NEW BEDFORD, MASS. 
5 
Gladiolus Culture 
Gladiolus are very easily grown to perfection in almost every country; 
in fact, during the past year we have heard of gladiolus varieties—and 
apparently some very fine ones from the photos available—that were origi¬ 
nated in countries where we never even knew glads grew. We hope that 
these brief notes may be of help to our customers in having their garden 
filled with better glacis each season. 
Glads love the sun so select a sunny location away from trees or shrubs 
where roots might take up the food and moisture you intend the glads to 
get and also away from the sides of houses, walls or fences that might shade 
them even if only for part of each day. 
The soil will have considerable bearing on your culture. If a heavy 
clay soil you will not need to plant more than two thirds as deep as in a 
light sandy soil. Plant large bulbs about six inches deep in light sandy soil; 
medium bulbs four inches and small bulbs three inches. If you are mainly 
interested in bulblet increase plant as close to the surface as possible but 
if blooming size bulbs, you will probably have to stake them. Light soils 
will usually give more bulblets than heavy soils. 
Either spade or plough, depending on the size of the garden, the soil 
deeply, preferably in the fall, leaving it rough during the winter. If stable 
manure is available put it on before spading and it will be well rotted by 
spring. 
If the glads are grown for landscape effect they should be in beds about 
eight to ten inches apart, depending upon the variety. If grown for the 
blooms, as more often the case, they should be in rows and can be either in 
single or double rows. I prefer double rows in the trench as then they 
tend to hold each other up on a windy day. The rows should be from eigh¬ 
teen inches apart to thirty-six inches depending on whether you intend to 
cultivate by hand or machine. The wider rows are much easier to handle 
if cultivating machinery is used. Allow about five inches between large 
bulbs and less as the size of the bulbs planted decrease. 
In our locality it would seem best to make about three plantings, three 
or four weeks apart to insure a big season of bloom. 
Fertilizer; many think there is some great magic in the special type, 
brand or formula of fertilizer that the successful grower uses. I do not think 
there is. Of course, on a large planting there is an economic fact but for the 
average garden grower the saving is not worth enough to think much about 
it. It is hard to know what to suggest for in different localities certain 
fertilizers are available to one that are impossible in another. I believe that 
the average garden person would do well to use little, if any, commercial 
fertilizers depending on the dried animal manures and phosphate, if the 
ordinary rotted barnyard manure is available, so much the better. One can 
not do any damage to the plants if too much animal manures are used but 
such is not the case with commercial fertilizers and especially so now that 
many of these are so high test that they should only be used by some ex¬ 
perienced person. 
After the trench is dug to the desired depth put in some fertilizer; the 
amount is hard to tell for some hands are bigger than others, if commercial 
fertilizer, use a handful to about four feet of row. If dry manure, use at 
least double the amount as it is much more bulky. Now be sure the soil 
is well loosened and the fertilizer is well mixed in the bottom of the tf'encjj 
before setting the bulbs. After the bulbs are set, cover in the trench and hill 
it up a bit; when the first weeds appear rake it down level again and that first 
