


or RUNDES = ROBERT J. 
KUNDERD 
Son of World Famous 
A. E. KUNDERD 


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 into 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 since 1934. 
With my knowledge of Gladioli and the help of my family, 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 qualities 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 any- 
thing 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 
certainly was a pity to keep such beautiful flowers out of the reach of these men 
THREE GENERATIONS OF KUNDERDS 
Reading from 
left to right— 
A. E. 
“D. Paul 
J. Wayne 
Robert J. 
*In memory of 
Dera uleeicun C= 
erd, age 12, who 
passed away 
December 8, 
1939. 

