the spike, because the plant therefore has the more food mater- 
ials to direct to bulb formation. Save the bulbs even though the 
thrip have destroyed your flowers. 
14. OTHER QUESTIONS OFTEN RAISED: 
(1) How long before glad bulbs run out? 
There is no definite answer to that. The life of the bulb, that is, 
the years in which it may produce fine spikes, depends upon numer- 
ous factors. Chief amongst these is that of fertility, plant foods, and 
mineral elements which are essential to plant growth. But it may be 
reasonably expected that bulbs well grown should produce Eh class 
flowers for six to ten years. 
(2) Do glads change color? 
Positively NO. I base this positive statement on the experience 
and statements of many of the most reliable glad growers in the na- 
tion, and also on more than twenty years of my own experience in 
which I have never seen a single instance of a change of color. Yet, 
hundreds of people have asked me that question, and many glad 
growers have felt compelled to answer this question in their catalogs. 
The only explanation which any grower has to offer is in substance 
this: The assumption of a change of color is always associated with 
a mixture. Those who carefully observe the characteristics of glads 
know that some varieties are very prolific, while others are niggard- 
ly in their increase. Suppose you take one yellow variety and perhaps 
a lavender, or purple. Let us start with ten bulbs of each. Yellows 
are very prolific as a general rule, and lavenders and purples are as 
a rule scarce multipliers. At digging time one is almost certain to 
dig three times as many yellows as planted, and perhaps not any 
more purples than were planted. Repeating the planting the second 
year, and at digging time one has almost 100 yellows, and perhaps 
ten purples, or a dozen. Let this be repeated the third season, and 
one would think their mixture had changed color. Many varieties are 
not too hardy. They gradually pass out of a collection through losses 
in the field. That is the only plausible explanation of this occurrence 
which so many: ask about. Moral—plant named varieties, then one 
ican keep track of the prolific ones, and discard as it is desirable. A _ 
lady told me recently, when speaking to her about her success with 
some of my bulbs this past season, that she had wrapped each bulb 
in paper so they would not mix or change color. I advised her to un- 
wrap them at once, and leave them all together. 
(3) What size bulbs to plant? 
This is often asked. The answer_is that that depends « on what 
‘you want in the season you have under consideration. If you want 
immense spikes, show spikes, secure large, two-year-old bulbs. If you 
are satisfied with smaller spikes the first season, plant what are or- 
dinarily called large bulbs, those from 114 inches to or above 1% 
inches. These bulbs will make exhibition size bulbs for the second 
year. If you are patient and not wanting too much the first year, pur- 
chase medium size bulbs—-some of them will make grand spikes. If 
you want to get a start in higher priced, newer varieties, purchase 
- small size bulbs, and raise your own large bulbs. 
