134 
Ol)e Slower (Brower 
August, 1920 
Queries and Answers Department. 
“ All questions asked in good faith and which are of general interest will have careful attention. | 
The full name and address of the writer must be given, but not for publication.” = 
Root Lice on Gladiolus Corms. 
To the Editor : - 
The past two seasons, at just about planting time, 
my Gladioli have become badly infested with root lice. 
When harvested the corms appeared to be perfectly 
clean and healthy. I believe these root lice were in- 
troduced through a shipment of corms from one or 
two dealers last spring. These corms were cleaned by 
removal of the husk and washing before planting, but 
undoubtedly some eggs were still present when 
planted. 
Nearly my entire collection, about 90 per cent, were 
literally covered with the lice and on cleaning about 
one-ninth of these had dried up. Just about a month 
ago the corms were free of the lice. I have had to take 
time off from work in order to wash my collection of 
about a thousand corms in hopes of saving most of 
them. So many have been badly impaired in vitality 
that I expect a very poor showing of bloom. 
What brought my attention to the condition of my 
Gladioli was due to the presence of a small black fly, 
which I have since been given to understand were the 
final stage in the life history of root lice, the lice every 
two years becoming flies. They were so thick in the 
room in which I kept my Gladioli, and having no 
good explanation for their presence led me to examine 
my Gladioli again, with the result as reported. I got 
rid of the flies by fumigating with burning aphis punk, 
a tobacco preparation. 
Now that 1 have freed my corms of the root lice, 
what should 1 do to rid my garden of the pest, for 1 
believe there will be a repetition of the infestation if the 
soil is not also cleaned. 
Would a generous application of tobacco stems to 
the surface of the soil after the growth appears above 
ground be efficacious? How about the use of a spray 
for the surface of nicotine sulphate, “ Black Leaf 40 ?” 
Would the latter injure the corms ? 
Chas. E. F. Gersdorff. 
Any of our readers who can supply infor- 
mation which will be helpful in connection 
with the above inquiry are asked to please 
write fully as this trouble has been reported 
several times before.— Editor. 
Origin of Gladioli. 
One of our subscribers wants to know the 
introducers of the following varieties of 
Gladioli: 
Adeline Fatti. 
Alice Carey. 
Apollo. 
Black Hawk. 
Dominion (other than Groff.) 
Fire King. 
Golden West. 
Goliath. 
Hohenzollern. 
Liebesfeuer. 
Mrs. Jas. Lancashire 
Mont Blanc. 
Prince of Wales. 
Red Emperor. 
Summer (a mauve listed by Black.) 
White Cluster. 
White Excelsior. 
White Giant. 
We will be glad to print full information 
along this line if any of our subscribers can 
furnish it. 
germination of bulblets left in the ground at 
digging time is to rotate Gladioli with some 
other crop. One year Gladioli, next year 
perhaps vegetables, or any hoed crop, and so 
on. But even this is not absolutely sure as 
bulblets have been known to remain in the 
ground and germinate the second year. It is 
better practice to rotate Gladioli with another 
crop on a three year rotation, to avoid mix- 
ing through the germination of volunteer 
bulblets. 
Dividing Peonies in August. 
To the Editor : — 
Did you or any of your readers every divide large 
clumps of Peonies in August ? We have a large lot of 
old plants that we wish to divide this fall, but with the 
rush of filling orders and not much help available we 
don’t see how we can do it without we can do so in 
August. B. G. 
Answer :— We would undertake to divide 
Peonies the last half of August, and if the 
season of growth had been good up to that 
time, would not hesitate to divide them the 
first half of August. Peonies make their 
growth mostly before July 1st, but, of course, 
they are rooting and forming new buds for 
the next year until freezing weather. The 
accepted month of September is the right 
time to divide Peonies, but as good results, 
possibly better, could be had by dividing in 
August, and, providing conditions were favor- 
able, the divisions would get well established 
before freezing weather. If one were divid- 
ing and expecting good bloom the next year, 
August dividing ought to be the right thing, 
but a great deal depends on weather conditions 
during the growing season as well as weather 
conditions after dividing. 
NEW SEEDLING IRIS 
List for 1920-1921 now ready. Un- 
broken stocks. Including twelve new 
varieties of the Dominion Race. 
A. J. BLISS, 
Morwellham, Tavistock. England 
1 A. B. deGROAT | 
| BATH, N.Y. | 
I GROWER OF CHOICE GLADIOLI I 
Attention Society of American 
Florists, and Others 
Interested. 
Inability to be in two places at once 
will prevent our showing at Boston. 
We will be in the trade exhibition 
at the S. A. F. convention at Cleveland 
with a fine collection of Gladioli, but 
space will permit of showing but a 
small part of our over six hundred va- 
rieties. 
From August 1 on, our plantings of 
Gladioli and perennials will be in fine 
shape. We offer visitors a chance to 
see about every high priced Gladiolus in 
cultivation, over 20 acres of large bulbs 
planted, not to mention the smaller 
sizes in main commercial varieties. 
Many traits of importance can be 
seen in the field that are not evident 
in the show vase. Come and see them 
— and us. 
Ralph E. Huntington Co., 
Good Hold P'arm, Mentor, Ohio. 
On main Chicago-Buffalo pavement, 
Stop 52 C. P. & E. interurban 19 miles 
east of Cleveland. — ( Adv .) 
E. E. STEWART 
WHOLESALE GROWER OF 
GLADIOLI 
Brooklyn - - Michigan 
RALPH BENJAMIN 
Grower « of « Dahlias 
Gladioli and Peonies 
CALVERTON, - LONG ISLAND 
Peony Seeds 
Seeds from the Bonnewilz Peony Garden 
Mixed seeds from all kinds of Peonies, 50 seeds 50c 
Seeds from Single varieties 40 " 50c 
Seeds from Double Blooms. .30 “ 50c 
Seeds from Japanese varieties „ 20 “ 50c 
Seeds from "Primevere” the yellow 
Peony 10 50c 
Seeds from Laura Dessert, the new 
yellow Peony 5 ” 50c 
ALICE J. B0NNEW1TZ, Van Wert, Ohio 
Germination of Gladiolus Bulblets 
left in the Ground over Winter. 
To the Editor 
Do Gladiolus growers experience trouble about bulb- 
lets left over in the soil coming up the next year? I 
have several thousand coming up in my last year’s 
bed, also small bulbs. 
It was very cold here (Minnesota) last year, and the 
ground was not plowed until this spring so the left 
over bulblets were only a few inches below the sur- 
face. This spring they were plowed under quite deep- 
ly, but they are coming up every day. F. B. 
Answer:— Bulblets which are left in the 
ground at digging time in the fall will in 
many cases grow the next year unless frozen 
very hard during the winter. If the ground 
is well protected by snow the bulblets some- 
times will not freeze at all. Other winters 
when hard freezing comes before much snow 
the vitality of bulblets is all destroyed. 
The common way to avoid mixing through 
I SPECIALIZE IN CHOICE FRENCH VA- | 
RIETIES. Only retail catalogue this season. i 
fii ii i in in i ii min i ii i in i ii i in in i ii i in in in in mi in in in in hi i in in hi in in i nun in in hi i ii i ^ 
PAEONIES j 
» 
Newer and Choice Varieties I 
E. J. Shaylor $30, Frances Shaylor | 
$25, Jubilee $22, Kelway’s Glorious $30, j 
Kelway’s Queen (true) $17, L. Alex. I 
Duff $12, Alsace Lorraine $6, Le Cygne j 
$22, Vuil’s Baroness Schroeder (true) j 
$7, Solange $10, Therese $6, Cherry J 
Hill $25, Frances Willard $10, Mary j 
Brand $15, Martha Bulloch $25. 
The above are all selected stock, one year I 
plants not divisions. Equal to some two year j 
stocks. September and October delivery, j 
L. S. KNECHTEL, Athol, Mass, i 
Something New and Different 
Metzner’s nove^es 
New Pelargoniums (diameter Wz inches) 2 
shades, flesh or rose pink. 
Petunias— 3 single giant fringed. 
Petunias -3 semi double giants (new type.) 
In delicate pink or light fancy tones only. 
Geranium— ’’Christmas Cheer." Brilliant 
scarlet, diameter 3 inches. 
All at 50c each. Any 5 for 82.00. 
ENTIRE SET OF 9 PLANTS FOR $3.00 
( Prepaid ) 
Metzner t Floral ,Co. 
MOUNTAIN VIEW 
Santa Clara County, - Calif. 
