Hay Bens] DalSetcs 
We wrote in our 1947 catalog that the increasing popularity of the Gladiolus is 
due wholly to the introduction, in the last decade especially, of new and vastly improved 
varieties achieved by painstaking hybridists who have grown literally thousands of hand 
crossed seedlings, of which perhaps 1 in 10,000 was an improvement on already existing 
varieties. 
In this issue we honor a few of the many who we feel are producing finer 
glads for our enjoyment. We wish we had space for all of them. 

MRS. ELIZABETH BRIGGS 
“Do you remember when back in 1927 Frank J. 
McCoy was the year’s sensation, and in 1932 Red 
Phipps was the top introduction of the year, and in 
1934 when Betty Coed made her bow to the Glad 
world? These were only a few of the world famous 
originations of Elizabeth A. Briggs, who started her 
hybridizing activities in 1914. We know you will be 
interested in an informal pose of Mrs. Briggs with a 
new seedling. (Last year she grew 10,000 in her trial 
grounds, and about this quantity every year.) All 
of her most select originations the past few years 
are being grown exclusively by her son Donald for 
ultra-select cut-flower markets. -No bulbs are for 
sale of some very thrilling glads—superior to most 
introductions of the past few years. Granddaughter 
Shirley helps nowadays with the tedious and pains- 
taking work of pollenizing. If we knew what Mrs. 
Briggs knows about gladiolus hybridization we could 
really write an article which everyone would like to 
study. Let us all hope that some day she will re- 
lease some of these miracles of gladiolus perfection 
for the enjoyment of the back-yard gladiolus fan.” 
A4 

CARL FISCHER 
Mr. Fischer has created some very exceptional 
gladiolus. Outstanding among those he has re- 
leased are Wedgewood, Beauty’s Blush, Gratitude, 
Poet’s Dream, Rose O’Day, Gleam. 
We especially like his policy of growing them 
long enough before releasing to prove their de- 
pendability — and then the modest price at which 
he offers his new introductions. We grew all of his 
releases of the past three years in our test gardens 
this summer — and without a single exception — 
their performance rated well with the best of the 
plot. 

We had planned to carry for our clientele the 
photographs of both Dr. Scheer and G. W. Wilson, 
but both were too busy to furnish us with photos. 
We list so many of their very fine releases that we 
certainly would have liked to feature them. Per- 
haps, next year, they will brave the camera. 
