ing better colors, says 1. N.E.G.Se 
for four years, Canadian selected ra 
have printed these ratings 
tings for two years and we 
still try to bring you the news of how good or bad the new ones 
are and bring it to you first. 
Monk and I go to considerable 
expense and work harder than either of us care to, to test and 
bring you news of the new flowers. It is not a money making 
idea and never will be. It also is never good business to print 
lists of discards and follow your own teachings which we do 
religiously. But we are trying hard as we possibly can to make 
a worthwhile contribution to glad growing and hope we are guc= 
Plant 
only 
Clean 
Bulbs. 
ceeding. We are not conceited and regard our own judgment 
humbly but it is true that our ratings have held up as accure= 
ate for a number of years = for which we are grateful. 

Testing the Soil 

HOW TO GROW GLADIOLUS FOR THE SHOW TABLE 
Easy to grow but must be sprayed weeklye 
If soil taken from 6 inches be- 
meath surface crumbles under pres- 
sure of hand, plot is ready for 
spading. If 
not, it should be al- 
lowed more time fo dry. 

Thrip 
Control 
Easy 
Soil 
Fertil- 
izer 
Glads are easy to grow and anyone can grow the fin=- 
est type of show flowers if they follow a very few 
simple instructions. Glads like full sun and do not 
attain maximm growth or flower size in partial shadee 
The best place for them is in rows in the vegetable 
garden =~ as they are entirely a cut flower - and are 
not ornamental flowers for the perennial or annual 
flower gardene 
BUT glads are like roses in that THEY MUST BE SPRAY= 
ED WEEKLY. There is a little black insect=the gladio- 
lus thrip - that ruins buds and blossoms and they can 
be guarded against easily if you spray once a weeke 
The spray formula is one ounce of Tartar Emetio and 
four ounces of brown sugar to each three gallons of 
water, Spraying must begin from the time the gladiolus 
is 5 inches high - and done once a week regularly and 
religiously until the buds start to show color when 
all spraying can be discontinued. 
If you do this you will have no thrip and no thrip 
trouble. However IF you ever find thrip on your plants 
spray every day for three days and you can kill them - 
or, better still, spray every other day three timese 
Thrip can be seen as little black insects 1/16 inch 
long after 4 P.M. in the afternoon near the leaf 
sheafs. They hide during the day and come out to feed 
after 4:00 P.M. They have tiny white suspenders on = 
so you can't mistake them, 
Culti- 
vation 
Digging 
Soil good enough to grow tomatoes or cabbages is 
good soil for glads. Glads are big flowers and natural- 
ly big feeders so we advise having your soil tested by 
your state agricultural department and adding the fere= 
tilizer they say your soil needs. Glads like a pH (de= 
gree of acidity) of between 5.0 and 6.5 - as the glad 
does best in slightly acid soil. If your soil is not 
that acid have your agricultural department tell you 
what to add to change it. Be sure’ to plant glads in 
full sun and away from the roots of all shrubbery and 
trees. 
My own method is to have 3 to 4 inches of very old 
cow manure - one, two or more years old = spread on in 
the fall after your bulbs are dug - and then plowed ine 
In spring on frozen ground spread your fertilizer - 
whatever it is your soil needs. When the weather soft= 
ens up and your soil is dry enough,so it will crumple 
up when you squeeze a fist full,disc well and then as 
soon as the soil is dry you can start to plant. Plant 
as early as the soil dryness and weather will permit so 
as not to be caught by a wet springe 
If you cant get old cow manure - and who can during 
the war? = then plow in the fall and disc in the spring 
but add some good fertilizer like 6-12-10 or in that 
vicinity, at rate of 700 pounds per acre = smaller rote Ol 
proportional - scattering broadcast just before you 
dise and always plan on discing at least 30 days before 
plantings 
Before planting tear off outer husk only which will 
bare about a 1+ of the bulb flesh around the root base. 
If any disease is present it will usually show up 
there. If you see any specks of brown, or black~-or 
larger~on the bulb, do not plant it - for it may have 
contracted some sickness - disease - during the curing 
and storing periode This is my personal rule and I 
think it a good onée 
Glads can be planted in single or double rows. 
Plent each bulb 5 to 7 inches apart for exhibition 
blooms = 1 inch epert for commercial cut=flowers. I 
have seen fine glads grow 4 inches apart but feel 
that is not far enough to permit tiny side roots to 
spread out. Dig your rows 6 inches to 7 inches deep 
if you have sandy loam and 5 inches if you have faire 
ly stiff clays In bottom of trench I put on 1/4 inch 
of Canadian peat moss. On top of this I put a sprinke- 
ling of dried weedless sheep manure - 2/1A. 3/4 or 
cow manure 1-1-13. Then I mix the manure and peat 
moss with dirt in bottom of trench with hoe and set 
the bulb firmly down into this loose mixture. Cover 
with dirt 2 inches over top of bulb=-leaving rest of 
trench unfilled. Walk on the rows to firm down goode 
When glads are up 6 inches pull rest of dirt into 
trench to level off. Water when you first plant but do 
not water thereafter until glads are up 5 inches wun= 
less you have been without rain for a whole weeke 
Glads like to start growing on the "dry side" but 
after they start to show their third leaf they like 
lots of water. Soak the water to them if you have 
good drainege and don't be afraid of giving too muche 
Be sure to give them a good soaking when the third 
leaf first appears and see that they get 1 inch of 
rain or water per week after that. 
Note that my system gives the glads all the food 
needed for a plant that is a big eater before you 
plant. It is not necessary to side dress later on or 
to add any more fertilizer. Keep the bloom spikes 
picked off and do not allow old withered flowers in 
the field. I clean my field of bloomed spikes every 
Monday = regularly = and you should do the same. 
From planting time until glads are 2 feet high 
cultivate between rows to keep the weeds out. Keep 
out all weeds and have a garden free from weeds, It 
gives you more pleasure in your garden if this is dom, 
When glads are 24 inches high you can stop all culti- 
vating and just pull up weeds for rest of season, The 
cultivating is always done shallow = not over 15 ine= 
to allow air to get into ground and to provide a soft 
mulch surface to retain moisture better in hot sune 
Every fall glad bulbs must be dug and stored in the 
basement as they will not live through temperature be= 
low 32 degreese When you dig be careful to keep all 
the bulblets as that is the way you increase your stod& 
Cut the spike off close to the bulb = do not leave over 
2 inch of spike on the bulb. Spread bulbs so they will 
dry out. When thoroughly dry = two to three weeks does 
it - then “clean" the bulb which means snap off the 
old dried up worn out bulb and rootse 
As you clean the bulbs whenever you find an old 
bulb attached to the new bulb that is black, or rotted, 
throw away the new bulb and bulblets no matter how 
clean and healthy the new bulb may looke This used to 
fool me until the Indiana boys set me right and I am 
indebted to theme 
If you have sprayed regularly you should have 
thripe If you have no thrip that is all you have 
do. If you don't see any you are safe until next 
spring when you must dip your glads in corrosive sub= 
limate - formulas 1 ounce of corrosive sublimate to 
7 gallons of water - let them soak 12 to 17 hourss Do 
not get your hands in this highly poisonous mixture 
and use a stone crock as it eats metale 
I am not positive that if you spray your glads reg= 
ularly every week until the buds appear and throw a- 
way and do not plant eny bulbs with even a suspicion 
of disease that you will need to dip at alle. If you 
have a bulb’ that shows some disease and want to plant 
it, then you must dip in corrosive to cure the disease 
but if the bulbs are clean and you spray you have 
no 
to 
