first garden activity of spring. But to get Glad bulbs from us, you should order early 
as we try to plant all left over bulbs about Apr. 1. We usually sell out on some sorts 
before that date. 
Thrips are very small insects that suck the juices from the plant. They cause the 
flowers to wither or appear burned, and appear only after weather becomes warm. 
To avoid the damage they do, three measures are effective: Plant early; plant 
clean, treated bulbs; keep them always moist by overhead sprinkling. Gladiolus that 
are sprinkled one-half hour every evening will seldom show thrips damage at any time 
of year. It is my opinion that thrips damage results almost wholly from the loss of 
liquids they cause, added to rapid evaporation in hot weather. Even when thrips are 
present we find daily overhead sprinkling washes off part of them and keeps the plants 
so full of liquids that the flowers are undamaged. But the plants must be made vigorous 
by previous good culture. 
Treating Bulbs. Mix 4 teaspoonsful of Lysol in one gallon of water. Soak the 
bulbs 6 hours in this solution. It may be used several times but not after standing over 
one week. This is an acid solution and encourages root growth instead of delaying it. 
Do not, treat bulbs bought from us. We treat before selling. We do not advise use of 
mercurial solutions as they injure the bulbs and delay root formation. 
Napthalene flakes may be sprinkled over the bulbs in storage, covered and left a 
few weeks. The fumes kill the thrips. 
Mosaic Disease. A few varieties, including Picardy and Betty Nuthall, have recently 
shown a tendency to become infected with mosaic. It does not hurt the bulb or plant 
but the flowers become mottled, which greatly detracts from their beauty. There is no 
cure but one can partly at least prevent its spread by pulling up such plants. It is spread 
among plants by biting insects, possibly even by thrips, or in cutting flowers. If one 
cuts from a diseased plant, then from a healthy one, it is likely that one has carried the 
virus which causes the disease to the healthy plant. 
Plant 4” deep; small 3”; bulblets 2”. Twice their diameter apart. We plant two 
rows, staggered in a 4” wide furrow or closer in a single row. Rows about 20” apart. 
Alkaline soils produce poor Glads. Soil should be neutral to mildly acid. Leaf mould 
or peat added is useful. Peat causes soil to dry out more rapidly and imported peat is 
hard to get. Domestic peat is often harmful because alkaline. Use no fresh manure, but 
well rotted manure is fine. Top mulch of leaf mould or imported peat is fine. 
Keep Glads growing with plenty of water and best culture for at least two months 
after flowering. Longer is better for this is the period when new bulbs for next season 
are developing. It is best to dig bulbs in the south, and necessary in the north. 
Fertilizers. Use only Superphospate, a small handful to 6’ of row, in furrows on 
both sides, after plants are about 1’ high. Apply about once a month. ‘Try a short 
space first. If it burns, use less. Some use Ammo-Phos with success but if much is used 
there is danger of ruining the bulbs. When we fertilize, we usually decide we have done 
more damage than good. Vigoro is being used successfully. . 
Soil pH for Glads should be 7 or lower as they prefer mildly acid soil and in 
strongly alkaline soils one cannot grow good Glads. The best preparation of the soil 
is to turn under largest possible quantities of well decayed leaf mould and humus. 
Sizes and Prices. Regretfully we must cancel the 100 rate on Glad bulbs, but we 
still offer 12 bulbs for the price of 10, unless otherwise stipulated. Order only at the 
single or dozen rates this spring. 100 bulbs are 8% doz. and may be so ordered. We 
cannot supply Glads for wholesale customers except at these retail prices. 
The Gladiolus Supply is still far below normal. Last fall we were again too 
optimistic and priced our bulbs, in many cases, below what we could replace them 
for if one considers the postage and labor of packing retail orders and the fact that 
when we buy wholesale we must pay the express charges. 
Therefore we were out of several sorts we listed in the fall. Some of these we have 
been able to replace but at a higher price. That's the bad news. 
The Good News follows. We have been extremely fortunate in obtaining a few 
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