246 SATURDAY IN MY GARDEN 



this reason that no attempt should be made to separate the 

 foliage from the parent bulb until it indicates by its withered and 

 shrivelled appearance that it has completed its task. 



The gladiolus, the montbretia and the crocus are perhaps the 

 most familiar types of the conn IrTftiis case there are no fleshy 

 scales ; the corm consists of a solid substance which, as in the case 

 of the bulb, is food held in reserve for the sustenance of the young 

 leaves and flowers. But the great difference between the bulb 

 and the corm rests in the fact that whereas the bulb remains, 

 increases in size and multiplies itself by means of offsets, the 

 corm which has supported one season's growth withers and dies. 

 This, however, does not occur until it has reproduced itself in the 

 shape of one or more new corms which shall do duty another year. 



The class of tuberous-rooted plants is a large one, which includes 

 such valuable and well-known subjects as anemone, ranunculus, 

 winter aconite, gloxinia, the tuberous-rooted begonia and of 

 course the dahlia and the potato. A tuber is merely a swollen 

 underground stem which forms at the base of the plant. But all 

 tubers are not alike. Some, like the potato, are effective for one 

 season only. They reproduce themselves, and then perish. 

 Others, like the begonia and the gloxinia, are of perennial duration. 

 They have the power of absorbing additional supplies of food 

 every year, and of increasing in size. 



So much by way of explanation which will be of value as we come 

 to consider in greater detail the methods of cultivation to be 

 followed in regard to a few of the most popular summer-flowering 

 bulbous and tuberous plants. For purposes of uniformity it is 

 necessary to confine this chapter to a consideration of the hardier 

 bulbs which provide a summer display out of doors. Those that 

 are suitable for rockery work have already been enumerated in 

 Chapter VIII. ; bulbs that are specially adaptable for greenhouse 

 decoration are discussed in the chapter which follows. 



I suppose it may be said without exaggeration that every 

 amateur gardener possesses a few specimens of the iris. But as 

 a rule his experiments are confined to the common flag, or German 

 iris, and he neglects the not less beautiful and certainly not less 



