

Questions We Are 
Often Asked <Hladiolus 
OF MERIT 



Catalogs—Free for the Asking 
We want everyone interested in any way to have one of our catalogs. However, please remember cat- 
alogs such as we puti out cost real money. If you do not order in three years we take for granted you are 
no longer interested and your name is taken from our files. Our catalogs cost about 25c each and with 
the thousands we send out it runs into a large sum. If you have not ordered recently, some word in the 
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Questions We Are Often Asked 
Why do my bulbs all go back to that small yellow (or pink or orange)? Your bulbs do not change 
or revert back at all, even though people have asked this question hundreds of times. If you would keep 
your varieties separate you will find this is true, but you will find that some are very prolific, while others 
are weak and have no resistance to disease, virus, etc. The prolific variety propagates exceptionally fast, 
probably from the bulbs splitting up as well as from bulblets. As a result, in two or three years time, 
you will increase the percentage of this variety many, many times. Again, the bulbs of this variety will 
no doubt keep well. No, I have never seen one change in our long experience in growing hundreds of 
acres. 
What is a ‘“‘Sport?”’ 
Sports are not uncommon, but actually, probably not over one in a half million is found. This is prob- 
ably a freak of Nature, as a bulb will develop an entirely different colored flower. The form of the flower 
can also be changed, but as a rule the color sport usually carries the same characteristics as the parent 
plant. Sometimes the plant itself changes but is usually overlooked. If vour varieties are all labeled and 
another color shows up or an exceptionally heavy or weak grower appears, it could be a sport, but in- 
variably will have some characteristics of the variety. Sports will revert to the mother plant or variety, 
and this must be expected. One in 500 is not unusual. 
Bulbs Running Out 
Why do bulbs run out after two or three years? The answer is simply just plain old age. The bulbs of 
some varieties often split up and these splits will carry one for a time, but the quality of your blooms is 
apt to get poorer. You have got to grow some bulblets on or else buy some new bulbs every two or three 
years. Some varieties will hold up and produce longer than others, but eventually young blood is needed. 
Prices 
Why is one variety listed at $5.00 each and another at 10c? The $5.00 variety may or may not be any 
better than the 10c one. It simply means that the high priced one is new, stock is very scarce, there 
may not be 500 bulbs in all sizes in existence. It may be a slow propagator but well worth keeping which 
tends to keep it high. Most $5.00 bulbs will reach the rock bottom price in from four to eight years with a 
gradual decline as stock becomes more plentiful. Quality has nothing to do with price. 
Seedlings—Tens of Thousands to Produce One Good Variety 
How are new varieties developed? Some people think that new varieties come from growing the bulblets 
that form on the large bulb. No, bulblets come true to the parent. New varieties or seedlings are developed 
from the seed that forms on the flower spike. Bees, insects and the wind will do the fertilizing, but hy- 
bridizers like to have true, straight crosses, and do it by hand, and placing a paper bag or protecting cover 
over the flower so that no foreign pollen is received from the bees, etc. There may be a 100 or more seeds 
in a pod of which no two will be exactly alike. However, not every one of these seeds makes a worthy va- 
riety. The tendency is towards poor colors, weakness, and undesirables. It takes many thousands of seeds, 
a lot of time and enough records to equal a small business to grow seedlings. 
Planting Space for the Home Gardener—for the Commercial Grower 
How much room do Glads take? Actually not very much, but depends on what your ultimate aim is. 
If you want just some nice flowers to keep the house supplied they can be planted as close as five to the 
foot, and rows a foot apart. If you are growing for show purposes, give them a little more room, say 4 to 
6 inches apart. If planting small bulbs 10 or 12 to the foot is not too many as the bloom cannot be ex- 
pected to be too large, but the bulbs should make stock for another year. Even at that, small bulbs given 
plenty of room can often make some spectacular spikes. 
Commercially the rows are spaced from 2 to 3 feet, usually 3 feet. If large bulbs are planted, four to 
the foot is not too many. At this rate 58,000 bulbs would be needed for one acre. Some stagger the bulbs 
in the row, giving each one more room or allowing for more to the acre. 
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