132 A GUIDE TO FLORICULTURE. 



GLADIOLUS. 



(GLADIOLE.) 



This charming genera of bulbs is a native of the Cape 

 of Good Hope, and is deservedly one of the most interest- 

 ing we have in cultivation from Africa. It is now attract- 

 ing much notice among florists, and many new hybrids 

 have been added to the list, that are beautiful. The com- 

 mon Gladiolus has been in cultivation for some time, and 

 is known as the " Sword Lily," on account of the forma- 

 tion of the leaf. G. communis and G. byzanthus are the 

 oldest varieties, and are hardy. G. cardinalis and G. 

 floribundis are more tender, and decidedly more splendid, 

 as the development of their flowers will manifest. 



The Gladiolus is easily propagated by seeds or off- 

 sets. It is useless to raise from seed with the expecta- 

 tion of new varieties, unless the flowers are impregnated, 

 for the seed will produce none but its own kind ; artificial 

 fecundation must therefore be attended to, if you wish new 

 rarieties. 



The seed should be sown in pans in August or Septem- 

 ber, and should have the morning sun only, and care must 

 be taken that the rain does not rot them. In October the 

 pans should be removed into a pit or green-house until 

 April, and then exposed to the open air, but must not be 

 allowed to freeze, when the seeds begin to grow. In the 

 fall, when the leaf dies down, take them up and pack them 

 in sand until the following April, then plant them in a bed 

 by themselves in a sandy loam soil. These seedlings will 



