26 



THE PLORIST AND P0MOL0G1ST. 



varieties. It is evidenced also in another way. The present call for the 

 Ramosus section, excepting perhaps Queen Victoria and Ramosus itself, and 

 Floribundus— a reputed offspring from Oppositifolius— is of a very limited 

 character ; while even Gandavensis is scarcely in demand. The cheaper kinds 

 of the Gandavensis section, such as Bowiensis, Brenchleyensis, Monsieur 

 Blouet, Fanny Rouget, Couranti fulgens, Triomphe d'Enghien, Madame Conder, 

 Don Juan, and others, command the sale the older kinds once had, and it is 

 but the same law at work that is observed in every other class of flowers ; 

 it is the onward impetus that pervades the whole aspect of horticulture, the 

 thing done by the ever-progressive worker being only the earnest of new forms 

 of beauty to be evolved, new methods to be reduced to experience, new attain- 

 ments to be reached after, and grasped. 



The stocks of Gladiolus held by Vilmorin & Co., Loise, Verdier, and other 

 continental houses at the commencement of the autumn months must be enor- 

 mous, judging from the extent of some of the commissions entrusted to them 

 by Loudon houses alone, saying nothing of heavy transactions from the pro- 

 vinces. The sources from which the supply is drawn must be something 

 startling, and this flower is a most important item in the bulb trade done 

 between this country and France. 



The beauty of the flower being of so varied a character, its peculiar adapta- 

 tion as an exhibition agent, and the comparative ease with which it can be 

 cultivated, all combine to intensify the popular favour now bestowed upon it ; 

 and, not satisfied with growing merely, some home-cultivators are busily and 

 successfully engaged in the process of hybridisation. New varieties raised in 

 England will soon outstrip in number those produced on the continent. Mr. 

 Standish, of Bagshot, has made great headway in this direction, and succeeded 

 in producing flowers of singular beauty and of exquisite form. Giant strides 

 in the way of perfectibility of the Gladiolus have been made by this pioneer of 

 English hybrids, whose just inheritance is the gratitude of appreciative admirers 

 of one of his favourite flowers. 



I have nothing new to suggest in the way of "cultural directions," an 

 expression that has become a Covent Garden " household word." These rules 

 abound in plenty, not all alike in their every detail, and yet not widely divergent. 

 Rich light soil, compounded of leaf mould, turfy loam, well-rotted manure, 

 and some sand, is the compost that seems best adapted to the requirements of 

 the plant. Where it could be done, and especially in the case of continental 

 bulbs that start into growth earlier than those harvested in England because 

 ripened sooner, the bulbs should be potted-up in the month of February or 

 March, according to the necessity of the case, into pots fully 6 inches in 

 diameter ; then be placed in a cold frame, or under a sheltered wall where 

 they could be protected from heavy rain or frost, and in May be transplanted 

 to their blooming quarters in the open ground — a well-prepared bed in some 

 spot not too much exposed to the effects of rude winds. Should the potting- 

 up be a matter of difficulty, plant the bulbs out of doors as early in the month 

 of April as possible, but let the grower endeavour to provide himself with some 

 agency to screen them from the effects of cold, wet, and inclement weather. 

 I think this is the great thing to be avoided— the possibility of injury from con- 

 tinuous wet, either in the way of rain, or from an ill-drained situation. Water 

 freely in dry and hot weather, as the spike gradually issues from its emerald 

 chamber, and hastens to unfold its charming attire. Heavy gusts of wind 

 that tear into fragments the flowers, and the excessive heat of " 



" The sun's directer ray," 

 that shortens the period of their "age of beauty," should be guarded against. 

 Then endeavour to screen your flowers from the effects of each of these, if it 



