3l6 
JOURNAL OF HORTICULTURE AND COTTAGE GARDENER. 
[ April « lr(8. 
ment will mike Duchess of Edinburgh, James Jlclntosh, or Phcebus 
expand their enormous blooms before the end of October ; indeed, last 
year I had them flowering the first week in December. 
Soil.— “ D., Deal," formerly “ gave a preference for Gfladioli-growing 
to a good friable loam,” but more recently seems to think with Mr. 
Burrell of Cambridge that better results are .attained where the soil is 
calcareous and stiffer. In Ireland, as far asunder as Saunder's N urseries 
of Cork, and Dickson of Newtownards, splendid spikes with twenty-two 
blooms each are freely grown on the former soil, and I certainly have 
better results with a deep rich sandy loam. I add the sand with the 
corms. I believe I am correct in stating neither Mr. K el way of 
Langport, nor Mr. Campbell of Gourock, N.B., grow on a calcareous soil, 
and your correspondent bears ample testimony to their success. I only 
grow as an amateur, and raise none from seed and little from spawn, yet 
my stock has steadily increased. I cannot justly complain'therefore of 
disease, exhaustion, or degeneration. 
Aspect to Gbow in. —Unquestionably a gentle southern slope, un¬ 
shaded, and fully open to sun heat and to a maximum of ripening and 
maturing influence, is one of the great agencies that command success. 
The corms must be ripened, or failure will result. The ripening or 
maturation can only take place through the foliage. If anyone con¬ 
tests this let him try and grow a bed—all things else being equal— 
in a northern or shaded aspect, say at the back of a house, and note the 
result the second or third year. I ought to add that I assist the 
maturing process by taking my plants—those with the attached stems not 
quite withered—indoors at the end of November ; surround the corms 
with moist river sand, and then let them slowly “ dry out.” They come 
thus crisp, dry, and hard as bullets. I once spoke on this subject with 
Mr. F. W. Burbidge; he told me the champion gentleman grower of 
Ireland, J. F. Lombard, Esq., Rathmines, grows his under such circum¬ 
stances on a warm southern slope. 
Varieties. —I see your correspondent, in common with Mr. Cam) - 
bell already referred to, divides the list of varieties given according to 
their time of blooming, into four classes, but where the same are named 
in both lists they do not always agree ; for instance, Agrius, Carnation, 
Horace Vernet, &c., are early flowering with “ D., Deal," and later at 
Gourock. The difference of latitude may, however, account for this. The 
time of planting, too, may affect the result. With many amateur and 
gardening friends we greatly admired the champion stand of upwards of 
one hundred different varieties staged by Messrs. Kelway at Kensington 
last August, and were then told those magnificent spikes were all 
English raised. Admitting this, have the French ever raised anything 
finer ? I can bear personal testimony to the following English raised, 
and not included in the list given at page 296 ; I need not ask your 
space for description, as Messrs. Kelway’s, or any other grower’s cata¬ 
logue, will give it, but all are distinct —Duchess of Edinburgh, James 
McIntosh, Pictum, Marquis of Lothian (sent out by Campbell, 187.5), 
Brennus, Rev. H. II. and Mrs. D’Ombrain, Sir Stafford Northcote, Maria 
Lemoine (Lemoine), Mr. Thornton, Eleetra, Calliphon, Chambers (Dick¬ 
son), Marcianus (fine), Appianus, Countess of Glentworth, Lady Brid- 
port, Hankey (Dobree), Perry Rise (Carter), Egyptian King, and 
Anthony Waterer. A capital score, that all who can afford it should 
have, without including new varieties.—W. J. Murphy, Clonmel. 
The “ Notes on Gladioli” by your correspondent, “ B.,” on page 319 
will have astonished many who, as well as myself, have come to accept 
as inevitable the loss of a varying per-centage of their corms annually. 
For a dozen years I have striven to attain the end “ B.” seems to have 
reached, and have spared neither time nor trouble to do so. I think I 
have tried every recommendation I have read or heard of in the matter 
of soil, time, and mode of )flanting and after tre.itment, and I do not 
hesitate to claim a measure of success fairly com))arable with that of 
other growers of the Gladiolus with whom I am, or have been, acquainted. 
Although among these are not a few in different parts of the country 
who have gained a re)mtation in the cultivation of this flower, I would 
seem to have an affinity for the unfortunate, as not one of them would 
say “ I know hardly anything about” the disease to which the Gladiolus 
is subject, nor are they among the “ many growers who are not troubled 
with it.” This last season I lost just about my usual proportion. My 
friend, Mr. Campbell of Gourock, informs me that his loss fully 
exceeds his general aver.age ; another acquaintance that while he has 
not much cause to complain, two varieties that generally keep well with 
him have all but disappeared. By personal inspection of one large 
consignment from France, and by r. port from one of our leading houses 
on another, I know that imported corms are unsound to an unusual 
extent. Fortunate ” B.,” whom I envy but cannot hope to emulate ! 
But what does the closing rem.ark in the last of the three paragraphs 
mean ? “ Some, &c., do not succeed here.” It cannot be, surely, that 
in a locality so highly favoured the sorts specified do not grow and 
flower. Varieties as late as any of them seem to succeed, why not 
these ? Is even the latest not amenable to the earlier starting in boxes 
or pots ; or wherein are they refractory ? Does Mabel or Ondine, or 
Orpheus or Opalc, to mention no others, remain good for years with 
“ B ?” I have had frequently to renew these, and I know other growers 
with whom they fail as frequently. Some varieties, although even 
among them failures occur, increase until one is able to give away 
surplus corms. I might mention, with others, Camille, Marquis of 
Lothian, Mrs. Finney, Talisman. As to Duchess of Edinburgh, of which 
“ B.” says, “ Anyone who knows the Gladiolus will see at once the 
impossibility of growing this variety a second year,” let me state my 
experience. Si.x yc.ars ago I obtained one corm from Mr. Kelway. I 
have never bought or had another. The Duchess has flowered only 
twice with me, but it h,is incre.ised until last year, when seven plants 
flowered splendidly. I have given away to friends at least three other 
corms, and one or two have decayed. 
I cannot help inferring from this contribution by “ B.,” as well as 
from another by him on pp. 188,189, that he grows the Gladiolus m.ainly 
for garden decoration. Not to mention some of the varieties he .«eems 
to favour, I know no one who tries to do the noble flower justice who 
would allow, much less boast, of four or five stems from one corm. The 
term “ growth ” is used both for one stem and for all produced from 
one root. “ Seventy-eight flowers were produced by one growth,” must 
mean at least three stems with their side spikelets. Tastes differ, but 1 
would not consider my garden decorated by such Gladioli tufts or 
bushes, or allow any variety I have to grow and bloom in this random 
way. I cannot think the Gladiolus can be had in perfection when so 
treated, or many of our cares are expended in vain. What excellence 
might not “ B.” attain ! a grower with whom Mabel and Leander reach 
6 or 7 feet in height, and who is all but exempt from that plague 
which so vexes others. 
Of the newer sorts. Enchantress and Pasteur are two apparent 
acquisitions. As I saw both last autumn, the former, if it stretch 
enough in spike to allow the large flowers to clear each other suffi¬ 
ciently, is really good, and Pasteur is a smooth-edged flower of good 
form and pleasing colour. These seemed the best of the more recent 
additions that were then in flower at Cove Gardens.—A Northern 
Amateur. 
KEEPING GRAPES. 
Nothing new appears to have been discovered for many years past as 
to the method so well known of keeping Gra])es late in the se.ason, 
neither are there any suggestions as improvements on the ))ractice of 
keeping the fruit late by the aid of bottles and water. We might go a 
little further, and state that no improvement has been made in the 
varieties for late keeping which have been so po))ular for nearly a 
quarter of a century. I have practised the water-and-bottle system for 
about twenty-five years to keep Grapes until May, and sometimes until 
June, and I have tried all varieties for general usefulness which I have 
seen recommended in horticultural literature, but still depend on Lady 
Downe’s Seedling, which is at the present time, the middle of April, as 
fresh in appearance, fine in colour, densely covered with bloom, and of 
as good flavour as they were last autumn. 1 have never yet been 
persuaded th.at the fruit deteriorates in flavour when well prepared in 
the previous season for kee])ing, and managed so that the waste of water 
from the bottles has been nil. Gros Colman is said by some to be 
rapidly taking the place of Lady Downe’s, but I do not think it ever 
will for private consumption, es)iecially if pro)UTetors’ palates have 
been long accustomed to fine flavour. For market )iurposes the larger 
varieties such as Gros Colman would probably command a more ready 
sale than Lady Downe’s. I have had no difficulty in keeping Gros 
Colman until April plump, fresh in berry and footstalk, and little 
changed in flavour, but I could not place it on a level as to flavour 
with Lady Downe’s. 
Alicante, too is very u.seful for late supplies. The berries retain 
their bloom well to the end w'hen ke))t late, but their tough skin 
renders them of secondary value for dessert. White Tokay lias kept 
unusually well until April this season, though slightly limp in the skin, 
and h.ad an imposing appearance to the last, the bright golden colour 
being alw.iys attractive in conjunction with the black varieties. Though 
we have .kept, in addition to the above-named, others including Gros 
Maroc, one which I have never t.asted of good quality at any time from 
numerous gardens, keeps fairly well, but the skin becomes like leather. 
Its appearance makes it an attractive variety in market, and there 
purchasers are often deceived when they find its good looks are not 
supported by good flavour. St. Peter’s, Gros Guillaume, and Black 
Morocco have been pitted against Lady Downe’s for late keeping, but it 
has outdistanced all comers, and horticulturists are deeply indebted tO' 
Mr. Thomson, Clovenfords, for reintroducing such a valuable variety 
when it ap))eared for some time to have been shelved. 
Our means of keeping are a line of cu))boards around the walls of 
our office with closely fitting doors, which answers w'ell. Heat from 
hot-water pipes c.in be turned on at pleasure, but has been little needed 
during the past winter. We never found Grapes keep better than in a 
room at our disposal over stables, where Apples and Pears were kept in 
quantitv, and there were no means of ap)dying heat artificially.— 
M. T. C, H. 
THE GHENT SHOW. 
New Plants. —Reference to these was omitted from our report 
last week. They were not so numerous or so remarkable as one. 
would have expected, and the classes, twelve in number, were )ioorly 
re))resented. In the )irincipal cla.ss for twenty )ilants (flowering or non¬ 
flowering) there was but one collection, which w.as from M. L. Jacob- 
Makoy & Cie., Liege, who also showed in other clas.ses for new plants 
most Largely. The twenty plants consisted for the most jiart of fine- 
foliaged jflants, the most noteworthy being Labisia Malouana, a 
Myrsinaceous plant, having large and rather bro.ad leaves of a rich 
bronze green with a bright central band of silver. Another bright- 
foliaged plant was Aphclandra Louisas, in the way ofi A. Leopoldi, 
