into 1948, 1949, and 1950. I have now had four flower crops from these, and 
there has not been seen a single spike of changed color. These bulbs have 
been separately and carefully handled thru five years to make sure 
that no other stock would get mixed with them. I am now prepared to 
positively say “NO” to the question, “do glads change color.” I have asked 
hundreds of questioners if they grow their bulbs by label or in mixtures 
and have yet to meet the first person who has had this trouble where 
they grow their varieties under label. The trouble comes out of mixtures— 
better buy named varieties and keep the varieties separated by stakes in 
the field, and in separate baskets or boxes in storage. 
2. Should varieties be kept separate in storage to prevent mixing? 
No. They do not mix in that manner. 
3. How can I lengthen the flowering season? This can be accomplished 
by three methods— 
First, divide your bulb stock into several batches, and plant at 
intervals, say of two or three weeks. Planting can be done as late as 
July first and secure fine bloom and fully developed bulbs. 
Second, purchase varieties of different blooming dates. That is 
where the numbers preceding the variety names may be useful. 
Third, plant bulbs of all sizes, Large, Medium and Small. There are 
a number of days difference between the flowering periods of these 
three sizes. Of course the medium and small are not likely to produce 
large spikes like the large blubs, but they will be lovely, and come later 
in the season. 
4. What ails my glads? The florets are dried up, do not open. Proba- 
bility is that thrips have done the mischief. Thrips (Take notice—the word 
is always spelled with an “s” for both singular and plural), is a tiny insect 
said to be 1-25th of an inch in length, and blackish in color, in the adult 
stage. It is very quick on the wing, and thus very difficult to see with the 
naked eye. There are numerous species of Thrips, but one specie partic- 
ularly does the damage to glads which tends to take the joy out of glad 
growing. This insect lives in the folds of the leaves where they overlap. 
Here they multiply, and when the spike begins formation within the stocky 
stem of the plant they find their way into the new flower buds which are 
forming. They suck the juice out of the tender young petals, causing them 
to have the appearance of having dried uv by heat or sunshine. If the pests 
are not too numerous they may affect only the margin of the petals, in 
which case the florets will open about full size, but will have a slightly 
dried out edging. If very numerous the buds may not open at all—appear 
from their first appearance to have been dried up by heat. Sometimes 
their damage shows as small whitish patches or specklings on the petals. 
Before they begin action on the buds, they are at work on the new 
leaves which are forming within the plant. Their work will appear as 
silvery patches on the leaves. For control of thrips see my remarks under 
the heading, Cultural Suggestions. 
There are many other gladiolus pests—grasshoppers, varied kind of 
larvae, and beetles which do some damage, but are not considered in these 
parts of the country as dangerous or difficult to control. 
More troublesome than insects, even including the thrips, are the 
fungus diseases, and viruses which have made themselves at home on the 
gladiolus. Among these is one fungus which causes gladiolus foliage to 
turn yellow, resulting in the decay of the plant, and often the decay of the 
bulb. I am asked many times every year what to do about this trouble. 
My advice is to pull up the plant and get it out of the field. I do not know 
of any field treatment that will handle this trouble. Precautionary meas- 
ures are our most available resorts. Plant only clean, healthy bulbs. Dip 
them in some well recommended chemical antiseptic. (See my Cultural 
Suggestions). 
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