10 THE FLORAL WORLD AND GARDEN GUIDE. 



CULTURE OF THE GLADIOLUS. 



BY M. i:UGE>'E TEEDIEE. 



;HE garden gladioli are descendants from G. gandavensis, 

 which is itself the ofFsprinrr, by an unknovrn cross, of G. 

 psittacimis. In common w ith its near and remote ances- 

 tors, the garden gladiolus is not difficult of cultivation. 

 It is sufficient to plant it in any ordinary soil which has 

 been well dug over some time beforehand. It dislikes close, argil- 

 laceous soils, and, as a rule, does best in those that are moist and 

 sandy. Successive plantings in the same ground are injurious to it. 

 The locality should be changed every year, so as not to return to the 

 same spot until after the lapse of several years, during which the 

 ground should be well manured with cow or horse manure, or else 

 with night-soil or street-rei'ute, according to the degree of humidity 

 in the soil. For dry soils manure from the cow byre is best, but 

 horse-dung or street-refuse is best for damper ones. 



Open-air planting should be performed, at successive intervals of 

 a fortnight, from the end of March up to June. A continuance of 

 bloom will thus be secured, commencing in July and lasting until 

 ^November. Nevertheless, the latest bulbs will not become fully 

 matured, and must not be depended upon for the following season. 

 The size of the bulbs must also be taken into consideration in planting. 

 The largest bulbs do not produce the finest flowers, but, in a collec- 

 tion, they bloom the soonest. They should be succeeded by the 

 medium-sized bulbs, and those by the smallest. By planting in pots 

 of 5^ inches, or 48 size, in the mouth of January, and placing the 

 latter in a cold frame, or, in default thereof, plunging them at the 

 foot of a south walk, and covering them over with leaves to keep out 

 the frost, and afterwards setting out the plants in their intended 

 places when the frosts are over, we may ensure bloom in the month 

 of June. The depth at which the bulbs are set in the ground must 

 be regulated according to their size, so that the smallest may have 

 two inches, and the larger ones three to three and a half inches of 

 soil over them. 



Abater must be given when required during growth, more par- 

 ticularly when the weather is dry and hot. The bulbs should be 

 taken up by degrees, as their stems die down. If the operation be 

 deferred until they are all ready the, stems of the earlier ones will 

 fall off, and the bulbs, being in a state of repose and in constant 

 contact with the damp earth, willrapidl}^ deteriorate, becoming sickly 

 and unfitted for the work of reproduction. After taking up, the 

 bulbs should be laid on shelves, in a dry and airy place, without heat, 

 when they will keep well. 



The spikes bloom well in water ; the smallest buds opening per- 

 fectly — thus giving a succession of blossoms. A few spikes in a vase, 

 intermingled with foliage, such as some sprays of tamarix, roses, lilac, 

 spiiaja, privet, etc., produce a charming decorative effect in rooms — ■ 

 an effect far superior to anything possible with other plants. 



