RAMBLING REMARKS 
(and Variety Previews) 
In presenting the sixteenth annual issue of our catalog, may we extend 
greetings and best wishes to our thousands of gladiolus customers and 
friends for your continued patronage, which is greatly appreciated. In spite 
of an abnormal growing season in many sections, we hope most of you had 
a’fairly good “glad year’ and that the 1955 season will be even better. 
With too much moisture and cool weather on the West Coast and the 
extended drought in some parts of the Midwest, South, and East, it seems 
likely that large-size bulbs will be in rather scarce supply this year. We 
had a fairly cool, but otherwise normal growing season here, and with 
plenty of irrigation water we have harvested one of the biggest and best 
crops of bulbs we have ever had. Fall and early winter orders, however, 
have depleted our supply of large bulbs in some varieties. If you have not 
grown the medium-size bulbs, we might say that the number three size 
bulb (the size we send out on orders for mediums as long as they last) will 
give excellent results, In fact, it has been our experience that some varieties 
actually produce better spikes from number threes than they do from num- 
ber ones, which sometimes tend to split up and make inferior spikes. Even 
a number four or number five bulb will make a very creditable flower in 
most cases, though usually with somewhat shorter stem and fewer total 
buds on the spike. 
We hope you will want to try some of the 
grand new varieties we are listing this year. 
The old favorites were fine, too, in their day, 
but the newer kinds are wonderful improve- 
ments over most of the older ones—more 
ruffled with new and improved colors and more 
lovely in form and petal texture. Whether you 
grow glads to win blue ribbons and champion- 
ship rosettes at the shows, for high-quality 
cut flowers, or just for your own pleasure and to share with friends, you 
are sure to find new gardening thrills in growing the newer glads! 
Briefly reviewing each color class, here is the way we see them: 
WHITE (Color classes 00-01). There are some beauties in the white 
class now. Whitest of all, and among the most beautiful as well, are KING 
COTTON and WHITE CLOUD. White Cloud is more ruffled, but the nicely 
frilled florets of King Cotton are more securely attached to the stem. SNOW- 
DRIFT, ROXANA, and ANGEL WINGS are a lovely trio of newcomers. We 
would guess that Snowdrift will be the most popular of the three as an ex- 
hibition white—it already has a running start with its many champion- 
ships!—but the other two are fully as beautiful. SNOWCLAD seems to 
have reliable commercial habits, and may go a long way. EARLY SNOW 
is a good early cutter. SIERRA SNOW and WHITE GODDESS are tall and 
rugged. MOTHER FISCHER, a wonderful grower; one of the most reliable 
of all the whites. Three beautiful and very worthy representatives of the 
white-with-markings class are QUEEN ANNE, SPARKLING EYES, and 
CRUSADER. All have very prominent blotches, that of Queen Anne being 
a bright red spot, while the other two have throats of violet-purple and deep 
lavender, respectively. WHITE SAILS has somewhat less conspicuous throat 
lines of fuchsia-lavender, and features a long ribbon of open flowers. 
WHITE LACE, medium to small in size, is truly a glad of exquisite form 
and coloring. In size it comes close to being a 200. The latter class, how- 
ever, is well represented in quality (if not in numbers) by DAINTINESS 
and ALECIA, a couple of real little charmers. Heavy fall orders have near- 
ly sold us out of the latter variety; it was listed too low in price. SACHET, 
one of Rev. Spencer’s many good fragrant glads, is nicely perfumed. 
“This year, again, I must say I am amazed and delighted with the order; for all the 
extra bulbs and such high-priced ones!” —Mrs. M. T., Kansas 
