bility that it will not wilt quickly; the attachment of 
the floret to the stem should be such that, it will 
not break off easily in handling; the spike must have 
the ability to open and hold in good condition — at 
least six florets —— and if it can open more, so 
much the better. The variety must be capable of 
opening all of its buds in water when cut with one 
bud only partly open. If your market is to whole- 
sale florists your varieties must be good shippers. 
Preferably the spike should be tall altho some of 
the most beautiful and desired varieties as Elizabeth 
the Queen, are on the short side. The stem should 
be stout, and wiry, so that it droops less quickly in 
the field. The growing habits are quite important— 
the variety should be healthy and vigorous with the 
ability to produce almost 100% of good spikes from 
the bulbs you plant. Some of our loveliest varieties 
are temperamental— blooming beautifully and gen- 
erously some seasons — in others proving most dis- 
appointing. A cut flower variety to be profitable 
must be dependable. Above all, the varieties must 
be superior to those which have been generally 
grown in the past. In a dull market the old well 
known varieties cannot compete with the newer va- 
rieties which have been developed. Keep your va- 
riety list just a year better than the common run 
that growers have in their fields and you will have 
no marketing problem. Be sure that each year you 
try out a few new ones — not too many of each — 
until you see how they behave in your soil. Of 
those that prove better than the ones you are al- 
ready growing — plant generously next year. Don’t 
hes'tate to junk an inferior variety — build a repu- 
tation for quality spikes. 
CHOICE OF COLORS 
If you plan to sell your spikes to a local florist, 
he will most probably buy about 25% whites and 
very light creams, about 50% salmon and pastel 
pinks, with the remaining 25% of reds, yellows, 
purples, oranges, etc., combined. He will want 
mostly self colors, without prominent blotched or 
throat markings. The reason for his choice of color 
is the fact that about 75% of his use of gladiolus 
is for funeral sprays and designs. For weddings he 
uses mostly whites. When he is supplying baskets 
for banquets, business openings, and parties, then 
the bolder colors are desired, with tall spikes bring- 
ing premium prices for such use. 
If you are selling from a stand or to a public 
market, where the spikes eventually are used for 
house decoration, then you will find that almost 
every color is in demand, and that the warm toned 
smokies and the brown hues of the 90 color class 
are very much in demand because they are so dif- 
ferent and have such exquisite color blendings. A 
great field exists in gladiolus sales for the home 
and office. This field has barely been opened — 
it can be expanded enormously. 
QUALITY OF BULBS 
The first requisite of success in flower growing, is 
healthy stock. No amount of care can produce good 
spikes from diseased bulbs. Never plant one that 
looks suspicious, for most bulb diseases are highly 
contagious and may easily and quickly affect your 
ground and your entire stock. The supplier of your 
bulb stock should be one on which you can rely not 
only for honesty but also on his ability to know 
2] 
gladiolus diseases. Always buy directly from a 
grower of unquestioned reputation for supplying 
healthy, vigorous, young diseasee-free stock. 
Gladland Acres is a nationally known firm. Not 
only are our bulbs of top quality, but no other 
cataloger in America offers as complete a selection 
of superior kinds. Your stock as received from us 
can be depended upon to develop quality spikes 
and our knowledge of varieties and their perform- 
ance both in the field and after cutting, makes it 
possible for us to give you a selection that will pro- 
duce a money-making crop for you. It is only good 
business sense thot we make every effort to make 
your initial investment a paying one, because our 
most valuable assets are our repeat customers, and 
we know that if you succeed in this project;we can 
confidently expect that we will continue supplying 
you with the newer varieties as they’ develop. 3 
SALE OF BULBS a ea es 
If your sales outlet is in part to individuals, either 
by solicitation or by means of a road stand; a large 
percentage of these customers will desire to pur- 
chase bulbs for their own garden. With the excep- 
tion of a few varieties, all in our group offerings © 
retail regularly at $1.00 per dozen. We strongly 
urge that you encourage these potential customers— 
replacing the large bulbs sold with medium size for 
your next season’s flower sales. A gross profit of 
70c on each dozen may add materially to your in- 
come from gladiolus and it has been our experience 
that these same customers will buy year after year 
as they see new varieties in your plantings. Nearly 
all of the larger gladiolus firms started as amateurs 
and developed their present business volume over a 
period of years by gradually increasing their plant- 
ings, as they developed a sales outlet. 
PLANTING TIME AND DEPTH OF PLANT 
When glads are grown for bulbs, and bulblet 
production, shallow planting is best, but for cut 
flower production, deep planting is necessary, or 
else spikes will loosen and fall when heavy rains or 
required water is necessary as the spikes are de- 
veloping. For large bulbs plant 4 to 6 inches deep; 
for medium bulbs plant 4 to 5 inches deep. Plant 
as soon as ground becomes warm. While bulbs may 
be planted very early, cold ground checks growth 
development, and blooms will actually be later than 
when planted later, when growing can start imme- 
diately. The way to produce early flowers is to se- 
lect varieties that require less time to develop bloom. 
Many kinds require only 65 to 75 days from plant- 
ing, while mid-season varieties as Picardy under 
ideal conditions require 90 to 95 days. As a gen- 
eral rule the early blooming varieties are not as 
good quality as the mid-season and late blooming 
sorts, but they are apt to bring higher prices as 
they come into the market when local glads are 
scarce. By careful selection of varieties the cut 
flower season from a single planting may extend 
over a period of more than six weeks, while success- 
ive plantings can prolong the cutting season until 
frost. 
SIZE OF BULBS TO PLANT 
In making up groups of varieties for the beginner 
in cut flower production, we always supply about 
30% of the quantity in large size bulbs, simply be- 
