A FEW CULTURAL SUGGESTIONS 
FIRST OF ALL, remember that the gladiolus is very easily grown 
if a few simple, easily followed rules are observed. 
When you receive your bulbs, no matter where from, open the 
package immediately to admit air. If in small quantities, it is suf¬ 
ficient to open the bags and leave them that way. But if the bags 
are fairly full it is better to pour into shallow boxes and store in a 
dry, cool, frostproof place. A temperature of 40° F. is about right 
and there should be occasional ventilation. 
Make your first planting when the leaves begin to come out on 
the trees in your vicinity. To assure a succession of bloom through¬ 
out the Summer it is well to plant some bulbs every ten days until 
about four months before you normally expect a frost. In our lo¬ 
cality, we plant from the first week in April until late in June, but 
there is considerable risk in planting as late as we do, as we stand 
a good chance of losing our late blooms. 
Be sure to select a plot of ground that is not shaded at any time 
of the day. Clads love the sun and will not bloom well if shaded 
even part of the time. They especially resent being planted close 
to buildings or foundations. 
Plant large bulbs from four to six inches deep, depending upon 
whether your soil is sandy or heavy. You will need to plant deeper 
in a light sandy soil. Medium and small bulbs may be planted from 
two thirds to one half as deep as the large bulbs. If planted in 
beds, separate at least eight inches apart, if in rows, four or five 
inches apart, rows from eighteen to thirty-six inches apart. The 
wider spaced rows are easier to cultivate but, of course, use up more 
land for a given quantity of bulbs. 
About fertilizer, best of all is well rotted animal manure plowed 
or spaded into the soil in the Fall. With this, a good commercial 
fertilizer can be used at planting time. It is difficult to recom¬ 
mend specific fertilizers for different localities, but in general, a 
good corn fertilizer should do a good job. It is not usually neces¬ 
sary to apply further fertilizer, but it sometimes helps to top dress 
with the same fertilizer about the time the buds are beginning to 
swell out down in the thick part of the plant. 
If the weeds are kept pulled as fast as they appear, and the soil 
is cultivated often and k.ept loose and soft, it is not usually necessary 
to water. If artificial irrigation does become desirable, water heavily 
about once a week rather than a little every day. It is especially de¬ 
sirable to water after the flower spikes start to stretch up out of the 
plant. 
Dig the bulbs when the tops first begin to turn brown, do not 
wait until they die down completely. First loosen the soil with a 
fork, then pull up and cut close to the bulb, letting the bulbs fall 
into shallow boxes or on burlap squares. 
Cure well in the sun for a few days, then store in a cool dry place, 
well ventilated, until the bottoms or old bulbs can be removed easily. 
After this is done, the bulbs may be stored again, this time until 
time to plant. 
At planting time, inspect the bulbs and throw away any that show 
signs of rot or disease. Better burn them to make sure that they do 
not infect your clean stock. 
The bulblets which you found around the base of your new bulb 
should be stored separately and planted about two inches deep in a 
16 
