18 
THE FOSS HEATON GLAD GARDENS, CRESTON, IOWA 
We folks of the central United States want pictures and descriptions more near¬ 
ly true to our own conditions. When we gaze on these grand illustrations, I am afraid 
our admiration is tinged with the regret that we cannot have them like that. You 
originators must remember that we use more Glads, ten times over, than all the cool 
places put together, both through the florists and as a garden flower. We grow 
thousands of acres of Glads for the cut flower markets alone. Then should there not 
be a little shift in the things to be emphasized in describing the qualities of the Glads 
you advertize? A Glad’s resistance to the less favorable conditions under which they 
must be raised and handled here could stand a lot more emphasis. 
WEATHER CYCLES 
It is a scientific fact that the weather goes in cycles. The eight-year cycle means 
that we have about eight years between the middle of one wet series of years and the 
next wet period, with the same thing true regarding dry periods. Also, every fourth 
period is more intense than the others. For example, the dry period just following 
the Civil War, or about 1870, was severe, and the fourth dry period following it, or 
about 1901, was also severe. The same thing may be said of the next fourth dry 
period, or 1932 to 1934. The two wet periods that immediately followed each of 
the two former drouths were very wet. Accordingly, we are therefore due for a 
muddy time of it in 1935 to 1938, and muddier still in 1942 to 1944. If it is, I here¬ 
by promise never to growl about the mud again. It looks like we may look forward 
to a series of fine Glad years. But please do not call me a weather prophet. 
HOW TO AVOID CROOKED SPIKES 
About the best way to get rid of crooked spikes is to discard those varieties that 
have too much tendency to crook. Glad crooks, like human crooks, are pretty hard to 
reform. There are plenty left that do go straight. For the protection of society the 
crook should be either segregated or executed. 
We have all noticed that those varieties that crook badly in the summer sun 
come straight when they bloom along in the cool of September days. The cause is 
doubtless too much heat in the form of hot winds from the South. A complete wind 
break on the South and West of the plants will lessen this tendency to a large extent. 
THE BULB’S BEST YEAR 
From a planting of bulblets the crop of bulbs at digging time will be mostly No. 
5 and No. 6 sizes for nearly all varieties, although certain strong varieties will have 
quite a few larger sizes. This crop of bulbs, called planting stock, will develop into 
No. l’s and No. 2’s the second season, and will have a crop of bulblets. These second 
year bulbs are what are called young bulbs. They are high crowned and vigorous. It 
is called the bulb’s best year. Although the bulb will renew itself from year to year 
thereafter indefinitely, yet the later bulbs are not so peppy. They are more or less 
flattened out, and hardly ever produce bulblets, while the spikes of blooms are not 
so good. 
ON THE DIVIDING OF A BULB 
I have in mind a couple of friends who are what we might call Glad bugs, but 
who are not commercial growers. Their enthusiasm is stronger than their pocket- 
books. I have known them to chip in $10.00 apiece for a single bulb of a new variety, 
and then cut the bulb in two, making sure each part contained at least one eye. The 
operation was entirely successful, each of my friends raising a splendid spike of this 
new Glad, with a good crop of bulblets. Their only precaution was to smear sulphur 
on the cut surfaces and then plant immediately. 
I have experimented in the cutting of bulbs only in a limited way, but with good 
success. The tendency with many bulbs is to send up two or three spikes from the 
one bulb, often more, with a greater demand on the root system than would be the 
case with just one spike, and at digging time the crowded bulbs are somewhat irregu¬ 
lar in shape. Perhaps the same result would be obtained if all the eyes on the bulb 
were cut out except one, but this looks like a waste of eyes. 
DO GLADS CHANGE COLOR? 
This question is often asked. Most decidedly no. The bulblets you find in among 
the roots of a bulb will develop into bulbs themselves whose blooms remain true in 
