542 THE GARDENER. [Dec. 



may tell upon the appearance of the bed before midsummer. Some 

 people invariably choose the largest bulbs, but it does not follow that 

 these are the best ; in fact, the ordinary-sized bulbs seem to double 

 themselves most readily. My own practice is, always to secure any 

 bulbs I need as early in the season as possible, knowing that they are 

 better in my possession than lying exposed in an open shop. This is 

 just one of those little bits of care which too many overlook, and con- 

 sequently they are left but a small choice. 



Some few years ago, when the Gladiolus began to be more exten- 

 sively cultivated than it had been since its introduction, one could 

 scarcely take up a horticultural magazine without meeting with some 

 absurd theory about its habits and growth, and the soil requisite to 

 grow it in. But the fact is, that the Gladiolus will grow vigorously 

 in any common garden soil of fair quality, which is not too stiff or 

 damp. Both of these latter conditions can be remedied by a little 

 trouble. To keep Gladioli in proper health, I think it is essential 

 that the ground where they are to grow should be manured in autumn, 

 my experience having led me to the conclusion that no fresh manure 

 should come into immediate contact with the roots. Therefore, about 

 the beginning of November, or earlier, dig in about 5 or 6 inches of 

 good strong manure. This is not an extravagant quantity, because the 

 Gladiolus likes generous treatment, and it receives its food in the best 

 condition when it is thoroughly decomposed and incorporated with 

 the soil. As near the first of March as the weather will permit, give 

 the bed a deep and thorough digging, that the roots may get far down 

 for the feast your liberal manuring has provided for them. The bed 

 being prepared, strip off part of the outer skin from the bulbs, in order 

 to see that the flesh is sound, and to give the rootlets freedom to push, 

 and then plant them in rows 9 inches from each other every way. A 

 greater distance between the bulbs is useless, and a waste of space. 

 The larger bulbs should be planted 4 inches deep, and the smaller 3 

 inches. It has been proved more than once that a stiff frost after they 

 are planted will not injure them at these depths. Although all are 

 planted at the same time, there will be a fine succession of blooming. 

 A bed, say of a hundred varieties, will every day from the beginning 

 of August to the middle of October be showing new beauties. In 

 order to have an earlier bloom than can be had from those planted in 

 the open ground, it is a common custom to start some bulbs in pots 

 from January onwards, having them well advanced by the beginning of 

 May, when they are planted out. As regards this point, the experience 

 of others may be different from mine, but I have found that pot-planted 

 bulbs were afterwards more liable to disease, and I have almost always 

 lost them the following season. When the plants are about 2 or 3 



