Not all bulbs are ready to ship out on Sept. 1. We dig Gladiolus from Aug. to 
Oct.; Callas late Oct.; Amaryllis about Nov. 15. Items in the catalog that are not ready 
to ship i in Sept. are noted in the catalog and delivery date is given. 
GENERAL CULTURE DIRECTIONS 
The best bulb soil is a rich sandy loam. Only a few, like Bearded Iris, prefer heavy 
soil. But nearly all bulbs do well in heavy soil, especially if plenty of humus is added. 
All soils require the addition of large amounts of humus. You should compost all 
weeds, leaves and small branches. If possible, add manure to this and when well rotted 
and fine turn under and thoroly mix with the soil. 
Fertilizers. Animal manures are the best. Use them with compost as explained. 
Do not use fresh manure except as a light mulch for certain growing plants and 
experiment on a few first as too much quickly destroys a plant. Do not add fresh 
manure or commercial fertilizer to soil just before planting bulbs or seeds. It would 
be as logical to give a day-old baby a tough steak, a piece of apple pie and two cups of 
coffee. Fertilize only healthy, thrifty plants. What would you think of a doctor who 
ordered a big meal for a sick man as a means of recovery? Do not fertilize when the 
ground is dry and plants need water. 
After Blooming, many persons neglect their bulbs. A Gladiolus must grow and 
fatten at least two months after flowering. Amaryllis should grow with luxuriant 
foliage until late November or longer if it does not begin to yellow. 
Let us consider the annual growth cycle of a bulb. 
A dormant bulb contains a flower bud and short new leaves. There is food stored 
in the form of starches, etc., and also enzymes for digesting this food. While dormant, 
the stored up starches are turned into soluble sugar. Roots, buds and foliage begin to 
develop in their natural order and your care is rewarded. When thru flowering, the 
bulb has become smaller and is soft instead of firm and plump. This is a critical time. 
The bulb may appear at a pause for a short time but when a good root system has 
developed it will begin active growth. Encourage that. Give them food and water. 
Enough, not too much. The longer you can keep it growing, the larger and better 
will be your resulting bulb for next year. The yellowing of foliage will signify the bulb 
has reached full development. If you do not feed and water your plants, pets, domestic 
animals and children when they are awake and hungry, they do not thrive. If you 
know how to make a husband happy (or a wife) you should know how to make a plant 
“happy.” Don’t “love ’em and leave ’em,” and over-coddling is often as bad as neglect. 
Depth and Spacing often cause too much concern. Bulbs usually have sufficient 
adaptability to do well under widely varying conditions. In a general way, bulbs should 
be about two or three times their diameter apart. Small bulbs like Ranunculus No. 3 
may be covered 1”; bulbs the size of a Daffodil covered 4” to 6”. Bulbs with a heavy 
top need deeper planting to maintain an erect position. Planting in light sandy soils 
should be deeper than in heavy soils. In very cold climates, deep planting protects 
bulbs from damage from frost. Few bulbs are too finicky about their depth and many 
of them have the ability to correctly adjust themselves to the most favorable depth if 
left in one place a few years. 
Alibis. Many amateur growers refuse to accept responsibility for their failures 
when they result. They blame the bulbs, but not themselves, the weather, their soil or 
pests. Therefore they do not learn from the best teacher, experience. Luther Burbank 
said, “A failure is an accomplishment.” It is, if you learned by it. 
ACID AND ALKALINE SOILS 
Most plants thrive in neutral, mildly acid or mildly alkaline soils and some will 
thrive only in distinctly acid soils. In the latter class are included Rhododendrons, 
Callas and most shade loving plants. 
The acid-alkali balance is expressed in pH units. pH 7 is neutral. Below that the 
acidity increases, above it the alkalinity increases. 
Soiltex Outfit. This little testing kit will enable you to determine the pH of your 
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