10 
ObeJRower (Brower 
January, 1918 
[This department of The Flower Grower is intended to be one of its most helpful and 
valuable features. All questions asked in good faith and which are of general interest will 
have careful attention. The full name and address of the writer must be given, but not 
for publication.] — Editor. 
Growing Gladioli in Mixtures. 
To the Editor 
Is it advisable for the beginner to grow 
Gladioli as a mixture ? It is very much 
cheaper to start in this way than with the 
named varieties and I would be glad to have 
your suggestions. I do not want to make 
much of an outlay to start with. 
Beginner. 
Answer: — We believe strongly in 
mixtures, but there are some mixtures 
on the market that are not worth any- 
thing at all as they are not worth the 
expense put into them in the way of 
planting and culture. If you buy a 
mixture from any reputable grower, 
however, you may be sure of com- 
plete satisfaction from it and some of 
the most advanced growers, both ama- 
teurs and professionals, have mixtures 
which are a source of great satisfac- 
tion and pride to them. Many people 
w r ho buy named varieties and who are 
not very careful with their labeling, 
at the end of a few years only have a 
mixture, but just the same their en- 
thusiasm for the Gladiolus does not 
wane for this reason. The Editor has 
been growing Gladioli in mixture from 
the very first and his mixture is better 
now than it ever was before and he 
takes a great deal of satisfaction in 
securing mixtures from different grow- 
ers. 
What is an Old Gladiolus Corm ? 
To the Editor:— 
Reference is made from time to time to 
“ old ” Gladiolus corms and the statement 
that they are not to be relied on for invari- 
able blooming nor propagation. What is an 
old bulb? Is it to be understood that the 
newly formed full-sized corm forming on the 
old exhausted dried-out corm which has 
bloomed, will not be as valuable the second 
year as the one from which it sprung and 
that the one (or more) forming the third 
year will be of less value than the one 
forming the second year, etc., and are such 
full size reproductions not as valuable for 
sale as those raised from bulblets? I will 
be very grateful fora word to set me straight 
on this. It has always been represented 
that an investment in Gladioli was in the 
nature of a permanent investment because 
of the reproduction of these full size bulbs. 
W. G. N. 
Answer : — While some growers claim 
a scheme or process of rejuvenation, 
yet it may be accurately stated, we 
believe, that after a Gladiolus corm 
reaches its greatest development that 
it then begins to get " old ” and its 
period of usefulness is limited. There 
is, of course, great difference in varie- 
ties as to their vitality and longevity, 
but yet the statement is equally true, 
so far as we know, of any variety. 
It is our impression that the best and 
most experienced growers state that the 
very best and largest bloom can be had 
from Gladiolus corms two or three years 
from cormels or bulblets. If a large 
corm results in two years’ growth, it 
will be a very strong one and will pro- 
duce fine bloom. If it takes three years 
to secure a large corm the bloom will 
hardly be as good as from a corm of 
the same size but two years from bulb- 
let. After reaching its period of maxi- 
mum quality the new corm forming on 
the old one will, we believe, become of 
less and less value from year to year 
until finally it may deteriorate into sev- 
eral divisions or into an old, flat corm 
which will not start a sprout or which 
will fail to bloom if it sprouts. Our 
own personal experience along this line 
is, of course, somewhat limited as com- 
pared with the older commercial grow- 
ers, but we believe that the life history 
of a Gladiolus corm is about as out- 
lined above. 
Gladioli with Carnations. 
To the Editor:— 
Much space is available from death of 
carnation plants and I do not care to utilize 
the space for carnations again this season. 
Will Gladioli bloom during the winter 
months ? B. J. M. 
Answer: — The Colvilli varieties, 
Peach Blossom, Blushing Bride, etc., 
and some of the Nanus type should 
answer your purpose. These generally 
will not flower before April 1st. The 
large growing kinds like Augusta, 
America, etc., should not be planted 
until after January 1st. Gladioli in 
combination with carnations work out 
to good advantage in many cases. 
Gladioli Under Glass. 
To the Editor 
When growing such varieties as America, 
Mrs. Francis King, etc., under glass, please 
let me know how deep they should be 
planted for best results and do you think it 
is necessary to support the stalk in any way ? 
R. N. G. 
Answer: — Gladiolus corms in the 
greenhouse should be planted 4 to 5 
inches deep and the flower stalks will 
need no staking. Sometimes when 
grown out doors supporting is needed 
when growing exhibition bloom, but 
if planted about 6 inches deep, which 
is correct for large corms, staking is 
not ordinarily necessary. 
Some Things My Neigh- 
bor Does With Flowers. 
Her window garden is lovely from 
early fall until summer because pots 
are dressed in crepe paper. She cuts 
white or rose-colored paper into 
lengths, turns down a hem at top and 
bottom and gathers the pieces a little 
full around the pots. Indoors, this 
paper has retained its freshness and 
color the whole winter, the contrast 
with gay blooms and green foliage is 
very pretty. 
She makes hanging baskets for As- 
paragus Sprengeri of candy buckets. 
After boring several holes in the bot- 
tom of the bucket for drainage, she 
paints the bucket white and plants the 
Asparagus in pure leaf mold. Trans- 
planting is done only every three years. 
The ferns, such as Boston Sword, Scoiti 
and Whitmania may be handled the 
same way. They are kept out of reach 
of touching by passers-by, as touching 
the fronds at the tips frequently will 
cause them to blight, look brown and 
ugly. Geraniums and begonias, meant 
for winter blooming, are planted in 
rather small pots to crowd the roots 
and force growth and bloom to the top. 
The Christmas Cactus, while in 
bloom, is kept out of the direct rays of 
the sun, as sunshine will cause the 
blooms to wither much sooner than 
when the plant is kept in shade. She 
takes up one or two-year-old Roses in 
the fall, transplants them in large pots 
and her winter garden always contains 
a few lovely roses through winter. 
These, of course, must have as much 
sunshine as possible, and are placed in 
a southern and western exposure. 
As spring comes on she transfers 
her blooming plants to the soil of 
garden or window-box and keeps her 
Ferns indoors to give a cool atmos- 
phere to the living rooms, during the 
hot days. 
Her hanging baskets and buckets 
are renewed and hung on the porch to 
grow in luxury all the summer long ; 
all these things and more each of us 
can do. — Mrs. C. H. Rust in The Pro- 
gressive Farmer. 
Defining the Amateur. 
At a meeting of the executive com- 
mittee of the Am. Dahlia Soc., Nov. 8, 
discussion was taken as to the defini- 
tion of an amateur. It was proposed 
by J. J. Lane and carried, that the 
definition of an amateur gardener, 
with slight modification, as adopted by 
the New Haven (Conn.) Horticultural 
Society, be the definition as agreed 
to by the American Dahlia Society ; 
the same to be published in the next 
bulletin, with an invitation for criti- 
cisms or amendments, and the same to 
be incorporated in the schedule for the 
next annual show. The definition 
agreed to by the executive committee 
is as follows : 
