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THE GLADIOLUS FANCIER’S 

LEAD YOUR FRIENDS and NEIGHBORS 
—HOW TO Do IT 
Simple as can be. Inexpensive, too. Plant 
healthy, young bulbs of the large, size of 
varieties currently winning first prizes in the 
major shows of the world. Soil prepared in 
the fall with heavy applications of well rotted 
cow manure and bone meal is excellent. Avoid 
horse manure in any season. Plant in the sun- 
niest location possible. Shelter from strong 
winds is desirable. Preferably in a group 
planting by themselves. They can be at their 
best in rows among the vegetables. 
Plant large bulbs 5 inches deep, medium 
bulbs 4, small bulbs 3 and bulblets 2. If soil 
is extremely sandy plant somewhat deeper. 
If very heavy, somewhat less deep. For best 
bloom production set bulbs apart in row 
roughly about 4 times their diameter. Sow 
bulblets thickly, like peas. Distance between 
rows as little as will permit of your particular 
method of cultivating, weeding, etc. 
Do not make them compete with other 
roots of trees, shrubs or weeds. Cultivate 
often and close, keeping surface loose. 
Most of us already know that gladiolus 
prefer a somewhat acid soil. Silt and sand 
in the composition of your soil is valuable. 
Avoid lime unless needed to cure a superacid 
condition (expressed pH 1t to pH 4). Like- 
wise avoid, more importantly, super alkaline 
soils (pH 8 to pH 14). Neutral is pH 7, but 
pHS5 to pH6 is what you should strive to 
obtain. Your nearest State Agricultural 
Experiment Station will test samples (a pound 
or two) of your soil for acidity rating or will 
advise you how to do it. A well drained soil 
will have much to do with your cropping 
disease free bulbs, particularly if dug after a 
wet fall. 
If a heavy application of cow manure 
(3 to 6 inches deep) and coarse bone meal 
(25-30 lbs. to 500 sq. ft.) was applied in the 
fall and the ground left rough, no more ferti- 
lizing need be done the following year. 
If fall fertilizing was not done, well rotted 
cow manure may be worked into the soil 
before planting. After the trench is dug, if 
soil is heavy, it will be beneficial to spill an 
inch of fine sand on the bottom before setting 
the bulbs. If sand is dry it can easily be 
spread with a sprinkling can with the rose 
removed from the spout. After the bulbs 
are set and one half of the excavated soil is 
returned over the bulbs to protect them from 
fertilizer contact, a handful of (2-8-10) or of 
superphosphate, such as (0-16-0) and (0-20-0) 
may be spread along about 4 ft. of row. This 
is in lieu of the fall application of the slower 
bone meal. ; 
If cow manure is not available, you may 
now substitute in addition to the (2-8-10) or 
superphosphate used, about 2 handfuls of 
prepared sheep manure (baked to kill weed 
seeds) per 4 ft. of row before filling in the upper 
half of the trench. 
Pack the soil a bit (carefully if the bulbs 
are sprouted) to assist in rapid capillary 
attraction and speedy growth. If soil is 
very dry at planting time, drench with water 
heavily, to penetrate six inches. Thereafter, 
until time when flower buds can be felt in the 
stalks, use water very sparingly. Of course, 
if little or no rains for 15 or 20 day periods 
drench again and keep the plants well weeded 
and cultivated. . 
During the bud to bloom stage is the one 
time it is desirable to keep the ground definite- 
ly on the wet side. Next to impossible in 
well drained location to get it too wet at this 
stage. Naturally, if the soil be wet and soft 
and high winds come, some tall and heavy 
plants may go over, bulb tilting in the soil and 
tearing roots, if permitted. We consider it 
advisable to use some method of staking if 
the soil is kept extremely wet at this stage. 
We use some 6 ft. steel stakes, 3 inch dia- 
meter and rubber bands. The stakes are incon- 
spicuous and if blooms are cut can be readily 
moved to other spikes throughout the season. 
After the peak of bloom season, if weather 
becomes extremely hot and there appears 
any tendency of the stems to soften somewhat, 
this extra watering may be concluded and 
very shallow cultivation continued through 
the balance of the blooming season if you can 
still get in among the plants todoso. — 
Whatever general fertilizing method may — 
be used, a “shot in the arm” type may be 
used on a few or all plants just as the early 
buds begin to form in the stalks. Use a 
handful of dried blood meal for about 5 to 10 
plants or a handful of ammonium sulphate 
to about 10 to 15 plants, scratching it in 
several inches away from the plants. Soak 
the ground heavily the day before so that the 
plant will be saturated and in strong growing 
condition, thus withstanding a.shock which 
might otherwise burn off the rootlets, turn the 
foliage yellow and stop further growth. This 
will increase the size of the florets and the 
length of the spike. 
Above formulas are maximum. Many 
would consider them extreme. We do not 
remotely approach these extremes ourselves as 
our aim is a bulb crop and the blooms inci- 
dental. But a large number of our customers 
have used these methods with highly gratify- 
ing results. 
Purely for commercial bulb production we 
recommend use of 2-8-10 or better still 3-9-18 
applied about 1000 lbs. per acre, disced in 
just before planting or otherwise applied in 
manner to safeguard the bulbs from actual 
contact with the material. 
, Particularly in hot weather, spikes which > 
are cut when but one or two florets are open, 
fill out with more open at a time when bloom- 
