Page 8 
THE GLADIOLUS FANCIER’S 
PREVIEW OF OUR 1939 INTRODUCTIONS 
For prices and further description consult general variety list. 
CRYSTAL (E. Both). Pure, soft toned white without markings. Giant in height, giant 
florets on giant flowerhead. Securing the Grand Champion Bloom of the Show award at the 
South Australian Gladiolus Society show, ’37, was no accidental flash in the pan for Crystal. 
Mr. Both brought 12 spikes along. They averaged 7 inch florets, ranged from 12 to 15 open 
florets and from 22 to 26 buds. All were arranged in double row placement, with excellent 
tapering to the tip. Entered in various classes Crystal was Grand Champion, as mentioned, 
another spike of Crystal was runner up or Reserve Champion. Three spikes of Crystal won 
1st for best white seedlings, one spike of Crystal was Grand Champion Seedling (all colors and 
types), one spike assisted him in winning best vase of six seedlings (all different) and another 
in winning vase for Six Best Spikes in the Show. We have enough heavy young jumbos to 
make Crystal the greatest sensation of the U. S. and Canadian shows in 1939, if they are 
purchased by show exhibiting growers and amateurs. Even in the production of bulbs, Crystal 
is a champion performer. Number 5 bulbs produced so uniformly heavy spherical jumbos 
23^-3 inch diameter, with an average of about 25-30 large, fat bulblets, that we were induced 
to photograph them. You will find a photograph of the flower on the front cover and of the 
jumbo bulbs on page 13. 
EXCELL (E. Both). Here is beauty of color supreme. It was breathtaking to us when 
we first saw it in 1937. A clean, bright, strong rose pink with white line running down the 
mid rib of each petal except the lip petal which is clean white but surrounded by a thin edge 
of the rose pink. Mr. Both says it is a good commercial glad and its color alone would seem 
to be sufficient to surmount the only trouble we could find with it, namely, in late August we 
ran high winds of true gale proportions almost continuously for 10 days and we found a number 
of varieties about the fields (some never suspected before) that sort of blevv^ the florets to such 
extent as to weaken their attachment to the stem. No trace of this in 1937, however, so we 
think it will take very heavy winds to shake the florets loOvSe. We consider this variety the 
leading candidate for the new sweepstakes award “Most Beautiful Bloom in the Show’’. In 
Australia a bloom with lesss than 10 open commonly has little chance for sweepstakes award, 
yet Excell, with 7-8 open, twice won the “Champion Vase’’ award at the South Australia Glad. 
Soc. show, in 1936 and in 1937. 
PREVIEW OF OUR 1939 IMPORT RELEASES 
AMAZU (E. Both). A light orange pink, decorative type commercial. Good size and 
about seven open. The color is good and the petals seem to have the soft radiance of a finely 
frosted surface. 
HARRY PERIAM (E. Both). Medium tone of rosy salmon pink. Exhibition and com¬ 
mercial. Creamy white line along slightly creased mid ribs, prominent creamy white throat. 
The rosy salmon pink is lightly flecked with a deeper shade. A seedling parent of Excell with 
excellent attachment of the florets to the stem. 
HINDENBURG’S MEMORY (Pfitzer). This is Pfitzer’s own improvement on Com¬ 
mander Koehl, both in color, size and stem. They describe it deep scarlet red with buds 
velvety blood red. We think it is too deep to be described “deep scarlet red’’ and feel that it 
is well within the range of what we call red. At any rate, much deeper than Red Phipps which 
has been described as “spectrum red’’. In any event, the color is just about unsurpassable, 
the florets in the 6-7 inch range, the spike genuinely strong and tall, adding fine commercial 
quality to the best exhibition red we have ever seen. This is the highest priced item in our 
list this year but well worth the investment. 
MANAWATU (Australia). An interesting light pink on the Coryphee order with most of 
the crookedness eliminated. 
RAYSHEEN (Australia). This is a real find for a decorative, light blue commercial. 
It would be a great mistake to compare its modest price unfavorably as to its quality. Has 
a delicate shade of light blue, slightly feathered deeper with a small yellow stripe on the lower 
petal. A vigorous growing blue, none too common a combination. Very pleasing color, 7-8 
open on tall, straight spikes. 
WALK-OVER (Pfitzer). Here is stiff competition for Hindenburg’s Memory, and at more 
attractive price. Walk-Over is crimson red, deeper in the throat. Florets as large as saucers 
and just as flat are obtainable even from small sized bulbs. The color is both velvety and 
glistening, much brighter than that of Tip Top. W^alkover is held in very high esteem by 
Holland growers and we would not be surprised if it ultimately tops Hindenburg’s Memory 
in world esteem. 
WINALL (E. Both). This smoky makes spikes reminiscent of Marmora, in deeper shades 
that run to a sort of bluish mauve with harmonizing deeper blotch. Exhibition qualities and 
commercial as well, if this unusual color turns out to be popular. 
