Our Trial Garden 
We conduct a trial garden each season to 
evaluate new seedlings prior to listing them in 
our catalogue. In this manner we are able to 
screen from the mass of new seedlings available 
for introduction the best to name and introduce. 
This season we grew 437 new varieties and 
seedlings. From this group we selected 35 to 
introduce or co-introduce where the stock was 
not available for sale. Several other promising 
seedlings are being propagated for future intro- 
duction. We grew 173 Dutch originations, 18 
Australian—New»Zealand originations. The re- 
mainder were North American originations. In 
our trial planting we had 29 entries for the All 
America Gladiolus Selections and check 
plants of the North American Gladiolus Council 
Trial Garden. 
The trial garden was planted in late May 
due to the wet spring. Once plants attained a 
height of 12’ the planting was mulched with 
wood shavings to a depth of 6”. During the 
extremely dry summer it was irrigated twice. A 
continuous stream of visitors looked over the 
planting and many competent judges studied 
these varieties and recorded comments for our 
records. In most cases one half of the stock of 
each variety was sent to Mr. H. O. Evans of 
Solon, Ohio who grew and recorded their per- 
formance in Ohio. We also visited each other’s 
gardens during the blooming season to compare 
notes. 
From this careful method of study we feel that 
our selection of varieties represents the best we 
can obtain. We encourage those who have new 
seedlings of merit to send them to us for study. 
Those which we deem outstanding we purchase 
if possible for introduction. Write us for full 
particulars. 
The following varieties proved to be outstand- 
ing in our 1953 Trial Garden. They rated excel- 
lent both as exhibition and commercial types. 
FRAU EUGENE (Eugene Fischer) 301 
White with a brilliant red throat. 8 formally 
placed florets with 8 in color on 19 bud spikes. 
Tall grower with strong foliage. 
PINK HARMONY (Tyndall) 540 A very 
early pure pink with a cream throat. Produces 
uniform spikes with 8 open on 22 bud spikes. A 
topnotch commercial. 1954 introduction. 
QUEEN ANNE (Harold Johnson) 401 Clean 
white with bright red throat. One of our 1954 
introductions. 8 wide open florets with 6 or more 
in color on 19 bud spikes. 
RED PEPPER (K & M) 452 Brilliant deep 
red with deeper blotched red throat. Tall and 
vigorous. 6 open, 8 in color on 18 bud spikes. 
ROSARIO (Carl Fischer) 461 Fischer’s 
outstanding rose introduction. Smooth medium 
63 
rose with a deep rose violet blotch. 8 to 10 florets 
open in double row formation on 20 bud spikes. 
Tall and healthy. 
SNOWCLAD (Harris) 400 Of the 60 white 
varieties in the trial garden this stood out as 
one of the very finest white varieties in existence. 
69-inch spikes with eight 5’ florets, 8 in color 
with 20 or more buds. 
Varieties which averaged excellent to good 
were: 
FLORIBUNDA (Pruitt) 540 A tall 500 
Phantom Beauty opening 10 five-and-one-half- 
inch wide-open florets. 10 in color on 22—24 bud 
spikes. Excellent commercial characteristics, a 
1954 introduction. 
SEEDLING 45-47-3 (Preyde) 564 A deep 
rose self with 8 open on tall 18 inch spikes. 
PURPLE BURMA (Fischer) 470 Ruffled 
royal purple with typical Burma flowerhead. 
Very nice, 
WHITE FRILLS (Goddard) 400 Tall ruffled 
pure white with 8 open on 22 bud spikes. Grows 
65”’ tall. 
A list of 65 varieties that were rated ‘‘good”’ 
may be found in the N. E. G. S. Yearbook for 
1954 or in the Ohio State Gladiolus Society Bulle- 
tin, December 1953. This report will be published 
annually in these publications. 
It should be the aim of hybridizers to endeavor 
to produce new varieties in the following colors 
as there is definite room for improvement: 
Reds, all shades, scarlet, lavender, violet and 
the deeper shades of vellow. The trend of hy- 
bridization may best be shown by a color break- 
down of varieties entered in the trial garden last 
season. 
White and Cream 60 Medium Red 15 
Light Yellow 20 + Black Red 6 
Deep Yellow fi vlight-Rose 20 
Buff 14. Deep Rose 30 
Orange 18 Lavender 31 
Light Salmon 20 * Purple 24 
Deep Salmon 14 ~Light Violet 14 
Scarlet 21 Deep Violet 11 
Light Pink 41 Smoky 2 
Deep Pink Oe AAO) gee 8 
Light Red 32 Did Not Bloom 16 
Every color class is being continually improved 
by selection of new seedlings. However it is 
evident there should be a planned hybridizing 
program for the hard to get colors otherwise 
they will not be obtained by chance crosses. 
Every hybridizer should check his seedlings 
with the standard named varieties. We compare 
each seedling with the best of its color to deter- 
mine whether it is worthy for introduction. 
