46 
Slower (Brower 
WAYSIDE RAMBLINGS 
GROWING GIANT GLADIOLI. 
I wonder how many readers of The 
Flower Grower realize that it does 
not take the skill of an expert gardener 
to grow Gladioli to a height of five and 
six feet, and that, too, without the use 
of either barnyard or commercial fer- 
tilizers. These are good when prop- 
erly used, but not essential. Plant 
bulbs in the usual way during the 
month of April, making sure that the 
ground is spaded deep. Place the 
bulbs eight to twelve inches apart. As 
soon as plants are up give them a 
good, deep hoeing, making the ground 
around them nice and mellow, then 
cover over the whole bed with leaves, 
putting a little dirt on top to keep 
wind from blowing them away. 1 use 
the leaves which I have used in storing 
Dahlia roots during the winter. Pos- 
sibly lawn clippings or well rotted 
stable manure would be equally good 
as a mulch. 
When the warm days come and 
ground begins to dry, give the bed fre- 
quent and thorough waterings, giving 
them the soapy laundry water about 
every two or three weeks ; this, how- 
ever, should not be applied too strong, 
but should be mixed with other fresh 
water and then applied. The bed 
should be kept moist all summer and 
the plants growing well while young. 
Soapy laundry water is an excellent 
fertilizer for all such flowers as Glad- 
oli, Dahlias, Tulips, Sweet Peas, etc., 
but should never be used full strength 
directly on the plants. 
Such care as this will result in a 
strong, healthy growth, with immense 
spikes and a large increase in bulblets. 
Of course, for the best results, one 
should have strong, young bulbs which 
will throw but one flower spike. Any 
of the strong growing varieties such as 
Panama, America, Arizona Rose, Pride 
of Goshen, While King or Summer 
Beauty are good. 1 have grown America 
in this way and sold whole bouquets 
of them at one dollar per spike. Some 
pleasure in growing flower spikes six 
feet high. Try it once for yourself 
and see. C. C. 
DOES DIVISION OF GLADIOLUS CORMS 
AFFECT BLOOMING ? 
On March 1, 1917, I planted indoors 
in a pot one large corm Gladiolus 
Quartinianus, which was set out about 
May 1, and bloomed about August 15. 
Three full length spikes of 12 blooms 
each were produced. When harvested 
the latter part of September, the old 
corm had split, forming four new corms 
and three very small cormels. The 
foliage was not removed from the 
corms till dry. 
February 1, 1918, all corms and cor- 
mels were planted and treated as above. 
The four corms each produced a full 
grown spike, and in addition, two of 
the spikes when nearly through bloom- 
ing grew another spike, branching out 
at a point on the original spike about 
two-thirds of its length from surface of 
the ground, the branches each bearing 
12 blooms, as did the original spikes. 
All corms and former cormels, as well 
as the new cormels, were harvested 
Sept. 22. The corms produced cormels 
as follows : 
One gave 3 cormels of J inch in diameter. 
One gave 5 cormels of g to h inch 
One gave 9 cormels of § to | “ 
One gave 10 cormels ot \ to § “ 
The corms from cormels had grown 
to | inch diameter, and produced cor- 
mels as follows : 
One gave 1 cormel \ inch diameter. 
One gave 1 cormel i inch 
One gave 3 cormels \ inch “ 
If division of corms is an indication 
of old age, the above performance 
seems to disprove the theory that aged 
corms do not bloom as well as new 
ones. I doubt if there is such a thing 
as an old corm. To me it appears that 
a corm on division has simply reached 
its maximum development, becoming 
a “ mother corm,” which, as in case of 
Hyacinths and Narcissus “ mother 
bulbs,” produce several spikes of bloom 
and then develop or split into several 
corms or bulbs. This maximum de- 
velopment which ends in the formation 
of new corms by division does not 
affect their blooming, and these divi- 
sions may be looked upon as young 
corms which in time will reach a max- 
imum growth and subsequent division 
into new corms. 
Chas. E. F. Gersdorff. 
Note by the Editor: 
It should be noted that the above experience 
was with Gladiolusspecies Quartinianus which 
is an extraordinary variety because of the 
long period required for blooming. It might 
be suggested, therefore, that results fiom 
this particular flower could not be given as 
anything conclusive so far as Gladiolus 
corms growing old is concerned. However, 
we do not consider this question at all settled 
and welcome all information on the subject. 
CAUSES OF EXCESSIVE TINTING OF 
GLADIOLI. 
I notice the inquiry in the January 
number of The Flower Grower re- 
garding excessive tinting of Gladioli. 
I had some varieties which showed 
heavy tinting last year in certain places 
in my field. The only fertilizer used 
was bone meal just before budding. 
Parts of my field I covered quite heavily 
with wood ashes direct from the stove 
in winter before plowing. The Niagara 
bulbs put in this part of field showed 
very excessive tinting while those 
grown where there were no ashes sown 
did not show any tinting. The Home- 
stead Favorite which for many years 
has been a clear wild rose color was 
streaked very heavily. We did not 
have any very warm weather here last 
season either before or after rain. I 
believe the tinting due to the use of 
May, 1919 
wood ashes. Shall not have any to 
use this season and will be able to tell 
later about habit of bulbs. 
W. Thurston Gibbs. 
Note by the Editor— 
It would seem that potash in the soil, from 
any source, in excess, might cause the tim- 
ing referred to. The editor has used wood 
ashes from year to year to a greater or less 
extent and the deduction that excessive 
tinting might be caused by potash from the 
wood ashes has been confirmed by other 
growers. Further experience and informa- 
tion is desired along this line. 
ENGLAND, MARCH 29TH, 1919— SUGGES- 
TIONS ON BLUE GLADIOLI. 
What a morning! Inches of snow 
on the ground, the trees outlined 
with snow, and looking like an old 
Xmas card ! And only yesterday the 
men were sowing parsnips and onions 
and I was planting a few Gladioli. 
The roof of the conservatory must be 
seen to and the glass broken by the 
frozen snow must be replaced, but 
apart from this all work out of doors 
must stand over for how long? A 
little arranging of the varieties of 
Gladioli to be planted when able to 
start again, and then I picked up last 
year’s Flower Grower and begun to 
turn over its pages the letter of Mr. 
K. Velthuys arrested my attention, and 
I again wondered why Blue Jay and 
Baron Joseph Hulot should, by so many, 
be considered the only blues. I cannot 
claim acquaintance with many of the 
varieties mentioned on page 45, but 
Rev. Ewbank, Muriel and King of the 
Blues are worth growing. I also grow 
LaNuit and Phoebus and see no reason 
to discard them at present. Heliotrope 
and Blue Iris produce good spikes, but 
with me, are slow of increase. 
Did not someone in your columns 
recently state that he was making a 
particular feature of blue varieties? 
Then in a recent number another 
grower suggested Red, White and Blues 
as the colors to plant this year, and 
gave three lists of varieties but the 
blue list only contained the names of 
two —Blue Jay and Baron Joseph Hulot. 
Red, White and Blue ! A class for nine 
vases, three spikes to a vase, three 
vases of each color, if well filled, would 
make a striking feature at any show. 
Smilax. 
HELPING WEAK STEMMED GLADIOLI. 
As a first aid to weak Gladiolus 
spikes I have had good success with a 
spring clothes pin tied to one end of a 
four foot string, the other end of the 
string attached to a stone weighing 
about six ounces. Pinch the clothes 
pin on the tip of the spike and throw 
the stone over a wire stretched above 
the row. After two or three days it 
may be slid along to another spike. A 
half gross of clothes pins saved several 
hundred of Halley, Pink Perfection, Mrs. 
Francis King and others grown mostly 
from planting sizes and small corms. 
I grow in double rows so that the 
wire required is not a large item. 
A. C. Perrin. 
