GLADIOLUS. 



220 



GLASS HOUSES. 



find hundreds of thousands of little scaly - 

 looking rubbish, which, indeed, are not 

 rubbish, but young gladioli. Pick out the 

 old roots and large particles of soil, draw a 

 drill two inches deep on a bit of rich soil 

 in the reserve garden, sow the scales thinly, 

 and there will be such a crop of bulbs as 

 will astonish every reader. Some of these 

 will flower late in the autumn, many of 

 them the second, and all the third year. 

 These young bulblets require exactly the 

 same treatment as the old ones. They also 

 begin forming offsets at once, and after the 

 second year they divide the bulbs in the 

 same manner. 



Soil and General Management. Gladioli 

 are divided into two sections, namely, 

 the early-flowering and the late-flowering 

 varieties. The early-flowering varieties, of 

 which Gladiolus Colvillei and " The Bride" 

 may be taken as examples, bloom from the 

 beginning of June to the end of July, but 

 may be induced to flower earlier under 

 glass. These should be planted in October, 

 or, at the latest, in November. The late- 

 flowering varieties, of which G. Ganda- 

 vensis and G. Brenchleyensis are fitting 

 representatives, bloom in August and 

 September, and should be planted in 

 March. The bulbs, or corms, should be 

 lifted in October or November, and dried 

 off. Gladioli, in common with bulbs in 

 general, like a light rich soil, and if the 

 ground in which they are to be planted is 

 poor, or in any degree heavy, a plentiful 

 dressing of well-rotted manure and some 

 sand should be incorporated with it, and 

 the bed allowed to lie three or four weeks 

 before the bulbs are planted. A warm 

 spot, well exposed to the sun and sheltered 

 from cutting winds, should be selected, and 

 when winter approaches and frost sets in it 

 is desirable to protect beds in which early 

 varieties have been planted by a cover 

 ing or mulching of litter about 4 inches 

 deep. 



Glass Houses. 



All glass structures should be distin- 

 guished by utility, ornament, and conve- 

 nience. The first is often sacrificed to 

 antiquated routine, and houses, built for 

 he culture of tropical plants and fruits, 

 are constructed so as to exclude more than 

 lalf of the little light we can afford them. 

 Routine, indeed, is the chief cause of the 

 >erpetuation of lean-to houses, with opaque 

 jacks, these old-fashioned receptacles for 

 plants, which still arise at her bidding ; 

 ornamental glasshouses that admit the 

 light on every side being, to all appearance, 

 studiously shimned in many gardens, as if, 

 the uglier houses could be made, the better 

 they must needs be adapted for their in- 

 ended purposes. Nevertheless, a large 

 measure of structural and decorative 

 beauty is compatible with the highest 

 cultural advantages, and consistent with 

 the severest economy ; and this should be 

 steadily and persistently kept in view in 

 the construction of all glazed buildings, be 

 they what they may, for horticultural pur- 

 poses. Glasshouses, it should be borne in 

 mind, are a never-failing resource on wet 

 days, when other amusements fail and out- 

 door exercise becomes impossible, and it is 

 then that they should contribute their 

 largest quota of enjoyment. They should 

 therefore be always accessible from the 

 drawing-room, without the necessity of 

 going out of doors. Probably, the best 

 possible arrangement is to attach the con- 

 servatory to the mansion ; and, where there 

 are other houses, to connect all with the 

 conservatory, by the intervention of a glass 

 passage or verandah. Of course, where 

 there is only one house, whatever its form 

 and designation, this applies with even 

 more force. Ail glasshouses ought to 

 be span, curvilinear, or ridge-and-furro\v 

 roofed, and should be placed, ii possible, at 

 right angles with the verandah, their end 

 doors communicating with it. They should 



