Here are a few practical-suggestions: 
(1) Piant on new ground every year, at least not oftener 
than one year in four on a given patch of ground. Fungus spores 
live for several years in the soil. 
(2) Burn the foliage which was cut off when digging and 
also the old, withered bulb and roots. 
(3) After the bulbs.are thoroughly dried, before Christmas, 
place them in paper bags. Sprinkle Napthalene Flakes over them 
at the rate of a tablespoonful to fifty bulbs. Close the top of the* 
bag, but not air tight. Leave them there for a month, then re- 
move the bulbs and shake off the flakes as cleanly as possible, 
and put back in their winter storage boxes. This puts a stop 
to the work of the thrips during winter if there are any present. 
Precaution is better than regrets. Be sure to remove the Naptha- 
lene Flakes before spring, as they are injurious to the root nod- 
ules which form late in the winter. 
(4) At planting time dip the bulbs in some chemical solu- 
tion. Lysol, commonly used in the kitchen, is the simplest, and 
perhaps as generally satisfactory as any available. There are 
other treatments which are more of interest to commercial 
growers than the home gardeners. Put about an ounce of Lysol 
to six gallons of water, and soak the bulbs in the solution for 
several hours, not to exceed six. Plant soon afterwards. This 
treatment accomplishes both fungus and thrips destruction. 
(5) To control thrips one must spray throughout the grow- 
-ing season. This is a simple matter—a fly-spray pump or house 
sprayer will do the job for garden planting. The thrips is a tiny, 
black, winged insect, about 1/25th of an inch in size, which pro- 
pagates between the leaves. When the spikes begin to form with- 
in the gladiolus plant, these insects work their way into the in- 
cipient bud, and suck the juice out of the petals. If they are 
numerous, the bud comes to light of day dried up. If not so num- 
erous, the bud will break open and show color, but the petal 
edges, in varying degree, will be faded out, or appear to have 
been burned and dried up. The following care will eradicate the 
thrips, or so control it that fine gladiolus blooms may be had. 
Spray every week or ten days and after each rain, beginning 
when the first two leaves are about six inches tall. Practically 
every glad grower is agreed that the proper spray should consist 
of Tartar Emitic, brown sugar and water. They vary widely as 
to the formula to be used. I have attempted to strike an average 
of the recommendations, and would suggest that the following 
formula be used: 
Three gallons of water. 
Tartar Emitic—1 ounce to 2 ounces. : 
Brown sugar—2 ozs., or 3 tablespoons molasses or honey. 
Mix thoroughly, and keep stirred: It seems that the pest likes. 
sweet foods. 
Let it be said here that the thrips does not injure the new bulbs 
that are growing while it is doing its mischief. If anything, the 
bulbs gain strength by the destruction which the insect does to 
