To get back to some previous originations, which are still TOPS in their field, 
SIERRA SNOW leads the pack in whites, superceded only by SNOW CLAD. DOLLY 
VARDEN, still a tremendous glad, in salmon with white throat, one you can grow easily 
to perfection. STERLING, giving its good account of itself, in a phlox purple, was 
superb this year. EDITH WARR is our largest pure pink, and one spike makes a Whole 
show. A simply tremendous spike of pink, that over-shadows everything, and still makes 
a good commercial. FORSYTHIA, a huge medium yellow, sometimes shows a little rose 
at the edges in cool weather, is easily our finest commercial yellow. LYNNE HILL and 
AYLMER GLORY grew to tremendous heights this season, and in their respective color 
classes are simply TOPS. LORD ELGIN went up this year too, and a more beautiful 
medium ruffled red glad does not exist. ROYAL FLUSH, a little late, but still THE 
RUFFLED RED GLAD. SHIRLY IRENE still leads the pack in the so-called CORONA 
color and is perfectly healthy. 
Of all the smokies I grow, I still love STORMY WEATHER and SANDMAN. 
KING DAVID and WONDER BOY top the purples. WONDER BOY has won scads of 
Grand Champions this season, and is a WONDER GLAD. 
Each Trial Garden has its share of seedlings, which will not be ready for the market 
for another year or two, but which are years ahead of the parade. This season it was my 
pleasure to grow some Harris seedlings, which were simply superb. They will be 
introduced under a heading of “EXQUISITE SERIES.” They are heavy textured, heavily 
ruffled, and needle pointed, and tremendous. We shall also introduce what will be called 
a “RAGGEDY ANN” series, which are new, and different. 
I could write pages and pages about the performance of these new and recent 
introductions, but enough for this time. 
THE ALL AMERICAN GLADIOLUS SELECTIONS 
Look for Them in 1955 
Like the rose people, who select the finest new roses for special honors each year, 
a group of twenty-six leading glad growers and judges organized in 1953, The All-America 
Gladiolus Selections, to choose and publicize the outstanding glad among each season’s 
prospective introductions. 
TWENTY-NINE seedlings were submitted for test in 1953 by hybridizers from all 
over the United States and Canada. These seedlings were all grown this past summer, 
under code numbers, in 25 trial grounds, with a wide geographical distribution. 
The winning seedlings will be selected in January 1954, but because of propagation 
requirements, their names will not be made public until January, 1955. Watch for the 
announcement, of the first ALL-AMERICA WINNERS at that time. They will be listed 
and pictured in this catalogue. This garden is an Official Trial Ground for these All- 
America Selections. 
PRELUDE TO THE 1954 INTRODUCTIONS: 
YES, THERE ARE COUNTLESS THRILLS, growing and evaluating 453 seedlings, 
from perhaps 125 hybridizers, but it is also a tremendous job, both physically and 
mentally. Every single morning, from about July 15th, to September 15th, I am up at 
6:00 A. M., note-book in hand, measuring tape, pencils, etc., catching the new things as 
they open. Writing them down, rechecking them, cutting some of the spikes, testing them 
for opening qualities, for handling, and then reporting to their owners as to their 
performance. 
We do not accept our own check, but also compare notes on the same seedlings, 
with such fine judges as Mike Sherman (He writes the glad story for Flower Grower), 
Beulah Fortnam, Sydney Mode, and others well known to glad fans. If the performance 
of that seedling compares favorably with ours, then we see about introduction. This list 
may look big to YOU, but it looks very SMALL to ME. After going over so many 
hundreds of them, and finally sifting them down to this small number, all of which are 
NEW, DIFFERENT, and MARVELLOUS glads. Sooooooh? Here they are: 
