QoJxuuai Qa'u&e4>ui' i939 
AIRY DREAM (Baerman) (Rosemarie Pfitzer x Queen Mary) 
Knowing how difficult it is to secure a "break" in crossing, it is especially gratifying to any hybrid¬ 
izer when he can offer the public something distinctly different from any glad previously in commerce. 
This is the case with Airy Dream. Yet the unique feature of this flower is the somewhat intangible 
quality of grace, which it embodies to a hitherto unknown degree. The unusually long and crookless 
stems are thin and stiff as wire, carrying, spaced far apart, six to eight delicate blooms of palest 
appleblossom pink. Round and fragile looking as bubbles, they are borne with that air of fugitive poise 
that makes them look as if a breath would blow them away. I can think of nothing in the floral world 
more full of life and lightness than a basket of this ethereal gladiolus. Strangely there is little or no 
prim blood (whence gracefulness usually derives) in this seedling. Indeed it is very closely related to 
that sterling Canadian introduction. Lord Selkirk, whose substantial spike it in no way resembles. A 
good propagator. Price: Bulbs any size $6.00 each; bulblets $1.00 each. 
HANSEL (C Fischer) (Brightside x Heritage) 
It would be hard to imagine two glads more unlike than Brightside and Heritage. They come 
pretty near being at opposite poles as to type. What the offspring of such parents would look like was 
naturally a matter of curiosity. Actually they presented the widest variation, with Brightside tending to 
be dominant. Of all the seedlings bloomed from this cross, we selected only one for introduction, and 
this one probably the greatest curiosity of them all from the standpoint of genetics. Spikes of Hansel 
show no sign whatever of Heritage blood, being very similar to Brightside in size, substance and 
general character, though a brilliant translucent yellow in color. We were inclined to discount our 
records and acknowledge that a bee had got the jump on us in our hybridizing efforts in the case of 
this particular seedling, when we happened to notice that just as the florets of Hansel have a remark¬ 
able family resemblance to those of Brightside, so the leaves are practically identical with those of 
Heritage, being broad and drooping, whereas the foliage of Brightside is narrow and very upright! 
Florets of Hansel do differ from those of Brightside in having a New Era-like frilling at the extreme 
edge, instead of being lightly ruffled. The judges at the Iowa glad show last summer were unanimously 
of the opinion that Hansel was the most beautiful yellow on display at their show. A heavy propagator. 
GOLD MEDAL, Iowa Gladiolus Society, 1938. 
AWARD OF MERIT, Minnesota Gladiolus Society, 1938. 
Price: Bulbs any size $6.00 each; bulblets $1.00 each. 
GRETEL (Baerman) (Sweetheart x Ruffled Peerless Pink) Sister seedling of Puritan and Angelica. 
In the 1938 yearbook of the New England Gladiolus Society, Mr. E. F. Palmer, the famous hybrid¬ 
izer, discloses that all his introductions have come from 5% of his crosses. Our experience corroborates 
the importance of the right parents or combinations of parents. Ruffled Peerless Pink is the garden 
name of a Decorah seedling of great beauty which we never introduced because of faults, but which 
proved a fine breeder. From only six seedlings bloomed from the above noted cross, three were judged 
fine enough to be introduced—by far the highest percentage we have ever had in our hybridizing 
experience. Of the three Puritan has the largest florets, Angelica has the most petite charm, Gretel the 
longest spike. Gretel also differs from the other two in having a lavish golden throat, constituting fully 
half of the floret. The intense frilling at the edge characteristic of Angelica is also present in this variety. 
Gretel is among the few glads in that upper register of beauty recently achieved in gladiolus hybridiz¬ 
ing, whose best known exemplification is probably the well-publicized New Era. A heavy propagator. 
AWARD OF MERIT, Minnesota Gladiolus Society, 1938. 
Price: Bulbs any size, $6.00 each; bulblets $1.00 each. 
PEPPERMINT CANDY (Novelty) (Baerman) (White seedling x Dream O'Beauty) 
White, striped and flecked rose red. As distinct a gladiolus novelty as we have ever seen. Makes a 
large compact spike of medium height. Extent of the markings will vary with the weather, but they are 
usually rather heavy. 
FRECKLES (Novelty) (C. Fischer) (Seedling of Picardy) 
Rich-toned terra cotta, sparsely covered with small fleckings of chocolate brown. Garden visitors 
have singled out this unusual glad for comment, Like Peppermint Candy, it practically named itself. 
We do not have enough stock of either of these two novelties to price them this season. As a special 
premium with the "Symposium Collection" we shall give away about 100 small bulbs and 300 bulblets 
of each. 
