May, 1920 
73 
t3b* Slower (Brower 
Germination of Gladiolus Seed. 
BY CHAS. E. F. GERSDORFF. 
[ Written express!} fir The Flower Grower. ] 
O WING to the absence of authentic 
or definite information concern- 
ing the time required for Gladi- 
olus seed to germinate, and 
believing this has deterred many ama- 
teurs from trying to raise new varieties, 
I have made some careful records, de- 
termining the time required, the per- 
centage of germination and the per- 
centage of corms harvested. 
The seed used in these experiments 
were mostly of my own crosses, though 
I also tested seed from several growers. 
The seed was planted in loose, rich 
loam, just barely covered, in square 
paper pots which were packed together 
in flats. After watering thoroughly 
the first time, the surface of each pot 
cording to the table the average per- 
centage of germination was 60 per 
cent and the average percentage of 
corms harvested was 30, based on the 
total number of seeds planted. Though 
all seeds were carefully hand selected 
for plumpness, it is evident that not 
all were fertile. In making this selec- 
tion, in only one case did the appar- 
ently worthless seeds outnumber the 
plump ones. The time required for 
the seeds to germinate was not con- 
stant. However, the results indicate 
that most of the seeds should have 
germinated in 31 days, some showing 
as early as the sixteenth day after 
planting and a few requiring up to 85 
days. 
Number of Cross or Kind 
Number of 
Seeds 
Date Planted 
Date First Seed- 
ling Appeared 
Date Last Seed- 
ling Appeared 
Time to Germi- 
nate— Days 
No. Germinated 
& 
Number Corms 
Harvested 
2C 
29 
Dec. 
1 
Dec. 
28 
Mar. 
22 
27-80 
21 
72 
16 
55 
3B 
58 
Dec. 
1 
Dec. 
28 
Jan. 
1 
27-31 
28 
48 
19 
33 
M3 
23 
Dec. 
1 
Dec. 
28 
Jan. 
1 
27-31 
8 
35 
7 
30 
4B 
38 
Dec. 
1 
Dec. 
28 
Jan. 
1 
27-31 
23 
61 
18 
47 
4C 
35 
Dec. 
1 
Dec. 
28 
Jan. 
1 
27-31 
33 
94 
28 
80 
4D 
114 
Doc. 
1 
Dec. 
25 
Mar. 
22 
24-80 
25 
22 
18 
16 
5B 
19 
Dec. 
1 
Jan. 
1 
Jan. 
1 
31 
2 
11 
1 
5 
5C 
72 
Dec. 
1 
Jan. 
1 
Mar. 
22 
31-80 
45 
63 
33 
46 
7B 
15 
Dec. 
1 
Jan. 
1 
Mar. 
22 
31-80 
12 
80 
7 
47 
9C 
1 
Dec. 
1 
Jan. 
9 
Jan. 
9 
39 
1 
too 
1 
100 
13B 
70 
Dec. 
1 
Jan. 
10 
Mar. 
22 
40-80 
15 
21 
9 
13 
14C 
4 
Dec. 
1 
Jan. 
1 
Jan. 
i 
31 
1 
25 
1 
25 
16C 
9 
Dec. 
1 
Jan. 
1 
Jan. 
i 
31 
4 
44 
3 
33 
18C 
8 
Dec. 
1 
Jan. 
1 
Mar. 
22 
31-80 
2 
25 
2 
25 
18D 
12 
Dec. 
1 
Jan. 
1 
Jan. 
1 
31 
7 
58 
5 
42 
19C 
22 
Dec. 
1 
Jan. 
1 
Jan. 
1 
31 
4 
18 
4 
18 
20 B 
24 
Dec. 
1 
Jan. 
1 
Jan. 
1 
31 
7 
29 
7 
29 
23 B 
4 
Dec. 
1 
Jan. 
1 
Jan. 
1 
31 
3 
75 
2 
50 
27C 
12 
Dec. 
1 
Jan. 
1 
Jan. 
2 
31-32 
4 
33 
3 
25 
33B 
27 
Dec. 
1 
Jan. 
1 
Jan. 
6 
31-35 
7 
26 
6 
22 
34 
7 
Dec. 
5 
Jan. 
10 
Jan. 
10 
36 
3 
43 
3 
43 
36A 
9 
Dec. 
1 
Jan. 
1 
Jan. 
1 
31 
2 
22 
2 
22 
37C 
21 
Dec. 
1 
Dec. 
28 
Jan. 
1 
27-31 
12 
57 
11 
52 
38C 
17 
Dec. 
1 
Jan. 
1 
Jan. 
1 
31 
9 
53 
6 
35 
41 
4 
Dec. 
1 
Jan. 
1 
Jan. 
1 
31 
3 
75 
3 
75 
43B 
20 
Dec. 
1 
Jan. 
1 
Jan. 
1 
31 
11 
55 
10 
50 
46 
7 
Dec. 
5 
Jan. 
15 
Jan. 
15 
41 
1 
14 
1 
14 
56A 
19 
Dec. 
1 
Jan. 
1 
Jan. 
1 
31 
3 
16 
3 
16 
64 
3 
Dec. 
1 
Jan. 
1 
Jan. 
1 
31 
3 
100 
3 
100 
6 B 
14 
Dec. 
1 
Jan. 
1 
Jan. 
1 
31 
5 
36 
5 
36 
6 C 
3 
Dec. 
1 
Jan. 
1 
Jan. 
1 
31 
2 
67 
2 
67 
6 
5 
Dec. 
1 
Jan. 
1 
Jan. 
1 
31 
1 
20 
1 
20 
C. W. Brown, large flowered 
813 
Feb. 
22 
Mar. 
13 
May 
18 
19-85 
513 
63 
235 
29 
C. W. Brown, Primulinus 
1124 
Feb. 
22 
Mar. 
13 
May 
18 
19-85 
908 
81 
444 
40 
Praecox 
456 
Mar. 
7 
Mar. 
23 
May 
29 
16-83 
198 
43 
41 
9 
Tracy’s Hybrids . . 
143 
Mar. 
1 
Mar. 
23 
May 
11 
22-71 
26 
18 
12 
9 
Totals 3261 1952 972 
Averages 
was lightly and evenly covered with dry 
pulverized sheep manure. This cover- 
ing of manure kept the pots from dry- 
ing out too rapidly. The pots were 
never allowed to become bone dry till 
just before the young corms were to 
be harvested. From the date of plant- 
ing to harvest time the flats were kept 
in sunny windows indoors. 
In the table I give the facts as re- 
corded. The plantings were under 
observation till the end of June. Ac- 
60 30 
American Peony Society. 
BULLETIN NO. 10. 
This is a Hollis number, and in addi- 
tion to giving a little history of Mr. 
Geo. Hollis’ work, the Hollis varieties 
are very thoroughly described, and 
there is a long list of Hollis origina- 
tions. 
An article entitled " Hybridizing the 
Peony ” by Mr. Hollis is also printed. 
Some Easily Propa- 
gated Perennials. 
By M. Emerson Main. 
( Written expressly for The Flower Grower. ] 
Buddleia Davidii Superba. 
This Buddleia is from the Arnold 
Arboretum, and it grows from ten to 
twelve feet in height with me. The 
leaves stay on the bush all winter, 
usually, and they are wrinkled and of 
a downy texture. They are small, and 
of a grey-green. It begins blooming 
in August and continues until severe 
cold weather, the blooms being of a 
purplish lilac color and in spikes over 
a foot long. The spikes are cylindrical, 
and the base often measures two 
inches in diameter. The plant has 
proved perfectly hardy here in Southern 
New England. Buddleias are fine fall 
bloomers, and this Buddleia is easy to 
propagate. The shoots that in spring 
come up around the base of the plant 
will, almost without exception, root in 
water or moist sand, and so will the 
young growth from the branches. 
They make rapid growth when trans- 
ferred to open ground. There is a 
fragrance to the flowers, but it is more 
pleasing when the flowers are in the 
garden than when they are used as cut 
flowers. 
Caryopteris Mastacanthus. 
A perennial that is a dwarf shrub, 
growing from three to four feet high. 
It will live through severe winter 
weather alright if given good drainage 
and a location where it will be a bit 
sheltered from cutting winds. It is a 
neat grower, with small pretty leaves 
and attractive flowers of medium blue 
arranged in whorls at the leaf axils. 
It begins blooming in September, and 
it continues until hard freezes. It 
roots easily in water, from tips of 
branches or from young growth. I 
broke off some branches one June and 
put them in water as an experiment, 
and they rooted in less than a week. 
When set in the ground they grew 
along as if nothing had happened to 
disturb them, and in fall even the 
smallest plant had blooms on it. It is 
a fine plant to set in front of Boltonia 
or other white-flowered fall bloomers, 
the tall sorts. 
Artemisia Abrotanum (Southern- 
wood.) 
This is an old-timer, always found in 
grandmother’s gardens. It will grow, 
under good cultivation, to four feet in 
height, but it will grow in very poor 
soil if need be. It has fine-cut foliage 
and is splendid to use with cut flowers 
if one likes fragrant foliage. This 
shrubby perennial can be easily rooted 
in water at any season of the year, and 
once rooted the plants grow quickly. 
It is a plant that adapts itself beauti- 
fully to pot culture, and there is 
nothing cloying about its fragrance 
when house-grown. Used as a pot 
plant it is as decorative as many of 
the prized Acacias. 
