222 



H R T I C U L T U E E 



August 16, 1913 



A MASSACHUSETTS GLADIOLUS FARM 



It will be a busy time for the gladio- 

 lus^ expert, from now on, sorting, grad- 

 ing and discarding. Discarding is the 

 most important part of the work, for 

 if the specialist wishes to keep up his 

 standard, upon which rests his repu- 

 tation, he must continually discard. 



The writer was interested to see the 

 number of people visiting the gladio- 

 lus trial grounds and farm of Cham- 

 berlain & Gage at South Natick, 

 Mass. They frequent the farm gener- 

 ally on Sundays, and are sure to car- 

 ry a bouquet home with them. 



These men are growing about 40,000 

 seedlings, which are being tested and 

 improved by cross-breeding. Their 

 work is especially on the Lemoinei 

 type, with the object of securing a 

 large flower and eliminating the 

 hooded type peculiar to gladiolus Le- 

 moinei. Colors are coming freely in 

 light and white shades. There are 

 some brilliant reds and cream shades. 

 Mr. Gage is working to get larger 

 blues, with more intense blue color, 

 eliminating as much as possible all 

 purple tints, and developing at the 

 same time a better formed flower with 

 bold and distinct markings. The 

 hardest color to obtain in a gladiolus 

 is a dark golden shade. In this Mr. 

 Gage is in a fair way to succeed. He 

 has some distinctly beautiful seed- 

 lings of various shades of yellow, — 

 from apricot to almost pure yellow, 

 and, for this color, he has some re- 

 markably well-formed flowers, and full 

 spikes. There are several promising 

 whites; at least three will be heard 

 froia in the near future. 



In raising seedlings, Mr. Gage plants 

 his seed in beds about the middle of 

 May. when the ground is warm, and 

 keeps them covered until the little 

 plants begin to appear above ground. 

 They need Ipts of air and sun after 

 they are well started, and plenty of 

 water, if the bed is liable to suffer 

 from drought. Preference is given to 

 sterile soil, because the weaker seeds 

 will not survive long in a poor soil, 

 and much of the struggle for existence 

 — for the survival of the fittest — is 

 ended in the seed bed. Those that 

 do grow prove more vigorous and 

 healthy. When the plants are up some 

 good commercial fertilizer is added for 

 a top dressing, and later hardwood 

 ashes. Occasionally, the seedlings 

 bloom the first year, but most of them 

 the second, and all the rest bloom the 

 third year. Then comes the task of 

 selecting those that are worthy of 

 propagating. It takes two or three 



years after that to determine their 

 worth. Some will improve, others de- 

 teriorate. It is not safe to finally dis- 

 card until the third year. 



Mrs. Frank Pendleton, Jr., has 

 proved one of the best varieties yet 

 introduced. It was awarded a first 

 class certificate of merit in 1909, by 

 the Mass. Horticultural Society, and in 

 Baltimore, it was honored by the 

 American Gladiolus Society with a 

 certificate. The coloring of the flower 

 is exceptionally beautiful, a rich, soft 

 pink, shading to darker tints in strik- 

 ing contrast with the brilliant carmine 

 patch on the minor petals. Such col- 

 oring may not produce the delicate, 

 subtle beauty that is the charm ot 

 America, nor the majestic beauty of 

 Rajah, nor the poetic, winsome beauty 

 of Spring Song and Myrtle, nor the 

 quiet stateliness of Daisy Rana. But 

 Pendleton has a beauty all its own; a 

 brilliant, dashing, compelling beauty, 

 that makes you stop and admire. 



Mr. Chamberlain obtained a silver 

 medal for Rajah, awarded by the Mas- 

 sachusetts Horticultural Society in 

 1911. Rajah is a deep, rich red, suf- 

 fused with a darker tint. In 1912, a 

 silver medal was awarded by the Mas- 

 sachusetts Horticultural Society for 

 Myrtle, a tender and delicate rose 

 pink. 



Chamberlain & Gage have many 

 novelties listed. The best of these are: 

 Amaryllis, a blood red color; cherry 

 King, deeply tinted; Daisy Rand, with 

 an ivory white ground color; Lillian 

 Morrissey, bright cherry: Mrs. L. Mer- 

 ton Gage, glistening white; Mrs. Mal- 

 colm Mackay, intense red, with a patch 

 of white on the lower petals: Mrs. G. 

 \Y. Moulten, the color of American 

 Beauty rose; Myrtle, before described; 

 Richmond, rosy crimson; Spring Song, 

 primrose yellow suffused with soft 

 pink; Clarice, rose pink, flaked with a 

 deeper tint; >Iary Bancroft, creamy 

 white; Mary Fennel!, deep lavender, 

 shading to a palor tint. 



A striking feature of the blooms is 

 their Very remarkable color, so rich, 

 brillittnt, aud true to name. The flow- 

 ers bloom profusely on strong spikes, 

 some of the blooms measuring six 

 inches in diameter. Grown on sandy 

 soil, the bulbs may not have the size 

 they wo\ild have on a richer, heavier 

 soil, but they have substance and 

 blooming qualities, which is far more 

 important. 



It is the practice of most growers to 

 take varieties which are losing caste or 

 rank, and throw them in with the 

 "mixed." Xo one can complain it he 

 gets what he asks for. for mixed seed- 

 lings are cheap enough. But any man 

 with a care for his reputation will not 

 throw in all the rubbish he has. If he 

 wants to sell his "mixed" he must put 

 something pretty good in with them, 

 as well as weed out during the bloom- 

 ing season many poor ones — for even 

 good varieties deteriorate, and one has 

 to be constantly on the alert to keep 



up his standard as well as his reputa- 

 tion. Both go together, which is a 

 very important consideration from a 

 business point of view, when we re- 

 member that many of the great gladi- 

 olus^aisers "started in" with a few 

 mixeS varieties. 



Wm. H. Hatfield. 

 Wellesley, Mass. 



GLADIOLUS SHOW AT BOSTON. 



A superb display ot gladioli, phloxes, 

 lilies and herbaceous flowers in gener- 

 al, together with a remarkable array 

 of fruit and vegetables attracted a 

 large attendance of visitors at Horti- 

 cultural Hall, Boston, last Saturday 

 and Sunday. A beautiful display of 

 gladioli was made by B. Hammond 

 Tracy. His exhibit occupied a long 

 table at one side of the hall and com- 

 prises 800 stalks arranged in a most 

 artistic manner and comprising no less 

 than eighty-five varieties, including 

 two new ones — Barbara, orange salmon 

 and Gold Thread, scarlet pencilled 

 with bright yellow. 



Chamberlain & Gage also made a 

 fine showing of their specialty, many 

 superb new varieties attracting the at- 

 tention of the gladiolus fanciers. 



In the centre of the hall R. & J. Far- 

 quhar & Co. duplicated the arrange- 

 ment used for the sweet pea exhibition 

 a month ago, with canopied entrances 

 from four sides, and a fountain in the 

 centre. The rare Lilium Henryl was 

 the flower exclusively used and It 

 scored an immediate success. 



Mt. Desert Nurseries made an im- 

 pressive exhibit of hardy herbaceous 

 plants, in which were great masses of 

 aconites, hybrid astilbes, campanulas, 

 etc., also flne gladioli. Eastern Nur- 

 series were also well represented. The 

 following list of awards will give ade- 

 quate idea of the other exhibitors and 

 what they staged. 



FLOWER AWARDS. 

 r*'r»*nni;il PIiloxps — 1st. Eastern Nur- 

 sorlis: 2(1. Willl.im Wliltm:iii: 3d. F. J. Ren. 

 CdKTiil (Uspln.v In not less tlian thirty 

 v.isos — 1st. F. .7. Ren : 2d, E.istern Nur- 

 series: M. T. r. Thurlow. fll.ndi.ill. twelve 

 n.imed varieties — 1st. r. W. Browne, 2d, 

 C. W. Rrnwne: ?.d. A. W. Preston. Display 

 arriinped for effect with .my foliage — 1st, 

 Mrs. rrederiek Ayer. China asters — 1st, 

 WilliMn Whitman. Annuals, eeneral dis- 

 plav-lst. Mrs. .T. L. Rardner ; 2d. William 

 Whilnian. 



IIRATUITIES. 



C. W. Browne, for Oladiolus Mongolia, 

 flrsl-lass ceitlflcate; B. H. Traey. for 

 iiladlolus Barbara, honorahle mention; 

 Leonard W. Rosa, for Canna Miss Agnes 

 Flt7.gcTald. flrst-elass eertltleate: Chamber- 

 lain & Gape, for (lladloliis Mrs. L. Merton 

 Case, honofahle mention ; Chamberlain & 

 Hage. for (JIadloIus (iaiety. honoratile men- 

 tion: Chamberlain & Caae. for display of 

 gladiolus, honorable mention ; R. & J. Far- 

 nuhar & Co., for artistic display of LlUum 

 Henryl. silver medal: B. H. Tracy, for ar- 

 tistic display of gladiolus, honorable men- 

 tion: Mi's. .T. L. nardner. for display of 

 Aniluirliim Brownil. with other decorative 

 plants: Mt. Desert Xurserles. for display 

 of hardy flowers: Old Town Nurseries, for 

 display of hardy flowers: Old Town Nur- 

 series.' for display of ;,'l:idloliis : F. E. 

 Dwyer, dahlias: A. W. Preston, sweet peas; 

 Edwin I.. Lewl.s. sw-ect peas: Mrs. C. G. 

 Weld, eladloiiis: Mrs. E. M. Gill, for dis- 

 play of cut flowers: Eastern Nurseries, for 

 display of hardy flowers: William Whit- 

 man, gladiolus and hardy llowors : R. & J. 

 Favfiuhar .V: Co.. Salplglossis hybrids: Mrs. 

 Frederick .\yer. :«ontbretlas : R. & .T. Far- 

 fiuhar & Co.. Lllliim Sargentlae. 



