384 JOURNAL OF THE ROYAL HORTICULTURAL SOCIETY. 



plague. There is sometimes to be found a caterpillar — I think 

 that of the gamma moth (Plusia gamma) — which gets into the 

 unexpanded blooms and disfigures them. They are sometimes, in 

 very dry seasons, affected by thrip, but this is of rare occurrence. 



Where it is desired to keep up a stock and to make up for losses 

 the spawn should be saved. When the bulbs are taken up the 

 spawn will be found round them in various positions and quantities. 

 They should be all rubbed off and kept in small bags or boxes very 

 dry during the winter ; in March or April they should be sown 

 out of doors in drills in a place specially allotted to them, and they 

 will come up here like barley. Some, however, of them will 

 remain dormant till the second year. As some of them will form 

 spikes, these should be nipped off in order to secure larger bulbs 

 and more strength. They ought to be lifted much earlier than the 

 flowering bulbs — in fact early in September — and there is no 

 necessity to wait for the foliage decaying. Some varieties come to 

 maturity sooner than others — the whites and yellows being the 

 longest. As I have not done much in this way myself, I have 

 obtained this information from Mr. Burrell, of Cambridge, and 

 from Mr. Kelway, of Langport. 



I have said nothing on the subject of exhibiting them, as my 

 desire was rather to encourage the growth of this beautiful 

 autumn flower by showing that its culture is by no means so 

 difficult as many seem to imagine. 



Discussion. 



Mr. W. Roupell said, although he could not pretend to be 

 an expert in growing Gladioli, still he ventured to differ from Mr. 

 D'ombrain on a few points. He did not quite see the value of 

 cutting the bulbs in two, although it was evident that good results 

 were obtained by this method. If, however, performed by a clever 

 hand, doubtless there was no danger involved, but he thought 

 there was some fear of allowing the rough-and-ready hand of the 

 gardener to perform the operation. By cutting the bulbs they 

 were exposed to the attacks of insects. He was of opinion that 

 the disease of Gladioli did not appear in plants which were grown 

 in fresh and clean ground, but only where the soil had been 

 heavily manured, and had grown crops of Onions and other things. 

 His advice was to avoid dirty soil and everything that tended to 



