ductions which ignominously fail the ballyhoo their originators or intro- 
ducers have put up for them. I hope the day will come when the buying 
public will be wise enough to demand that a new introduction must present 
along with its appearance in the trade, certificates of merit and quality, 
accurately and truthfully attested to by reliable trial Gardens, and bearing 
ratings made by disinterested gladiolus technicians. 
The real inspiration of my gladiolus growing was that I might have 
flowers for my parishoners, and the Churches that I would serve. Year 
by year I fell short of my needs, and year by year the plantings were in- 
creased. Finally, the situation became more than my pocketbook could 
stand, and I began offering bulbs and flowers for sale. 
In the course of these years my glads did so well that I wanted them 
to have a special name, and began calling them TALL CORN GLADS, in 
recognition of the part that Iowa climate and soil played in production of 
beautiful flowers, and full o’ pep bulbs. Growing glads in Iowa is not 
wholly a hobby of enthusiasm. There are enough troubles and enemies 
associated with glad growing to hold an enthusiast in balance. Together 
with these. Mother Nature does not appear to have too much concern for 
the enthusiast’s plans and objectives. Torrents of rain may come when 
not needed, and drought settles down on us when we are straining every 
desire for show spikes. Winds and burning sun have no consideration. 
All in all, he who would grow glads should possess a sturdy spirit. 
WHAT'S IN A NAME? 
There seems to be confusion aplenty about what our favorite flower 
should be called. Now and then we see in print the word “gladiola” used 
to designate our flower, and many feel some sort of disgust with it. How- 
ever, Wesbter’s Dictionary lists such a word, and defines it as meaning a 
gladiolus. So perhaps some of us should be a bit more lenient with those 
who use the word ending with an “a”. The dictionary says that general 
usage spells the word with an “us” ending for the singular, and a “li” ending 
for the plural, the “i” having the long sound. However, the American 
Gladiolus Society in 1925 voted to discontinue the use of the Latin pro- 
nunciation, and call our beloved flower, for both singular and plural, by 
the word “gladiolus”, with the accent on the last syllable, “lus”, thus elim- 
inating the tongue twisting required to pronounce it in the manner of Latin. 
So eur pronunciation is thus, “glad’i-o’lus’, and let us thank Mr. Webster 
for favoring this pronunciation over the Latin. 
HOW TO GROW BLUE RIBBON SPIKES 
While perhaps most of my customers grow glads for home use, and 
pleasure, many grow them for the fun of competing in flower shows. How- 
ever that may be, even tho one has no interest in exhibiting in shows, they 
naturally wish to grow good spikes. So here are a few suggestions that 
will help in growing grand spikes and blue ribbon winners: 
1. Select large bulbs, not less than an inch in diameter, that is No. 2 or 
larger. The No. 3 and No. 4 bulbs will produce magnificent spikes, 
but for exhibition spikes, the safer policy is to use large bulbs, not 
more than two years from the bulblet. They should be healthy, shiny 
with health, really with a glow on the bulb. A husked bulb reveals 
its health conditions much as health is reflected in a person’s face. 
2. Plant in the open, away from trees, fences, buildings and shrubs. 
They like the open field, and lots of sunshine. 
3. Thoroughly prepare the soil, and see that it has large quantity of 
humus in it. A rich sandy loam is ideal if well supplied with humus. 
