22 
THE FOSS HEATON GLAD GARDENS, CRESTON, IOWA 
of the daylight becomes less, and the night longer, and when this ratio reaches a cer¬ 
tain value for the plant, a change takes place in the character of its growth, so that 
instead of growing leaves and stems it henceforth puts all its energy in making pro¬ 
vision for its propagation and survival, such as flowers and seed and offshoots. Flor¬ 
ists take advantage of this fact, and by the proper use of dark cloth shading get 
chrysanthemums to bloom much earlier than usual. The opposite effect has been ob¬ 
tained by use of artificial light to extend the daylight, so that plants: have been made 
to grow to twice and three times their normal height before blooming. 
This principle accounts for the fact that the Glad bulb does not make any spe¬ 
cial growth, nor set bulblets very well, until well along in September and early 
October. During these last weeks just before frost the bulb and bulblets make very 
rapid growth. Therefore, it is best not to dig your bulbs until frost, provided the 
plants stay green. 
BULBLETS AND HOW TO SPROUT THEM 
These little offshoots in among the roots of a bulb at digging time will with 
proper care develop into bulbs themselves, that will bloom true to the mother bulb 
in every particular. They are the means by which a variety is propagated, the in¬ 
crease being very rapid in all standard varieties. 
In their wild state in their native haunts of South Africa, when the plant dies 
down following the blooming period, the bulblets must remain in the ground through 
the dormant period of several months. The bulblet kernel is small and tender, and 
the ground is dry, and the hard husk, or shell, is therefore a protection. When the 
growing season again arrives, not all of these bulblets will sprout, many of them re¬ 
maining over for succeeding seasons. This again is a provision of Nature for survival 
in case of accident to the growth above ground. These are reasons why bulblets are 
hard to germinate. We must find methods of overcoming these tendencies. 
The usual practice is to soak the bulblets for several days just before planting, 
the longer the better. The sprout will be better still if the bulblets have not been 
allowed to get too dry during storage. A good storage practice is to keep them in 
tight paper bags in a cool cellar. For expensive varieties it will be very profitable to 
break the husk just before planting, using the point of a pen knife. Be careful not 
to injure the tender fleshy part, and to plant at once. The husk need not be removed, 
the object being to allow the moisture to reach the kernel to start the growth. 
Bulblets should not be planted over three or four inches deep, and should be 
planted early in the spring to be assured of moisture at sprouting time. It is best to 
plant rather thickly in the row, at least fifty or more to the foot. 
FORCING THE INCREASE 
Many ways have been tried to get a quick increase of stock, especially of a new 
and rare variety' or of a seedling. I have tried planting both Glad seed and bulblets 
indoors, the seed as soon as gathered in September, and the bulblets along in Janu¬ 
ary after their rest period. I have dug these bulbs from their boxes in April, and 
planted again outdoors in June or July. But in neither case did the results compare 
very favorably with early spring plantings of the same. The saving of an extra 
season’s growth cannot be done successfully, here in Iowa at least. Bulbs seem to 
need a long rest period. After a good long rest both bulbs and bulblets seem to have 
extra pep for the maximum growth. For a long season’s growth plant in April and 
dig in November, if possible, provided the frost will let you. The last weeks just be¬ 
fore frosts arrive are when the bulblets set on most rapidly. If you dig a No .1 bulb 
that grew from a No. 6 or a bulblet planted early and dug late, it will have the maxi¬ 
mum crop of bulblets. 
Florists are able to bloom chrysanthemums several weeks earlier than usual by 
covering with light-proof cloth. I have more than doubled my bulblet increase by 
placing such a covering on at about 5 o’clock in the evening, and taking it off at 
about 8 o’clock next morning each day for about a month beginning about September 
1st. 
WHEN TO PLANT 
Glad plants are somewhat resistant to frost, several degrees below freezing being 
required to kill them. Therefore, you may plant as early in the spring as the ground 
