EO Ree WW OuRa 
Greetings to my glad friends and customers everywhere, and my sincere thanks 
for your loyal support, which was responsible for making 1943 the greatest sales year 
in history. As my business increases, I find less time for the personal letters which 
have always been a source of pleasure to me. his little forward is intended to be a 
personal message to all. Interest in the gladiolus has never been greater than at 
present, the cut flower demand has been far greater than the supply, and prospects 
for 1944 look even brighter. The far-sighted grower who stocks the popular new 
varieties will profit by it tomorrow. 
The keynotes I sounded in my 1942 and 1948 catalogs still hold good. Gladiolus 
are variable as to performance in different soils and climates—and no one hybridizer 
has a monopoly on outstanding introductions. As a helpful keynote for 1944, I would 
state as follows: “Growers must pay more attention to disease and hybridizers must 
select disease resistant varieties for their crossing experiments. Then and only then 
will the gladiolus industry continue to hold the high place it has attained in the 
floral world.” 
{ 
This season, having attended and exhibited at 4 major glad shows, namely Iowa, 
Mid-West, Wisconsin and Milwaukee Journal Victory Harvest Festival, I not only 
had the opportunity of seeing how glads perform in my own garden but in yours, also. 
As I look back in retrospect over the shows, there is no doubt but that Leading Lady 
was the highlight of the season. This white sport of Picardy continues to uphold the 
standard it set in its initial appearance last year. At the Wisconsin show it was not 
only awarded the distinction of being the best spike in the show, but most beautiful! as 
well. Fair Angel was the best of the early whites. A lacy white is White Eagle. 
This is one of the overlooked glads, overlcoked by the absence of ballyhoo. Silver 
Sword, a 1943 release, was disappointing in size of florets. I have hopes it may be 
better next season. White Gold still rates as the finest florists cream with streng 
runners up in Winston and Lady Jane. In the yellows, Vangold was the only 1942 
release of real promise. It is very early, has pure deep color and is so reliable in the 
production of uniform spikes that it promises well as a cut flower. 
I can safely assert that no yellow can defeat Golden State on the show table. 
Three spikes of this variety in my commercial exhibit at Wisconsin were declared 
grand champions. A basket of this would be a real sensation. Crinkle Cream. with 
its shorter flower head, less open, and paler color, is still an ideal florists yellow. It 
has beautiful ruffling and florets open flat. One somewhat similar, though lighter in 
tone is Oregon Gold. It appears to have possibilities. Yellow Paradise, as its name 
indicates, is a sport of Paradise, having all the characteristics of Paradise. Grand 
Canary by Brauer, showed promise from bulblets and though not listed, is under trial 
for another year. New Day by Perrin was not up to expectation, but judgment is 
reserved also, for with the memory of initial performance of Ethel Cave Cole and 
Elizabeth The Queen, I do not condemn Canadian and West Coast originations on one 
season’s performance here. i 
_ Pink glads still continue to be universal favorites. Next to Leading Lady, I be- 
lieve the variety which caused the most admiration at the glad shows in the Middle 
West, was Krueger’s Criterion. This glad is getting better each year. I have never 
seen a spike that crooked or showed poor placement. If there js a better commercial 
pink, I do not know where it is. Most growers have had the experience of passing 
up a glad and later seeing it in all its beauty and coming to fully appreciate it. In 
my case, such a glad, is Variation. One thousand No. 4 & 5 bulbs, planted June 15 
have made spikes of such quality that literally not one went to waste. It is a true 
florists color—pure pink, with no traee of salmon. In the 1943 pink releases, Marion 
Pearl is a lovely thing, when grown right. Pink Paragon seemed to get better as 
the season advanced. Ethel Cave Cole is still good and makes good cut flower spikes 
