186 THE GLADIOLUS. 



horticultural world into a fever of excitement, and that the 

 bulbs commanded immense prices. 



These being the original species, the first hybrid was G. 

 Gandavensis, so called from the town of Ghent. Its origin is 

 obscure ; the late Hon. and Rev. William Herbert, the best 

 authority on bulbs, declaring it impossible it should be a 

 hybrid between the two species mentioned above, as, with 

 all his skill in hybridizing, he had never been able to cross 

 those two species. 



Be this as it may, certain it is that to G. Gandavensis 

 we owe all our fine hybrids ; this variety crossing freely 

 with all other varieties and some of the species, the seed- 

 lings sporting very much. 



The color of the flowers of the variety is scarlet-red, with 

 deep or light yellow blotches on inferior petals. It is a 

 showy plant, and, although excelled by hundreds of seed- 

 lings, is worthy of cultivation. 



GENERAL TREATMENT. 



The bulbs should be planted as soon as the ground is 

 fairly dried in the spring and all danger of frost is over. 

 If deeply planted, a surface-frost does no injury. Plantings 

 may be made every two weeks, until the middle of June, for 



