12 Ol)c Slower (Brower 
Queries and Answers Department. 
I “All questions asked in good faith and which are of general interest will have | 
I careful attention. The full name and address of the writer must be given, but not i 
| for publication.” | 
Do Gladiolus Corms Absorb Nutri- 
ment from the Stalk After Digging? 
To the Editor 
I wish to inquire if it is the judgment of 
experienced growers of Gladioli that corms 
absorb nutriment from the stalk after the 
roots have ceased to function, and if not, 
why may they not be dug at that time quite 
as well as when the tops have utterly dried ? 
A. R. S. 
Answer We believe it is the judg- 
ment of the best Gladiolus specialists 
that Gladiolus corms do not absorb 
nutriment from the stalk after the 
roots have ceased to function, but 
we are not so well satisfied that the 
roots cease to function when the 
weather turns cold in the fall or even 
after frost has cut the foliage. In fact, 
we believe the roots are working as 
long as the corrn remains in the ground 
unfrozen, and bulblets are developed 
thereby. 
It is correct practice that tops should 
be cut off Gladiolus corms immediately 
when dug and this would indicate that 
the corm is not benefited by leaving 
the tops on after the roots have ceased 
to function. In the North we never 
think of waiting for the foliage of 
Gladioli to ripen before digging the 
corm. In fact it is only during an ex- 
ceptional season like the one just past 
that any considerable proportion of 
Gladiolus tops ripen before digging. 
With us a severe frost kills the foliage 
to an extent which makes it undesir- 
able to leave the corm in the ground 
longer although we believe that there 
is considerable growth of bulblets after 
the foliage has ripened or been killed 
by the frost. 
Madison Cooper. 
Do Very Small Gladiolus 
Cormels Germinate Well ? 
To the Editor 
Do the very small cormlets not larger than 
seed pearls ever amount to much when 
planted ? S. A. R. 
Answer : — The smallest cormels if 
sufficiently matured will grow if stored 
under favorable conditions and planted 
under favorable conditions, but it may 
be said that the very small ones gener- 
ally have less vitality or strength to 
germinate than the larger ones. It is 
our practice to screen small stock and 
cormels on a § in. mesh screen, believ- 
ing that the little fellows which will pass 
through such a fine screen with the 
sand and dirt are of little or no value. 
Generally the very smallest are imma- 
ture, hence they lack vitality, but some 
varieties make very small cormels 
anyway and this statement cannot be 
made accurate as applied to all varie- 
ties. 
Time from Planting to Blooming. 
To thf Editor:— 
Where can I get a list of the time required 
to flower the various varieties of Gladioli ? 
I went by Peter Henderson’s catalogue this 
year and the time they give is not long 
enough by almost two weeks. J. M. F. 
Answer :— The files of The Modern 
Gladiolus Grower and The Flower 
Grower contain records of time from 
planting to blooming of Gladioli. No 
such complete information on this sub- 
ject can be found elsewhere. It might 
be stated, however, that exactness can- 
not be depended upon in this connec- 
tion as so much depends on size of 
bulbs, weather conditions, and other 
influences. An average of the various 
records which have appeared from 
time to time will doubtless give infor- 
mation of value and it is our purpose 
to tabulate these records when we can 
get to it. 
Gladiolus Seedlings. 
To the Editor 
Are Gladioli from seed, each and every 
one, a new and distinct sort as with Dahlias? 
M. J. 
Answer: — Yes, seedling Gladioli may 
be said, each and every one of them, 
to be an entirely new and distinct va- 
riety. While seedlings often resemble 
one of the parents strongly, and some 
of them seem to be almost identical, 
yet strictly speaking they are distinct. 
Fertilizer for Gladioli. 
I have a supply of fertilizer for which the formula, 
as marked on the bags, is as follows : “ Nitrogen, 
two to three per cent ; available phosphoric acid, nine 
to eleven percent; potash; KeO.” Will you kindly 
let me know whether this fertilizer, with wood ashes 
added to it, will do for Gladioli? Should barnyard 
manure also be used in conjunction with the com- 
mercial fertilizer? Please state, also, how much of 
the ashes should be used per 100-pound sack of the 
fertilizer. R. M.— Wis. 
Answer:— The question as to whether 
stable manure should be used for Gladioli, 
or for any crop for that matter, and as to 
what amount should be applied, would de- 
pend entirely upon the nature of the soil. 
Such manure is especially desirable upon 
land deficient in humus and there are few 
soils on which it cannot be used to advan- 
tage. Unless the land has been heavily 
manured in recent years, it will probably be 
advisable to apply ten to twenty tons per 
acre, of well decomposed manure, which 
should be disked into the soil. If the tract 
is a clover sod or is well supplied with 
humus, ten tons will be sufficient per acre, 
provided commercial fertilizer is used with it. 
The formula as given shows the amount 
of nitrogen and phosphoric acid, but no 
percentage of potash is stated. From the 
fact that the scarcity of potash has made 
it difficult to obtain and the price has almost 
prohibited its use in fertilizers, the amount 
is not likely to be more than one per cent, 
and this may be ignored in determining the 
amount of the fertilizer desirable. 
January, 1920 
A good grade of unleached hardwood 
ashes should contain about five per cent of 
potash and one and one-half per cent of 
phosphoric acid. Just how many pounds of 
wood ashes should be used per acre will 
depend upon the cost. Good results may be 
secured with 1,000 pounds per acre, and two 
or three times that amount would do no 
harm. Since the potash and phosphoric 
acid will not leach from the soil, they will be 
available for future crops if a larger amount 
is applied than will be used by the crop of 
the present year. 
In connection with ten tons of stable ma- 
nure, we would suggest the use of 1,000 lbs. 
of wood ashes — hardwood, unleached— and 
500 lbs. of the fertilizer mentioned, per acre. 
Provided a good grade of unleached hard- 
wood ashes can be obtained for not to ex- 
ceed $8 or $10 per ton, as is possible in many 
places where wood is commonly used for 
fuel, we would use one ton of wood ashes 
per acre, with 12 tons of manure, and would 
not use the other fertilizer. — Florists' Review. 
Begonias from Seed. 
To the Editor: — 
Would Prof. Massey tell us the name of the Be- 
gonias he raises from seed and has blossoms all Sum- 
mer? I cannot find anything in the catalogues that 
seems to answer the description. F. H. 
Answer . —The Begonias used for bedding 
are known by the general name of Ever- 
blooming Begonias and Bedding Begonias. 
There are named varieties, but I grow mine 
from seed that I save every Summer from 
the beds, and seldom keep any plants 
over Winter. There are named varieties of 
which you can get the seed or the plants 
from the seedsmen. These are Erfordia, 
Prima Donna, Luminosa, Vernon and Salmon 
Queen. My mixed seed gives me flowers 
varying in color from pure white to crimson. 
They are never out of bloom Winter or Sum- 
mer if grown in pots. You will find them 
listed in most of the leading catalogues. If 
you want beds of one color it will be neces- 
sary to buy seed of the named sorts, though 
the mixed seed can be had cheaper. — W. F. 
Massey in Rural New Yorker. 
Shrub with Red Berries in Winter. 
To the Editor 
Will you kindly let me know which is the 
best shrub to plant in the fall or spring hav- 
ing red berries through the winter ? I have 
lots of flowering shrubs, but none with ber- 
ries, and would like to get a real good one 
that looks pretty through the late fall and 
winter months. H. Z. 
Answer :— If you have not already 
Berberris Thunbergi or Japanese Bar- 
berry you should surely plant it for the 
fall and winter effect. The flowers 
while of no special value as flowers, 
yet the shrub itself is a very beautiful 
one and the coloring of the leaves in 
the fall makes a magnificent display. 
When once well established in fertile 
soil it will make a great many red ber- 
ries which are held well into the winter. 
Japanese Barberry is especially hardy 
here in Northern New York, and we 
have several hundred feet of it in a 
hedge and it is one of the features of 
our grounds. 
Madison Cooper. 
Treatment of Gladiolus 
Cormels Before Planting. 
To the Editor : 
Please suggest the best treatment for corm- 
lets, large and small when planting. 
A. S. R. 
Answer : — Our practice in planting 
