May, 1922. 



THE CANADIAN HORTICULTURIST 



ii» 



Planting Dahlias 



J. K. Alexander, Bridgewater, Mass. 



rT-iHE time for planting dahlias varies 

 ^^1 according to the locality ; whether 

 ^B^ your spot is sheltered or open, 

 ipHarly or lateness of the season, and the 

 time when the general crop of flowers 

 is desired. Dahlias can be planted any- 

 time after danger of frost is over, and 

 under ordinary conditions will blossom 

 in from six to eight weeks after they 

 have been planted. A good rale to fol- 

 low is to plant at the same time you 

 would plant your vegetables. I do not 

 recommend planting too early, as 1 

 find dahlias give better results if one 

 waits until the ground becomes 

 warmed. 



Plant tubers in hills or drills, laying 

 flat down, six inches deep. Do not 

 stand the tuber on its end. I have 

 found that if you do this the sprout 

 near the top of the ground, all the new 

 tubers which form will grow near the 

 top of the ground. Then, when a dry 

 spell comes the plant becomes stunted. 

 If the tubers are planted flat down six 

 inches deep, no matter how dry the 

 season, they will receive sufficient mois- 

 ture to keep them growing. 



By planting the tuber first, then 

 covering an inch or so with soil and 

 applying your fertilizer or manure, 

 your plant receives the entire benefit 

 of the dressing. The dressing is above 

 the tuber and every rain carries the 

 plant food down to the roots ; if below, 

 each rain takes it further away from 

 your plant? 



Either fertilizer or manure will burn 

 the sprout, so it should be placed so 

 that it will not come in contact with the 

 sprout, when it comes through the soil. 

 The preparation of the soil is im- 

 portant. The ground should be 

 thoroughly plowed or spaded eight to 



ten inches deep, well pulverized, and 

 thoroughly worked over. This affords 

 an opportunity for rapid expansion, 

 and makes an easy path for the tiny 

 rootlets. 



Fertilization is one of the most im- 

 portant factors. For best results, I 

 recommend that fertilizer be used at 

 both time of planting, and during the 

 flowering period. You can use dress- 

 ing, either horse, cow, sheep, or hen, or 

 any commercial fertilizer, such as you 

 wquld use on your vegetable garden. 



Gladiolus Hybridizers 



Mrs. Q. A. Bonisteel, Belleville, Ont. 



THE gladiolus has been known as 

 a garden flower in Europe for 

 three centuries. Although many 

 species seem to have been native to 

 Europe, others were brought from 

 Western Asia and Africa by various 

 explorers and travellers. 



Many of these early species were 

 treated as insignificant flowers and 

 only tolerated, because they bloomed 

 in midsummer when other blooms 

 were scarce. During this time various 

 scientists endeavored to improve this 

 plant, but it was only within the last 

 hundred years that marked progress 

 has been made. 



A Belgian gardener in Ghent was 

 one of the first to make a decided ad- 

 vance, his hybrids being known as the 

 gandevensis type. ' These were follow- 

 ed by the Lemoine strain, a type with 

 an attractive blotch on the throat, and 

 the work of a Frenchman. A little 

 later came a German hybridzer who 

 improved on the work of the former 

 men. 



This strain of gladiolus was sold to 

 Childs of Rochester, N. Y., and was 

 henceforth known as the Childsii gla- 

 dioli They were noted for their tall, 



An Attractive Verandah a\ the Hom» ./ >t. 



A verandah box rung from post to post and contains Uerantums, Pelarponiums and Ferns. 



The surrounding foliage la from two trained cobea plants. 



vigorous growth. The flowers had a 

 wide range of beautiful coloring. 

 These gained much popularity in 

 America and are still on the market. 

 Just how far this Childsii strain has 

 figured with hybridizers of today 

 would be difficult to say, but no doubt 

 they have given their characteristics' 

 to many flowers. 



Luther Burbank experimented with 

 gladioli for several years and produced 

 a strain of great substance that with- 

 stood the dry atmosphere of Califor- 

 nia. Mathew Crawford also did ex- 

 cellent work. About this time, H. H. 

 Groff of Simcoe, Ont., began to elimin- 

 ate weak points of existing types, and 

 produced one known as Groff's hybrid, 

 which is noted for daintiness, beauty 

 and purity of color and which shows a 

 long line of select breeding behind it. 

 Many of our standard varieties were 

 originated by Mr. Groff, but in several 

 instances were introduced by a Mr. 

 Cowee, an American grower. It is 

 said that the gladiolus owes its popu- 

 larity as a garden flower to the latter's 

 work. Childs, Crawford, Cowee and 

 Groff were the pioneers in raising the 

 gladiolus to its present standard. 



A. E. Kunderd, Goshen, Indiana, 

 has produced a new type with ruffled 

 or fluted petals which are distinctly 

 different from previous originations. 



Richard Deiner, of California has to 

 his credit a strain which is of great 

 substance and practically a giant in the 

 gladiolus family. This hybridizer has 

 gone in for mixed colorings and pecu- 

 liar stripings, which make his work 

 different from the others. 



America 'therefore does not depend 

 on foreign novelties ; as hybridizers of 

 this continent have produced the most 

 beautiful varieties and those that are 

 better suited to our soil and climate. 

 It would seem that this plant has 

 reached its highest point of perfection 

 but we may be assured that it will take 

 on many new characteristics in the 

 next few years, as many people are 

 giving it undivided attention. 



The Best Bearded Flag'Iris 



THE following is a list of the best 

 sixty late May and June flowering 

 l^oarded flag iris prepared by the 

 Central Experimental Farm, Ottawa, 

 arranged in thirteen color groups. 



1. White predominating on standards 

 and falls : — Florentina, Mrs. H. Darwin, 

 White Knight, Bridesmaid, Innocenza. 



2. White feathered or suffused with 

 bluish-lavender and bluish-purple : — 

 MafMie, Madame Chcreau, Mrs. G. 

 Reuthe (Lord Seymour and Maid 

 Marion are very similar), Fairy. 



3. White, or white and purple stan- 

 dards and purple falls: — Clio, Rhein 

 Nixe, Victorine, Due de Nemours. 



4. Yellow predominating on stan- 



