366 
ON CROSSES AND 
only, failed of making’ seed, while every flower to which the 
natural pollen had access produced it, and I consider the 
union of Byzantinus with any of the species above enume- 
rated, except Psittacinus, to be impracticable. I consider 
Alatus to belong to the same family as Psittacinus, and also 
a beautiful species imported, likewise, as I understood, from 
the neighbourhood of the Nathal river, which I propose to 
call G. oppositiflorus. It is now sold by the Dutch nursery- 
men under the name floribundus, which has been long pre- 
occupied. Its flowers, twenty-four or more in number, pre- 
sent themselves alternately from the two sides of a robust 
erect stalk. Blandus, Cardinalis, &c. have the flowers 
rising upwards from the back of a bent stalk, and seem to 
constitute a family distinct from those which present them- 
selves in front. G. oppositiflorus has the flower much undu- 
lated, white, dashed with pinkish purple. The genus 
Gladiolus ought to be divided into at least two sections or 
sub-genera. I consider a sub-genus to be such a portion of 
any genus as will not intermingle with the rest, and has 
some distinctive appearance, but insufficient to induce a 
belief of their original diversity. Seedling Gladioli will 
flower often the first autumn ; the best treatment is to sow 
the seed in pots, and give them shelter till the seedlings are 
pretty strong, and then turn out the ball unbroken into the 
border, where they will produce a crowded nosegay of flowers 
of various shades of colour. 
It is not, however, by crossing different species or local 
varieties of plants only, that the cultivator may add to the 
beauty of his collection. Much may be done undoubtedly 
by crossing judiciously the finest seminal varieties of such 
plants as have been already improved in our gardens, and 
are disposed to break into a multiplicity of forms or colours. 
It is to be observed, that in some cases the seminal va- 
rieties of plants preserve themselves almost as distinct in their 
generations as if they were separate species : for instance, the 
cultivated double holyoaks, of which at least the orange, the 
yellow, the white, the black, the red, and the pink, may be 
raised with certainty by seed from plants of the several co- 
lours, although planted near together in the garden ; and it 
is probable that if gardeners were to take the trouble of 
crossing them with the pollen of plants of a different colour, 
a greater multiplicity of hues would be procured. In car- 
nations also the seedlings have a great disposition to follow 
