Cultural Directions 
T HE Gladiolus is a flower of easy 
culture and does well in any soil, 
but should be planted in full ex¬ 
posure to the sun. They will do well 
planted in the hardy borders or in front 
of shrubbery. Many of the best varieties 
produce small bulbs, and in buying a 
mixture you will find it much better 
when the size of the bulbs varies to a 
considerable degree. The largest bulbs 
do not always give the best results. It 
is essential that the bulb should be of 
blooming age rather than size. Soil 
should be well prepared in the early 
spring, with a good coating of agricul¬ 
tural lime and bone meal thoroughly 
worked into the soil, but fresh stable 
manure should never be used, except 
where the ground may be manured the 
previous fall and well worked over in 
the spring before planting. 
The various ways in which the Gladi¬ 
olus can be planted make it one of the 
most showy and attractive garden 
flowers. Planted in round, oblong or 
square beds, planting bulbs from four to 
six inches apart, so that they may be 
weeded and hand-hoed, they will give a 
wealth of color not equaled by any 
other flower. 
Plantings for cut flowers should be 
made in rows eighteen inches apart, with 
bulbs three inches apart in the row, cov¬ 
ering from four to six inches, according 
to the size of the bulbs; press the earth 
firmly around each bulb. Care should 
be taken to plant the bulbs right side up, 
