CONTROL OF THRIPS 
Through years of experimenting on about 
an average of 25 acres of bulbs per year, we 
have found the use of bichloride of mercury 
(corrosive sublimate) very satisfactory in the 
control of thrips. Soak your bulbs over night 
in a solution of one ounce of bichloride of 
mercury powder in seven gallons of water, use 
glass, wooden or crockery containers as metal 
destroys the effectiveness of the solution. 
Soaking your bulbs will delay blooms 10 days 
to two weeks. 
However, this treatment is not an absolute 
insurance against thrips in your gladiolus 
fields as thrips can be blown into your garden 
from elsewhere or from gardens where there 
has been thrips which have not been destroyed 
during the winter months. We advise you to 
be on guard for thrips at all times, especially 
during very hot spells. As an added precau¬ 
tion, we recommend spraying with the follow¬ 
ing solution—1 ounce of tartar emetic, 4 
ounces of brown sugar dissolved in 3 gallons 
of water. Keep stirred while spraying as tar¬ 
tar emetic settles in a very short time. 
Any further information on any Gladiolus 
problem for a small or large commercial 
grower will be gladly furnished if you will 
drop us a line. 
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