THE GLADIOLUS. 55 



is b}' the little bulblets, or " spawn," which form about the base 

 of the large bulbs. These will start reaclil^y enough in the spring 

 if the hard covering be peeled off, or if it be simply cracked by 

 pressure between the fingers. 



New kinds, of course, are only to be had by raising seedlings ; 

 which every one who gardens for pleasure ought to do. Unless 

 some special object be aimed at, good results will be obtained by 

 using the seed of any good sort. Most who raise seedlings, how- 

 ever, will prefer to cross the best kinds only — at any rate the seed 

 of poor kinds ought never to be used. If you prefer to use seed 

 of your own growing, you will find the latter part of the day bet- 

 ter than the morning for the purpose of cross-fertilizing your 

 flowers, for the pollen then is dryer though less abundant. As 

 the instrument, I think a wooden toothpick, cut to a wedge-shaped 

 end, is better than a camel's hair brush. The three parted stigma 

 should be operated upon when spread partly open, but not too 

 broadly. It is well to protect in some way the flower fertilized 

 from the visits of bees and humming-birds, which are usually busy 

 the whole day among the blossoms. 



In Rand's treatise on bulbs, fall directions are given for rais- 

 ing seedlings, — directions which should be studiously disregarded. 

 The seed should be sown in boxes or seed pans, about the first of 

 January. As much of it will be poor and as the true seed is very 

 small in comparison with the broad flake which contains it, it may 

 be sown so thickly as to cover the surface of the soil. One-fourth 

 of an inch of covering will be enough. In about twenty days the 

 seedlings will be up, and must be kept clear of weeds and grass. 

 They vrill grow until October ; and the boxes or pans should then 

 be put awa}' in some perfectly' dry place. The seedling bulbs will 

 be found to be from the size of a pea to that of an acorn, and 

 are to be put into the open ground at the next planting time. A 

 large part of them will blossom before frost. 



Nothing in the whole art of horticulture 3'ields more pleasure 

 than raising seedlings; and, although the poor ones will outnum- 

 ber the good ones many times over, the latter will more than repay 

 the trouble. 



As for the gladiolus disease, of which we hear so much, I know 

 nothing of it. I have never seen it, though I have had a very 

 large number of bulbs for many years. The only insect that is at 

 all troublesome is a black, soft-bodied one that eats the bios- 



