June, 1918 
67 
Oh e Slower (Brower 
valuable features. 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 The full name and address of the writer must be given, but not 
for publication.] — Editor. 
Peeling Bulblets. 
To the Editor:— 
Can Gladiolus cormels be peeled any time 
during the winter and the shelled cormels 
kept without danger of damage until spring 
planting time? I have quite a number of 
cormels of many choice varieties that I wish 
to increase as rapidly as possible and as I 
have secured much better results by shel- 
ling the hard cormels would like to do this 
during the winter if it can be handled in 
this way with safety, and it will thus save 
much valuable time during the planting 
season ? H. l. h. 
Answer: — While we have had no 
personal experience with peeling bulb- 
lets before planting, it is our impres- 
sion that this work should not be done 
much in advance of planting. If cor- 
mels were peeled early in the winter 
or several months before planting it is 
quite probable that they might dry 
out to an extent which would injure or 
destroy their vitality. After peeling 
they would necessarily need to be 
stored as corms are stored, spread out 
and not in too large a bulk. Stored 
in this way they might dry out excess- 
ively owing to the small size. Can 
anyone who has had experience along 
this line give us further information 
on the subject ? 
Sowing Small Corms. 
To the Editor :— 
I would like to ask how large a bulb can 
be sowed the same as we sow the hard bulb- 
lets and have them come O.K.? It is surely 
a big task to set the little fellows and if I 
can avoid it, it would make a big saving. 
F. M. p. 
Answer : — We understand that some 
of the large growers drill or sow every- 
thing smaller than one inch. We 
would recommend that if possible all 
the corms larger than one-half inch 
should be set separately by hand in an 
upright position. Of course a larger 
corm will put up a sprout even if it is 
bottom up but this means a loss of 
time and weakens vitality to some ex- 
tent, and corms in this position will not 
make as large a corm as one properly 
set. Of course it is understood that 
the small corms are not planted as deep 
as the large ones and when only about 
three inches or so under ground, the 
sprouts come up quickly whether the 
corm is upright or not. Large corms 
bottomside up and six inches under 
ground would take a much longer time 
to reach the surface with a sprout than 
if planted upright and as before stated 
this means a loss of time and a smaller 
increase. 
Questions About Possible 
Improvement of the Gladiolus. 
To the Editor :— 
As I am interested in growing the Gladi- 
olus and have watched the great improve- 
ment which has been made during the past 
few years, I am anxious to have your opinion 
as to what you believe possible in the way 
of improvement in the future. Do you 
think it safe to assume that there will be as 
much progress made in the next fifteen 
years as there has been in the past fifteen 
years? Surely the Gladiolus will distance 
all rival flowers if improvement continues 
as it has. Hope. 
Answer: — Any man who dares to 
prognosticate the future of the Gladi- 
olus will be venturesome indeed, but it 
hardly seems possible that as great 
improvement will be made during the 
next few years as has been made dur- 
ing the past few years. Such im- 
provement progresses in cycles and we 
are just now passing through a cycle 
of great progress and a period of com- 
paratively small gain is certainly due 
soon. We are quite aware that some 
growers may disagree with us on this 
point, and we may be wrong, but the 
wonderful varieties now available 
make further improvement extremely 
difficult and we venture at this time to 
go on record that the Gladiolus is not 
likely to make as rapid progress during 
the next decade as it has during the 
same length of time just past. 
Tuberose Bulbs for 
Second Year Blooming. 
To the Editor :— 
I have a number of Tuberose bulbs which 
have bloomed last year. Please state if 
bulbs once bloomed are of any value for 
blooming again this year, having reference to 
Double Pearl. If not state reason. What 
may I expect of the Mexican Tuberose bulb 
that has bloomed also ? 
Mrs. E. Breeswine. 
Answer : — Bulbs rarely, if ever, bloom 
more than once. In the case of the 
Hyacinth and others which appear to 
do so, it is not the original bulb that 
blooms a second time, but a new bulb 
produced from the old one. In the 
case of the Tuberose, the old bulb pro- 
duces a new bulb of this kind, as well 
as a number of smaller ones springing 
from the base. All these bulbs may be 
separated and grown on to flowering 
size. The larger bulb produced may 
bloom the next year but commonly it 
requires at least two years for it to 
reach blooming size. 
Willard N. Clute. 
Notes from a New York Garden. 
In many sections of the state the season 
for planting tender vegetables is so late that 
we do not realize the profit we should from 
our gardens. Last year I observed a plan by 
which a person managed to have cucumbers 
ready for the table long before her neigh- 
bors could boast of more than a few blos- 
soms. Early in May she planted her cu 
cumber seed in quart berry boxes lined with 
heavy paper. The boxes were placed in a 
south window where they had plenty of 
light. By the time the ground was fit in 
the garden the cucumber vines were start- 
ing to run. They were transplanted on a 
dark day and only a very small percentage 
of them perished. 
The Virginia creeper or five-leaf ivy 
makes one of the most satisfactory shades 
for a porch or exposed surface. It is very 
easy to grow ; but takes some time to start. 
I have discovered a way of transplanting it 
in full grown form, thus having it furnish 
shade the same year it is planted. In a 
careful manner dig the vine up by the roots 
and carry it to the place where you wish to 
have it grow. Take a potato and slice a 
gash into it. Then place the root of the ivy 
right in the opened potato and plant. The 
potato will furnish enough moisture and food 
to the vine to enable it to put forth leaves 
and blossoms. The ivy should be planted 
just as the buds begin to open. A series of 
three or five wires strung across the porch 
furnish enough support for the vine. The 
leaves will soon open and make a tangled 
mass of foliage.— Mrs. W. J. Hughes in 
Rural Life. 
Every Gladiolus Lover Should Pos 
sess a Collection of Fine Peonies. 
This gorgeous flower whose beauty 
and elegance equals the Rose, takes 
such little attention after planting that 
no lover of flowers and especially 
Gladiolus growers should be without 
some of the most attractive sorts, such 
as La Cygne, Mad. Geissler, Martha Bul- 
lock, Eugenie Verdier, Elwood Pleas, 
Baroness Shroder, Jubilee, etc. 
Deep cultivation before planting, 
well enriched ground, together with a 
sunny position are the points necessary 
to secure prize winning blooms. 
At last year’s Peony show, notwith- 
standing the great distance from Phila- 
delphia, Van Wert, Ohio, growers 
captured a great many of the prizes, 
and they hope to make even a better 
record at this year’s Peony show which 
is to be held in Cleveland, Ohio. 
The “Gladiolus enthusiast” can plant 
Peonies four to five feet apart and fill 
the open spaces with Gladioli, thus 
securing a succession of bloom through- 
out the season. 
If you have never grown Peonies 
order a dozen choice varieties from a 
good grower now for fall shipment. 
Chas. F. Wassenberg. 
The Joys of an Old Time Editor. 
[Continued from first page.] 
that it is so. But ye old editor sighs as 
she looks over the bound volumes of a 
few years ago. It was so nice to have 
1000 friends a year write to you ! 
We have never seen a more rapid 
growth in our Gladiolus garden than 
during the last two weeks of May 1918. 
