Journal of Agriculture. [8 March, 1907. 



are also being raised. The range of colour embraces almost all shades of 

 white, crimson, yellow, and purple, many kinds being finely blotched or 

 marked with other colours. 



The gladiolus is one of the most effective plants, for garden display in 

 mixed groups of plants, the bold, bright flowers — borne on long spikes., and; 

 lanceolate leaves — harmonizing with most types of foliage. Tne flowers 

 are speciallv useful for cutting, being highly decorative and easily arranged. 

 If the blooms expand during hot, dry weather they do not last well, but the 

 spike may be cut when the lower blooms are opening, and if placed, 

 in water in a well lighted room every bud on the spike will expand. The 

 course usually adopted by florists is to cut the spikes, and place them in 

 water on the appearance of the first flowers, and hasten or retard the open- 

 ing of the blooms by admitting, or preventing admission, of light. 



The most suitable soil is a rich friable, well-drained loam, although the 

 plants Avill succeed fairly in heavy clay, or light sandy, soils, if well: 

 drained. The soil should be deeply worked and manured. Well decayed 

 horse or cow manure is suitable, but no manure should be allowed to come 

 into contact with the bulbs. For the production of exhibition flowers- 

 specially prepared beds are necessary. These should be in a fairly open 

 position, sheltered if possible from north wdnds, but not over-shadowed 

 or invaded by roots of large trees. Special attention to the manuring 

 and working of the beds prior to planting will be compen.sated by specially 

 fine spikes of bloom in season. The builds of the early varieties, of which 

 '' The Bride " is an example, mav be planted during autumn in clumps, 

 or patches in the mixed borders, or in separate rows if grown in quantity. 

 The bulbs of this class are small, and should be planted at a depth of 

 about 4 inches. These may be left undisturbed for several years, in which 

 case slightly deeper planting is advisable. About 3 inches apart in the 

 clumps IS a sufficient distance to plant. The Lemoinei varieties succeed 

 the early kinds, and if planted during August or September will bloom 

 about end of December. They will well repay special treatment, and as 

 thev make their growth, and bloom during dry weather, as a rule, require 

 a fair amount of manure and water. The bulbs of this section should be 

 planted at a depth of 6 inches, and should be lifted annually. The 

 larger flowering kinds may be planted at var\ing periods from November 

 to January. The bulbs of these should be planted about i foot apart and 

 at a depth of about 9 inches, when grown in beds for exhibition. About 

 2 feet should be allowed between each row of bulbs. The beds should 

 be mulched, and when the flower spikes appear the plants should receive 

 a good supply of water if the weather is dry and hot. The plants should 

 be staked as a protection against heaw Avinds. After the flowers are cut 

 the usual practice is to let the plants finish their development without fur- 

 ther cultivation. This practice is wrong, and is the principal cause of 

 degeneracy in gladioli. The beds should be cultivated, and the plants 

 kept green as long as possible, to insure a thorough development of the 

 bulbs for the following season. After the plants die down, the bulbs 

 should be lifted and stored in a cool dry place until the next planting 

 .season. 



Although the gladiolus is usually termed a bulb, it is really a corm, 

 i.e., a solid bulbous root bearing a surface bud. new corms being produced 

 on top of, the old ones. As these corms increase thev should be divided. 

 They are also increased from the small bulbils that are produced at the 

 base of the old corms, or at the ends of roots, in some kinds. These sihould 



