BULBS - LAYERS - DIVISIONS 



93 



bud exists in the axils of all leaves. There should be one bud for 

 each layer of tunics or husks. Because of the manner of growth of 

 the Gladiolus, a cormous plant, which is in one plane, these buds 

 should have an opposite arrangement (see fig. 39), thus causing 

 them to lie in one straight line through the center of the corm. 



With the Gladiolus, it takes from one to four years, according to 

 the variety, for a seedling to produce a corm of blooming size. 



Every stem that makes vigorous growth has at its base a corm. 

 Each corm has several buds, of which each one that grows will pro- 

 duce a new corm on top of the one planted. The development of 

 seven Gladiolus corms of blooming size in one season has been 

 reported. In this way a grower's stock is not only reproduced each 

 season, but also rapidly increased, provided good soil and proper cul- 

 tivation are given. 



The vigor and the thickness of a corm depend much on the 

 proper maturing of the foliage. If, in cutting the spike, little veg- 

 etative growth is left above the soil, only small quantities of food 

 can be manufactured by these abbreviated leaves, and the base 

 of the stem, or corm, in which the food is stored, suffers. The failure 

 to carry over stock is often due to cutting the flower stems near the 

 surface of the soil, the corms thus being able to make little or no de- 

 velopment. The suggestion, then, is that if one wants an annual 

 renewal of corms, care must be exercised to leave sufficient foliage 

 after cutting the spike. 



It is the general opinion that 

 corms which have been allowed to 

 bloom every year for three or four 

 years become thinner and thinner. 



Soon after the base of the 

 growing stem of the Gladiolus has 

 begun to thicken, small corms are 

 found to have formed between the 

 old and the new corm. These are 

 properly called cormels. (See fig. 

 38.) They are covered with a 

 hard shell, thus differing from 

 seedling Gladioli of the same size. 

 which have a covering more like a 



ii_ jf+uj'ju 



miSK, Composed OI the dried bases 



of the previous season's leaves. 



Cormels Should be Stored in there is one bud for each ring on the 



soil so that they will not dry out corm ' Extension BuiSn^T lo C rne11 



Fig 39. Gladiolus corm from which 

 the tunic has been removed. Note the 



