212 
JOURNAL OF HORTICULTURE AND COTTAGE GARDENER. [ March ir, im. 
to have little influence. I suspect that the cultivation of them 
in the same ground for seven years, referred to by “ D., Deal," 
comes under my own cognisance. I know other cases where, for 
five years at least, they have been planted in the same spot with 
the usual varied results. My own have for four years out of five 
occupied the same beds, and I mean to plant in the same again. 
Having hitherto manured these heavily I will dig in a good quantity 
I * 1 
t.i 
j 
Fig. 49. (See page 213.) 
of leaf soil, which I have before now found beneficial. I shall, 
however, of necessity bring in another bed in ground not hitherto 
occupied by Gladioli, and shall observe the issue. I may adduce 
what seems to be in favour of a change of ground, the case of a 
neighbouring amateur, an enthusiastic admirer and most successful 
grower of these unrivalled flowers. Circumstances caused him 
last year to remove to a garden at a little distance from his former 
one. This ground had for years in succession been planted with 
Potatoes. It was treated by him in the usual way. Losses of 
course occurred, but more uniform large-sized corms than those 
we were inspecting the other evening were surely never lifted. 
This is more to be observed, as I find smaller roots to be the rule 
this year, judging from those procured from different houses. 
I fancy that my plants showed an equal average 
strength to his, but with few exceptions I obtained 
much smaller corms. 
The ordinary vagaries of the Gladiolus are nume¬ 
rous. I have put fine healthy-looking roots into the 
soil, and after the others were a foot high have found 
these lying as planted, not a rootlet formed, and 
persistently refusing to grow under any treatment. 
As a contrast take the following. I saw a root of 
Lulli cast aside as hopelessly diseased ; to my eyes it 
seemed quite useless. An acquaintance, more by way 
of joke than anything else, planted it. I saw a fine 
spike last autumn from that same corm ; there could 
be no mistake, as such a variety was not in the 
possession of my friend previously. Again, out of six 
plants of Shakespeare growing in the same line, one, 
certainly not more promising than the others, pro¬ 
duced a spike that for texture and colouring surprised 
all that saw it. One plant out of several of Horace 
Yernet cast with my neighbour a spike such as I have 
never seen, except, perhaps, one of my own three 
years ago. I had only one plant of Le Vesuve last 
year, and had I known nothing of the variety but 
from my own blotchy ill-set flower I certainly never 
would have had another. With my friend it was in 
every way magnificent; therefore I have added 
another root or two of that. Were Henry XIV. in 
reality the ragged ill-conditioned fellow he showed 
himself on his first appearance here he would be 
quite unworthy of the society in which he found 
himself ; but we know that the disguise was but 
assumed. Some of my finest plants, after producing 
such flowers as live in one’s memory, ended in that 
grand flare-up and—extinction. Of Meyerbeer, which 
never kept sound with me before, I lost only one 
root; and of Ondine, the most fickle of the fair, not 
one ; and so on. 
Of Mr. Kelway’s varieties I have hitherto had only 
about a dozen. These have conducted themselves 
with me in much the same way as the others. Last 
year Brennus, Ball of Fire, Dr. Hogg, Pictum did 
well, and my friend had Lassia really splendid. I 
have added considerably to the number of my varie¬ 
ties of Mr. Kelway’s raising, and I owe him thanks. 
No, they are already tendered, for something more 
than for the excellent corms of those obtained 
directly from himself. 
I may be wrong, but the quality of the roots ap¬ 
pears to depend a good deal on the quarter from 
which they are obtained. I know at least that those 
I get from two sources of supply are invariably 
superior to those procured from some others : I refer 
more particularly to houses supplying th« French 
varieties. We have not here seen the newer addi¬ 
tions from the Continent mentioned by “ D., Deal," 
in his interesting paper (by-the-by, Africain is, as 
he knows, Souchet’s, not Kelway’s) ; but if these are 
decided advances on such varieties as Brongniart, 
Camille, Daubenton, De Mirbel, Mons. Legouve, 
Murillo, Ondine, Orpheus, Phoenix, Psyche, and many 
others, they must be good indeed. Whether these 
must bow in deference to H.B.H. the Duchess and 
her train of lords, ladies, and other magnates from Mr. 
Kelway’s collection will, I hope, in due time be seen. 
Meantime, with snow lying at a depth of nearly a 
foot all round and still falling heavily, with roads 
drifted up so as to be in many parts impassable, and 
with every appearance of a continuance of 4 the storm, 
there is as yet little prospect of furthering acquaint¬ 
ance with these or their less distinguished attendants ; 
and so we must e’en rest a little longer, inspecting the roots, con¬ 
sulting catalogues, and imagining forthcoming beauties during the 
season. May imagination end in reality, and the season be a 
favourable one.— A Northern Amateur. 
Many of the newer-raised seedlings are said to be very tender, 
