THE GLADIOLUS. IJ^ ^/ <^ 



Executive Committee for membership in the a^|Cwy, wei^on 

 ballot duly elected ' ^ 



^Jj^. "^^ 



Oliver R. Robbins, of Weston. 

 Stephen P. Sharples, of Cambridge. 

 Jacob Hittinger, of Belmont. 

 Francis W. Brevter, of Hiugham. 



Adjourned to Saturday, February 13. 



MEETING FOR DISCUSSION. 

 The Gladiolus. 



By William E. Enbicott, Canton. 



The genus Gladiolus as defined in the " Genera Plantarum " 

 contains about ninety species ; found for the most part in South 

 Africa, though a few species exist as far north as the equator, and 

 a few others are natives of Southern and Central Europe. 



The varieties which are so conspicuously ornamental in our gar- 

 dens in August and September are the progeny of three or four 

 of the South African kinds, hybridized with each other ; the hybrids 

 being crossed among themselves so extensively that the sorts now 

 in existence must be over three thousand in number. The first 

 hj'brid sort, said to have been the offspring of G. psittacinus and 

 G. carcUnaUs^ was raised in Ghent and was therefore named G. 

 Gandavensis ; and the great bulk of the varieties since raised are 

 called " Gandavensis Hybrids." 



It is unnecessary for me to dwell upon the beauty of this flower 

 as it now exists, upon its excellence for purposes of decoration, 

 upon the length of time a cut spike will last, etc. I will pass on 

 at once to a consideration of the modes of cultivation and propaga- 

 tion ; premising that I shall describe only the methods which I have 

 found satisfactory in my own practice, and that I am quite ready 

 to believe an equal success may be attained in other wa3's. 



The bulbs — horticulturallj' speaking we may call them so, though 

 botauicall}- they are corms — may be planted as soon as the frost is 

 well out of the ground, — say b}' the 15th of April, in light soil with 

 a good exposure, if the planter prefers to do it at that time : still 

 there is nothing to be gained by doing it so early, for though the 

 plants will be perfectly healthy their progress will be very slow 



