258 THE FLOEAL WOELD AND GAEDEN GUIDE. 



his stock, and was disgusted for a season. I know tlie PLOHAii 

 "WoELD never joined in such ridiculous directions, and, indeed, I owe 

 to it the first hint that set me on the right track to discover the 

 causes of the disease and the rationale of its remedy. 



I say, then, that early planting is essential to success. If the 

 bulbs are ripe and hard, they may be potted now, but as there need 

 be no great haste, hyacinths and crocuses may be disposed of first. 

 Instead of waiting till April and May, take care that every gladiolus 

 bulb is in the ground before the 1st of February, and if any quantity 

 is required, pot them in success^ive batches, so as to secure a long 

 season of bloom. Imported bulbs are, of course, ripe earlier than 

 those grown at home, and may be potted before it would be safe to 

 take up our own. And, indeed, as to taking up, I find that if I can 

 keep the beds rather dry and safe from frost all winter, the next sea- 

 son's growth and bloom are finer than \)j the system of annual 

 planting. 



There are two evils to guard against in winter; do not let them 

 be touched by frost, and do not force them into growth. Suppose a 

 bed of gladioli now in full bloom ; they will probably keep greea 

 till the end of October. If they are green then take them up with 

 as little injury as possible, put them into pots without injuring the 

 roots, fill in with any fine soil, mere grit or cocoa-nut fibre will do, 

 and place them in a sunny pit or greenhouse. After potting water 

 them once, and after that do not give them a drop. This treatment 

 will cause them to ripen off", and to complete the process expose 

 them to the full sunshine on a shelf of a lean-to house, or in any 

 dry place where there is some degree of warmth, to ripen them ; 

 remembering that in their native country, the bulbs get well roasted 

 by sunshine before the winter sets in, and that the winter they are 

 subjected to is a very mild affair. 



The material I have found best for covering the beds is new 

 straw. This I lay on at the end of jS'oveinber, six inches thick, and 

 over it I throw two or three inches of quite rotten dung, which 

 hides the straw, and adds to its protective powers. Hitherto I have 

 taken off" the straw in March, and have then raked the powdery 

 manure evenly over the bed, and the growth subsequently has been 

 very satisfactory. But next year I intend to leave the dressing un- 

 touched, because after six months the straw and manure will sink 

 down to about four inches in all, and a liberal top-dressing, through 

 which the next growth will have to push, will be sure to benefit 

 them, while it is not likely to remove the bulbs too far from the 

 daylight, because the new or succession bulbs are formed above the 

 old ones, so that they naturally tend, like crocuses, to come to the 

 surface if left in the ground. 



As to soil, a good turfy loam with plenty of sand, leaf-mould, 

 and thoroughly decayed manure is the best they can have. Good 

 drainage is indispensable ; and in case of a long continuance of hot 

 dry weathei", in a place where the soil is thin over chalk or gravel, 

 liberal watering shctuld be done. However, as a rule, these, like 

 other subjects properly planted out, do better without artificial 

 watering than with it. 



