20 MASSACHUSETTS HORTICULTURAL SOCIETY. 



bloom less vigorously the following year ; I place them in a dry airy place, 

 protected from all damp and from the attacks of mice. When they are dry 

 I clean them and remove the small bulbs to plant them anew in October. 

 I cultivate the small bulbs of these varieties, hybrids from cardinalis, as 

 the flowering bulbs, only I plant them in the three inch lines left between 

 the rows at a distance of from one half to one fourth of an inch, according 

 to their size. 



II. Culture in pots, of Cardinalis, and its hybrid varieties. 



To obtain a beautiful bloom, it is necessary to plant the bulbs in the 

 course of October, in five inch pots, well drained and filled with a sandy 

 peat ; each pot should have three to five bulbs, according to their size, and 

 should be planted one inch deep. The pots should remain in the open air 

 as long as possible, and should be placed upon sand in order to prevent the 

 worms from entering at the bottom ; when the frosts commence, they should 

 be removed to the orangery or hothouse, under an awning, or in a well 

 aired apartment where they will not freeze. It is necessary, early in spring, 

 when the flower stems begin to develop, to water the plants and to give 

 them plenty of light and air. As most of the hybrids trom cardinalis pro- 

 duce many small bulbs, it is best for those who desire rather a beautiful 

 bloom than to propagate the plants extensively, to separate them from the 

 parent bulb as soon as possible; this operation is easily performed by un- 

 covering the periphery or surface of the bulb, and, by the aid of the fingers 

 or a small wooden spatula, removing the bulbs gently. Thus treated, the 

 gladiolus show beautiful spikes of bloom in the month of June, alike showy 

 for their size and colors. These hybrids are those which force far more 

 easily than any of the other varieties, 



III. Culture, in the open ground, of Gladiolus ramosus and foribundus, 

 and their hybrid varieties. 



The more delicate varieties of Gladiolus and hybrids, between ramosus 

 and cardinalis, are cultivated like cardinalis, but the same rules do not 

 apply to the varieties of Gladiolus racemosus and floribundus ; it is suffi- 

 cient to plant them during the month of March, (May) in a light soil ma- 

 nured and prepared as for hybrids of cardinalis. The space to be kept 

 between the strong flowering bulbs, is six inches for hybrids from racemo- 

 sus ; and seven to eight for hybrids from floribundus and for racemosus. 

 The bulbs should be planted at the depth of one to one and a half inches. 



With these varieties one can dispense with frames, but prudence requires 

 us, after the planting, to cover the bed with a mulch of leaves or long ma- 

 nure, of one or two inches in thickness ; but when severe frosts are no 

 longer to be feared, one may remove this covering. During growth, water 

 according to need ; the flowers appear in July and August ; in the autumn 

 take up the bulbs and keep them on a dry shelf safe from frost. 



