1949 Descriptive List . 
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sometimes offered in chain stores. As a matter of fact these huge bulbs in the chain 
stores are often ones that the commercial growers have discarded as being past their 
prime. The age of the bulb has more to do with its performance than its size. A bulb 
one or two years old from bulblet is supposed to be at its best. Some varieties just 
naturally don't make a large bulb till three years old from bulblet. Some show growers 
grow wonderful spikes from No. 3 bulbs. If | were growing for commercial use | don’t 
think | would plant anything larger than No. 3’s as under good conditions these will 
give you blooms good enough for anyone. Even small bulbs will give you fine bloom. 
Many of my customers who have tried them have been very pleasantly surprised by 
the blooms they have gotten from No. 5’s and 6’s, the smallest sizes. | plant mostly 
these small sizes in my own fields. 
Fertilizer 
I think | get more inquiries about the amount and kind of fertilizer to use than anything 
else. Many novices seem to think their success with glads depends upon fertilizer. This is all 
wrong. One of the leading experiment stations says that glads will do better without any fer- 
tilizer. If your soil is fairly good | would certainly go easy with the fertilizer. If you are trying to 
produce show spikes one or two side dressings would be alright. But don't overdo it. Use any 
good mixed fertilizer. The best way is to build up your soil in previous years with animal manure, 
green crops and fertilizer. Get your soil in good condition and you will not need so much com- 
mercial fertilizer. Too much is likely to cause disease. 
What is a Seedling? 
A seedling is a variety that has not yet been offered for sale to the public. 
Blooming Dates 
Many people ask for the number of days a variety requires to bloom. Such blooming dates 
are entirely unreliable and misleading as the time varies in different parts of the country. And 
also the time of planting affects the blooming date. Moreover a variety blooms over a period 
of usually two weeks to a month or more. So if you buy a bulb that is supposed to bloom in 80 
days it might bloom in 75 or it might take 90. The nearest reliable blooming dates we can give 
are early, midseason and late. 
Number of Blooms Open 
This is something that varies under different climatic and other conditions. In some 
places a variety will open only 5 or 6 while others can get 10 or more open. | grew 
Bagdad for three years and could get only 3 or 4 blooms open. Then the next year it 
opened up from 5 to 7 or more, | don't know why. So if you buy a variety that is claimed 
to open eight and you get only 5 or 6 don’t condemn the variety or think the introducer 
was telling a fib. 
Time for Bulblets to Bloom 
Sometimes bulblets will bloom the first year, especially certain varieties and if the season 
is long enough and culture is right. But as a rule bulblets will make small bulbs the first year 
and bloom and make large bulbs the second year. 
What is a Sport? 
A sport is a bulb that for some reason or other produces a different colored flower from the 
original. Sometimes they sport in habit of growth but usually it is in color and sometimes slightly 

‘Evangeline, no doubt is wonderful but to me Maxa is “Miss Gladiolus, 1948.” 
—Kenneth Freyslie, lowa. 
