conditions under which they were grown or anything more than that they didn’t bloom. 
If they make good growth and make buds but the buds do not open up that is thrips. If 
they make leaves but do not send up a bloom spike I don’t know what would be the cause 
of that. Small bulbs sometimes act in this way but large bulbs should all produce bloom 
spikes. Once in a while there is a variety that needs at least a medium size bulb to produce 
bloom. Most small bulbs should bloom. But they will not all produce blooms. And it de- 
pends upon the variety a good deal as to how small ones will blossom. 
Change of Address 
When moving or changing your address, if you wish to remain on our mailing list, 
just notify us of the change, giving both your old and your new addresses. Even though you 
notify your Post Office of your change of address, they will not forward catalogs. Every 
year we have hundreds of catalogs returned that were addressed to people that have moved 
and didn’t notify us. 
Do Gladiolus Change Color? No. 
I am asked this hundreds of times every year. I want to say positively “‘they do not” 
except for the occasional sport. What happens when you start in with an assortment of 
colors and they finally simmer down to one or two shades is this: some varieties are strong 
and vigorous and propagate well even the bulblets sometimes blooming, while others are 
inclined to be weak and acquire disease and die. Don’t let anyone tell you that their glads 
have changed color because they positively cannot except once in a great while an individual 
plant will sport to another shade or sometimes to a different form. 
A Classic 
The following paragraph describing the various stages of gladiolus growing has attracted 
SO much attention and been quoted so many times that I am repeating it again: 
‘There is a fascination about growing glads that becomes a hobby, then a craze. There 
are five stages of interest in growing “‘glads.” First you just grow them as an amateur, same 
as you W ould any other flow er. Then as y our interest in them increases you become a ‘‘fan,”’ 
than a ‘“‘bug,”’ then a “‘nut,’’ then finally a “‘fiend.’’ When you reach this final stage you are 
hopeless. You think of ‘ ‘olads”’ all day, dream of them at night, spend every available min- 
ute of your time in the garden, talk of them, visit the shows, read all the catalogs and spend 
all your money on them. You will look lovingly at the last flower in the fall, will handle over 
your bulbs in ‘the wintertime and will hardly be able to wait till you can lov ingly plant the 
bulbs in the spring. From then till the first bloom appears is a period of happy anticipation. 
When finally the spikes of bloom begin to appear you are in heaven.” 
In which class are you? I have been in the last class for years. 
Have just heard of a still further stage of gladiolus interest. A man writes me that he. 
is not a “‘fiend’ but a “‘damn fool.’ I think that must be about the last stage. 
To Florida Growers and Others in the Far South 
We often get orders for bulbs to be shipped from October to December. We have no 
bulbs ready to ship at that time and even if we had they would need a rest before being 
ready to plant. So if you want bulbs to plant in Florida in the fall the best way is to order 
them in the winter or spring and have them shipped to you in late spring or early summer 
and then you put them in cold storage and take them out when you want them. We have a 
storage here that we can keep them in till August but it is not cold enough to hold them later. 
PUBLISHING DATE 
The first price list I put out every season is sent out in early October. Many old customers 
get nervous and begin to write in a month or more before the price list comes out and unless 
we check up all of these names there are liable to be duplications. So if you have bought 
bulbs of us within the past two years don’t send for a price list before about November Ist. 
If you don’t get one by that time the chances are it has been lost. 
My regular descriptive catalog comes out in early January. The same applies to this. 
If you don’t get it by the latter part of January and you have bought of me during the past 
two years just drop me a card and I will send you one. 
Do not order from my catalog after August Ist. My bulbs are either sold out or planted 
then and new prices prevail when my new list is out in October. My selling season ends 
August Ist. 
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