Cultivation: Cultivate once a week not deeper than 2 inches. If it rains, 
repeat after soil becomes workable (so it will not clod). Keep your garden 
free of weeds, they take the same water and feed on the same elements as 
your Gladiolus. 
Watering: After fourth or fifth leaf appears (four or five weeks before 
blooming), water once a week or ten days, one inch of water, if you don’t 
get rain in that amount. Set a flat container in your patch. One inch of 
water in the container indicates one inch of water for that period. After 
bud spikes appear, same amount of water twice a week. 
Spraying: Dust with D.D.T. 5% about once every ten days after plants 
are up 6 to 8 inches, or spray with 50% wettable D. D.T. one ounce in 
three gallons of water. Repeat after a rain. Dust should be like light fog. 
If light breeze let dust float over patch, start to windward. Spraying can be 
done anytime during the day. 
Blooms: Cut your blooms preferably in the morning when one or two 
florets are open. Use a small sharp narrow blade, run down spike, then 
cut through with a slanting cut. Be sure to leave four or five leaves on 
plant to mature bulbs. Place spike in water, fresh water every day, cut 
off half inch of spike each day. Spike will open to tip. Use tips for floating 
table decorations, corsages. ‘To keep for shows, place in cool basement; must 
have some ventilation. 
Digging: Bulbs blooming in July can be dug six weeks after blooming. 
Those blooming in September will mature in four weeks. Dig plantings 
before ground freezes. Dig with a fork, lift out plant, cut off flush with 
bulb, place in shallow trays (boxes) not over four inches deep. (Burn tops 
when dry). Do not leave in hot sun, protect from frost. Dust with 5“ 
D.D.T. After drying three to five weeks, remove old bulbs from new. 
Burn old bulbs. Do not remove husk from new bulbs. When clean and 
dry, dust again thoroughly. 
Storing: Store in cool, dry part of basement, 35° F. to 45° F. is about right. 
Bulbs stored under moist conditions will be susceptible to disease and 
storage rot. 
For further information and up to the minute developments and methods, 
join your local or state society and/or 
The New England Gladious Society — Dues: $4.00. 
The North American Gladiolus Council — Dues: $2.00. 
If you wish to include with your order for bulbs — dues in either or both of 
the above societies, we will gladly see that your memberships are properly 
placed. 
Page Seventeen 
