GUIDEBOOK FOR 1935 
Page 23 
keep at 118 by adding hot water as needed. A 
couple tsp. nicotine per gal. might be added 
to advantage, and this might constitute a 
very good treatment for bulblets. 
CORROSIVE SUBLIMATE (mercuric 
chloride) treatment. This produces such won¬ 
derful results, with so little effort, with so 
little cost, that no one, whether he grows a 
bed of glads four foot square or four acres, 
should fail to so treat his bulbs. Regardless 
of where or how the bulbs grew the preceding 
year. This gives the bulb a coating that 
wards off various bulb diseases and fungus 
attacks. We used to keep our bulbs healthy 
by this process long before we ever heard of 
thrips. Now, it has been conclusively proved, 
this treatment also kills any thrips and their 
eggs, and, if used, you only need keep a 
watchful eye for thrips infestation from out¬ 
side sources. Remember soaking processes 
are only advisable just before planting. This 
is not a fall treatment. If your bulbs are 
husked, they need only be soaked half as long, 
but we do not advise husking unless you 
know your bulbs are infested badly and you 
wish to tak.* no chances on penetration to the 
bulb. 
We read an article in a Canadian “quarter¬ 
ly” by someone who called himself “I Dip- 
pern,” who said he had a lot of little batches. 
To keep them separate he obtained some of 
the women folks’ old stockings, slipped a 
batch into a toe with wooden label, tied the 
stocking above the batch and so proceeded 
until all the batches were conveniently ready 
to soak, remove and dram 
Dissolve 1 oz of the powder first in a bit of 
hot water, then pour into 6 gal. of water, pre¬ 
ferably above 60 degrees. This must be 
poured into a non-metal container, such as a 
crock, wooden pail, glass or unchipped granite 
ware. Varieties kept separate in cloth bags. 
No difference if bulbs are then planted w r et or 
dry, but the sooner the better as much of the 
coating may be lost if bulbs become dry. 
Solution weakens with use, so replenish at 
least Yi if used again. Soak 7 hrs. or over¬ 
night, preferably night before planting. Be 
sure bags are fully immersed. Do not use 
this substance in tablet form unless you learn 
exactly how- much of the tablet, in weight, is 
actually corrosive sublimate. You want a 
final solution of about 1-800. This is a little 
stronger than heretofore recommended. This 
solution is safe to the hands but is a deadly 
poison and must be used and disposed of with 
extreme care. 
Our bulbs get the napthalene treat¬ 
ment a week or two after digging, the 
Ethylene gassing late January and the 
corrosive sublimate before planting. Ad¬ 
vertising “treated” bulbs means little 
unless you know the method used and 
when last used. 
INSECTICIDES 
If thrips appear on your plants they must 
be controlled before the bud spikes emerge 
from the foliage. Watch for any silvery gray 
streaks on the foliage. If permitted to in¬ 
crease unmolested they will extract juices 
from the buds resulting in a burned appear¬ 
ance, they will eat streaks of color off the 
petals even before they unfold and if they 
unfold at all, the petals may crimp up their 
edges and dry to a dull brown. Even the 
young, lemon colored thrips may do this 
damage to the bud so it is important to kill 
such adult thrips as may arrive before they 
lay eggs, also because the young have the 
bad habit of staying inside the bud and crev¬ 
ices of the plant where they are hard to reach 
with insecticides. The silvery gray (feeding) 
streaks on the foliage, in badly infested cases, 
turn brown, stopping both plant and bulb 
growth. 
If your first buds have a light infestation 
before you have taken notice, sacrifice some 
of them for the good of the many. Cut them 
off, dip in kerosene and burn. If light infesta¬ 
tion continues, pick blooms when first bud 
opens, bloom indoors and when through 
blooming dip these in kerosene and burn. 
In our opinion, thrips come more into the 
open during the hours of 4-5 P.M.. so spray¬ 
ing is most effective if done at that time. 
Spraying but one part of the patch only is 
inadvisable on account of the migratory 
habits of the insect. 
PARIS GREEN formula. U. S. Dept. Ent. 
cut the paris green content of the Canadian 
formula, thus: 
1 tablespoon Paris Green 
2 lbs. brown sugar 
3 gal. of water 
kept well agitated and wetting the entire leaf 
surface. Even this concentration undoubted¬ 
ly often burns the lower leaf or two, necessi¬ 
tating cutting spike higher in such event to 
allow foliage to mature the bulb. Some have 
added 2 tblsp. hydrated lime, reducing the 
burning. Some have substituted 2 tblsp. 
arsenate of lead for the Paris Green. Still 
others substituted 2 tblsp. magnesium arsen¬ 
ate for the Paris Green item. Each appears 
to have cut down the burning of the foliage, 
in order named, but we are not prepared, as 
yet, to recommend any arsenic formula until 
it is definitely ascertained that great harm to 
the foliage will not result. We do not want 
to eliminate our glads as well as the thrips 
Plainly we want an insecticide that will not 
burn the plants and that will act as a “double 
action” insect poison effective on both suck¬ 
ing and leaf eating forms of insects. Rotenone 
and Pyrethum in proper concentration, with a 
spreader that will not deteriorate the ingred¬ 
ients, is both inexpensive and more effective 
than any other formula that has come to our 
attention. 
We recommend preventative spraying, 
using a somewhat lighter concentration than 
advised for serious infestations. Either about 
once every 10 days after plants are up 6 or 8 
inches until blooming, or else about 4 spray- 
