ON GLADIOLI 193 



Preparing Soil. Is the reader fired by the preceding 

 eulogy of Gladioli to a resolution in favour of buying a 

 collection and giving it the best possible chance ? Then 

 let him prepare his ground as follows : In autumn 

 remove the topsoi! and break up the subsoil, turning in 

 a dressing three inches thick of decayed manure. If the 

 ground is very stiff, leaf mould and sand may be added. 

 Leave the surface lumpy. In February spread on a 

 coat of wood ashes, with an additional quantity of bone 

 flour at the rate of three ounces per square yard, and 

 fork it in. This operation will simultaneously reduce 

 the lumps to small particles. The soil is now in fine 

 condition for planting. 



The corms may be put in a foot apart about the end 

 of March, and may be set in angles (see figure in Chapter 

 VIII., where the same method is advised for planting 

 Carnations). They may be covered with four inches of 

 fine friable soil, and the bed rolled or trodden. By the 

 time they come through weeds will have grown, and a 

 hoeing will stimulate the plants and destroy the weeds. 

 Care must be taken to avoid cutting off the young spikes, 

 but should so sad an event take place, the grower need 

 not become a prey to despair, even though (as is quite 

 likely to be the case) the variety injured happens to be 

 one of the most esteemed, because the plant is almost 

 certain to throw up another shoot. The hoeing should 

 be continued throughout the summer. 



If the soil is light and shallow, soakings of water will 

 be helpful in dry weather, and when the flower spikes 

 begin to push up, a drenching of liquid manure, repeated 

 weekly to the end of the flowering season, will do great 

 good. Given these attentions, light soil grows Gladioli 

 well. In clay soil they will not need artificial watering. 

 Heavy ground will give good results provided it is 



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