24 
well and but little water in it. He has succeeded in 
growing' some weeds and a mortgage. Gladioli will 
grow there of course, but of very poor quality. They 
will grow almost anywhere, but the kind of soil on 
which they are grown means much. 
We prefer a light loam in which there is so much 
humus and sand that it can be worked without injury 
when w^t. With us here both the planting and dig¬ 
ging come in our rainy seasons. We would rather have 
some gravel than clods but don’t want even the gravel 
if we can avoid it. The soil is apt to be too light where 
there is gravel and the gravel is also a great nuisance 
in cleaning the bulblets. 
We are now using a fine alluvial soil, rich and well 
drained. We cover the beds with about half an inch 
of sand to prevent packing or baking after irrigation. 
The sand serves the same purpose as a dust mulch and 
keeps the soil mellow and moist, assisting greatly in 
the germination of the bulblets. We also have a creek 
of rather warm water containing sediment and with 
only a seven-foot lift for the pump. The garden lies so 
as to get plenty of sunshine. 
Growers have said, when seeing our flowers and 
learning of our enormous bulblet production, “My, but 
you must have good soil!” We don’t deny it. Why not 
have good soil? 
If a local retail business is desired, it is well to have 
the gardens where the public can see them, but if a 
wholesale or mail order business is the end in view, 
and this in my opinion is by far the more profitable, 
then a more sequestered nook should be chosen. 
