FREMONT, NEBRASKA 2 
HOW TO GROW GOOD GLADS 
ON ARRIVAL—Open all bulbs containers at once in order to permit proper evap- 
oration of moisture. Do not change temperatures suddenly. If order arrives 
in cold weather, open package in a cool room. Store in a cool dry place as men- 
tioned later. 
TIME TO PLANT—Gladioli may be planted over a long period of time. They are 
semi-hardy and can withstand light frosts. In Nebraska one can feel quite 
safe in planting any time from the middle of April until the first of July. To pro- 
long the blooming period make successive plantings every few weeks, and plant 
the early varieties first, and the late varieties last. 
The bulbs may be planted from three to six inches deep. Bulblets from two 
to three inches deep. Shallow planting facilitates digging in the fall, but leaves 
the plant at the mercy of drouth and wind throughout the summer: As a general 
rule one may plant deeper in light, sandy soil, and shallower in heavy clays. 
CULTURE—If you want clean, healthy bulbs, free of scab, be careful of your 
fertilizers. The best fertilizer is well rotted cow manure. It should be well 
mixed with the soil, preferably the fall before. Never allow chemical fertilizers 
to come into direct contact with your bulbs. Either work it into the bottom of the 
trench, with a layer of dirt between the bulbs and the fertilizer, or work it into 
the soil beside the rows after the plants are up. 
Glads should be planted in the open, away from shrubs and trees. When the 
plants come up they should be kept constantly free of weeds. You cannot hoe or 
cultivate too often, but the cultivation should be shallow in order to avoid injury 
to the roots. Never allow a crust to form after watering, or after a rain. 
Glad bulbs require plenty of water, but should not be planted in soggy, un- 
drained soil. Never sprinkle lightly, soak the ground so that there is moisture 
down around the roots. 
DISEASES AND PESTS—Glads are particularly hardy, and can be successfully 
grown by any willing gardener. However, they have a few diseases, and one 
“nest,” against which every glad grower should guard. There are several kinds 
of scab and dry rot to which glad bulbs are subject. They are very much like po- 
tatoes in that clean bulbs, planted on clean land each year, will never contract 
scab, unless you have unwisely used too much fresh manure, or allowed chemical 
fertilizers to touch the bulbs. I heartily recommend that all glad growers disin- 
fect their bulbs before planting. The best disinfectant is bichloride of mercury, 
often called corrosive sublimate. Dissolve one ounce in a little warm water, add 
this to about eight gallons of water. Remember, corrosive sublimate is a deadly 
poison, and it attacks metal. Mix the above solution in a wooden tub, or an old jar. 
Stir with a wooden paddle. Place bulbs in a sack and hold under the solution with 
a board weighted with rocks. Soak for at least eight hours. I soak over night, and 
plant the next morning. If a large quantity of bulbs are being disinfected it is 
best to make a new solution after each batch has been soaked, or else add one half 
of the original strength. 
Formaldehyde is also a good disinfectant. Use one half pint of liquid to fif- 
teen gallons of water. This is also a poison, but does not attack metal. Soak 
bulbs for the usual eight hours. 
The Bichloride of Mercury or Formaldehyde treatment is also effective in 
killing any thrips, or thrips eggs, which may be found on the bulb at planting 
time. Due to proper methods of control, the thrips menace is disappearing. How- 
ever, it is easier to prevent this menace than to cure it. Thrips destroy the foliage 
and prevent blooming; then, they may harbor on the bulbs through winter stor- 
age. They multiply rapidly at temperatures above 50 degrees. If you wish to be 
safe I advise the following four-fold line of attack. 
First, use every precaution not to have any thrips on your bulbs at digging 
time. Leave all tops in the field, and burn as soon as possible. 
Second, assume that some did get on your bulbs, and that you have them in 
storage. Large growers will fumigate with gas. Small growers will use the safer 
Napthalene treatment. This is to be used during storage only, while the bulbs are 
dormant. Sprinkle one ounce of flakes per hundred large bulbs. Do not place on 
