HANDLING AND STORING GLADIOLUS BULBS. 



83 



Handling and Storing Gladiolus Bulbs. 



G. D. BLACK, ALBERT LEA, MINN. 



Gladiolus bulbs are not dead or inanimate things like clods or 

 stones. They are alive and will give us more and better flowers 

 in return for good treatment, just as surely as do our domestic 

 animals give us more and better eggs and milk when we give 

 them the proper attention. 



Taking care of the bulbs during their dormant state, from 

 the time they are har- 

 vested until they are 

 planted again, has not 

 been given the attention 

 that it deserves. It is 

 not reasonable to expect 

 best results from a bulb 

 that has lost part of its 

 vitality during this time. 

 What I shall say on 

 this subject will be based 

 on my personal experi- 

 ence. 



We commence digging 

 about the middle of Sep- 

 tember. We first harvest 

 the small bulbs that have 

 grown from bulblets. It 

 is not necessary that 

 these become ripe before 

 they are dug. 



We prefer that they do not grow too large, so that we may 

 be able to plant them next spring with our planter. If they are 

 larger than three-fourths of an inch they must be planted by 

 hand. 



These small bulbs are usually dug by loosening them with a 

 spading fork, so they may be easily pulled up and broken from 

 the tops into a sieve which will retain the bulbs and permit the 

 soil to be shaken through. As we grow these small bulbs in such 

 large quantities we do this work with a machine of our own con- 

 struction. 



We next harvest the early varieties of the large bulbs and 

 leave the latest varieties until the last. These should also be 

 loosened with the spading fork so that they may be lifted easily 



Golden King gladiolus, originated by G. D. Black. 



