March, 1919 
25 
Slower (Brower 
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SUGGESTIONS RELATING TO PRIZES AT 
FLOWER SHOWS. 
The July number of The Flower 
Grower reached me on the first day of 
the American Gladiolus Society’s 
Show, and it was with great interest I 
read the schedule printed on page 72 
and the editor’s note on the division of 
the prize money at shows in general. 
The first and main object of a flower 
show is to bring together as many 
kinds and varieties of flowers and 
vegetables as possible and it is, there- 
fore, important that the organizers 
should endeavor “ to put himself in the 
place of the fellow exhibiting.” I am 
afraid this is not done so frequently as 
it should be, otherwise there would not 
be so many classes that fail to produce 
even one exhibitor. Of course, in some 
cases the schedule is issued too late. 
Some seedsmen are beginning to re- 
alize this fact and stipulate that unless 
the schedule is issued in the month of 
March they will not offer prizes. It is 
useless to offer prizes for particular 
varieties if the schedule does not come 
into the hands of probable exhibitors 
until long after the planting season. I 
was recently at a show where not a 
single amateur exhibit was staged, and 
on inquiry from those who had ex- 
hibited in previous years I was informed 
that the classes had been so altered and 
the schedule had been so late in ap- 
pearing that it was impossible to grow 
the items asked for in the time. In 
fact, one possible exhibitor said : “The 
schedule is all right for trade growers 
but for amateurs the schedule ought to 
have been in our hands last October.” 
How does the schedule under review 
compare with that of last year? The 
individual prizes are not so valuable 
but the classes appear to be drawn with 
a view to produce more competition, 
and I hope that result was obtained. 
Certainly it appears to me that the 
compilers were anxious to obtain 
quality rather than quantity. The di- 
vision of the prize money would bear 
further consideration on the lines sug- 
gested by the editor of this paper. 
There are fewer prizes in mer- 
chandise which, I think, is an advan- 
tage. Such classes do not, as a rule, 
fill very readily. It would be to the 
1 interest of those offering such prizes to 
consider whether it would not be better 
to let the winner have some choice in 
the matter and instead of “ Fifty corms 
of President Grant,” offer “Seeds, 
plants or bulbs (or goods) to the value 
of $ — to be selected from our retail 
catalog.” 
I was pleased to note that six classes 
were devoted to Primulinus Hybrids, 
although a class for named varieties 
was not included. 
I shall look forward to reading a full 
account of the show in the September 
issue of this paper, the flowers will no 
doubt have all disappeared from my 
garden by then — possibly most of the 
corms lifted and stored, and so far as 
the Gladiolus is concerned there will 
be only the notes to go over to remind 
us with what a wealth of bloom we 
were surrounded during the season of 
1918. 
Smilax. 
experiments with fertilizers and 
SOILS ON GROWTH AND HEALTH 
OF GLADIOLUS CORMS. 
In the spring of 1917, I planted out 
about four hundred varieties of Gladi- 
oli in soils prepared as follows : 
1. Three hundred were planted in a sandy 
loam enriched with one of the well known 
prepared Humus fertilizers now to be had, 
at the rate of 1 part humus to 3 parts soil. 
This prepared humus had been a great suc- 
cess in the culture of Roses and Chrysanthe- 
mums. 
2. The balance were set out in a clay loam 
enriched with well rotted cow manure in the 
same proportion as in 1. The dry pulverized 
form was used. 
Before the season was half over, 
about one-half of the corms in plot 1 
had rotted away. The other half pro- 
duced but a few spikes of bloom, the 
growth being weak and sickly. On 
harvesting, one-half of the remaining 
corms were badly infected with a 
spongy rot showing brown and black- 
ened areas, or were covered with scabs 
containing a jelly-like substance which 
hardened on exposure to air. All these 
diseased corms became hardened and 
lifeless by the following spring. No 
cormels were formed. 
The corms in plot 2 performed ex- 
cellently, forming fine strong plants, 
all giving fine spikes of bloom, and 
when harvested were healthy and solid 
and had each increased by numerous 
cormels. 
In the spring of 1918 all of my stock 
was planted in new locations, the soils 
being a black sandy loam, and clay 
loam, each of which was enriched with 
well rotted sheep manure, dug in, 1 
part manure to 3 parts soil. The ma- 
nure used was the dry pulverized form. 
Before the plants showed, the beds 
were given a top dressing of rotted 
cow manure from the field, and after 
growth was well up, the plants were 
given a weekly feeding with liquid ma- 
nure until buds showed color. This 
was prepared by stirring into each two 
gallons of water, one teaspoonful am- 
monium sulphate and one pint dry 
pulverized sheep manure. 
Practically all of the varieties blos- 
somed, as well in the sandy loam as in 
the clay loam. All plants were strong 
and healthy in growth and the corms 
had not only increased in size, but 
were solid and gave a good inciease in 
cormels. 
The following conclusions were 
drawn: The type of soil has no bearing 
on the health and growth of a corm, 
nor does it seemingly affect the pro- 
duction of cormels. Animal manures 
are not injurious in the proportion of 
1 to 3. Excessive humus should, how- 
ever, be avoided, as it promotes dis- 
ease. 
Chas. E. F. Gersdorff. 
SOME CULTURAL SUGGESTIONS. 
Last summer I chanced to visit a 
neighbor Gladiolus grower who had a 
large force of men and boys cleaning 
out a field where weeds and Gladioli 
were from six to twelve inches high 
and practically covered the ground. I 
then thought maybe our methods were 
not so bad. 
In all our planting we make a furrow 
either with a shovel plow or a small 
one horse plow and sow the bulbs in 
this furrow, averaging for large bulbs 
about six to the foot and of small bulbs 
as many as twelve to the foot. And 
we do not attempt to place the bulbs 
right side up. This might pay if one 
has some boy help to do it and bulbs 
are large but is not necessary. 
We then cover these rows with a 
shovel plow so they are well ridged up 
and leave them in this way until weeds 
are about to start growing, then drag 
the field cross-wise thoroughly, and 
then drag it at least once more before 
the bulbs are up much. If a few show 
it will not hurt them, but try and get 
the dragging done before they are up 
enough to show the rows. 
When the rows show they will be a 
little higher than the ground between 
them, cultivate thoroughly and as near 
the rows as possible, drawing the earth 
away from the row. Then we rake 
these rows cross-wise with a garden 
rake, taking off the top soil and weeds 
that are starting, so after the bulbs 
have been planted four to six weeks 
and are coming up, we have a good 
clean row, and then with frequent cul- 
tivating and hoeing one can keep ahead 
of the weeds which is far easier and 
better than to let them drive you. 
We plant bulblets just the same but 
much thicker and (jrag and rake the 
row the same ; and keep cultivating 
and hoeing until we dig the bulbs. In 
a small garden this general plan might 
be followed and the work done mainly 
with a rake and wheel hoe. 
This is much the same procedure as 
recommended by M. Crawford in his 
book “The Gladiolus.” 
Would be pleased to read the labor 
saving methods of other growers. 
J. F. Munsell. 
SOME INCREASE. 
I have noticed from time to time ac- 
counts of extraordinary large numbers 
of bulblets produced from a single 
Gladiolus bulb, but I think I have 
smashed the record. 
Last season I planted a single bulb 
of Kunderd’s Yellow Gem, and on dig- 
ging same in the fall I found by actual 
count 404 bulblets attached to it. Some 
increase ! 
My previous highest record was 306 
bulblets from a bulb of Crackerjack. 
Howard M. Gillet. 
