Evening star., 1937-07-24

there Is many thrips between the CORN
in the ground and the flowers in the
air, alas.
The corms and growing plants both
may be injured by the pest. Since the
corms are commonly stored in a moder-
ately cool place in Winter, this makes an
ideal Wintering ground for the insects.
They feed on the bulbs during the
Winter
Tying them up in paper bags with
napthalene flakes is an approved method.
One ounce, given as four level table
spoons, is to be used for every 100 corms.
The napthalene is to be left on the
Corms for about four weeks, when the
fakes should be shaken ont. The best
time to give this treatment is after the
bulbs have been ripened. Any time be-
tween November l and March l is ap-
proved.
Other fumigants, being deadly poisonS,
should be used by professionals only
Professionals also may use a hot-Water
treatment, which requires that the
corms be immersed in hot water at a
temperature of ll2 degrees for 90 min
utes. 1t may be realized that this is
somewhat ticklish method, and exact
ness must be used all along the line 1t
is method best used by the professional.
Control OF thrips in the field or gar
den must be done by spraying, and here
again one of the most deadly plant spray
materials is recommended.
This spraying. to be really effective,
after the telltale "Silvered" spots are
found as soon as the plants are up 5 or
inches, should be done weekly or every
10 days until Towering begins.
Now this is q perpetual nuisance, one
may insist, and that is why we recon-
mend that greatest care be taken in Sc
curing guaranteed tnripS-free bulbs, to
begin with If this preliminary care is
taken, one may rest fairly easy about the
future Of the flowers. One will not be
forced to make those nuisance sprayings
with extremely poisonous materials.
There is always danger in using such
sprays, not only in the direct and re-
peated handling of such materials, but
even more in the unconscious and often
llnregarded inhahng of some of the
spray. AS in all spraying the finer the
spray, the better, and the finer the spray
the more easily it flies around when
slight winds suddenly change direction.
If the thrips infection is not noticed
until the flowers begin to bloom on the
spike there is practically nothing that
can be done.
Hence it may be seen that the best
treatment for the amateur is no treat
ment at all; that is let the grower and
seller attend to this, in the first place.
This has been done, in most cases, so
that today if one buys bulbs from a re-
liable grower, and pays fair price and
does not hunt for bargain bulbs, he has
every chance of getting thrips-free bulbs
and flower spikes.
No one should feel that because of this
infestation gladiolus growing is impos-
Sible, or even difficult today Every one
knows how perplexing the keeping of
canary seems, if one only reads the book
let's about the bird. and notes the long list
OF diseases to which it is heir After one
acquires a canary, most often it gets
along very well. with only now and then
something going wrong
1t is the same way with flowers. The
gladlolus certainly is worth all the care
and trouble in the world, if this is neces-
sary; fortunately it is seldom necessary
for the amateur If he makes good Sc
lection at the start both as to varieties.
grower and price. Better a few good
ones, than a whole lot" of poor ones.