November, 1920 Z3l)£ ^Flower <BrOW(ir 
The Gladiolus 
The Forcing of Gladioli. 
Some Causes of Failure Explained. 
BY MONTAGUE CHAMBERLAIN. 
(In Florists' Exchange , 1916.) 
Many of our growers who have made an 
attempt to force Gladiolus bulbs have aban- 
doned it because of failure. The plants 
did not bloom ; frequently the bulbs did not 
even germinate. What was the cause? Most 
frequently these failures were the result of 
the bulbs not being allowed a sufficient time 
for rest and recuperation, which is as neces- 
sary for plants as for animals. The bulbs 
should be given three months’ rest at least, 
and four months would be better. 
To insure the most complete success the 
grower should arrange that the parent bulbs, 
those which are to produce the bulbs he in- 
tends to force, shall be planted early in the 
season, so that the new bulbs may have op- 
portunity to complete their several functions 
and be ready for the rest period early in the 
Autumn. Or if he cannot control the plant- 
ing he should obtain the required data from 
the grower. 
The question of the size of bulb most suit- 
able for forcing has been much discussed. 
Many growers, following tradition, have 
sought the larger bulbs, those of 2 in. diam- 
eter and over being the favorities, and to 
meet this demand the seed houses have pro- 
vided what they style “selected” bulbs. 
Just what size is the best for forcing de- 
pends somewhat upon the variety, the nor- 
mal size of mature bulbs varying in the 
different sorts. The bulbs should be of good 
size, large enough to have stored up the re- 
quired nourishment, but this can be found 
usually in stock of a smaller diameter than 
the “selected” bulbs. Taking America as an 
example, I should choose bulbs of lj? in. to 
2 in. I have seen bulbs of America that 
measured 2\ in. that would force well, but 
these are not common, for as a rule 
when they get’ beyond 2 in. they are apt to 
be “aged” and to have lost their power to 
produce first-class blossoms. What has been 
said about America will apply also to Mrs. 
Francis King, but it will not apply to all 
varieties, for if I were selecting bulbs of 
Pendleton I should want them about 1J in. to 
1J in. in diameter. Of the major part of 
the other varieties available at present, prob- 
ably about lij in. to If in. or 2 in. would be 
found satisfactory, though among those of 
more recent introduction there are a number 
whose mature bulbs measure 2\ in. to 2\ in. 
The shape of the bulb is important, per- 
haps quite as important as its mere diam- 
eter, for by its shape, its vitality and its 
ability to produce first-class blossoms can be 
fairly well determined. The young, vigorous 
bulbs are conical; the aged bulbs are flat. 
Another point worth remembering is that 
bulbs intended for forcing are the better for 
being fully ripened. Let me explain just 
what I mean by that, for it is a point that is 
often misunderstood. Each bulb that is put 
in the ground has certain functions assigned 
it. It must produce a plant with leaves and 
stalk and produce also a new bulb. The old 
bulb and the new combined must produce a 
spike of blossoms, and if pollinated these 
will be followed by pods filled with seed. 
After the seed is ripe the new bulb continues 
its development, drawing part of its nutrition 
through the roots of the old bulb, even after 
the body of the old bulb has been exhausted 
and contracted. The new bulbs grow rap- 
idly in the weeks following seed production, 
and if they are left in the ground until they 
are completely matured they will then 
“ripen” quickly and their leaves will turn 
brown. But because they are more easily 
harvested while the leaves are still green 
and tough, they are sometimes pulley! out 
before completing their growth. This isaptto 
occur more frequently with the younger 
growers, for the experienced men and those 
with keen powers of observation and intel- 
ligence have learned that it is decidedly to 
their advantage to leave the bulbs in the 
ground until they are ripe, in which condi- 
tion they are dormant. 
Varieties to Choose. 
Just what variety to select for forcing de- 
pends upon the market. What do the florists 
want ? There is more general demand for 
America than for any other sort, though Mrs. 
Francis King, Chicago White, Augusta and 
May are often found in this market. There 
are a number of others that cost but a mod- 
erate sum and will force well. In such a 
list I should place Raron Hulot, violet ; 
Brenchleyensis, scarlet ; Halley, salmon pink ; 
Independence, flame pink ; Meadnivvale, white ; 
Pink Beauty, rose pink ; Snowbank, white ; 
Taconir, bright pink; The King, mauve lilac, 
and others. As a matter of fact most of the 
sorts now on the market can be forced 
successfully, and many can be purchased at 
a price low enough to make forcing profitable. 
One winter we put some Myrtle under glass 
in December and in April took the blossoms 
to a big New York show. They were much 
admired and lasted well. At the end of the 
show they were still attractive. 
The bulbs having been selected, the next 
question is — how shall they be planted ? A 
soil suitable for Chrysanthemums or Carna- 
tions will be found suitable for Gladioli, and 
if the soil you have at hand does not seem 
quite rich enough you might add some sheep 
manure, taking care to work it into the soil. 
(Gladioli thrive in a rather rich soil ) Place 
the bulbs about 4 in. apart and cover them 
with about 4 in. of soil. Give them plenty 
of sunshine but keep the temperature about 
55°, not letting it go below 50° at night. 
As soon as the sprouts appear stir the soil 
around them and continue to keen the soil 
loose and open. Once a week, or as often 
as the soil seems to require water, give it a 
good soaking. Never sprinkle it. When the 
buds appear applv liquid sheep manure as 
often as once a week, taking care not to use 
so much that the plants are injured. 
When preparing Gladiolus spikes for mar- 
ket it is best to cut them while they are 
“tight,” that is, when the first two buds show 
color. It is not possible to get them into the 
florists’ hands in good condition if they are 
cut when open. 
The florists demand long stalks and will 
pay but half price for those that are “short,” 
but if you have given the plants sufficient 
water they will have made stalks so long that 
you can satisfy the florists without serious 
damage to the bulbs, for the bulbs will suffer 
unless you give them enough leaves to en- 
able them to continue their growth. Some 
growers think that two leaves are sufficient, 
but I have my doubts. This summer at the 
nursery, we cut a thousand spikes of Ida 
Van, leaving but two leaves, and in the 
same block were several thousand others 
uncut. Some three weeks after the cutting 
we dug up the entire block and I then dis- 
covered that the plants that had been de- 
prived of their leaves produced bulbs of 
but half the size of the neighboring bulbs 
that had the benefit of all the leaves. It will 
be much safer to allow each plant at least 
four leaves. 
Bulbs that have been forced cannot be 
used for forcing the following season, but in 
the spring they can be planted in the open 
179 
field and will produce good blossoms and 
good bulbs. 
What I have written here refers exclusively 
to the summer-flowering sorts. The Col- 
villei and the nanus group are grown in 
large quantities in England but have not be- 
come popular in this country. These varie- 
ties are planted in the fall and early winter 
and the blossoms are ready for an extremely 
early market. 
Gladiolus — A merica. 
Our Cleveland correspondent recently 
cited the fact that Gladiolus America had 
lost much of its character and popularity. 
The same view is held by many in the New 
York and other markets and an examina- 
tion of the average stock sent into the 
market more or less convinces one that 
such is the case. But mental comparisons 
are not always reliable ; a man who buys 
America blooms nowadays has no means of 
comparing past and present, unless he has 
a reliable color plate of the variety when it 
was first distributed. We believe that as 
fine spikes of America as were ever grown 
are still to be found and as true to the origi- 
nal color which took the world by storm. It 
is quite possible that many who declare 
America has lost quality may be uncon- 
sciously comparing the variety with some of 
the newer forms which have richer color or 
other superior merits. If America of the 
present day is actually inferior to what it 
was ten or fifteen years ago, the change is 
due to one or other of two causes. 
It must be understood that all plants have a 
tendency to vary. The progeny of any par- 
ticular plant, whether raised by cuttings, 
offsets or seeds, never exactly resembles the 
parent. Thus it follows that some of the 
progeny may be superior and others inferior 
to the parent. Under the circumstances 
direct saving of all the progeny, irrespective 
of these variations, is likely to bring about 
modifications of the stock. This modifica- 
tion is further likely to be toward inferiority, 
inasmuch as inferior types are usually most 
prolific in reproduction ; with plants repro- 
ducing from seed this tendency is most pro- 
nounced. Regarding Gladiolus America, the 
general stock now available may be inferior 
because growers have neglected to select 
only the types that were equal if not su- 
perior to the original. On the other hand, 
it is not improbable that many of the stocks 
sold as America are not the variety at all, 
but seedlings closely resembling it, which 
have been distributed without regard to the 
fact that they lacked the identical size or 
color. Everyone who raises plants from seed 
in large quantities is bound to find examples 
that resemble or surpass others in com- 
merce. The modern seed grower keeps up 
his stocks of some lines by watching for 
these variations. The late Henry Eckford 
time and again found his named varieties 
of Sweet Peas duplicated in later batches of 
seedlings, and, whenever these seedlings 
showed finer characteristics, the old stock 
was replaced by the new. Not a few of the 
present day Spencer Sweet Peas have, in 
the hands of specialists, been improved in the 
same way. Some of the present day Cycla- 
men are of a finer type than they were ten 
years ago, although the varietal names have 
not been changed. Their superiority is due 
to the fact that they are wholly new stocks. 
Left to Nature there is no standing still in 
plant development ; a stock will either im- 
prove or deteriorate, usually the latter. The 
grower must decide what he wants and hold 
up his stock to that ideal. — Florists’ Exchange. 
The statement has been made that 
the average life of a variety is about 
three years. There may be some ques- 
tion about this, but to prove or dis- 
prove is not so easy. 
