GUIDEBOOK FOR 1949 
Page 5 

00 White 00 (without conspicuous 
marking) 
01 (with, etc.) 
Cream 06 paler than Y6 and GY6 
10 Yellow 10 Light. (Y5-6) 
12 Deep. (Y2-3-4) 
Buff 16 (OY6, Y06 and 
paler) 
20 Orange 20 Light. (05-6, YO5 and 
paler) 
22 Deep. (OY2-3-4, Y03-4, 
02-3-4-5) 
24 Red O. (RO2-3) 
30 Salmon 30 Light. (RO5-6 and paler) 
32 Deep. (OR5-6, R04) 
36 Scarlet 36 (OR3-4) 
40 Pink 40 Light. (R6 and paler) 
42 Deep. (RS) 
50 Red eOr Lights (R4) 
52 Deep. (R3) 
54 Black. (R1-2, 0R1-2) 

60 Rose 60 Light. (Nearest R5, trace 
of V) 
(Nearest R3, trace 
of V) 
(VR3-4-5-6, 
RV3-4-5-6) 
(RV1-2, VR1-2) 
(V4-5-6, BV4-5-6) 
62 Deep. 
66 Lavender 66 
70 Purple 70 
76 Violet 76 Light. 
78 Deep. (V1-2-3, BV 1-2-3) 
80 Smoky 80 (Containing gray. Can 
subdivide) 
82 (Orange smoky) 
83 (Salmon smoky) 
84 (Pink smoky) 
85 (Red smoky) 
86 (Lavender or rose smoky) 
90 Any other color. (mostly brown shades) 
Glads now readily fall into place. The 
giant, unmarked white Snow Cruiser is 500. 
Picardy 530. Sir Galahad 511 being a giant, 
blotched, light yellow, etc. 

TABULATION OF 1948 WINNERS WITH COLOR 
VALUE RATINGS AND OVER-ALL RATINGS 
This tabulation takes upon itself this year 
an added service to our customers, namely, 
color rating most of the currently prominent 
varieties. We know it will cause a commo- 
tion among society members. It may be 
considered too difficult a subject for one 
person to undertake. At least, not many 
have broad enough personal experience to 
have studied a thousand or so modern glads, 
specifically making notes with a view to 
color rating them as we have done. Even 
large gladiolus societies, with advertising 
space to sell in their publications may hesi- 
tate to directly value new introductions but, 
nevertheless, be willing to report the opinions 
of qualified members or a symposium of its 
qualified judges or even a complete sympo- 
sium of its entire membership. Let us induce 
some ranking society to conduct a judges’ 
or members’ symposium of color rating from 
year to year on 5 year term recent intro- 
ductions! 
We hope our tabulation will cause one or 
more of the regional or national gladiolus 
societies to expand the subject for two 
reasons. First, we regret to note that the 
large majority of judges fail to discount for 
poor color values, often not even remotely 
to the extent our standards for judging pro- 
vide but are, instead, awed by form and size. 
Thus a bloom with color worth a 90% perfect 
rating (i. e., about 231% rating points if 26 
are allotted to color) often loses to a com- 
parable spike, the color of which is worth, 
for example, only 19-20 points or even less 
because the beautifully colored spike has one 
slightly misplaced floret (penalty per floret 
perhaps a fragment of 1 point) or has one or 
two less open florets or several less total 
buds (demanding a penalty again of only 
perhaps a fragment of a point). 
Second: As long as judges neglect to con- 
sider color values to the extent the methods 
and points of scoring provide, it will remain 
an easy matter for hybridists with an eye to 
production of well grown show specimens to 
flood the market with muddy colors or 
streaky or unharmonious colors. Add a few 
good advertising superlatives and it may 
take the buying public many years to weed 
them out. We believe no glad is better than 
its color, however big and impressive it may 
otherwise be. 
We concede that a substantial part of 
gladiolus bulb buyers are attracted by colors 
which show considerable flecking, streaking, 
feathering and penciling. In this era of mass 
hybridizing by all and sundry, with Picardy 
as one parent, numberless glads with great 
vigor, great size and fine form are readily 
obtainable. But, usually, the Picardy throat 
brush persists, the color obtained feathers or 
deepens to outer edge or the color, if smooth, 
lacks clarity, brilliancy or saturation or flakes 
off in humid or soggy weather. There are 
and will be more and more such offerings by 
enthusiastic hybridizers awed by the form 
and size of their seedlings. 
