10 
F. C. Hornberger, Home and Garden Service 
low ph value, then would a purely min' 
eral soil of identical texture.” 
Prof. A. M. S. Pridham of Cornell 
says, “In reference to the optimum con' 
ditions of acidity, best results with gladi- 
olus, tulips and other bulbs can be had 
with a ph of 6'6.5. Soil which is alka' 
line in nature and having a ph of more 
than 7 are seldom satisfactory.” 
NOTE: The soil test range of ph 
value below 7 indicates degrees of acid' 
ity and above 7 the various degrees of 
alkalinity. It has been shown that the 
ph condition of your soil will greatly in' 
fluence crop production or a very favor- 
able ph condition may result in nearly 
doubling some crops. 
TILLAGE: I do not think that 
enough people realize the importance of 
tillage, plowing, and preparing the 
ground where they intend to grow their 
crops. I know of instances where deep 
tilling has more than doubled crop pro- 
duction. Your soil must not only be 
plowed deep, but it must be made fine— 
pulverized, and the lumps well broken. 
I know of no better equipment than the 
use of the Tillivator. We devote an- 
other part of our catalogue to the de- 
scription of this machine. This machine 
has knives and tines which rotate rapidly 
and CHURNS OR PULVERIZES the 
soil. It plows, disks, and harrows the 
soil all in one operation. It is the ideal 
seed bed builder and at the same time 
very diversified; you can regulate its 
depth and can cultivate or do other work 
equally well. 
MANURE — GREEN CROPS 
FERTILIZERS: I think the soil experts 
all agree that to have a good soil one 
must keep on adding something each 
year. You must BUILD year by year. 
What is put in this season will not all be 
used at once, but if you build in the 
right way your soil will become more 
productive each year. The use of ma- 
nure or green crops plowed under is 
most important in your building pro- 
gram. The fertilizers are added as 
required for whatever kind of crop you 
plant. We can not give general instruc¬ 
tions that will prove practical in the 
highest degree, so it is important that 
you have soil tests made and secure ex- 
pert advice from a local agent when you 
attempt your soil building program, and 
soil tests are most important; make 
SURE. 
DISEASES OF GLADS: The most 
common is scab. I do not think any 
planting is 100% free of scab. I know 
of one mid'west grower who has made 
such a claim, but I have bought his bulbs 
and found plenty of scab on them. To 
verify my finding I have permitted our 
state nursery inspector to pass on them; 
and let me add here that I have pur- 
chased bulbs for about twenty years and 
from nearly all the leading growers and 
originators in this country and I have 
not found a single individual grower 
who has not sold me diseased bulbs at 
some time or other. It has not always 
been scab; often the more dangerous 
Hard and Dry Rots. There is not one 
single grower who can maintain his 
stock 100% free of disease. The im¬ 
portant thing to consider in growing 
Glads or other crops is control. Here is 
where breeding varieties of high resist- 
ance comes in. Gladiolus disease may 
live in your soil several years although 
you discontinue planting bulbs in that 
soil. So it is most important to destroy 
all diseased bulbs, plant on clean ground, 
and use some good disinfectant to dip 
your bulbs in. Most growers use the 
Lye treatment or Corrosive Sublimate 
(Bichloride of Mercury) or Calogreen 
as a dip. 
There is much difference in opinion 
among experts as to how effective these 
dips will prove. Some do not think they 
help much, while another authority will 
make positive claims. Let us take Calo- 
green: Dr. Miles of the Mississippi Ex¬ 
periment Station has made very exten¬ 
sive tests with Calogreen and his charts 
show wonderful control, claimed by him 
for Calogreen. On the other hand, the 
Michigan Experiment Station at Lansing 
makes the claim that Calogreen has pro¬ 
duced practically no measure of control 
in their experimental work, but it is my 
