FOR THE HOME BEAUTIFUL 105 



the flower, frequently fail to comprehend the 

 proper use of the name. 



The singular, meaning a single flower, should 

 be pronounced Gladiolus, accented on the letter- 

 "o." Thfc plural of the word is Gladioli, also ac- 

 cented on the letter "o." 



Speaking again of the Dahlia, to those who 

 know only the common types, the newer and 

 better sorts are an amazing revelation of gorgeous- 

 ness and beauty, rapidly however becoming known 

 and produced even in the most remote villages 

 and hamlets. 



At almost every county fair of today, at least 

 one commercial grower stages an exhibit of gor- 

 geous blooms, and solicits orders for later delivery, 

 so that real knowledge of this flower is being rap- 

 idly disseminated everywhere, and the Dahlia has 

 quickly sprung into great popularity. 



While very easy to grow successfully, and suc- 

 ceeding in almost any soil or location, better 

 results will be had, however, if the amateur grower 

 is given some knowledge of the proper care and 

 culture. 



The Dahlia is divided into several groupings or 

 families, the most important of which we will name. 

 We are all familiar with the cactus type, prob- 

 ably the most popular Dahlia of all, closely fol- 

 lowed in popularity, however, by the decorative 

 class; then the ball or show type, which much 



