RICHGLAD GARDEN [29] 
pounds per acre of 3-10-6 or 4-12-4 broadcast and disked in before planting 1s 
sufficient for commercial plantings. Any high grade potato fertilizer will do very 
well. The application recommended is equivalent to about one to one and one-half 
pounds to a bed four by ten feet. We find Vigoro excellent and it is more readily 
obtainable in small quantities than ordinary commercial fertilizer. If used at planting 
time, four pounds (2 quarts) per 100 square feet is recommended. If used for top 
dressing, apply two pounds (1 quart) per 100 square feet or two pounds for each 
100 feet of row, if planted in rows, raking it into soil at once. We have had excellent 
results from the application of 2 pounds per 100 feet of row just at the time spikes 
begin to show. 
Fine gladiolus are grown in thousands of gardens each year without special atten- 
tion of any kind. However, any plant grows better if given special culture and we 
present the foregoing suggestions for the benefit of those who wish to grow finer 
flowers. The greatest thrill of gardening is to be able to grow something better than 
the ordinary. 
INSECT PESTS AND BULB DISEASES 
Unfortunately gladiolus have their pests as do all other flowers and plants, although 
they have about as little trouble in this respect as anything you might grow. During 
the past few years, most sections of the country have experienced considerable 
trouble from a minute black insect known as thrip which sucks the juices from 
the buds so that the flowers have a burned appearance and do not open properly. 
This troublesome pest seems to be well under control and with proper preventative 
measures, it is no longer a serious menace. 
Our stock is grown in isolated plantings and by treatment with corrosive subli- 
mate (bichloride of mercury) at planting time we seem to have been able to eradi- 
cate this troublesome pest entirely for the past several seasons. This treatment 
seems to give the bulb a protective coating that wards off various bulb diseases. 
However, your gladiolus may become infected from neighboring planting and pre- 
ventative spraying is recommended to insure undamaged blooms unless your gar- 
den is well isolated from other plantings. 
Sprays using Paris Green or Magnesium Arsenate seem to have been discarded 
in favor of a new spray developed and tested by the U. S. Department of Agri- 
culture. In this spray, Tartar Emetic (Antimony Potassium Tartrate) is used in- 
stead of Paris Green or Magnesium Arsenate. Tartar Emetic is soluble in water, 
thus avoiding the necessity of constantly agitating the solution while spraying and 
does not injure the plants. All of these sprays are highly poisonous and must be 
handled with care. The recommended formula for this spray is as follows: 
2 oz. Tartar Emetic, 4 lb. brown sugar, 3 gals. water. 
If your bulbs are treated properly with corrosive sublimate just before planting, 
thereby avoiding an early infection of this pest, it is likely your blooms will mature 
before much damage is done by thrip coming from neighboring plantings. | How- 
ever, spraying is worthwhile to prevent damage from other troublesome insects. 
The approved corrosive sublimate treatment 1s as follows: Dissolve 1 ounce of 
the powder first in small amount of warm water, then pour into 7 gallons of water, 
preferably above 60 degrees. Cold water may render the treatment ineffective. 
The solution must be used in a non-metal container, such as a crock, wooden pail, 
or glass. We find 10-gallon crocks ideal for this purpose. Varieties may be kept 
separate in cloth bags; old sugar bags will do for smal] quantities or bags made of 
cheesecloth for larger quantities. In order to keep varieties properly labeled, we 
simply write the variety name on cardboard strip with weatherproof pencil and put 

