8 
F. C. Hornberger, Home and Garden Service 
in beds. Glads are more adapted to cut' 
ting then as garden ornamentals, but if 
you wish to plant in beds, plant about 
six inches apart and 4 to 5 inches deep. 
When planting in rows, you may make 
them most any width, all depending on 
how much space you have, from 18" to 
36" all are practical. Plant in furrows 
or trenches, large bulbs 3 to 4 per ft., 
and medium bulbs 4 to 6 per ft., small 
bulbs as many as 8 or 10 if desired, plant 
the larger bulbs 4 to 5 inches deep and 
smaller bulbs more shallow. 
HOW TO LABEL: We use a wire 
stake, 2 ft. long, to the looped end is 
fastened a new wooden tree label, that 
is painted white on one side. You can 
write any memo on that painted surface 
and it will not wash off, in one season, 
but do not use the same label the second 
season. These labels are very cheap, so 
you do not have to take any chances on 
faulty labelling. 
CULTIVATING AND FERTILIZ' 
ING: The main object of cultivation is 
to kill weeds and form a soil mulch that 
will keep the soil from getting hard and 
cracking open. Cultivate often, and kill 
the weeds before they get large. Do not 
cultivate too deep, if your soil is very 
good, you will not need to fertilise very 
much, but extra good flowers require 
enough plant food, and ample water, at 
spiking time. It is safe to mix well with 
your soil, sheep or cattle manure, which 
comes dry in 100 lb. bags, bone meal is 
also good, all of these are good plant 
foods, that will show results in your 
garden for more then the first season. 
Where you can not readily secure these 
materials, a good grade of potato fertil¬ 
iser, well mixed with your soil will 
greatly assist the growth. 
WATERING: Watering can be 
overdone and result in harm. Different 
types of soil will require different 
amounts of water, it all depends on the 
nature of your soil, the amount of 
humus, etc. As a rule heavy soils will 
not need as much watering as light soils, 
then also much depends on the kind and 
nature of the sub-soil. I think it safe to 
say that in the average good garden soil, 
that you give at least one good watering 
a week, this of course will be regulated 
by the amount of rain you get, if you 
have a lot of ram, you may not require 
any extra watering. So much depends on 
your location, your rainfall, and the 
kinds of soil you have, but when you 
water, do a good job, wet the ground, 
so that the water will go below the roots, 
then when the top drys, cultivate before 
the ground gets too hard. As a rule 
extra water helps much when the spike 
begins to make an appearance. 
CUTTING BLOOM: As a rule cut 
when first bloom opens, let four to six 
leaves remain on the plant to help ripen 
the bulbs. 
DIGGING: In our latitude, we plant 
most of our bulbs from May 1 to June 
15, some are planted before and after 
these dates, but this is the average for 
the small garden. We dig the last of Sep¬ 
tember and early October, but if early 
planted varieties, that have flowered 
early in July, begin to show any signs 
of ripening foliage, before that date they 
should be dug; as a rule dig the bulbs 
first that have been planted first. Lift 
plants, cut the stalk off tight to the 
bulbs, do not let any stub on the bulb, 
let them in the sun and air for a day or 
two, then put them in a dry airy place 
for a few weeks, do not permit your 
bulbs to be over 4" or at the most 5" 
thick in any wooden box or basket, never 
use metal or crockery, etc. If possible 
to have special trays, make them 4" deep 
with wire (fly screen) bottoms. After 
several weeks the bulbs will have lost 
that new look, and will begin to take on 
a brownish cast, they have now shrunk 
somewhat, and you can very easily re¬ 
move the old mumified bulb and roots, 
then let them stand another week or so 
to dry off more fully, after this you may 
add naphthalene, as directed, and put 
them in winter quarters, which should 
be dry, cool, airy, and frost proof. Do 
not remove the outer husk, you will need 
that over winter, it may be removed just 
before planting, but is not necessary. 
