February 0, 1886. ] 



JOURNAL OF HOKTICULTURE AND COTTAGE GARDENER. 



101 



the 3nn is very hot, autl syringing overhead in the evenings of 

 hot days, but avoiding saturating the ball, as they are im- 

 patient of too much wet, at the same time they should never 

 be allowed to flag. lu July thev are stopped, and they are 

 continued in the cold frame until October, when they are re- 

 moved into a stove with a temperature of from 65° to 70'. 

 About the middle of November thej- show flower, and, if duly 

 attended to, they will continue to bloom in perfection until 

 the middle of February. By the mode of treatment just 

 described I have at the present time, .January 2 1th, plants vary- 

 ing from K to .SO inches in height, with flower-heads measuring 

 fram 12 to 14 inches across. — James Link, Manchester. 



THE GLADIOLUS. 



I HAVE no hesitation in saying that both in Scotland and 

 Ireland horticulturists are far in advance of us in England in 

 the attention thiit they have given to this beautiful autumnal 

 flower, and in the extent of its cultivation, as well as the en- 

 eonragemeut afforded to it as an exhibition plant, .is the 

 present is a favourable season for obtaining bulbs, it may. 

 perhaps, give an impetus to its cultivation, and be a help to 

 some of your readers, if I give a few notes concerning it, 

 which a tolerably long acquaintance with it somewhat entitles 

 me to do. 



That the cause of the non-cultivation of the Gladiolus in the 

 south of England arises from the losses that growers have 

 experienced I have no doubt. Some few years ago a disease of 

 great virulence, and in some places of most destructive charac- 

 ter, manifested itself amongst their collections; I knew one 

 that cost nearly £100 that was almost destroyed, and others 

 so materially diminished that the growers lost all heart and 

 abandoned them ; and that this disease still exists I have had 

 proof again this year. Personally I have never suffered severely 

 from it. Gaps have been always more or less found in my 

 beds, but nothing to deter me. I am inclined to think that a 

 good deal arises from the non-drying of the bulbs, although, 

 as in the Potato disease, one can really say very little about it. 

 On taking up my bulbs this year I found some of them marked 

 with black spots, apparently indicative of disease. Now, these 

 bulbs I shall put into a nursery, and on no account admit 

 amongst my others. My own opinion is, that although they 

 may push both stems and roots (and some of them seem 

 inclined to do that already), yet that they will eventually rot. 

 Some of them that were worse than others I have already 

 noticed to gradually become more and more black, and they will 

 have to be thrown away. High cultivation may have something 

 to do with it ; and although I think the idea with which some 

 started — that the poorer the soil the better it was suited for 

 the Gladiolus, was a mistake, yet I should be careful not to 

 introduce fresh manure into the beds at t!ie time of planting. 

 Let the beds be well manured in the autumn ; perhaps, indeed, 

 if the time would allow of it, it would be better to lay the 

 manure 6 inches below the surface, as is done by Pkanunculus 

 growers, and then not to put any manure into the bed itself. 

 Besides this, I should be careful to lay each bulb in a bed of 

 wliite sand when planted, and to cover it with it before again 

 raking over the soil. This may seem an unnecessary trouble ; 

 but as thfc GlaiUolus is a florists' flower, and as the new varie- 

 ties •' come out " at Ss. and lOi. a-piece it is surely worth the 

 trouble. 



The Gladiolus requires littlf. management in the after-growth. 

 Should the season be a very dry one it will be well to water 

 the beds, but in ordinary seasons this will not be necessary. 

 One difficulty has always been to keep the beds in good order 

 when the fiower-stems attain any length, as they are then so 

 apt to fall about. To stake each is not possible, and would, 

 besides, make the bed look very stifi'. The plan adopted by 

 my friend Mr. Lombard, of Dublin (■' Autis "J, is one which I 

 followed last year — namely, to obtain narrow strips of the 

 border of drugget as it is torn off before being made up, then 

 to di'ive posts into the ground at each row, nail the drugget to 

 these, and then weave it in and out amongst the stems. In a 

 row containing forty bulbs I have four of these stakes, and 

 sometimes when a stem is very tall I also affix a smaller stick 

 •to it. There are three rows of this drugget, and by this means 

 all the stems are kept in their place, wliile the softness of the 

 material pre%-ents it from rubbing the stems. There must be, 

 of course, two strips so as to enclose the stem in a sort of 

 loop. 



In putting up stands for exhibition there is a great variety 



of methods adopted. I think myself that the holes should not 

 be behind one another, but in quincunx fashion, as then one 

 bloom would not hide the other ; and that either no foliage 

 should be permitted, or else only a leaf or two of the plant 

 itself; but perhaps the former plan would be preferable. I 

 would expressly prohibit their being shown in separate pots, 

 in ginger-beer bottles, in Hyacinth-glasses, or anythiag of the 

 kind, and neatness should certainly be the order of the day. 

 The plan adopted by Messrs. Dickson, of Newtownards in Ire- 

 land, the best growers, or at any rate the best exhibitors, in 

 that country, is to place wire at the back of each row and tie 

 the stem to it. The wire, painted green, is hardly notioeabple, 

 and each is kept in its place. 



So far as to cultivation, and now as to varieties. Their 

 name is legion, but a great many are utterly unworthy of a 

 place in a bed. Years ago they might have done very well ; 

 but the progress has been so great, that it would be as great 

 folly to grow such flowers as Agl.'ie, Helcne, Daphne, and 

 others, as it would be to grow the Fuchsias of a dozen years 

 ago. There are two sources whence new varieties have been 

 obtained — France and Ascot, the former mainly consisting of 

 the flowers of M. Souchet, the latter of Mr. Standish exclu- 

 sively. Other growers are now raising seedlings, and I dare 

 say by-and-by we shall find many of them in our catalogues. 

 My friend Mr. Lombard speaks very favourably of some of his, 

 and my neighbour and friend, Mr. Sladden, of Ash, has also 

 some excellent varieties. I shall give a list of such fresh ones 

 as I know to be good, referring my readers to the catalogues, 

 French and English, for the descriptions, marking at the same 

 time with an asterisk the very best bright-coloured flowers, and 

 with an obelisk the best of tlie lighter and more fancy varieties 



•.\chille 



BeUe Gabrielle 



Berthe Raboiirdin 



Canflri 

 +Charles Dickens 



Cherubim 

 *Comte de Morny 



Decandolle 

 +Dr. Lindley 

 •Due de Malakoff 

 tEdulia 



El Dorado 



Eudvraion 

 +FIore 

 •Fulton 



+ImpLTatrice Eugenie 

 •.Tames Carter 

 •James Veitch 



Jame^ Watt 



.John Bull 

 +Le Poussin 



•Linu^ 



Madame de S^vi^ae 

 +Mailimo Furtado 



Madame E. Verdier 



Madame Pereire 



Madame Rabourdin 

 -fMadame Vilmorin 



Marie Dumortier 

 +Meyerbeer 

 *M. Lebrun d'AIbane 

 +Peter Lawson 

 +PIine 



•Prince of Wales 

 +Princess of Wales 

 +Reine Victoria 



Raphael 



Rubens 

 •Stephenson 

 ■fStuart Low 

 fWalter Scott 



I say nothing of the new varieties, against which we must 

 write " not proven " as yet. Mr. Standish has raised a large 

 number of fine seedlings ; but instead of waiting till he has 

 had a stock of each, he has let them out when he has had a 

 few bulbs, consequently it is very diHicult to obtain them. 

 Save in his own catalogue I have only seen one, Messrs. Barr 

 and Sugden's, in which any of them appear. Amongst the 

 best are — 



♦Samuel Weymouth 

 •Eleanor Norman 

 •Dr. Hogg 

 •Mrs. Dombrain 

 •Mi.ss Howell 



Scottish Chief 



.1. W. Lane 

 •Norma 



Beautv of Bagshot 

 •Lord Clyde 

 •Joseph iMeston 



Viola 



Mrs. E. Nott 

 •Sir James Clark 



Lucy Neal 



Lucifer 



I have marked with an asterisk those that I consider very 

 good; but Mr. Standish's catalogue contains a large number, 

 from which a good collection can very easily be selected. It is 

 very much to be desired that the number of amateurs should 

 increase. There ought to be a much larger display at the 

 autumn Show of the Crystal Palace than there is. I can bear 

 witness to the interest that they excite amongst the visitors. 

 — D., Deal. 



Death of Mr. Major. — It is with regret that we have to 

 record the death of Joshua Major, Esq., landscajie gardener, of 

 Knowsthorpe, near Leeds. The deceased gentleman held a 

 prominent position in his profession, and was the author of 

 several valuable works. In 1829 he published a work entitled, 

 " A Treatise on Insects Most Prevalent on Fruit Trees ; " in 

 18.J2, " The Theory and Practice of Landscape Gardening," 

 an important work, which met with high and desers-ed enco- 

 miums from the public press ; and in 18tU, with the assistance 

 of his son, who succeeds him, " The Ladies' Assistant in the 



