30 
February, 1920 
Queries and Answers Department. 
“ All questions asked in good faith and which are of general interest will have careful attention. 
5 The full name and address of the writer must be given, but not for publication.” 
Gladioli from Seed. 
To the Editor : - 
Do all seeds in a Gladiolus seed pod pro- 
duce exactly alike or does a new variety 
originate from one seed only, and consequently 
from one corm? 
Answer:— (By A. E. Kunderd)— The 
above question from your correspond- 
ent is really a double question. Of 
course, a new variety of Gladiolus 
could only originate from one seed and 
consequently from one corm, but not 
all seeds in a Gladiolus seed pod pro- 
duce alike, and generally not even 
near alike. In fact, as a rule no two 
varieties of seedlings are alike, and of 
course, each bulb must originate from 
a single and separate seed. This is 
true not alone where various crosses 
are made but almost as much so where 
the seed pod has been fertilized by its 
own pollen, or self-fertilized. The de- 
scendants of any variety of the Gladi- 
olus, usually vary a great deal owing 
to their mixed ancestry. These facts 
are true of varieties generally. Even 
where a pure species is used to pro- 
duce seed, and consequently bulbs, and 
where the seed has been produced by 
self-fertilization many of the seedlings 
vary considerably. This result from 
seeds of true species is perhaps owing 
to the facts of changed environment 
such as soil, climate, season, etc. The 
off-spring of the Gladiolus whether 
from varieties or species, are more 
variable than most other flowers and 
this is partly why the Gladiolus has 
given us so many varieties. 
A. E. Kunderd. 
Answer : — (By Joe Coleman)— Per- 
sonal experience answers the above 
question, at least, to my own satisfac- 
tion. Three years ago I made a diffi- 
cult cross with the result of securing 
but one seed pod containing about 20 
seeds. These seeds nearly all grew 
and bloomed the past season. Each 
bulb produced a variation, in several 
instances, decidedly pronounced. 
Plant a million seed and there would 
be mighty nearly a million variations, 
many nearly alike, but on close inspec- 
tion a little different. Thus the seed- 
ling game is fascinating in the ex- 
treme. 
Joe Coleman. 
Storage of Gladiolus Seed. 
To the Editor 
How do our most successful growers of 
Gladiolus seedlings manage the planting and 
care of the seed ? I have some very choice 
crosses and do not wish to lose the seed. 
S. R. A. 
Answer : — Gladiolus seed needs no 
particular care if well matured on the 
stalk. If the best germination is ex- 
pected it should be matured on the 
flower stalk before cutting, but good 
results have been obtained by cut- 
ting the stalk before the seed has 
fully ripened. After the seed pods 
are thoroughly dried, the seed may be 
separated from the pod, but it is not 
at all necessary to separate the little 
seeds from the “wings” with which 
nature has provided them so as to 
scatter them widely by the wind. It 
was formerly the practice to go to 
much trouble to clean the seed out of 
the “ wings,” but this has been found 
entirely a waste of time and unneces- 
sary. The seed after ripening may be 
stored in a paper bag or paper box in 
any dry place. 
When planting it is customary to 
scatter the seeds either in drills or 
broadcast and cover lightly to a depth 
of J inch to | inch. Then a piece of 
heavy burlap or old carpeting should 
be laid over the seeds to retain mois- 
ture while germinating. After sprout- 
ing covering should be removed and 
the seedlings watered frequently dur- 
ing dry weather. 
Madison Cooper. 
Fertilizer for Gladioli. 
To the Editor:— 
I wish you would discuss the fertilizer 
question and tell us the best fertilizers to 
use for Glads to supplement stable manure, 
and also when stable manure is lacking en- 
tirely. How are wood ashes for Glads? I 
know it is claimed that ashes produce off- 
colored flowers, but that would not hurt me 
much because my ground seems to produce 
flowers with off shades. Even Panama and 
America were so badly splotched in some 
cases that you would hardly recognize them. 
F. B. R. 
Answer : — The correct fertilizer to 
use for Gladioli, in common with other 
crops, depends largely on the present 
cultural conditions of the soil to be 
planted. It may be assumed from 
what you say about tinted blooms that 
you have a plentiful supply of potash 
in your soil. This being the case we 
would be inclined to recommend ground 
limestone and acid phosphate in com- 
bination with stable manure ; applied 
at the rate of about 100 pounds ground 
limestone and 50 pounds of acid phos- 
phate to the ton, (say one wagon load.) 
If soil were in need of potash we would 
prefer wood ashes, and our method is 
to scatter these very thinly and apply 
them each year. Therefore, with wood 
ashes, we do not consider it necessary 
to use the acid phosphate as hard wood 
ashes contain not only lime and pot- 
ash, but also the phosphoric acid which 
acid phosphate supplies. 
The past season has been an excep- 
tional one for the tinting or striping of 
the more delicate colors and it was 
caused generally by the plentiful rains 
and extremely warm weather prevail- 
ing. It is doubtful if we have another 
such season for some years to come. 
The tinting of bloom this year was 
quite general. 
You can hardly grow any crop with- 
out stable manure unless the soil is 
pretty well filled with humus already, 
but humus may be supplied by grow- 
ing a crop of rye, rye and vetch, buck- 
wheat, or what is perhaps better, a 
clover sod, and plowing it under when 
in full bloom. This will supply hu- 
mus as quickly as any way and will 
take the place of stable manure, but, 
of course, you lose the use of your 
ground for one season. 
Madison Cooper. 
Do Gladiolus Cormels Develop 
at the Expense of the Corm ? 
To the Editor : — 
If it is true that small bulblets get more 
growth if the corm is left longer in the 
ground, is it not at the sacrifice of some of 
the value of the corm if the roots of the 
corm are no longer active ? R. A. S. 
Answer : — The growth of cormels as 
we understand it, is directly from the 
roots and not from the new corm, and, 
therefore, there is no sacrifice of quality 
in the corm by leaving it in the ground 
for a longer period so as to get the 
greater development of bulblets. We 
believe that the roots of a Gladiolus 
corm are active as long as they remain 
in the ground unfrozen so far as the 
developing and maturing the growth 
of bulblets is concerned. Even though 
the corm has ceased to grow and the 
foliage been killed by frost or by ripen- 
ing, yet the bulblets will keep on grow- 
ing and maturing, and as the growth 
is from the roots rather than from the 
corm, we cannot see where there will 
be any damage to the corm in leaving 
it in the ground as long as possible so 
as to get the greatest growth of bulb- 
lets. 
Madison Cooper. 
Tulip Wm. Copeland. 
This, apparently, is one of the few Darwin 
Tulips which not only early lends itself to 
cultivation in fibre in bowls, but, as grown 
by Messrs. R. H. Bath, appears to be much 
improved. Indeed, nothing could have been 
more beautiful or refined in appearance than 
the bowls of it seen at the Scottish Drill 
Hall on March 11. Nor were size of flower 
and stature lacking, nor, on the other hand, 
had the examples that weakly, attenuated 
appearance too many Darwins assume when 
grown under glass, proof of their impatience 
at being forced. Rather was the sturdy and 
strong growth an evidence of the amenability 
to the treatment named. It is of the helio- 
trope set and immeasurably superior to all 
others of this shade. Rev. H. Ewbank, of a 
colour akin, was also good.— S. V. S. in Gar- 
dening Illustrated. (English.) 
Advertisers should remember that 
the advertising forms close on Febru- 
ary 15th for the March issue. February 
is a short month and necessarily every- 
thing must be ready earlier than usual 
or it will bring the March issue late. 
Monthly publications are necessarily 
planned much in advance and the ex- 
act space determined far ahead of the 
date of publication. 
