Gladiolus for Forcing 
FRITZ BAHR 
says in the Florists' Exchange 
of December 21, 1935: 
“There are growers who already have planted 
Gladiolus for flowering under glass, but my expe¬ 
rience has been that the earlier one plants the 
more apt we are to have a large percentage come 
blind. The first week in January is soon enough 
for the first planting and after that if space per¬ 
mits, this can be followed by other plantings, two 
or three weeks apart. Every retail grower may 
well consider Gladiolus as a good catch crop 
under glass. It is from January up to April or 
even later that bulbs can be planted; the last 
batch most likely will come into flower ahead of 
the outdoor ones. In the store one can find good 
use for Gladiolus whenever they are in flower 
and there is nothing quite like homegrown spikes 
if they have good sized blooms. It doesn’t matter 
much what the color; there is hardly any of the 
late introductions undesirable. 
“There are few growers of cut flowers who 
during the Winter months don't have some crop 
that doesnt’ turn out the way expected. Rather 
than worrying and waiting for the plants to im¬ 
prove, why not follow up with Gladiolus? Or if 
a certain crop will be through flowering in Janu¬ 
ary, or the following two months, why not devote 
the space to Gladiolus? The bulbs are reasonable 
enough in cost. Those intended for planting next 
month, a good way to do is to secure the bulbs 
as soon as possible and spread them out in shallow 
flats and place in a dry warm and airy room or 
on a shelf in the greenhouse until wanted/’ 
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