IT IS EASY TO GROW GLADS FROM SEED 
Every hybridizer has his pet method of growing glad seed. 
Many of these are quite complicated and few produce better germe 
ination or larger bulbs than the easy method outlined below. 
Any good well drained garden soil will grow gladiolus seed 
without any special preparation outside of plowing and harrowing 
the same as for bulbs, 
Seeds should be planted in the open ground as early in the 
spring as the soil can be worked, Seed beds are made 4 feet wide 
and any length desired, by smoothing and leveling soil with a rake. 
A good commercial fertilizer should be raked into the surface soil 
at the rate of 5 or 6 pounds per 100 square feet; I use 41216. 
Seeds should be dusted with Arasan and sown in rows 8 inches apart 
and the length of the bed, spacing seeds about + inch apart and 
covering with not over 4 inch of soile 
Until seedlings reach a hight of about two inches it is very 
essential thet they be shaded at all times, I use lath shades, made 
by nailing laths on two pieces of 1 inch by 2 inch stock, and space 
ing so as to leave 1 inch between laths, These shades should be set 
on supports so as to be about 8 inches above the surface of the 
soil, When seedlings are about 2 inches high shades should be re- 
moved for a few hours each day for 5 or 6 days, at the end of 
which time they should be removed entirelye 
It is better to keep seed beds on the dry side until plants 
are well established, as too much water will encourage damping-offe 
If lack of rain makes watering necessary it should be done not 
oftener than once a week, A thotrough soaking to a depth of several 
inches, once a week, is far better than a light watering every few 
dayse 
A side dressing of 4=12-16 commercial fertilizer, at the rate 
of 4 pounds to 100 square feet, should be applied about the last of 
July and cultivated in. Soil between rows should be kept cultivated 
at all times especially during dry weather, 
Do not use the 2=4-D soil treatment on land that is to be used 
for seed beds as it will retard and sometimes prevent the germin= 
ation of gladiolus sced, 
If the above directions are followed ther is no reason why one 
should not dig at least 75% blooming size bulbs. 
GLADIOLUS SEED 
All seeds in the following list are from hand pollinated blooms 
and every cross has been made with the utmost care to assure you of 
true parentages. Many of the following crosses have been made with 
some of my best undisseminated seedlings, and so have never been made 
by anyone before, 
The first named variety in each cross is the seed parent, 
DESCRIPTIONS AND PARENTAGES OF SEEDLINGS USED IN FOLLOWING CROSSES 
1-44-28 Rosa Van Lima x Early Rose Very early salmon with 
white throat. Tall, long flowerhead. 
1-44-34 Rosa Van Lima x Early Res@ Early light rose. Long 
flowerhead, many budse 
Z-44—2 June Bride x Convoy Very large scarlet, 
