a magazine which is issued six times yearly. The membership dues 
are $2.00 per year, and entitles the member to the annual book and 
the six issues of the magazine. One will be a better glad fan and 
grower by reading these publications. Send membership to the fol- 
lowing address: 
The New England Gladiolus Society, Inc. 
Horticultural Hall 
Boston 15, Mass. 
SOME INFORMATION FREQUENTLY REQUESTED 
1. I am often asked how to lengthen the flowering season. The 
following suggestions will all tend to do that: 
First—Divide your bulbs into two or more batches, and plant 
these at intervals of at least two weeks. 
Second—Purchase varieties with different lengths of flowering 
periods. A few varieties bloom some sixty days after planting, and 
others planted at the same time require about 110 days. I have indi- 
cated these flowering periods for most of the varieties herein listed. 
They are not accurate, as such matters are subject to soil condition, 
climate, the seasonal weather conditions, the cultivation given them, 
and the age and vitality of the bulbs. However, they do give a rela- 
tive idea of the time required, and by attention to these numbers one 
may be able to lengthen their gladiolus season. 
Third—Plant various sizes of bulbs. Large and Jumbo _ sizes 
bloom sooner than medium and small sizes. 
2. What can I do to control thrips? I issue a four-page leaflet 
on Glad culture which deals with many such questions as this onv, 
and is enclosed with every order sent out. But it does not have much 
to say about the method I used this past season, and which appears 
to have been completely effective. At present I recommend without 
qualification D.D.T. of 3 or 5% strength. I used 3% and had complete 
suppression of the pest, while some in my neighborhood were badly 
damaged with thrips. Apply with a duster—there are inexpensive 
ones for those who have only a few bulbs. I am of the belief that I 
would have had a bad infestation had I not used the dust. Make a 
first application when the plants are less than a foot tall, and I think 
two or three applications spread a couple of weeks apart will be suf- 
ficient for the season. Two applications completely eradicated the 
pest and I did not see a single spike showing the effects of the thrips. 
3. Do glads change color or revert to other colors? In my leaf- 
let of glad culture I have a lengthy paragraph on this subject. In it I 
state with positiveness that they do not change or revert to one col- 
or. That is done on the basis of my 24 years of experience growing 
good glads, and on the positive assertions of all the growers of the 
nation whom I have heard of. But I am told positively by numerous 
glad fans that theirs changed colors, even when the varieties were 
kept separate, and also that they had such changes take place in the 
second season after their purchase, ruling out the factor of time in 
the excess multiplication of certain varieties. Now what shall a man 
say to a woman who defies the standard explanation that is given by 
all growers? All I can say is, I don’t know why hers acted as they 
did, and that I have never had such changes take place in my gar- 
dens, and that 1 have never heard of a grower of modern glads who 
has ever haa such an experience. If you have had such experiences, 
just try some new varieties and grow them under label, and keep 
them separate, and see if you have any that change in color. Of 
course, there is always a possibility that a stray bulb may get into 
another variety. 
4. Many have asked me if bulbs change color by being stored 
in the same basket, in a mixture, or by being planted side by side. 
The answer is positively NO. 
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