Many beautiful designs can be made, either with tips of spikes or single 
blossoms, in iounds, ovals, fans, etc., in plates, pans, vases or shallow dishes and 
other receptacles. Elegant floral baskets can be arranged with fern leaves, 
florists’ asparagus, the common garden asparagus, and various other flowers, 
foliage, etc. 
II good bulbs ai e desired lor the following year, four to five strong leaves 
should be left on the plants when cutting the spikes. 
STORING. Bulbs should be dug before the plants are too ripe. In the fall, 
before hard frosts, dig the bulbs and cut off the tops. Dry well in the air and 
sunshine, cure thoroughly in-doors for a few weeks, then store in a cool, dry cellar. 
A covering of sand while in storage (after bulbs are well cured) is a protection 
against frost or dampness. Keep as near 40 degrees as possible, 
storage tends to develop disease. 
Dampness in 
It is best not to place bulbs more than four inches deep while in storage. 
Florists’ flats are very suitable for this purpose. A splendid ciate is made with 
four-inch boards, using plastering lath closely laid for bottoms. Make in sizes of 
two feet square, or two by three feet, etc., as may be best suited to your purpose. 
HOW TO GROW PRIZE WINNING GLADIOLUS BLOOMS 
VY/E often receive inquiries as how to grow giant flowers and plants of Gladiolus, 
▼ such as are sometimes seen at exhibitions and described in catalogs. 
Gladiolus may be grown to extremely large sizes if forced by unnatural methods, 
if soil and culture are of the best. If possible, the place where the bulbs are to 
grow should be heavily enriched the preceding year by a liberal application of 
the richest barn .manures, well forked in, in the fall. In addition, a good coat of 
the same materials should be spread over the spaded surface, in order that its 
strength may be well leached into the soil during the winter and early spring. 
Some growers also add pulverized sheep manure by scattering along the trenches, 
before placing the bulbs, then cover the bulbs (or conns) an inch or two and 
give an additional application, over which the remaining soil is placed. (10 to 
25 per cent, of powdered wood charcoal added to the shredded sheep manure is 
a valuable addition.) Complete fertilizers with a good per cent, of potash may be 
used to additional advantage. Do not set bulbs too thickly. If largest plants and 
flowers are desired, rows should be two feet or more apart, and bulbs a foot or 
over apart in the rows. After the plants are well grown, about the time the 
“spikes begin to shoot”, and the soil is well warmed by the sun, a mulch of well 
prepared stable manures should be spread over the bed between the rows. At all 
times this mulch should be abundantly watered to get the benefit of the fertility 
and hold plenty of moisture. Never allow the soil to become the least bit dry. 
By carefully making application of these methods and following the other cultural 
advice given above, you can learn to grow “Giant Gladiolus” with blooms “six to 
seven inches across and spikes five to eight feet tall.” (See testimonial of Mr. 
C. M. Scrape, Los Angeles, Cal.) 
CAUTION. Do not think that all the above methods are recommended to be 
used at one time in any one case. Very stimulating or over-high culture does not 
produce as good bulbs for the following year as those produced with average care. 
BULBS AFFECTED WITH DISEASE or scab may be benefited as follows: 
Soak bulbs in a bichloride of mercury (corrosive sublimate) solution of fifteen 
grains to each gallon of water for twenty minutes. Or: Use two ounces of cor¬ 
rosive sublimate dissolved in fifteen gallons of water and soak for two hours (for 
smaller amounts in proportion). Or: use one ounce of 40% formaldehyde to each 
lour gallons of water and immerse bulbs for twenty minutes to one hour. I have 
left bulbs immersed for longer periods in even stronger solutions, but care must 
be exercised not to make the treatment too severe for fear of injury. These treat¬ 
ments are generally employed just before planting. Sometimes it is best to remove 
the peel before bulbs are treated. 
THE JAMES A. BELL CO., ELKHART, IND., PRINTERS. 
