June 27, 1914 



HORTICULTURE 



9i7 



THE GLADIOLUS. 



By Ira H. Liindis, Paradise, Pa. 



The gladiolus is becoming more de- 

 servedly popular each year, with its 

 beautiful flowers of such wonderful 

 lasting qualities placing it above many 

 other cut flowers. By merely trim- 

 ming a small portion of the stem away 

 each day the same bouquet will last 

 over a week. It may be had during 

 a long blooming season by different 

 plantings at intervals of two weeks 

 from the time the frost is out of the 

 ground until July 1st and you may en- 

 joy their beauty for ten or twelve 

 weeks. This flower succeeds every- 

 where. The gladiolus responds so 

 quickly to good treatment and requires 

 E-d little effort that there can be no ex- 

 cuse for not producing good flowers. 

 According to the varieties the bulbs 

 will produce flowers in from sixty-flve 

 to ninety days. Well rotted stable ma- 

 nure is one of the best fertilizers and 

 should be spread over the land in the 

 fall and plowed the following spring. 

 Plant from three to four inches deep, 

 the larger bulbs the latter depth. The 

 secret of growing good flowers is 

 thorough cultivation. In nearly all 

 parts of the country artificial watering 

 is unnecessary provided a dust mulch 

 it, kept on the surface to conserve the 

 moisture. Stir the surface as soon as 

 fit after each rain and give frequent 

 cultivation. A sunny situation and not 

 planted close to buildings is best. 



In cutting gladiolus the greatest 

 satisfaction is obtained by cutting the 

 spike when the first bud opens and al- 

 low the flower to develop indoors. 

 Every bud will open and more perfect 

 coloring will develop than would be 

 possible if left in the sun. Cutting the 

 spike when the first bud opens is also a 

 benefit to the bulb as the strength of 

 the foliage is required by the bulb to 

 develop the next year's growth. For 

 this reason always allow two or more 

 leaves to remain. 



About the latter part of September or 

 after the first frosts appear the bulbs 

 should be taken out of the ground and 

 allowed to dry several hours in the 

 sun, however the more drying or cur- 

 ing there is done the greater the loss 

 of vitality and only enough drying 

 should be practiced to free the bulb of 

 surplus moisture contained in the skin 

 or husk so that there will be no ten- 

 dency to mould. The bulbs can be 

 stored in shallow boxes safely in a 

 jeasonably dry air at a temperature of 

 ?.2 to 40 for almost an indefinite period. 



GLADIOLUS SNOW KING. 



AMHERST NOTES. 



With the close of the college year, 

 the regular work in the floriculture 

 department has ended. Many of the 

 students specializing in floriculture 

 have good jobs for the summer. The 

 students are greatly in need of prac- 

 tical training, and the department 

 does what it can to place them (the 

 students) with good gardeners and 

 florists during their vacation. 



Of the seniors who have graduated, 

 G. A. Reid is with Mr. F. C, Littleton, 

 Mamaroneck, New York, as assistant 

 manager of the estate: Miss S. J. 

 Strange will teach gardening and ele- 

 mentary horticulture: A. S. Thurston 

 is with Mr. A. H. "Wingett at Lenox. 



Of the juniors. F. E. Allen is with 

 Mr. W. N. Craig, Faulkner Farm, 

 Brookline: W. L. Doran on the estate 

 of J. P. Morgan. Newport: W. H. Has- 

 kell on the market garden farm con- 

 nected with the college: A. E. Wilkins 



.S'.Now Kim,, the Whitest White 



This beautiful gladiolus novelty will 

 be introduced next season by John 

 Lewis Childs of Flowerfield, N. Y. It 

 is destined to be of great value to 

 florists as it is a good forcer and the 



flowers are of good substance. An im- 

 portant characteristic of Snow King 

 is that the flowers stay white and do 

 not turn pink with age as most white 

 varieties do. 



and E. S. Wright will work in the 

 floriculture department under Pro- 

 fessor Nehrling's instruction: W. H. 

 Hatfield will have charge of the Hill- 

 crest Farm boys, Miss M, R. Case, 

 Weston. 



One of the special features of the 

 commencement program of the Massa- 

 chusetts Agricultural College was the 

 sophomore senior hop in the armory 

 on Tuesday evening, the sixteenth. 

 The hall was decorated very elabo- 

 rately. The decorations displayed an 

 English formal tea garden. It showed 

 a well defined, well-planned scheme, 

 for it changed a bare, flat, dingy 

 armory into an artistic and pleasing 

 tea garden, where could be found ter- 

 raced-pergolas in which were pools 

 containing aquatic plants and gold 

 fish: a garden house which was very 

 much a part of the whole, not a sep- 

 arate unit: a pavilion made artistic 

 with sprays of Asparagus plumosus: 

 and a walk, edged with sod, which 



led around the hall. To be sure of 

 complete balance of the many related 

 parts, a hemlock tree was well placed 

 in a corner, the boughs of which 

 shaded one side of the house. The 

 material in use was hydrangeas, 

 peonies, bedding plants, English ivy, 

 gernamiums and bay trees, 



W. H. H.\tfield. 



JUNE! 



Koses pink and white and crimson, 



Roses dwarf and ro.ses tall. 

 Wet with dew, or warm with sunshine. 



N'od within my garden wall! 

 Droning bees, and darting fireflies, 



Butterflies and birds in tune, 

 Happy children, laughing, lilting. 



Tell thy presence, lovely .Tune! 



At your breath the buds of May-time 



Burst from bondage, opening wide, 

 Balmy winds that sing of summer 



Cool and play ou every side. 

 Days ablaze with golden sunlight! 



Silent nights, and crystal moon! 

 Month of Koses, Love and Promise — 



Oh, to keep thee, gracious June! 



Our Dumb Animals. 



