Page 28 
THE GLADIOLUS FANCIER’S 
INSECT PESTS AND BULB DISEASES 
This subject, fortunately, has again be¬ 
come relatively unimportant to the well in¬ 
formed, who have learned that simple, pre¬ 
ventative measures are better than compli¬ 
cated and sometimes ineffective curative 
measures. 
Likely, your bulbs are clean and need none 
of these treatments, but we are presenting 
this information for those who may need it. 
Inspect your bulbs before planting. If 
doubtful looking, remove entire husk, though 
the husk does function to ward off from the 
planted bulb frost, fungus diseases, grubs 
and wire worms. 
We proceed with our subject under sub 
titles. 
BULB SURGERY 
A few specks of disease spots, wire worm 
injury or scab may be gouged out without the 
slightest harm to the plant provided the 
bulb retains a good eye and root base. 
Cutting out these segments only cuts away 
that much food to start off the new plant. 
Best dust the cut surface with powdered 
charcoal. Next best common sulphur or at 
least dry until bleeding stops before planting. 
You may do these things any time during 
the storage period, too, or just rely on corros¬ 
ive sublimate treatment to clear them up. 
"I always lost many cut bulbs until I began wiping the 
cut surface dry with clean rag and then painted well with 
melted paraffin.” 3-6-37. J. E. 0., Amarillo, Texas. 
Note: This method is recommended to any 
who have experienced any trouble with 
charcoal or sulphur. 
A plump bulb of 13^ inches diameter has 
plenty food to start production of a show 
specimen spike. If the bulb is 2 inches or 
more in diameter it may have two or more 
prominent eyes or sprouts, indicating that 
it will make as many stalks and spikes. Now 
this one bulb cannot be expected to make two 
or more spikes of the same show specimen 
quality it would produce if held to a single 
eye and spike. If you want to bring renewed 
youth and vigor to your old jumbo bulbs and 
beat the other fellow, just disbud the bulb, 
i.e., gouge out all eyes except the most prom¬ 
inent one, just as you gouged out the little 
specks of scab or disease, dusting as before. 
EXAMINE YOUR BULBS 
If your bulb is not bright and clean look¬ 
ing, something has gone wrong. It is easy 
to soak them the night before planting in 
the simply prepared, inexpensive corrosive 
sublimate solution, a sort of “cure all” for 
bulb diseases as well as thrips prevention, 
and not to do so may easily be disastrous. 
This treatment is almost universally adopted 
now by amateurs and growers 'alike. 
Thrips do not winter over outdoors in the 
Northern states but they are often brought 
into the storage quarters with the bulbs. If 
the bulb has irregular areas of russet brown, 
often confined to one or more areas walled 
apart at adhesion line of the layers of husk, 
with the surface somewhat roughened, it is 
likely some thrips have been feeding on the 
bulb juices and if the surface is sticky, likely 
they are still there and alive. If not sticky, 
likely the temperature has been below 50 
degrees long enough to kill the insect but 
not the eggs. The corrosive sublimate will 
kill both insect and egges. 
The use of the well known napthalene 
treatment a short time after digging kills 
any of these thrips that may have been 
brought in promptly and the bulb has a 
better chance to survive the storage period 
and remain a bulb still fit to plant. 
NAPTHALENE FLAKES 
We highly recommend this simple and 
economical treatment. If you allow thrips 
to feed upon your bulbs they will suck the 
juices, injure the eyes and rootlets and 
growth will be retarded and inferior flowers 
produced, even if you eventually kill them 
off at planting time by some treatment. 
Avoid crude napthalene or camphor or para- 
dichlorobenzene as they may contain creo¬ 
sote or other injurious chemicals. The best 
time to use it as soon as the roots are con¬ 
sidered too dry to suck any napthalene into 
the bulb. Maybe a matter of hours or a few 
days, depending on drying methods. Do 
not apply to bulbs from which the old bulb 
has just been removed, as the severed area 
is moist for a while and the napthalene might 
soak into the bulb. It is safe both to the 
user and to the bulbs, during their dormant 
period of storage, even when an overdosage 
is used, provided the bulbs are fairly well dried. 
One ounce (4 level tablespoons) sprinkled 
on each 100 large bulbs or equivalent in bulk 
of smaller sizes, is sufficient if bulbs are stored 
in closed bottom container. If screen bottom 
or in onion sacks, double the amount. Will 
kill insects promptly and gases will continue 
for several weeks, killing the larvae as soon 
as hatched. Allow to remain at least 3 
weeks. But note they will not hatch under 
50 degrees. Do not completely cover the 
bulbs as evaporation takes place constantly 
and to prevent it will make the bulbs first 
damp, then mouldy, then susceptible to rot 
and diseases. Applying the flakes in a closed 
paper bag is safe for a few weeks if bulbs be 
dry, since some moisture can escape. Avoid 
wax or oil paper bags since moisture could 
not escape. If roots and old bulbs are re¬ 
moved several weeks after application, any 
napthalene remaining may be removed. If 
the flakes have not entirely evaporated by 
the time little root knobs and eye sprouts 
emerge, showing bulb is no longer dormant, 
shake out any remaining. Do not use any 
napthalene in the trench at planting time 
since it is safe only to the dormant bulb. 
