"Ah occasional and slight change in the conditions of life is 

 beneficial to all plants and animals; but the offspring from a 

 cross between organisms which have been exposed to different 

 conditions profit in an incomparably higher degree than do 

 young or old beings from a mere change of their conditions." 



—DARWIN. 



J» Jl J» jl 



EXPERIENCE WITH GROFF'S GLADIOLI. 



To the Editor of American Gardening: 



No doubt thousands of your readers saw and admired the 

 magnificent display of Graff's Hybrid Gladioli that for many 

 weeks was one of the most attractive features of the Horticul- 

 tural Building at the Pan-American Exposition, and it may 

 interest those who contemplate trying them another season to 

 learn how they behave in the hands of an amateur grower. 

 Last spring I secured a thousand bulbs of the Groff Hybrids 

 from Mr. Cowee, of Berlin, N. Y., who is Mr. Groff's sales 

 agent in the States. The shipment arrived rather late in the 

 season, and, my garden space being pretty well occupied, I 

 was obliged to plant the bulbs very closely together. I gave 

 them a thoroughly enriched soil, however, and, notwithstanding 

 their crowded condition, they produced a growth of surprising 

 vigor. I think that nearly every bulb gave me at least one 

 fine spike of bloom and many of them two or three. And such 

 an infinite variety of brilliant shades, tints and colors can only 

 imagined by those who have seen the Groffs grown at their 

 best. They lasted for several weeks and were extravagantly 

 admired by all who saw them. 



Nor is this all. No genuine lover of this popular flower 

 need be told that one of the principal joys of Gladiolus culture 

 is the digging of the bulbs in the fall and ascertaining how 

 much, if any, his treasures have increased. I have just dug my 

 Groffs and find that my thousand bulbs gave me a net increase 

 of fully 40 per cent., and the size averages much larger than 

 the original stock. A goodly number of the bulbs produced 

 five, and some of them six, each larger than its parent bulb. 

 It is needless to add that I consider my purchase a most profi- 

 table and satisfactory investment. 



Avoca, N. Y., Nov. 5, 1901. EDGAR A. HIGGINS. 



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