Top — KING OF HEARTS, shown with 
Vagabond Prince (left) to indicate 
it great size. 
Bottom — JUNE BRIDE 
1939 gladioli; 
INTRODUCTIONS 
This season we are releasing a set of gladiolus whose outstanding quality 
we never expect to see duplicated. Each one of the five is a “super” glad¬ 
iolus — so outstanding that we rank each one as worthy of patenting — as 
we did Golden Goddess and Grand Opera. They outrank the combined 
output of our two best seasons (Grand Opera, Miss America, Candy Heart 
and Pink Princess last season and Golden Goddess and La Fiesta, in 1935) ; 
in fact, we would be inclined to pick out this year’s set against our five best 
introductions of all time, despite the fact that we have released such cham¬ 
pions as Betty Nuthall, Miss Alameda, Opal Queen, Rising Sun, Queen 
Helen II, Salbach’s Orchid, Salbach’s Pink, plus the 1935 and 1937 releases 
above. 
CALIFORNIA (Salbach 1939). Plant Pat¬ 
ent Applied For. (Picardy X Magna 
Blanca x “appleblossom” seedling). 
Bigger than big — a breath-taking 
beauty that generally calls for a re¬ 
mark similar to “it isn’t true. There 
can’t be a gladiolus that big.” Out¬ 
standing in every other manner, too 
— one of the finest achievements in 
gladiolus for all time. Received a first 
prize award in the seedling class, first 
as largest flower in the show (with 
7% inch floret, judges’ measurement), 
and the American Home Achievement 
Medal — Eastbay Gladiolus Society 
Show, 1938. 
The bigness of this outstanding 
mammoth is not indicated in the least 
by measurements, because the shape of 
the flower (round, not square or tri¬ 
angular), and the ideal placement (see 
cut), combine to give the flower far 
more “all-around” size than any mere 
diameter measurement can indicate. 
Slightly ruffled. 
For color and beauty, California 
ranks just as high as for size. Some¬ 
what similar to Frank J. McCoy in 
color, but two or three times as large. 
It is pure geranium pink, with blotch 
barely deeper (begonia rose)—giving 
almost a self-colored effect. Forty-two 
inches tall, with long flower spike. Sub¬ 
stance unusually heavy and leathery. A 
rapid increaser. Sold only under the un¬ 
derstanding that every bulb will be sub¬ 
ject to patent restrictions, providing, 
of course, that our patent application 
is granted. As with Golden Goddess 
and Grand Opera, a warning to the ef¬ 
fect that it can be grown for the 
personal enjoyment of the purchaser, 
but that no stock of California may 
be sold, leased, or given away or in 
any way transferred without the writ¬ 
ten consent of Carl Salbach, the pat¬ 
entee. 
Our harvest of California was much 
smaller than we had expected, but since 
we had already started to print our 
catalog cover (with picture of Califor¬ 
nia) we could not hold it until 1940 — 
hence the higher price. Large bulbs, 
$10.00 each; bulbs W' to 1" $7.50. 
HELEN OF TROY (Salbach 1939). Plant 
Patent Applied For. (Picardy X Grand 
Opera). At last! A mammoth type of 
gladiolus in the soft, delicate Wasaga 
type of coloring. Named for one of 
history’s famous beauties because its 
first claim to fame is its beauty. Would 
have surely been introduced, even if it 
had only half the size, thanks to its 
wonderful color, its tall, vigorous 
growth, its fine placement, growing 
habit, etc. As it is, however, with its 
beauty and size combined, its future is 
unlimited, and it is best described by 
the all-inclusive term, “Champion”. 
First Award, seedling class, East 
Bay Gladiolus Society Show. 
The color is soft light apricot with 
a smoky blotch of soft brown, the lat¬ 
ter being faintly edged soft scarlet. 
Placement and facing ideal, substance 
leathery. Florets consistently six and 
one-half to eight inches across. Very 
wide open. Six to eight of 18 to 19 buds 
open at once, making a 27-inch flower 
head. Plant 4*4 to 5 feet tall. Spikes 
always straight. Mid-season. 
Sold only under the understanding 
that every bulb will be subject to patent 
restrictions, providing, of course, that 
our patent application is granted. As 
with Golden Goddess and Grand Opera, 
a warning to the effect that it can be 
grown for the personal enjoyment of the 
purchaser, but that no stock of Helen 
of Troy may be sold, leased, or given 
away or in any way transferred with¬ 
out the written consent of Carl Salbach. 
No bulblets or small sized bulbs for 
sale. Bulbs one inch or over in diame¬ 
ter — $5.00 each. 
About Patents 
Plant patents carry no guarantee that 
the variety is outstanding; on the other 
hand, it is economically unsound for a 
gladiolus grower to patent anything but 
a “best seller” otherwise he will be out 
his patent costs, which total nearly 
$200.00, as well as the early, high priced 
sales usually made to other growers. The 
patent holder has to make his money from 
a large volume of sales at a low price — 
and only a top-notch variety will do that. 
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