58 WORCESTER COUNTY HORTICULTURAL SOCIETY. [1895. 



great variation in the light and dark ones ; but it is the only color that 

 we could actually call them. 



Meyerbeer, is a scarlet one, and is one of the oldest ones we have. 

 It has a fine spike, and is one of the most attractive ones that we 

 have. 

 ■ Norma, is another good one. 



Pacto, is an early one ; it is a light lemon and is a very fine flower, 

 and one that always comes good. I never saw a poor one. 



Brenmis, is another very fine flower which always comes good ; it 

 is very showy and is a very dark slate with a white throat. 



Shakespeare, is a light one, and one of the best of the light varie- 

 ties. Anyone wishing to grow light, that is the one to grow. 



Snoiv-white, is as white as anything we have. With me it is not a 

 good grower ; I have seen some pretty fair stalks of it, but I have 

 never succeeded in growing any myself. 



Those I have named are of the Hybrids of Gandavensis. Now 

 comes the Hybrids of Lemoines. They are advertised as being a 

 hardy kind. They are perhaps hardy, but they have got to be under 

 such favorable circumstances that the ground won't freeze down to 

 the bulb. I have left them out-doors on purpose to test this thing. 

 I know they have been planted in places where they stayed for years, 

 but the frost never went over three or four inches into the ground, 

 never far enough to reach the bulbs. 



Lafayette is a very desirable one. 



Rochambeau and Gumbleton are both good ones. 



All these flowers you must remember come in the shades of purple 

 and yellow. It is one of the distinguishing features of them. 



Within the last few years they have introduced a new hybrid. It 

 is called the Hybrid of Nancianum. I have not grown those. I have 

 seen them grown considerable. They are very large flowers ; the 

 color is very striking, but there are very few flowers open at the same 

 time on the spike. If you wish to buy a spike of Gladiolus, you 

 want one that has five, or six, or a dozen flowei's in bloom at a time. 



Question. I would like to ask if Gladiolus don't go back, why it 

 is wc don't see some of the kinds we used to see as distinct now as 

 they were in former years. 



Answer. You do. The African, at my house, is just as distinct 

 as I ever saw. It is a very hard bulb to propagate. When I say 

 that they don't degenerate, I have never yet seen any bulb that I 

 planted degenerate. They do die out; for often I see lots that I grew 

 years ago, and which I know I have never done anything to, to dis- 



