GUIDEBOOK FOR 1945 
Page 33 

out corrective measures or planted them in 
soil so wet the action of the formula was 
maintained or treated bulbs already starting 
root and top growth. So many amateurs use 
makeshift storage quarters too warm to keep 
bulbs dormant until planting time that they, 
especially, should study carefully the warn- 
ings in this article. 
If the New Improved Ceresan and Gras- 
selli Spreader-Sticker cannot be purchased 
locally, both may be had from Vaughan’s Seed 
Store, 601 W. Jackson Blvd., Chicago, Ill. 
TARTAR EMETIC SPRAY 
FORMULA REVISED 
Several years age the U. S. Dept. of Entom- 
ology discarded the old paris green formula 
for Tartar Emetic. Since tartar emetic-sugar 
spray is capable of causing severe flower 
injury the department tested dosages of 
lower concentration than first recommended 
in effort to minimize this damage. 
The latest revised Tartar Emetic formula 
follows: Use either U. S. P. or Technical 
grade. 2 lbs. tartar emetic, 4 Ibs. brown sugar, 
100 gal. water. 
Interpreted in smaller quantity the new 
formula reads 1 oz. Tartar Emetic, 2 oz. 
brown sugar, 3 gal. water. 
Never combine other insecticides with 
tartar emetic-sugar spray as they usually 
include spreaders which spoil the effect of 
the bait spray. 
Avoid using sticky Tartar Emetic on open 
blooms. 
If sugar, brown or white, is unobtainable, 
the U. S. Dept. of Entomology suggests 
substitution of 1 tablespoon of (a) light or 
dark New Orleans type of molasses (made 
from sugar cane) or of (b) one of the com- 
mercial corn syrups containing small quanti- 
ties of granulated sugar or of cane syrup for 
each gal. of water (314 pts. per 100 gal.) 
THRIPS 
If thrips appear on your plants they must 
be controlled before the bud spikes emerge 
from the foliage. Watch for any silvery gray 
streaks on the foliage. If- permitted to in- 
crease unmolested they will extract juices 
from the buds resulting in a burned appear- 
ance, they will eat streaks of color off the 
petals even before they unfold and if they 
unfold at all, the petals may crimp up their 
edges and dry to a dull brown. Even the 
young, lemon colored thrips may do this 
damage to the bud so it is important to kill 
such adult thrips as may arrive before they 
lay eggs, also because the young have the 
bad habit of staying inside the bud and crev- 
ices of the plant where they are hard to reach 
with insecticides. The silvery gray (feeding) 
streaks on the foliage, in badly infested cases, 
turn brown, stopping both plant and bulb 
growth. 
In our opinion, thrips come more into the 
open during the hours of 4-6 P.M., so spray- 
ing is most effective if done at that time. 
Also, the less heat the safer for the plants 
and evaporation is retarded. If plants are 
thirsty when spray is applied, spraying 
hazards are increased. Plants should be 
well watered but the foliage should be dry 
before the spray is applied. Spraying but 
one part of the patch only is inadvisable on 
account of the migratory habits of the insect. 
Above all. we beg our readers not to put 
off inspecting the plants for thrips infestation 
until blooms appear. If they already have 
a good foothold at that time you may have 
a very discouraging task on your hands. 
We recommend preventive spraying. 
once every 10 days after plants are up 6 or 8 
inches until blooming. In any event, have 
your insecticide on hand to use if needed. 
If Tartar Emetic is scarce or controlled by 
priorities this growing season, the U. S. 
Dept. suggests the substitution of S A L P 
(sodium antimony lacto phenolate) at the 
rate of 2 tablespoons per gal. of spray (6 pints 
per 100 gal.) S A L P may be purchased from 
Merck & Co., Rahway, N- J., or Mallinck- 
rodt Chemical Works, 3600 N. 2nd St., St. 
Louis, Mo., or Calif. Spray Chemical (ane 
Richmond, Calit. or Apex Chemical Co., 225 
West 34th street, cNeoY elaN  Y4 
A WORD TO THE WISE 
Disappointment can be minimized by leav- 
ing to the highly trained gladiolus specialist 
the experimentation and cash investment 
necessary to try out all the new offerings of 
the many hybridizers. Those who know the 
quality of competition in national, state and 
regional shows in the last few years have come 
to realize that inferior sorts rarely win. We 
list only those varieties currently, winning 
first prize awards and, on occasion, a limited 
few new ones which we have grown and which, 
in Our opinion, are about to take their place 
in the winning ranks. We have almost no 
errors to acknowledge. 
We have no knowledge of the existence of 
any other gladiolus catalog in the world that 
even closely approaches so exclusive a list of 
prize-winners. 
Also, it is well to leave to the federal, state 
and university entomologists, pathologists 
and to gladiolus specialists cooperating with 
them, the determination of best usages for the 
control of insect pests and bulb and plant 
diseases. Experimentation by others with 
poisons, poisonous gases and with insecticides, 
the component parts of which are not under- 
stood by the user, and with unapproved meth- 
ods of fertilization, usually leads to trouble. 
