HARDY HERBACEOUS PLANTS 81 



what to strive for, the hybridist has given us an increased number 

 of beautiful varieties, and not least in importance prices have 

 come down, thus bringing the flower within the means of many 

 who could not afford to grow it in former days, and permitting 

 those who could only have a few to plant more largely. It is still 

 too dear to become everybody's flower, and it is difficult to see 

 how it can ever become as cheap as the Sweet Pea or the Daffodil, 

 because raising plants from seed is a slow process, and although the 

 plants are easily increased by offsets, they do not multiply rapidly. 

 A few of the old species are cheap enough, notably the scarlet one 

 called brenchleyensis, which only costs about sixpence a dozen. 

 But the modern cross-bred sorts cannot be bought at anything like 

 that price, the corms costing from sixpence to half-a-crown each. 



A person who is particularly partial to Gladioli may form a 

 special bed of them, and if it should only contain a dozen plants 

 it will afford him great interest and pleasure, provided that the 

 plants are well grown and the varieties are good. The character 

 of the soil is an important point. It must not be stiff, cold, and 

 damp with the unwholesome dampness of stagnancy. It must be 

 very friable and warm, yet moist warmly moist. How can we make 

 the soil right ? If it is naturally friable, we need only dig it deeply, 

 and work a dressing of manure nine or ten inches below the surface. 

 If it is stiff clay we must break it up eighteen inches deep, and dig 

 in a liberal dressing of road grit, wood ashes, and mortar rubbish. 

 We may also work in superphosphate of lime or bone dust at the 

 rate of four ounces per square yard. This treatment will quite 

 alter the character of the soil, making it warmer and more fertile. 

 Gladioli lovers need never be afraid of growing the plants on clay, 

 provided that they are prepared to take the little trouble involved 

 in adopting the suggestion here thrown out, for the plants will 

 thrive admirably on it. 



Spring is a good time to buy the corms, and they can be purchased 

 from almost any florist, seedsman, or bulb merchant. Brenchleyensis, 



