446 



Garden and Forest. 



[Number 454. 



(Q Aspidium marginale : Root-stock as in B. Fronds broad, 

 lanceolate, with acuminated pinnae. Fig. 36 (3). Sori 

 marginal ; indusia convex. 



The fibro-vascular bundles do not seem to furnish reli- 

 able characters, the number being dependent on the stout- 

 ness of the stipe, but those of Aspidium cristatum and this 

 Fern appear to correspond in showing 5, somewhat 

 obscurely, at the very base of the stipe, and these soon 

 decrease upward to 3, the latter number prevailing at the 

 lamina, while A. marginale shows 5, and in large fronds 

 7, distinctly at the base, retaining 5 upward to and beyond 

 the lamina ; and this last is true also of A. Clintonianum.* 



I have elsewhere {Botanical Gazette, 1. c.) alluded to the 

 remarkable disposition on the part of this Fern to produce 

 abortive fronds, and this character — strongly corroborative 

 of a hybrid origin — has been especially noticeable on my 

 living plants during the seasons of 1895 and 1896. 



The following are the present stations for this Fern : 



Boxford, Newbury and Merrimac, Essex County, Massachu- 

 setts, 1892, also Warren, Rhode Island, August, 1894, Raynal 

 Dodge. 



Medford, Massachusetts, October, 1894, G. E. D. 

 ' Dover, Maine, 1895, Merritt Lynden Fernald. 



Pittsford, Vermont, 1896, Miss Margaret Slosson. 



Medford, Mass. George E. Davenport. 



Cultural Department. 

 The Origin of Garden Gladioli. 



THE praise given to Gladiolus Nanceianusby your Lon- 

 don correspondent in Garden and Forest for 7th 

 October, is well deserved, and I think it may interest your 

 readers to hear something more about the origin of this 

 and other remarkable garden races of this noble genus. 



The Gladioli of gardens may be distinguished in an early- 

 flowering and an autumn-flowering group. The large 

 group of early Gladioli embraces innumerable forms of 

 species and hybrids, where, among the most common types, 

 are the Cape species Gladiolus blandus, G. cardinalis and 

 G. tristis, and the hybrids G. ramosus (Cardinalis x oppo- 

 sitiflorus), G. Colvillei (tristis x cardinalis), etc. I cannot 

 treat this section in detail now, and will only say that one 

 of the most useful new additions to it is the soft rosy pink 

 Cardinalis variety, Queen Wilhelmina,which has been highly 

 spoken of in various gardening papers. 



The late-flowering Gladioli have so improved of late that 

 the original species have become very insignificant, com- 

 pared with the garden hybrids of their progeny. Five dis- 

 tinct races of autumn-flowering hybrid Gladioli have been 

 sent out up to the present, an abbreviated description of 

 which may follow here : 



1. Gladiolus hybr. Gandavensis. — This section is well 

 known, although there is still some doubt as to its exact 

 origin. The first announcement of the original hybrid 

 appeared in Van Houtte's Catalogue, No. 6, which was pub- 

 lished on August 31st, 1841. There are two opinions as 

 regards the origin of this hybrid. In the Flore des Serres, 

 published by Van Houtte himself, it is stated to be the 

 result of a cross between G. cardinalis and G. psittacinus. 

 On the other hand, we have Dean Herbert's opinion, who 

 found that the indicated cross, " if not absolutely impossible, 

 is so difficult that repeated attempts made during successive, 

 years (by himself and others) have all proved abortive." 

 On the contrary, the Natal species, G. psittacinus and the 

 Caffrarian G. oppositiflorus, have been freely crossed by 

 Herbert and several others, and the result was exactly the 

 same Gladiolus figured in the Flore des Serres as Ganda- 

 vensis. The hybrid created a sensation, but was, of course, 

 soon surpassed. The most successful raiser of new varie- 

 ties was Monsieur Souchet, of Fontainebleau, and after his 

 death, in 1 872, his successors, Messrs. Souillard and Brunelet. 



2. Gladiolus hybr. Lemoinei. — Some twenty-five years 

 ago a new species of Gladiolus was introduced from the 

 Cape, which proved to be hardy, or, at least, more hardy 

 than the Gandavensis varieties. It was crossed by the 

 skillful hybridizer, Monsieur Lemoine, with the best Gan- 

 davensis varieties, and so he obtained the first hybrids of 

 a new race which he called Lemoinei, and which made its 

 appearance at the Paris International Exhibition of 1878. 

 Being pretty well known at present, it does not need de- 

 scription. Every year the colors of the new varieties 

 become more brilliant and effective. It is a pity, however, 

 that the more beautiful the varieties become the more they 

 lose their hardy qualities, a natural consequence of the little 

 purpureo-auratus blood remaining in the progeny. 



3. Gladiolus hybr. Turicensis and Childsi. — Both of these 

 sections originated in the same manner — namely, by cross- 

 ing Gladiolus Saundersi, another Cape species, introduced 

 some twenty years ago, with Gandavensis varieties. G. 

 Turicensis originated in Mr. Froebel's nursery at Zurich. 

 It is probably lost to cultivation now. The history of G. 

 Childsi is rather confused. Many years ago Herr Max 

 Leichtlin made a similar cross as Mr. Froebel, and sold the 

 hybrids obtained to a French nurseryman, from whom they 

 were purchased by an American firm, the stock of which 

 went afterward to Mr. Childs, of Floral Park, who gave 

 them his name and pushed them successfully. 



4. Gladious hybr. Nanceianus. — This race, referred to by 

 Mr. Watson on page 403, is of quite different origin from 

 Gladiolus Childsi, and the two races must not be con- 

 founded. G. Nanceianus was the first hybrid of a series 

 now comprising some fifty varieties, raised by Monsieur 

 Lemoine, and first presented to the horticultural public at 

 the Paris Exhibition of 1889. It originated from a cross 

 between G. Saundersi and Lemoinei varieties, and this 

 origin at once shows that the Nanceianus race is an advance 

 on Turicensis and Childsi, as one of the parents, namely, 

 Lemoinei hybrid, was an advance on one of the parents 

 in the other case (Gandavensis hybrids). A few varieties 

 of the Nanceianus race are not so vigorous as could be de- 

 sired, but the newer ones especially are strong growers, 

 throwing up spikes six feet tall, carrying large-sized flow- 

 ers, often measuring more than seven inches across between 

 the tips of the two lateral segments of the corolla, which 

 are developed in the form of two large triangular, fully 

 expanded wings, and the colors are simply marvelous. 

 All the trade varieties hitherto introduced were obtained by 

 Monsieur Lemoine, and we have not seen any hybrids 

 from other origins surpassing them. 



5. Gladiolus hybr. Massiliensis. — Although this is one 

 of the newest races offered, it is in no way an advance, 

 which is not surprising when we remember that one of the 

 parents is the very old and ugly Gladiolus psittacinus, 

 which has been improved by hybridizing for fifty years 

 already. We only refer to it here for completeness. 



Concluding, I beg to give a little pedigree showing the 

 affinity and origin of the principal races of Gladiolus 

 hybrids referred to above : 



psittacinus X oppositiflorus 



purpureo-auratus X Gandavensis X Saundersi 



Saundersi X Lemoinei Turicensis (Childsi) 



Nanceianus. 



Haarlem, Holland. 



Ernst H. Krelas;e. 



ublished in the Johns Hopkins University Circular, No. 



pu 



* Mr. C. E. Waters 

 June, 1895, a very useful paper on the fibro-vascular bundles in the stipe as an aid to 

 the determination of doubtful specimens, under the title of " An Analytical Key for 

 our Local Ferns Based on the Stipes." 



Hybridizing Orchids. 



RAISING Orchids from seed is most interesting work, 

 but it is also work that requires for the best success 

 patience and skill and all the conveniences and appliances 

 known to the most advanced horticultural practice. In a 

 late number of the Orchid Revieiv, Mr. H. A. Burberry gives 

 some excellent advice on this matter which it is worth 

 while to reproduce here : 

 If you have already as much work as you can possibly get 



