HOW WE GROW SPECIMEN GLADIOLUS 
The great majority of our customers are advanced 
amateurs, members of state and national organiz- 
ations, with bulletins and yearbooks which cover 
all phases of Gladiolus growing in minute detail. 
To us it seem more important to give the utmost pos- 
sible catalog space to variety listing and description, 
and supply our customers with special pamphlets 
dealing with culture. 
We never use chemical fertilzeirs of any kind here 
at Gladland Acres. We think that the vigorous 
growth that our bulbs seem to make wherever we 
send them is due in great part to the fact that our 
growth is not artificially forced, and the result is a 
firm bulb filled with natural organic food elements 
that can hardly fail to show exceptional vigor in 
its next season’s growth. 
We plant only on ground rich in natural humus. 
In our test garden where we try out all new varieties 
we simply see that the soil is exceptionally well sup- 
plied with organic matter, using compost made 
largely from leaves. Very often new bulbs do not 
give us typical flowers the first year, whereas the 
second year we secure spikes that-are criterions of 
what that variety will do for us here in Oregon. 
We do not believe that this is entirely or even 
largely an adaptation to climatic diferences. Rather 
GROWING GLADS 
A great many of our customers order bulblets 
and apparently have good success as we have had 
few complaints. We do not guarantee the germi- - 
nation of bulblets, and they need good care after 
germination. A 75% germination is fine — some 
varieties are so difficult that 25% is good. They 
are cheap in comparison with the price of bulbs 
because they are uncertain, and given even fair 
germination is an economical way to get a start in 
new and expensive introductions. With expensive 
varieties it increases your perceentage of germi- 
nation if the hard hull is cracked or, even better, 
entirely removed. With these sorts it pays to give 
each bulblet ample room to develop. Given 2 to 3 
inch spacing, with ample water they can easily 
make a large bulb and even bloom the first year 
we believe that a bulb produced in a soil that is 
rich in natural humus, and in which proper bacterial 
action does take place, will in the next season pro- 
duce optimum spikes, if it is given proper care and 
cultivation, and adequate moisture. 
When we use uncomposted natural manure, until 
the manure has been incorporated into the soil for 
a full year we find that there is a tendency for bulb- 
scab to develop. Consequently we prefer not to use 
ground for gladiolus until the second year after 
such an application. 
We suggest that you try a portion of your gladi- 
olus garden, using peat and leaf mould or vegetable 
compost worked liberally and thoroughly into the 
soil of the trench area, and predict that you will 
find the results very satisfying as compared with the 
areas on which you use the commercial chemical 
fertilizers. We should be glad to have reports from 
you ii you attempt this experiment. 
In an article ‘From Amateur to Professional’ else- 
where in the catalog we go into more detail as to 
planting depth, cultivation and watering, spraying, 
etc., which may answer many questions regarding 
the culture necessary to produce spikes of maximum 
size, height and quality. 
FROM BULBLETS 
if they germinate quickly. We plant as early in the 
spring as we can get into the ground, covering the 
bulblets about 1% to 2 inches deep. Sizes vary 
greatly with different varieties, but the bulblets you 
will receive on your order are the largest we have 
on hand. 
One treatment we find helps greatly, and that is 
to keep bulblets stored in warm room—70 degrees 
or more—for 4 to 6 weeks before planting. This 
seems to promote quick germination. Bulblets that 
are produced by bulbs grown from bulblets ordi- 
narily germinate very much better than those pro- 
duced from older bulbs. They are’ always smaller 
in size than those from older bulbs. When available, 
we always send out the bulblet grown because of 
ease of germination. 
COMPOST — By J. |. Rodale 
Note by Gladland Acres: 
In last year’s catalog we mentioned the value of com- 
post in growing show specimen Gladiolus spikes. 
So much interest was shown in this 
and so many inquiries received asking for the specific method of making compost, that 
we have obtained the following article giving detailed descriptions from J. |. Rodale, 
Editor of Organic Gardening, which we use by his permission. 
COMPOST FOR THE GARDEN 
Is it practical to run a garden exclusively with 
the use of compost, without the aid of the so- 
called chemical or artificial fertilizers? The answer 
is not only YES, but in such case you will have the 
finest vegetables obtainable, vegetables fit to 
grace the table of the most exacting gourmet. 
LOCATION OF HEAP 
First choose a good site for the heap, preferably 
protected on the north, east, and west by a wall, 
fence, or hedge. Have it as close to the garden 
as possible and near your supply of water, because 
in dry weather you will have to water it every 
day. Pick out a flat location that is well drained, 
and one that is not near the bottom of a hill, where 
the rains will come shooting down. Reserve a place 
next to the heap where you can pile your green 
waste materials such as weeds, grass clippings, etc., 
for it is best to let such material wither a while 
before being placed in the compost heap. 
SIZE OF HEAP 
The size will depend on the area of your garden 
and the amount of material you have available 
