April 12, im. i 
JOURNAL OF HORTICULTURE AND COTTAGE GARDENER. 
295 
possible to clear the ground of them—every bit will grow. The 
sets should not exceed 6 inches in length, and are best planted 
nearly horisontally. The end intended to form a crown should be 
a little higher than that from which roots are to form. Plant them 
on beds raised by placing the soil from the alleys on the top of 
them before planting is done. When planted on the surface of 
such beds, with the sets sufficiently deep only to keep them beneath 
the soil, lifting is rendered easy. If the soil was well broken up 
prior to planting they can be drawn out without breaking the fangs 
if loosened with a fork. This insures the ground being fairly free 
of them, which is very important, or double if not treble the labour 
ithat should be required will have to be spent on the crop that 
follows. 
At lifting time the fangs are cut off to form sets for the fol¬ 
lowing season, and these can be stored in a convenient position for 
preparation during bad weather. The marketable roots also undergo 
preparation, but the method adopted varies for different markets 
and by different growers. Some buyers purchase their stock and 
etore it in cellars, and in this case it is best with the removal of any 
ifibry roots that may have formed during the season, but tied 
in bundles in other respects as lifted. In this way it keeps 
best by those who have no soil in which to store it. In other cases 
it is washed and given the appearance of white Carrots by scouring 
it with sand. When this has to be done, however, rather stiff 
oocoanut scrubbing brushes are the best for the work. But my 
advice to intending growers is, Go to the market you intend to 
•supply, and you will soon discern which method of preparation 
after lifting takes best. If they are sold without cleaning, try a 
few cleaned ones, and if they do not take so well discontinue the 
system. 
The preparation of the sets before planting is important. The 
thicker the sets for planting the better will be the roots at lifting 
time. Very small sets do not attain sufficient size and strength in 
•one season, and to have them tender they should not be of more 
than two years’ growth—that is, one season’s growth after 
planting. When the sets are cut into lengths, rub every fibre 
■off with the exception of a quarter of an inch at the bass. 
This must be carefully done to insure clean roots at lifting time. 
If allowed to root from any other position than the base of 
the set, the appearance is spoiled and the sticks are decreased in 
-size. Very often two and three crowns will start, and these, like 
Seakale, should be removed and the strongest onlj- left. Good 
Horseradish should be tender and resemble a white Carrot when 
cut in two.— M.4.EKETER. 
MY GLADIOLI IN 1887. 
I MAY lay claim to being now the oldest amateur grower of 
this lovely autumn flower in the kingdom, an honour which I do 
not suppose many will envy me. For upwards of thirty years, at 
:any rate, I have grown Gladioli. I have seen very great advance¬ 
ment in tbe flower in every respect. I have had my “ ups and 
•downs” in its culture, have passed through disastrous seasons 
which have made me also bankrupt in stock. I have also seen 
favourable seasons, but I never remember so favourable a season as 
that the doings of which, as far as my own garden is concerned, I now 
chronicle, and in looking back I have a black mark fixed against 
1879 ; and taking all these things into account, it is clear to me that 
a dry season is the most suitable for it, just as it is for the Potato, 
and that for the same reason in both cases, that a dry season is not 
favourable for the development of the disease to which they are 
HBubject. 
I write the word “ disease ” with some degree of satisfaction, 
because I think that the past season has satisfactorily settled the 
•question as lo the cause of losses which all growers of the Gladiolus 
Tiave to mourn over. Two theories have been put forward to 
account for these losses besides that which attributes them to 
■disease—exhaustion and degeneration. Now with regard to the 
former, Mr. Kelway, who is the largest grower in the kingdom, 
and who has always maintained this theory, writes to me, “ Seasons 
^govern results.” I do not ask him whetlier he has given up his 
■theory, but it is quite clear that if exhaustion is the cause of 
failure it must go on, no matter what the character of the season 
may be. As to degeneration, I cannot tliink that this theory will 
hold water in the face of the simple fact that I have had this year 
plants 5 and 6 feet in height from corms which have been four or 
five years old (I use this term popularly, although it is well known 
that the corm dies each year and a new one is formed above the 
•old one) ; and to another fact, that varieties which came out twenty 
years ago can be had as good as they were when first brought out. 
Since the ahove was written I have examined some corms from 
France, direct from Fontainebleau, and some of them are as badly 
diseased as any I have ever seen. 
One result cf this pasi season will 1 e, that whenever any culti¬ 
vator has adopted some particular mode of culture he will attribute 
his success to that special culture, and ignoi e the effect of the season. 
Thus I see that one grower is so satisfied with the plan of starting 
them in pots that he intends to continue the practice, believing his 
success to be attributed to this, when probably it is owing to the 
character of the season. I have, amongst my many experiments 
with them, tried this more than once, but I never found any better 
results from it, and where the collection is largo it entails a great 
deal of trouble. 
I have been impressed with the notion during these last two or 
three years that it is a mistake to suppose that the Gladiolus likes 
a light soil, but that, on the contrary, a stiffer one suits it better, 
and that where the soil is calcareous they thrive best. Mr. Burrell 
of Cambridge holds this opinion very strongly, and last season 
confirmed my view. I had some planted in a part of my garden 
■where the soil is stiffer and more calcareous, and some where the 
soil is lighter and full of decayed vegetable matter, and those in 
the former seem far ahead of the latter. I asked the question of 
Messrs. Souillard & Brunelet of Fontainebleau, my dear old friend 
Souchet’s successors, and they inform me that tbe soil at Montereux 
■where the greater portion of their culture is carried on, and which 
is also one of the most famous places for the Chasselas de Fon- 
tainbleau, is calcareous—that at Fontainbleau is sandy. They do 
not, any more than most of the tribe, like a “ stodgy ” tenacious 
soil, but they do like one that is tenacious and yet allows water to 
run off. I allowed last year my roots a large space between them, 
12 inches, but on paying a visit to Mr. Campbell of Gourock, N.B., 
I was surprised to find how very much closer liis were p’anted, and 
as he is one of our most successful growers and exhibitors I have 
determined to plant closer this year. Say G or 8 inches. I largely 
adopted the plan, last year, of cutting the corms in two, and indeed 
in some cases in three, and although there exists in some people’s 
minds a prejudice against this plan, I can testify that some of the 
best blooms and corms were produced from such cat conns, and at 
the same time it doubles the grower’s stock. 
From letters I have had from Mons. Souillard this season I 
imagine that they have felt at Fontainbleau some of the same 
difficulties which we experienced in England this season. Only the 
other day he wrote to me to say that frost and snow were still 
with them, and that consequently planting was out of the ques¬ 
tion. List year I planted mine at about the usual time—about 
the first week in March, but this year it will be quite if not more 
than a month later before the work is completed. I do not, how¬ 
ever, think that that makes so much difference as might be sup¬ 
posed. In harvesting them last season I departed from my usual 
habit of taking them up in October, being moved thereto by Mr. 
Burrell of Cambridge, and delayed taking them up until late into 
November and early in December. This gives the corms a longer 
time to ripen, but at the same time it is somewhat more trouble¬ 
some, as by that time the beds are tolerably saturated, and conse¬ 
quently more soil clings to the roots than when they are “ lifted ” 
in an earlier and drier time. 
I had not so much opportunity of testing the new varieties 
sent out by the Fontainbleau firm last year as usual, and, unfor¬ 
tunately, circumstances prevented me from seeing the exhibitions at 
the Crystal Palace or at the Aquarium, where Mr. Burrell and 
Mr. Campbell of Gourock showed so well, but am not sure whether 
they exhibited any of the novelties of 188G or not. The following 
are descriptions of those of 188G. 
Fk.a Diavoi.O. -This has a long and compact spike of large 
flowers of a lovely orange-red colour, flamed with reddish violet 
on the edges of the petals, and with a large pale yellow spot in 
the centre. 
Excii.-\.NTeuesse. —This I believe to be the best of the year. It 
is a large and compact spike of very large flowers, white with pale 
satiny lilac marking, violet-red stripe in two of the divisons, very 
tall. 
M.vcucien. —Plant of medium height, compact spike of large 
flowers, the edges of the petal slightly fringed ; centre of flower 
pas.sing into a pale rose. 
M.vgnieicus —Tall plant, superb spike of very large flowers, 
round and open, cinnahar red, beautiful white spot in centre with 
violet border. 
Minos.—T all plant, long spike with clcsely arranged flowers of 
salmon-rose, largely flamed, and variegated with cerise red, 
amaranth band and centre. 
Pollux.— Dwarf plant of rounded flowers, lovely carmine red, 
■with brownish red stripe on border of the petals ; beautiful white 
spot. 
Siuius.—Long spike with flowers of a lovely rose, striped with 
carmine, ■with purple spot. 
Si’LENDEXs.—Long spike well funiislied with fl jwers of cin¬ 
nabar red, with pale 3 'ellow spot on one or more of the divisions. 
