252 Cornell Extension Bulletin io 



They are exceedingly slow in showing growth and actually make but little growth 

 until spring when the sun rises higher. At that time carnations are plentiful and cheap 

 and many growers throw them out, thus making room for the gladiolus, but that is 

 not at all necessary. While the above method may perhaps be handiest, these gladioli 

 can be better grown if planted in flats and stored away in a cold frame and brought 

 in during February or March when even then they should be forced with only moderate 

 heat. 



A slow growth produced by gentle forcing allows the foliage to develop perfect but 

 if much forced the tip becomes yellow and brown and injures the sale of the flower. . . . 

 This type is often called " early flowering " and this is right because the flowers appear 

 from two to three weeks earlier than the earliest variety of any other type. 



The conns may be placed in flats twelve by twenty-four inches in 

 size, and when planted in this way fifty or seventy-five conns are required 

 for each flat. 



It seems best to afford some method of staking the plants when they 

 are not grov/n among carnations. Several stakes, one at each end of 

 the rows crosswise of the bench, with string stretched between, are 

 sufficient. 



The nanus varieties are very susceptible to attacks of red spider, and 

 unless thoroughly and frequently syringed the crop gets badly dried up, 

 resulting in a poor development of the spikes. 



A few sorts that have been tried by the writer and found inexpensive 



as well as pretty are : 



Apollon — fine deep pinlc. 



Mathilde — white, faintly suffused with lavender; early; rather dwarf; said by many 



to be superior to The Bride. 

 Pink Perfection — a very robust variety. 

 Blushing Bride — lilacy white (7-1)^, the throat sulfury white (14-111), bordered by 



rosy magenta (169-111); a fine, well-open bloom; early. 

 Peach Blossom — a dainty rosy pink (118-1) bloom with a Rose Neyron red (119-11) 



throat blotch, and sulfury white (14-1) medial lines; a little larger bloom than 



most of the Gladiolus nanus varieties, and early; one of the best varieties in the 



group. 

 Minerva — an intensely bright geranium lake (89-iv) bloom with splashed blotches 



of deep cherry red (91-iv) and carmine (116-11) medial lines; seems inclined 



to have rather poor foliage. 

 Jeanne Poter — a good dark pink or deep cerise (123-1), blotched carmine-purple 



(156-11), fading lighter toward the center; produces a large number of blooms, 



and is well furnished with foliage. 

 Duchesse de Parma — a good, bright poppy color (84-1), with throat of lemon-yellow 



edged with crimson-carmine; blooms possess excellent substance and are weU. 



arranged on the spike; rather late- blooming; tall. 

 Virginie — an exceedingly dainty pure white bloom, with faint markings of Rose 



Neyron red; a compact bloom of good substance; excellent-appearing spike. 

 Bertha Johannsen — excellent rosy pink (118-11), more salmony in appearance than 



Peach Blossom; there is no blotch on the lower segments, but a slight marking 



is often found on the upper lateral petals; blooms of good size. 

 Roseus Maculatus — excellent Rose Neyron red (11 9-1), blotched with deep cerise 



(123-iv), the medial line of which is lighter; good substance, but rather loose. 

 Ackermanni — rich salmon-orange or rosy scarlet (90-1) flowers, very large and hand- 

 some; spikes very strong. 

 Konigan Wilhelmina — lilacy white (7-1), lower petals blotched with deep rose-pink 



(120-iv), medial lines of blotches lighter. 



'These numbers refer to plates in Riperloire de Cotdeiirs published by Soci6t6 Frangaise des Chrysan- 

 themistes and Rene Oberthiir. 



