5U THE GARDENER. [Dec. 



vanced. Generally speaking, the roots will not take damage though 

 they remain in the ground till the end of November, if they are not 

 ready for taking up sooner. Place them as taken up, with as much of 

 a ball as possible (if they have not a ball it does not much matter), in 

 some place under cover where there is plenty of air, and no chance of 

 frost reaching them ; and when thoroughly dried, take off the old root 

 and the stem, and store away in bags in a cool dry place till planting- 

 time. Any one who wants to amuse himself by growing the spawn, 

 may sow it in boxes or pots when he trims his roots, or let it lie till 

 spring. It will grow at either time, as I have proved. Few people, 

 however, bother themselves growing the spawn. 



The points of a Gladiolus are not difficult to determine. The col- 

 ours should be clean and distinct, the individual flowers well opened, 

 and all looking one way, and the flowers at the base of the spike 

 should measure about 5 inches across. This, with good cultivation, 

 should be a common size, but it is exceeded by some of the new vari- 

 eties of this year, more especially by Madame Desportes, which, I 

 am inclined to think, has the largest flowers of any variety yet out. 

 There is also an older variety with very large flowers — Velleda ; and 

 Shakespeare and Milton stand high in this resjoect. Apart from mere 

 size of flower, the most desirable varieties are those that open the 

 greatest number of flowers at one time. We have now some excellent 

 specimens of this class, and their number is slowly increasing. In 

 this quality of completeness of spike, not one can match Meyerbeer. 

 Approaching it are Marquise de Pompadour, and one not much grown 

 with us as yet, but destined soon to become a special favourite — Ben- 

 oiton, a flower of a fine shade of yellow. Monsieur A. Brongniart is a 

 Gladiolus which is perfection in the freshness of its colour and in its 

 shape. Its tints are as delicate as those of an ocean-shell. Perhaps 

 its j)rice has kept it from being so extensively grown as its merits 

 deserve. Our old and cheap favourite, Brenchleyensis, is also notable 

 for having its flowers open nearly from top to bottom at the same 

 time. I do not intend, however, to give any lengthened list of what 

 I consider best worth growing, but may remark, in passing, that the 

 large number of new Gladioli sent out last autumn have proved them- 

 selves good, and they will keep their places for many years. Among 

 the new ones to be imported this year, I notice some very desirable 

 colours of the darker hues, which we greatly need ; and one of the col- 

 lection, Armide, of a light colour, is described as having flowers of " long 

 duration." If this is the case, Armide will be popular. In choosing 

 from the descriptive lists sent out by dealers, this fact may be kept in 

 mind, that there are fewer varieties not worth growing among the 

 Gladioli than will be found among any other class of florists' flowers. 



