144 HORTICULTURAL SOCIETY OF NEW YORK. 



merit in the first generation, but improve later on. Already several hybrids 

 of dracocephalus have been put in commerce by European breeders. They 

 are not of a character to commend the type to beauty loving amateurs, being 

 too narrow and hooded in form and blotchy in coloring. The best draco- 

 cephalus hybrids we have seen were sent out under the name of G. hybricus 

 asperus by Herr Leichtlin. They are- vigorous, well furnished plants, bearing 

 10 to 14 broad, well opened flowers on a strong spike. The colors vary from 

 orange to cinnabar red, penciled all over in intricate patterns with deep or 

 urownish red. They are harmonious and attractive in outline and coloring. 

 Some of the newer species of this group evidently come from acid regions, as 

 they bloom early and ripen up their corms with great promptness. Hybrids 

 obtained from them often show the same tendency, and a useful class of early 

 bloomers may yet be obtained from this progeny. A tall-growing form of 

 G. platyphyllus from Swaziland has green blooms covered with pencilings of 

 bluish purple. By crossing it with the best violet blues of the Lemoine section 

 we have made a start toward a "blue" class of a very distinct aspect. This 

 form of platyphyllus is destitute of the woody corm coatings, and is of excel- 

 lent constitution, having long and attractive foliage. 



The psittacinus group is of great interest as the foundation of the splendid 

 Gandavensis strain, and through it of all the fine modern garden Gladioli. 

 We have used psittacinus very extensively, and generally obtain brilliant red 

 and yellow blooms, a dense long spike, and a rigid upright growth. G. igneus, 

 decoratus, and the valuable new Quartinianus are of this type. The first and 

 last are very late bloomers, needing the shelter of glass in late Fall to perfect 

 the blooms. Hybridizing with selected earlier blooming garden varieties 

 lessens this tendency and imparts much beauty of coloring to the stately habit 

 and lusty growth of this useful group. G. sulphureus or Adlami is plainly an 

 offshoot psittacinus. It blooms early in July and has a straight spike of 

 medium sized clear sulphur yellow flowers, sometimes having a greenish tinge. 

 Some growers say the sulphureus of the Dutch florists is different from 

 Adlami, but corms procured under both names from various sources produce 

 identical flowers. This yellow species or variety of psittacinus would appear 

 a potential breeder for the much desired improved yellow garden sorts, yet 

 persistent work, extending over seven years, has resulted in only two good 

 golden yellow hybrids out of thousands of direct crosses bloomed. These are 

 the product of Adlami X Canary bird, the latter a fine American yellow Gan- 

 davenis of rich color but crooked growth. The other seedlings all came 

 red, often very intense, with a few creamy whites, although varieties with 

 yellow predominating were almost exclusively used in pollinating. The two 

 good yellows are large and fine, but of provokingly slow increase. Quartini- 

 anus hybrids, especially with the new G. cruentus section, are very promising, 

 the tall leafy plants being furnished with large and striking blooms chiefly 

 red and yellow. 



The oppositiflorus group naturally follows, as many growers have little 

 doubt that the original Gandavensis, known to be the parent of all our superb 

 garden strains, was produced by a union of psittacinus with something of the 

 oppositiflorus type, instead of with G. cardinalis, as so often claimed. We 

 have grown many direct hybrids of psittacinus and its allies with oppositiflorus. 



