:s 
Figure 8. Gladiolus Corm, longitudinal Figure 9. Potato, longitudinal sec- 
section. A. Last year’s corm. G. Grow- tion. S. Scar of stem attachment, 
ing point of last year's corm. B.l M. Medulla; pulp filled with starch 
Corms produced this year. G.l Grow- cells. C. Cortex. F. Fibrovas- 
ing point of the new bulb. cular region. F. Section through 
eye. 
when they resume their growth the following season, after the 
period of rest. It is for this reason that (as stated in the pre- 
ceding Leaflet) bulbous plants should be left in the ground as 
long as danger from autumn frost will permit, in order that all 
the nourishment possible may pass into them from the leaves. 
Nevertheless, outdoor beds should have a few new bulbs put in 
every four to six years. Thus the beauty of the bed, as a whole, 
is kept up. 
Gardeners often divide bulbs into two classes, according to 
hardiness. In one class are placed those which withstand the 
frost; these are the hardy bulbs. In the other class are the ten- 
der bulbs, or those which cannot live through frost. In the first 
class may be mentioned crocuses, snowdrops, anemones, tulips, 
hyacinths, members of the narcissus family, and iris. In the 
second class are found dahlias, gloxinias, amaryllis, tuberoses, 
begonias, caladiums, and others perhaps not so well known. 
As will be seen from the above list, the term “bulb” as used 
by gardeners includes forms which do not strictly, in a true 
botanic sense, belong in this class, for such botanically distinct 
structures as corms, tubers, rhizomes, pips and other fleshy roots 
are included in the term. Now in structure these are not true 
bulbs. 
Corms , are solid underground stems, usually rounded or 
flattened, and often showung various gradations between bulbs 
