CLA V AND 



tage and palace alike ; and when fragrance shall be ad- 

 ded, there will be none to surpass this genus. 



It often adds to the beauty and interest of flowers to 

 take into consideration the winged visitors to the fiower 

 beds. Gladioli beds attract the visits of the humming 

 birds and bumble bees in an especial manner. I have 

 counted at one time four different species of humming 

 birds, which had alighted or were darting among the 

 blooms. It seemed as if I had invited the splendors 

 of the tropics to visit and surround my northern New 

 York home. The bumble bees are frequent visitors, and 

 are sometimes so enamored of their surroundings that 

 they occupy the flowers as bed-rooms at night. 



If one desires amusement, there is great fascination in 

 hybridizing by hand and growing seedlings. It will not 

 do to trust the bees to do our hybridizing. The most in- 

 terest centers upon the opening flowers of the new 

 seedlings. All, especially ladies, may indulge in this 

 pastime with but slight expense or attention. 



CALADIUMS. 



I have some decided views of the direction improve- 

 ments in gladioli should take. Many floriculturists are 

 striving after taller and more branchingspikes. These are 

 not what I am trying to develop. I want a single spike 

 with the flowers all pointing to one side, so that when 

 two or three spikes are placed in a vase every flower 

 points outward. This makes a perfect show of the 

 blooms ; none of them are crossed or hidden ; all are 

 symmetrical. Then, many of our old sorts do not stand 

 straight up, but lop over and form goose-necks. It is 

 needless to say such spikes are spoiled ; they cannot be 

 tied to a stake ; for as they grow they bulge to one side. 

 The only way to huddle them is to use a rubber cord 

 stretched from a stake taller than the spikes so that it 

 will contract as the latter grow. The flowers are never 

 so well developed upon branching, as upon single 

 spikes ; the energies of the plant are wasted to develop 

 spikes when it is flowers we are after. 



Jefferson Co., N. Y. D. S. Marvin. 



CLAY AND CALADIUMS. 



() SECURE a bed of caladiums 

 worthy of notice the current 

 impression is that it is neces- 

 sary to start with very large 

 "bulbs," and the writer was 

 of this opinion until last sum- 

 mer, when an accident showed him it is possible to 

 grow specimens just as grand, and have a bed quite 

 as magnificent by starting with much smaller bulbs 

 — yes, even with pips not larger than a lady's thumb. 



As bulbs or corms of the size ordinarily planted cost 

 at the florist's from 25 to 40 cents apiece, while the 

 smaller bulblets or pips may be had for five cents or 

 even less, my accident may benefit some readers by 

 enabling them to have three or four caladiums the com- 

 ing season, where last year they had but one. I would 

 not lead any people into planting the smaller corms, 

 however, unless they are willing to give them the liberal 

 treatment necessary. 



Success in growing the caladium depends upon just 

 two things — an abundant stock of food and a copious 

 and constant supply of water. The only difference be- 

 tween starting with large corms and small is, that in the 

 former case this store of food is already potentially at 

 hand inside the corm, while in the latter it is to be fur- 

 nished from without, in the form of well decomposed 

 manure. Bulbs stored with food do not imbibe much 

 nutriment from the soil in making new growth, but de- 

 pend mainly upon that on hand, requiring only a suit- 

 able supply of water to develop a vigorous growth 

 Larger bulbs or corms of the caladium, therefore, do 

 have considerable advantage over small ones, unless the 

 latter be given a soil rich in food material, together with 

 an abundance of water. Supply these, and a good healthy 

 bulblet has the same resources as a full grown one. 



Last spring all the large corms of the caladium were 

 sold and planted by our customers before we got a 

 chance to think of ornamenting the back yard with a bed 

 of these old favorites. So the writer found only bulblets 

 with which to bring into reality his vision of a bed of 

 caladiums worthy to be called Adam's Aprons. It 

 seemed like a poor prospect, but we took a half dozen 

 and went around to the back of the house where a man 

 was spading up the bed, on which, according to instruc- 

 tions, he had previously dumped a big wheelbarrow of 

 rotted cow manure. Here a poor prospect again con- 

 fronted us. The spot selected was near a cistern, and 

 the soil was nothing but the stiffest and yellowest kind 

 of clay. It had simply to be chopped up, and then it 

 was not as mellow as mold. But having determined on 

 the bed, in openings among the clods were placed the 

 six embryo caladiums. After covering them our hopes 

 were not much above a foot high. 



After they had appeared a few inches above the soil — 

 which they did in a few days — it seemed as if every one 

 about the house determined to drown that bed. Soapy 

 water from wash basins was poured on it and frequent 

 drenchings from the cistern continued throughout the 

 summer. 



A few days ago I was examining the bulbs of various 

 kinds stored away, and came upon some of the caladiums, 

 as fine as one could ask to see. They were a^Vz to 5'^ 

 inches in diameter. These were the pips planted in the 

 yellow clay ! As they were dug in the fall, the leaves 

 stood about five feet high, with blades three feet or so 

 long, while the group covered a circle about eight feet 

 in diameter. 



Soapy water and cow manure appeared to be food 

 materials of the most suitable kind, while the open yel- 

 low clay made an excellent seed bed, remaining uni- 

 formly cool and moist. Ernest Walker. 



