174 



THE CANADIAN HORTICULTURIST. 



THE GLADIOLUS. 



In our climate there is no part of the garden more gay during the 

 month of August and continuing often into September than the bed 

 devoted to the Sword Lilies, as the Gladiolus is commonly called. 

 Such has been the improvement wrought by skillful hybridization that 

 Ave have now an almost endless variety of colors and markings, many 

 of which are exceedingly beautiful They are the off- 

 spring of two species, G. floribundus, which is a native 

 of the Cape of Good Hope, and was brought to England 

 about the year 1788 ; and G. psittacinus, a native of 

 Port Natal, from whence it was brought in 1829. The 

 first hybrid was raised on the continent of Europe, and 

 received the name of G. Gandavensis, from the town of 

 Ghent. The hybrid variety has been found to cross 

 freely with all other varieties and with some of the 

 species, and to tliis we owe the many beautiful and 

 showy varieties which w^e now possess. 



There are many other species of Gladiolus than the 

 two above named, some of which are hardy, while many 

 of them are so tender as to require greenhouse culture. 

 Johnson mentions in his Gardener's Dictionary more 

 than fifty different species and sub-species. These have 

 been laid under contribution by those who have inter- 

 ested themselves in the improvement of this flower, and so far as has 

 been found practicable, made to contribute to the beauty of our garden 

 hybrids. 



These garden varieties thrive best in a rich well drained loam; 

 soils that are cold and wet are not suited to them. If one can com- 

 mand a ^good loamy soil, with a porous gravelly sub-soil, he may be 

 sure of growing these beautiful flowers in their greatest perfection. 

 However, such a soil is not by any means indispensable, the .writer 

 having grown them for many years with very good success where the 

 sub-soil was a very firm sandy hard-pan. In preparing beds for the 

 Gladiolus it is necessary to avoid all fresh, partially fermented or un- 

 decomposed manures, for these tend to produce disease in the bulbs, 

 or properly speaking, corms. Thoroughly rotted cow-dung is the best 

 manure for them. An excellent compost is formed by putting up a 



