August, 1920 
119 
Obe Slower (Brower 
The Gladiolus 
Gladiolus Cormels. 
[■Written expressly for The Flower Grower. ] 
Seeds of Gladioli and old bulbs are 
certainly interesting and merit the 
closest study, but surely also these 
wonderful little cormels. Probably the 
first thing a Gladiolus lover wants to 
know is how to make them grow. That 
is surely a vital question. Here are 
my observations : 
When you remove, split, or tear the 
shell of a cormel, it will take about 30 
days before the first tiny growth ap- 
pears. But even so, some lie asleep in 
the ground, as if the idea of growing 
had never entered their heads. Three 
months after planting some plump 
Purple Glory cormels I have found them 
in the ground just as plump as the day 
they were planted with never a rootlet 
or sign of growth. Stubborn little 
rascals! What will wake them up? 
Maybe Mr. Kunderd knows — I do not 
as yet. Only, patience is a great virtue 
even in a Gladiolus lover. 
The next thing to remember, as far 
as my observation goes, is that cor- 
mels want dampness in order to grow. 
That is why early spring planting is to 
be recommended. This spring and 
early summer were both wet in Ohio — 
result: my rows of Norton cormels show 
full and strong. They look actually 
as if every last cormel had come up, 
and that without my breaking the 
shells, since there were too many. 
Thirdly, there is a great difference 
as to germination among the varieties. 
My row of Lilywhite is solid and grow- 
ing rapidly, some promising bloom 
late in the summer. So there are others. 
But under the same conditions some 
varieties make but a poor showing, 
whether the shells are broken or left 
intact. Water, damp ground, kept 
continuously damp, is the one thing to 
provide. Add patience, and then you 
will get the results possible with the 
variety you are seeking to multiply 
from cormels. 
Last fall when I dug my bulbs I 
paid attention especially to the cormels. 
It is simply wonderful how they grow. 
Some tight to the mother bulb, a solid 
mass, others with longer stems, and 
the Primulinus varieties with stems so 
long that the cormels are often on top 
of the old bulb as it is dug from the 
ground. Next note the shape of the 
cormels, some small and round and all 
quite uniform in size, others large and 
strong with smaller cormels in propor- 
tion ; some tall and pointed, others 
round and without a sharp point. And 
between the extremes you will find all 
the variations possible, if you have the 
proper varieties in your collection. 
Finally the beauty in the color of the 
cormels as you dig them. This struck 
me most of all. Some are pure and 
white, others tinted in the most ex- 
quisite manner. One sees at a glance 
that the beautiful color of the flowers 
is already manifest in the tinting of 
the cormels. It is all in the covering 
of the cormel— the little casing or 
shell which eventually rots and dis- 
appears. The meat inside is white 
and alike in all. But the coloring is 
there nevertheless. When the cormels 
are dried the coloring disappears to the 
eye -all look brown, some a little 
darker than others. Of course, the 
tints themselves remain locked in the 
shell, and will show up eventually when 
the cormel comes to bloom. 
So marked are the characteristics of 
many varieties of cormels that one is 
able to recognize certain varieties by 
the looks of the cormels when the bulbs 
are dug. If you find a Schwaben rogue 
among your Pendletons, your Nortons, 
your Mary Pickfords, you can detect it 
at once, even if the bulb did not bloom. 
The cormels will betray the rogue, 
these and the color of the flesh and 
husk of the bulb itself. 
I am growing two cormels of Giant 
Myrtle. One of these had the shell 
slightly cracked in handling during the 
winter or perhaps at digging in the 
fall. The little fellow inside was dried 
a bit when his coat was taken off at 
planting. Do you know the result? 
The uncracked cormel is making its 
fourth leaf now (early July) and is 
quite a plant, while the other little 
chap has only two tiny rootlets, no 
thick fleshy root at all, such as cormels 
must make to do anything. Though 
planted in February this tiny bulb is 
just now beginning to show a little 
growth from the eye. I believe if I 
use patience enough I will actually get 
growth even from this cormel. But I 
am going to be careful not to crack 
the coats of any valuable varieties 
of cormels by rough handling. Even 
a little drying of the inside flesh re- 
tards growth for months, and may 
make it impossible altogether. 
Thirty plump little Paramount cor- 
mels went into the soil. Twenty-nine 
are doing well. What about number 
30 ? Early in the game this fine, plump 
and goodly sized cormel was soft — 
rotted. It is an unexplained tragedy. 
Wish I knew what did the damage, 
but there is no one to explain. 
Yes, cormels are interesting. I have 
just begun my study of them. If I find 
out anything more worthwhile, per- 
haps I’ll feel as I do just now — un- 
able to keep still, have to tell it to The 
Flower Grower. 
R. C. H. Lenski. 
One of the large commercial growers 
reports that he treated all Gladiolus 
bulbs and bulblets in formaldehyde 
solution, soaking the bulblets about 
the middle of March, and after soaking 
mixing them with moist sand. There 
is no doubt but that exposing bulblets to 
moisture some considerable time be- 
fore planting will increase their germi- 
nating properties, but care must be 
exercised not to allow them to mold. 
Probably no danger of this when using 
a formaldehyde solution. 
Keeping Cut Flowers. 
The Horticultural Trade Journal of London 
has the following to say about keeping cut 
flowers : 
Experienced market men know how best to 
keep flowers left over from one day to another, 
yet there are some who do not adopt the best 
methods. Much depends upon what the flow- 
ers are, but most flowers will keep better shut 
up close in boxes, than they will when put in- 
to water and exposed. In the ordinary way 
most flowers will keep longer if the stems are 
in water, shut up in a close cupboard, which 
is not very cold or too warm. But in the 
market there is no such convenience, and 
from experience I have found that flowers 
will last longer if shut up in close boxes. In 
some instances wet paper may be put around 
the stems, the boxes which should be moist, 
may be lined with wet paper, and a sheet of 
dry laid over the wet. 
Carnations, Sweet Peas, and other flowers 
which curl up quickly, will keep much longer 
shut up close, than if put into water and the 
flowers exposed to a dry air. Flowers that 
turn upwards, such as Mignonette, Tulips, 
etc., should where possible be stood upright, 
instead of being laid down in boxes. It is 
rather surprising that growers do not adopt 
the system of packing flowers which turn, in 
a manner that will prevent it. With most 
short or medium length stems, there is but 
little difficulty in packing so that the flowers 
stand erect, and with some moisture at the 
bottom of the cases. Moisture is an essential, 
but it should not come on the flowers. 
Some flowers keep better when fully ex- 
posed. The Sweet Sul tan maybe given as an 
instance; it will last longer fully exposed to 
the sun, and quite dry, than it will in a moist 
cool place where there is moisture. 
During the past few months I have several 
times been asked how best flowers can be 
kept, and it is a difficult question to answer, 
for so much depends upon what the flowers 
are, and also the convenience at hand for 
storing. With few exceptions they will be 
found to keep better when shut up close in 
boxes. 
I do not know if it is general, but in some 
of the London florists’ shops they have lead- 
lined drawers for keeping cut flowers in. 
One florist who has good cellar accommoda- 
tion tells me that he can keep flowers under 
the close archways where there is no draught, 
for a very long period. 
The Larkspur. 
The Larkspur (Delphinium) is well 
known and finds a place in nearly every 
garden. It is one of the few of the so- 
called old-fashioned flowers that are al- 
ways wanted in the modern gardens. 
Some of the newest originations by 
those who have made a specialty of hy- 
bridizing the Larkspur are indeed quite 
wonderful and the tones and shades of 
color which are obtainable from Lark- 
spur can hardly be found in any other 
plant. 
A rich and damp soil is essential for 
vigorous growth, a sandy loam with 
plenty of water in the growing season 
giving best results. Seeds may be 
sown in summer for next year’s bloom. 
Larkspur is easily propagated by divi- 
sion of the old plant or by cuttings 
made in the spring. 
A mulch of well rotted manure ap- 
plied to flowering plants during the dry 
season, keeps the roots moist and cool, 
and supplies plant food. Well rotted 
manure put on’in'the form of a mulch 
will work wonders in many cases. 
