34 
thickly, soil and all, in a prepared 
trench. Great care should be taken 
to keep the bulblets from drying out 
during the sprouting process. 
Frank B. Reid. 
SHOULD GLADIOLUS TOPS BE REMOVED 
AS SOON AS BULBS ARE DUG ? 
Our long experience has shown us 
very clearly that cutting the tops off of 
Gladioli as soon as they are dug to be 
best. 
Mr. Gardner says in his note in the 
February issue of The F lower Grower 
his theory has been that to leave the 
tops on will produce " firmer and 
plumper” bulbs. When tops are left 
on, instead of the strength from the 
tops going to the bulbs the strength 
from the bulbs goes to the top until 
the top is dead, thus decreasing the 
size and strength of the bulb instead 
of adding to it. You will agree with 
me, that as long as the plant is in the 
ground the tops get the nourishment 
through the roots and bulb. Then it 
is natural that the same will continue 
after it is dug. I have often observed 
that Gladioli dug and top left on had 
shrunk by at least one-fourth in size and 
were not nearly so plump and nice. 
Besides leaving the tops on would be 
an impossibility in the case of a large 
grower, where he has many acres of 
bulbs and many hundred varieties. In 
our case leaving the tops on 1,400 
bushels and nearly 5,000 varieties, 
which we are growing separately, 
would mean at least three times as 
large a store house as we have. 
I would advise that the tops are not 
broken off, but cut off of all bulbs 
larger than § inch. This is, if any- 
thing, faster and is much better. My 
record in cutting them is 117 in one 
minute, and doubt if any one can do 
better in breaking. The best thing to 
use is a good strong sheep shears. 
Leave no top on at all. Cut them off 
at the bulb. If you are afraid to try 
this on all of your bulbs, try at least a 
few, and let us know what success you 
have had. 
As to removing the old corms from 
the bulbs, we find that with exception 
of a few varieties, that it is best not to 
remove the old bulbs until they come 
off easily. Do not leave them on any 
longer. By trying them once in a while 
you will know when they are ready to 
be removed. The varieties Mrs. A. E. 
Kunderd and Parexcel are the only ones 
from which we remove the old bulbs 
as soon as they are dug. All of the 
others are first cured for some time. 
Anthony B. Kunderd. 
ROSE — TAUSENDSCHON. 
The climbing Rose, Thousand Beau- 
ties is deserving of all the praise that 
Mr. H. G. Reading gives it in your 
January issue. In my opinion, this 
Rose is well named and just as valu- 
able as Dorothy Perkins. It is very 
distinct from that variety, in fact 
totally unlike it and does not conflict 
with it in season of bloom, because it 
blooms several weeks earlier. To see 
this Rose is to want it. 
H. W. Groschner. 
Slower (Brower 
RUST ON GLADIOLUS FOLIAGE. 
I notice in the December number of 
The Modern Gladiolus Grower an 
inquiry with regard to "Rust on Gladi- 
olus Foliage” and your reply. 
Mr. Black and I, as well as some 
larger growers, came to the conclusion 
that the rust was not the result of any 
disease or weakness of the corms ; that 
it attacked especially some of the 
strongest growing varieties and that it 
was not carried over in the corms to 
the next year. It seemed to have no 
effect on the corms except to arrest 
the development of corms and forma- 
tion of cormels which would have 
taken place if the growth of tops had 
not been stopped by the rust. The 
blight most often attacked the plants 
just when they were in full bloom, 
causing the stems to become soft 
and spongy and to fall over. The 
varieties which suffered most from the 
rust were America, Mrs. F. King, In- 
dependence, Taconic, etc. Augusta and, 
I think, Minnesota, seemed to be im- 
mune. Yet, Augusta is often affected 
with bulb disease. The rust seems to 
be strictly a leaf disease, and is carried 
rapidly across the field, especially in 
heavy dews. Doubtless it is carried 
by walking through the patch, carry- 
ing it on the clothing or tools. I re- 
member that Golden King was another 
strong variety which was liable to the 
rust, or “ blight.” I say “ was,” for I 
have not had it for three or four years. 
When we found it attacking a va- 
riety we would go in when the tops 
were dry and dig all that were affected, 
whether they were mature or not. I 
think spraying with Bordeaux mix- 
ture will tend to prevent the rust if 
applied in time, but it is difficult to 
make it stick unless mixed with some- 
thing like a thin paste. 
Mr. Black thinks the blight has an 
alternate host, as many other rusts 
have, and that the other host is crab 
grass. I doubt it but he may be right. 
Geo. S. Woodruff. 
GLADIOLI AND CARNATIONS. 
Noting from the January Flower 
Grower that Gladioli with Carnations 
can be worked at times, I beg to sub- 
mit the experience of a friend of 
mine. 
I asked him why he did not put 
something in the vacant spaces like 
Gladioli. He said he had no more as 
the Blushing Bride and Peach Blossom 
that he used were all planted. I sold 
him some Panama, Halley, Princeps 
and America. He planted them, three 
or four bulbs in place of one Carna- 
tion, and also along the edge of the 
entire greenhouse. His results were 
fine, and he did the same again last 
year using new bulbs of course. Again 
his results were very good and he got 
big prices for his bloom. This year 
he planted about 10,000 bulbs. This 
shows plainly that he is satisfied with 
the scheme. He has omitted Princeps 
from his varieties as he finds it rather 
late and uneven in growth. He gets 
the best results from America, Pan- 
ama, Halley, Europa, Mrs. Francis 
March, 1918 
King and Niagara, and considers Pan- 
ama and Niagara the best. He is ex- 
perimenting this year with other kinds 
as well. He plants the last week in 
December and the first week in Janu- 
uary, but no later ; and his bloom is 
extraordinarily fine. I have never 
seen such big strong spikes and especi- 
ally Panama. 
John Zeestraten. 
GLADIOLUS BULBS GROWING ABOVE 
GROUND. 
This year I noted a thing I have 
never seen recorded about Glads, i. e., 
bulbs growing above the ground, upon 
the stalk. Several of my Glads acted 
up this way. Kunderd’s Butterfly is an 
example. It bloomed first on June 25. 
A month later new narrow leaves ap- 
peared, growing out of the intersection 
of one of the upper leaves and the 
stalk. In October a flower spike ap- 
peared and bloomed. Investigation 
showed that this new flower spike led 
to a corm about § in. in diameter grow- 
ing upon the main stalk (under the 
leaves) about one foot above the 
ground. In another case the corm was 
smaller and only a few inches above 
ground and it did not bloom. I have 
had other corms bloom a second time 
the same season, in a similar manner, 
but the second spike led directly 
through the plant, along the side of the 
main stalk, to the planted corm. When 
the corm is ripe the base of this second 
spike shows as a raised portion, like 
the upper part of a small corm. 
c. M. s. 
FORCING GLADIOLI. 
Those of our Glad lovers who wish 
a few early flowers should start the 
bulbs in pots or boxes in February. 
Pots are best but more expensive. A 
box six inches deep will do very well. 
Put in four or five inches of good gar- 
den soil that is moist but not too wet. 
Now set in the bulbs about one inch 
apart and cover well with moist soil or 
sand. Box should be set on the floor 
of a dark, cool cellar for six weeks. 
Here they will form a large root growth 
without growing top, which is quite 
essential if we would have good flow- 
ers. The failure in this point is, I be- 
lieve one cause of "blindness” in late 
planted bulbs. 
After keeping these bulbs in the 
cool cellar for six or eight weeks they 
can be set out in the garden where 
they are to bloom and should make a 
rapid growth. 
The soil should be wet thoroughly 
before taking out of the pots for set- 
ting to cause it to hold together better 
and will not separate from roots so 
readily. 
Let us have the experience of others. 
" Amateur Joe.” 
TheU. S. Department of Agriculture, 
Washington, D. C., can furnish Farm- 
ers Bulletin No. 818, entitled “ The 
Small Vegetable Garden. It is valuable 
for the subject which it covers. 
