be some foliage to lend 
grace. Cut the spikes so as to leave two 
or three leaves on your bulb root, thus 
giving you a flower spike sometimes 
nearly four feet long, leaving plenty of 
strength for the bulb, and beauty for 
the decoration. 
The Gladiolus in the garden is an un¬ 
sightly object if left to bloom to its limit. 
The flower-loving public must be edu¬ 
cated to a willingness to cut the spikes 
when they have bloomed a little while 
in the garden, then to finish their de¬ 
velopment in the house. Nothing is 
more unsightly than a mass of ragged, 
betasseled Gladioli bending in the wind, 
when it is so easy to pick off the withered 
blooms, if one does not wish them for 
house decoration. 
Again, this year all varieties of new in¬ 
troduction will be tested and any infor¬ 
mation gladly given to our customers. 
While my prices may be higher for some 
varieties than those of other growers, 
yet the quality of the bulbs in every in¬ 
stance warrants the price charged. I aim 
always to excel in quality rather than to 
