New Varieties of Gladiolus. II 



NEW VARIETIES OF GLADIOLUS. 



By George Such, Souih Amboy, N. J 



Some very good judges in horticultural matters are of the ophilon 

 that no further imp'-ovement in the gladiolus need be expected, and 

 they state, as a special reason for this opinion, that among the many 

 new varieties sent out last season, not one can be considered an im- 

 provement on those in the same style already in our collections. There 

 is certainly some truth in this statement, but a slight examination will 

 show that it is not entirely true. 



Without attempting to discuss the merits of all the novelties of last 

 year, I may ask whether, among all the shades of rose, we have any 

 gladiolus that can compare with Rosea perfecta, or any white, in the 

 style of La Candeur^ that is as good. Aladame Desportes, sent out 

 in 1 868, is very nearly pure white, and almost the perfection of ele- 

 gance ; but La Candeur is a novelty of such great merit, that no other 

 white gladiolus can fill its place. Moreover, its flowers do not readily 

 wither in the heat of the sun ; and this I consider a matter of great 

 importance in our climate. Most persons who have grown the much- 

 praised old variety, Reine Victoria^ must have noticed, I think, that 

 the large white flowers are fine when expanded on a cool or a cloudy 

 day, but are withered after exposure to the hot sun for even an hour 

 or two. 



Many have this same fault — among others, Fulton^ a very brilliant 

 vermilion red, and in other respects admirable. If some one should 

 succeed in getting a flower of the same color and shape as Fulton, but 

 of more enduring substance, he might justly claim that he had an im- 

 provement. But any one who has grown a large collection of the 

 named varieties of gladiolus will readily perceive that many of the best 

 of them are susceptible of great improvement. How grand, for in- 

 stance, would be a flower combining the superb scarlet of Lord Byron 

 with the perfect shape of Shakspeare or of Meyerbeer^ or if the pe- 

 culiar nankeen yellow of Calendulaceus could be had with size and 

 fine shape, or a Bernard de jfussieu with the flowers all fucmg one 

 way, instead of standing back to back ! Le Poussin is very beautiful 

 as it now is ; but how much better would it be if the flowers were 

 about twice as large ! and how great an advance in the yellows it 

 would be if we had a larger and finer El Dorado I 



