HARDY GLADIOLUS 



561 



some in pots, of these last some being left out of doors and 

 some cultivated in a greenhouse. And whereas Max Leichtlin 

 had used for his hybridisations some Gandavensis varieties, we 

 were careful to employ in our experiments only the most 

 characteristic of Lemoine's blotched hybrids. 



While the pistils of G. Saundersii were being impregnated 

 with the pollen of the above, the reverse cross was also tried, 

 and many spotted sorts were fertilised with G. Saundersii 

 acting as male parent. It is known that Saunders' Gladiolus 

 seldom yields fertile seeds ; and in a large quantity of developed 

 ovaries we found only four seeds, which, however, came up and 

 flowered in 1885, and out of which were chosen the two beautiful 

 sorts named afterwards President Carnot and Maurice de Vil- 

 morin, both so remarkable for their great size and the strange 

 appearance of their dotted spots. The seeds which resulted from 

 the reverse hybridisation came up in much larger number, and 

 produced many fine sorts, none of which, however, offered so 

 wonderful an opulence of colour, nor such characteristic shapes. 



Thus originated the new hardy race of Gladiolus nanceiauus, 

 to which further fertilisations imparted a great variety of colours 

 and good-sized spikes, as well as still more prominently dotted 

 blotches, which are quite a peculiar feature of this group. Nine 

 of these hybrids w T ere offered for sale in 1889 ; and a larger 

 number, quite as beautiful and still more distinct, have been 

 kept in store, waiting for names. Many amateurs were able 

 to acquaint themselves with them at the Paris Exhibition of 

 1889, and at last year's meetings of the Eoyal Horticultural 

 Society of Great Britain, where Messrs. J. Veitch & Sons had 

 the kindness to stage the blooms of a few varieties, which were 

 awarded certificates. To give an idea of the characters of the 

 whole group, it will be enough to describe the variety President 

 Carnot, which may be considered as the typical form of the 

 series, as the other sorts, while different in colour, are very 

 similar in shape. President Carnot is a plant of great vigour, 

 with dark green leaves and spikes 6 feet high, carrying large- 

 sized flowers. It is not unusual to find flowers measuring more 

 than 7 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. The upper segment is 

 quite upright and very long, and the three lower petals, of 



