The cut on the cover of this catalogue is the prize seedling, 
also sweepstake S|pike at the Empire State Gladiolus Show at 
Rochester, New York, 1937. This glad was characterized by in¬ 
ternational experts as the greatest gladiolus given the world in 
many years. Many went so far as to declare it to be the best glad 
in the world. Judges and officers of the show officially named it 
the Caroline Werner Gannett Gladiolus for the wife of the pub¬ 
lisher, Frank E. Gannett. Mrs. Gannett, guest of honor for the 
show, accepted the distinction. Mr. G. A. Webster, who acted in 
the capacity of supervisor of judges, gave a very accurate de¬ 
scription of this gladiolus in an article written for his home paper. 
I quote, “The spike carried 20 buds expanding into blooms, meas¬ 
uring 7 inches and more in diameter any direction. The color is 
a blending of lavender and pink, highlighted in the upper por¬ 
tion of the floret with tones of mahogany and gold with each of 
the two throat petals of the bloom marked with a large patch 
of glowing cherry.” One of the most remarkable things about 
this gladiolus was its ability to stand up. I picked it on Tuesday 
morning, held it until Friday, then carried it to the show in a 
box. It was out of the water just three hours, besides being taken 
out several times a day to be photographed. Saturday it had ten 
immense blooms out. On Sunday there were eleven, with no signs 
of wilting. Mr. Fred Meyers of Fairport, N. Y., president of the 
society, wrote me after the show to inquire what I did to this glad 
to make it stand up so well. He said he never saw anything like 
it. Well, if I had a formula that would embalm glads so that they 
would stand the racket of heat and handling, the way this one 
did, I would not be growing glads for a living. Of course, there is 
but one thing that could stop me from growing them for pleasure. 
I left the prize glad in Mr. Meyer’s charge Friday night and 
Saturday as I had to return home Friday. I never changed the 
water until it reached Rochester and never cut the stem. I be¬ 
lieve Mr. Meyers did though on Friday night. The bulb that pro¬ 
duced this spike was scarcely more than one inch in diameter. 
We have established no price for Caroline Werner Gannett this 
year as stock is too limited. If you are interested just say so, and 
I will put you on our waiting list. 
F. O. CHAMBERLIN. 
