184 THE GLADIOLUS. 



situation. We are inclined to believe that careless culture, 

 rather than any difficulty of a more serious kind, is the 

 reason we so seldom see any of this beautiful class in col- 

 lections. 



We now come to the more hardy species, for which we 

 can give no better cultural directions than are laid down in 

 an article written by us a year ago for " The Horticultu- 

 rist." 



Our garden gladiolus are mostly hybrids from G. Nata- 

 lensis and G. Jlorihimdus, or oppositiflorus^ with a little of the 

 blood of G. cardlnalis and ramosus in some of the fine vari- 

 eties. They are commonly known, in gardeners' parlance, 

 as " Gandavensis hybrids," from the first hybrid raised, 

 and differ much in habit and form from any of the species 

 we have before described. 



The name Gladiolus, from the Latin, is a true diminutive 

 from gladius, " a sword," and therefore means a little sword : 

 its reference is to the shape of the leaves of the plant ; 

 and the same is found in the common name, " sword lily." 

 The name is generally incorrectly pronounced gladiolus, 

 with the accent on the o. Following the analogy of the 

 Latin, the word should be gladiolus, the accent on the ^, 

 leaving the penult short ; a far more euphonious word. 



