SECOND GENERATION OF KUNDERDS IN GLADIOLUS BUSINESS 
ROBERT J. KUNDERD 
Son of World Famous 
A. E. KUNDERD 
THREE GENERATIONS OF KUNDERDS 
A.E. *D. PAUL J. WAYNE ROBERT J. 
*In memory of D. Paul Kunderd, age 12, who passed away December 3, 1939. 
A. E. Kunderd is my father. His life was spent developing gladioli strains that are 
now known in all parts of the civilized world as his creations. The enormous business 
which grew up under his careful efforts always to satisfy his customers, is now out of 
his control. Therefore, I am not in a business opposed to him. 
I am very sorry that so many of my friends and customers think that I have 
continued with my father's former business. During the worst of the depression he 
completely lost his large fine business which was his life's work, and the new manage¬ 
ment discharged me. I would like everyone to know it. This is the reason that I have 
gone in business for myself, absolutely on my own with some of the finest varieties 
and bulbs. This new management also let my father out. He has had nothing to do 
with the management of his former business for more than six years. 
With my knowledge of Gladioli and the help of my good wife and two fine boys, 
we are building up a business of our own under my own name. 
Beginning as a small boy at the age of seven, helping my father in the fields, it 
became second nature for me to compare the gualities of the blossoms and bulbs, and 
from the many hundreds of varieties that I have handled during my lifetime, I found I 
was mentally forming standards that I would some day use if I ever started my own 
gladiolus business. Years ago I began my own private record books and every season 
I have closely checked the varieties that I favored and which were the favorites of the 
many hundreds of visitors to my father's Gladioli fields. Sometimes it was hard to discard 
pet glads when better varieties were developed to take their place. But I had set my 
goal at approximately 150 gladioli varieties that would equal or surpass anything in 
the gladiolus world. 
Another idea which developed in my mind over a period of years was that the 
majority of gladioli lovers were people in ordinary circumstances like myself and it 
ROBERT J. KUNDERD GLADIOLUS FARM 
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