The Garden Magazine, August, 1922 



375 



much greater, as the adhering roots are tough when they are wet, 

 and become brittle when dried. 



During the winter the bulbs should be examined systematic- 

 ally and frequently for signs of mildew, and if this is found, the 

 trays of the attacked bulbs must be placed in the sun for a few 

 hours — until they are thoroughly dried. Also watch the temper- 

 ature and see that it does not drop much below 40, though if it 



should by accident slip to 30 some cold night do not give up in 

 despair, for under good storage conditions a single unusual 

 drop can be endured. I found the glass in my cellar pointing 

 to 28 one morning but not one bulb suffered. Yet I know from 

 direful experience that Gladiolus will not stand much of that sort 

 of temperature, for I lost twenty thousand one winter through 

 the excess of cold air — and a little carelessness. 



EARLY FLOWERS IN THE GREENHOUSE 



HENRY GIBSON 



;ITH green- 

 house space 

 limited, the 

 Gladiolus 



is a valuable subject 



for giving variety to the 



supply of early spring 



cut flowers. It is sure 



of results. The plants 



occupy but little room, 



and while a whole 



bench, or part of one, 



given over entirely to 



their culture would not 



be profitable from the 



standpoint of quantity 



of bloom, yet they are excellent 



plants to companion Pansies, or 



between rows of Freesias, or for fill- 

 ing places where Carnations have 



died off. They may even be accom- 

 modated to advantage under the 



benches until growth starts. 

 Until comparatively recently the 



Gladiolus chiefly grown under glass 



have been of the small-flowered types 



known as G. Colvillei, to which belong 



such beautiful varieties as The Bride, 



Blushing Bride, Peach Blossom, Fairy Queen, 



Salmon Queen, Delicatissima Superba, Acker- 



mannii, etc. These varieties are especially 



desirable for light decorative work, where 



often the heavier flowers of the garden types 



would be out of place. They are amenable to 



pot culture, perhaps the best method to adopt if only a few are 



grown. 



Plant any time during November for flowers in April and 



May. By early planting and gentle forcing, some varieties, 



particularly The Bride, may be had in flower as early as January. 



The bulbs are set four or five inches deep and two to three inches 



apart, in good soil. If pot or box culture is adopted they may 



be set under the greenhouse bench, or other out-of-the-way place 



until the growths show up, when they may be brought into a 



light position on a sunny bench. 

 A temperature of 45-48 (or that of a carnation house) suits 



with the corresponding rise with sun heat during the day. Water 



they need in abundance, but the soil should never be allowed to 



become water-logged, or the bulbs may rot. 



If the stems are not cut short the bulbs will renew themselves, 



and may be forced another year; or they may be given a year's 



growth in the garden before being forced again. 



Summer Flowering Garden Types 



IT IS an old practice with florists to hold some of the earliest 

 flowering of the summer-flowering Gladiolus until August, 

 and then plant them in boxes of rich soil, the boxes being kept 



GLADIOLUS COLVILLEI 



outdoors until the approach 

 of frost, when they are placed 

 in the house where they are 

 to flower, which they do dur- 

 ing November and Decem- 

 ber. Seedsmen now make 

 arrangements to 

 :=3 * = ^ keep the bulbs in 

 ^ cold storage for 



their clients who 

 adopt this late flowering 

 method. 



Many of the garden 

 types, however, may also 

 be successfully flowered un- 

 der glass during the spring 

 some weeks ahead of the time the 

 earliest ones outdoors commence 

 to bloom. Recent improvements 

 in floriferousness, form, size, color, 

 and keeping qualities have served 

 to attract further attention to forc- 

 ing possibilities. Some, like America, 

 have been grown successfully by al- 

 most everyone who has ever tried them, 

 and it is doubtful if any one variety of 

 the large-flowered types is in more general 

 demand to-day than that. Failures can be 

 traced to the fact that the bulbs were not 

 fully ripened before replanting for forcing. It 

 has been found that a period of chill is ab- 

 solutely necessary. 



Three months rest, and better four, should be 

 given the bulbs after they are lifted from the 

 garden before planting in the greenhouse. Thus if lifted in 

 October, they should not be used for forcing until February 

 first at the earliest, for a period of "chill" is essential to good 

 growth. Bulbs grown in the North and taken South to 

 Florida as soon as mature for planting do not even start 

 into growth. 



The size of bulb suitable for forcing is a much discussed 

 question. Many claim that the larger bulbs — i. e., those 2 inches 

 and over in diameter — are best, and to meet this demand what 

 are known as "Selected Bulbs" are now available. The size of 

 mature bulbs, however, varies considerably in different varieties. 

 It is my own opinion that bulbs over two inches in diameter are 

 apt to be "aged" and lack the vitality to produce first-class 

 blooms, although I have forced bulbs of America 2\ inches in 

 diameter that produced the finest of blooms; also of Mrs. Fran- 

 ces King; but this cannot be said of all varieties. 



Size is not so all-important a factor as thoroughly ripened 

 bulbs, and the bulk of those used for forcing average from if 

 inches to if inches in diameter. So long as the bulbs are large 

 enough to have stored up enough nourishment, are well ripened, 

 and have the quality of earliness inherent in them they will force 

 readily. The shape of the bulbs is worth noticing too. The 



