268 
THE RURAL NEW-YORKER. 
April 14 
GLADIOLUS HYBRIDUS PRINCEPS. 
A Handsome New Gladiolus. 
There is a fascination about growing 
Gladioli from seeds that attracts many 
amateur gardeners. The work is rather 
tedious, as seedlings seldom give a sat¬ 
isfactory bloom until the third year, 
but the results are so varied and in¬ 
teresting that one is likely to keep it 
up for a long time. The variety of 
colors and markings that can be grown 
from seeds of even a few varieties is 
remarkable; seldom are two found ex¬ 
actly alike, but, on the other hand, 
very few equal their parents in beauty. 
The writer has been hybridizing and 
growing from 3,000 to 10,000 Gladioli 
each season for the last 16 years, using 
about all the named varieties to be 
found in commerce, and all the botan¬ 
ical species that could be gathered from 
dealers and correspondents in other 
countries in which the Gladiolus occurs 
or is cultivated. Over 90 species have 
been collected and described since the 
genus was first cultivated in European 
gardens, more than 300 years ago. Two 
or three small, early-flowering species 
are natives of southern Europe and 
Palestine, but all the others come from 
temperate Africa, and in consequence of 
the careful search constantly being 
made by collectors, new species are still 
being added to the already long list. 
While many of these are inferior, from 
a florist’s point of view, to those al¬ 
ready known, they are eagerly sought 
after, as their possibilities of adding 
new and desirable features to existing 
cultivated strains, by means of inter¬ 
crossing, always present fresh interest. 
Gladiolus cruentus is a handsome 
species, bearing large, widely-opened, 
blood-red flowers, the lower petals of 
which are marked with creamy white 
and deep crimson. It was introduced 
into Europe about 30 years ago from 
Natal, South Africa, but the climatic 
conditions not proving suitable, it was 
soon lost to cultivation. The name has 
since frequently appeared in European 
trade lists, but though we repeatedly 
ordered bulbs of this species from vari¬ 
ous growers, something else was always 
secretly substituted, to our great disap¬ 
pointment and loss. Finally in the 
Spring of 1894, through the kindness of 
Prof. Max Leichtlin, of Baden Baden, 
Germany, a few corms, which his col¬ 
lector had just found in Africa, were 
secured, and every bloom that opened 
was in due season pollenized. with the 
best garden varieties we had at the 
time. Only a few good seeds resulted, 
all of which, with a single exception, 
produced plants bearing blooms of in¬ 
different quality, though showing the 
characteristic type of Cruentus. The 
exceptional one was the first to flower, 
being much more vigorous than the 
others. It has now been bloomed four 
seasons, and taken all in all, is the 
finest Gladiolus we have ever grown. 
Fig. 82, page 263, gives a fair repre¬ 
sentation of some small spikes, cut late 
in the season, which were grown from 
Spring-planted offsets. The scale at the 
bottom of the picture shows the blooms 
to be over five inches across. These 
specimens had ordinary garden culture, 
but flowers six and seven inches in di¬ 
ameter have been produced under more 
stimulating cultivation. They are more 
widely opened than any other known 
variety, and are nearly round in shape, 
with very broad petals. The plants are 
sturdy, and the foliage is broad and 
dense, forming a very handsome set¬ 
ting for the brilliant Amaryllis-like 
blooms. The color is a rich crimson, 
with deep, intense shadings in the 
throat, and broad white blotches on the 
lower petals. It is healthy, and of the 
easiest culture in any garden soil, but 
a particularly fine effect is made when 
a number of bulbs are planted five or 
six inches apart, to form a clump. 
Grown in 10 or 12-inch pots, contain¬ 
ing three or five bulbs, respectively, it 
forms one of the most striking speci¬ 
mens imaginable when in bloom. With 
all these advantages, it would be of 
comparatively little value if it were 
slow to increase, but such is the vigor 
of its constitution that it can be prop¬ 
agated as rapidly as the most ordinary 
kinds. Specimens have been grown by 
Prof. Leichtlin at his home in Germany 
for the last three years. He is one of 
the greatest living authorities on bulb¬ 
ous plants, and he thinks so highly of 
this new form that he has recommended 
for it the international name of Gladio¬ 
lus hybridus princeps, and is distrib¬ 
uting all the surplus stock now avail¬ 
able among the botanical gardens of 
Europe. Their reports on its behaviour 
will be waited for with interest. 
Slow Work. —So great is the perfec¬ 
tion attained by modern Gladioli that 
the chances of getting a superior va¬ 
riety, even from the most carefully 
selected and hybridized seeds, are very 
small. Of the 100,000 or more seedlings 
we have bloomed since our active in¬ 
terest in this beautiful flowering plant 
began, only two, including the variety 
here described, have so far been deemed 
worthy of receiving names for general 
introduction, though a few selections 
have been made and are grown under 
number or description for further ob¬ 
servation. Over 1,500 varieties have 
been named and sent out since the pop¬ 
ular interest in the Gladiolus became 
aroused, a half century ago, and the 
European growers continue to issue 
long lists of novelties every year. Many 
of them are very fine indeed, but the 
great majority are so frail in constitu¬ 
tion that they perish in a season or 
two, even with the most solicitous care. 
Tnere are a number of persons engaged 
in Gladiolus culture in this country, and 
probably more bulbs are produced and 
seedlings grown than in Europe, but 
few are selected for propagation as 
named varieties. When one is named 
and sent out on this side, it is generally 
distinct and reliable. 
Easter Plants. —Crimson Rambler 
roses in pots appear to be forced very 
extensively for Easter this year, many 
of them being trained in fancy shapes, 
such as crosses, balls, circles and 
arches. One pretty arch is formed of 
two plants in one large pot, trained 
over a stick. Between the two plants 
an empty six or eight-inch flower pot is 
plunged in the center. When the rose 
arch is ready for sale, the empty pot is 
removed, and a potted lily slipped into 
the cavity left. Of course the lily re¬ 
quires different conditions from the rose 
during forcing, hence this expedient. 
Some plants of Crimson Rambler are 
grown in tree form, as standards, and 
some headed low, so as to make a close 
mass of bloom when forced. 
Good Luck Birds. —The ospreys, or 
Fish-eagles, one of the conspicuous fea¬ 
tures of Summer life on the north Jer¬ 
sey coast, were late in returning this 
season. They are always expected dur¬ 
ing the week beginning March 20, and 
usually arrive right on time, but the fre¬ 
quent storms and persistent low tem¬ 
perature have delayed them this year. 
These noble birds have been protected 
by the farmers of Monmouth County 
from the earliest settlement to the pres¬ 
ent time. The Dutch who came early 
in 1600 had always considered it lucky 
to have a stork’s nest on their houses 
in their beloved Netherlands, and on 
their arrival on the virgin coast of Jer¬ 
sey they adopted the ospreys as the best 
substitute, and encouraged them to breed 
about their settlements. They are still 
at times called “good luck birds,” and 
every farmer within five miles of the 
coast is glad to have one or more pairs 
nest on his domain, as they do no 
harm except to cause the gradual death 
of the tree in which they build. 
These long years of association with 
human kind have made the ospreys very 
confident and familiar. They fearlessly 
place their enormous nests, often con¬ 
taining a cartload of sticks and other 
material, on any elevated place that 
takes their fancy, whether in the top of a 
tree overhanging a well-traveled drive¬ 
way, in the arms of a telegraph pole, on 
the platform of an idle windmill, or, at 
times, on the chimney of an unoccupied 
cottage. We hail their advent with de¬ 
light, knowing Spring is indeed near, 
and enjoy their graceful flight and cheer¬ 
ful companionship throughout the Sum¬ 
mer. There are few trees of sufficient 
height on the Rural Grounds to invite 
the placing of an osprey’s nest, but sev¬ 
eral pairs have their Summer homes 
within plain view on neighboring 
grounds, and their domestic arrange¬ 
ments and the care of the young until 
the September leave-taking are to us 
never-failing matters of interest. 
EXHIBITION OF THE AMERICAN 
ROSE SOCIETY. 
The first exhibition of the new Ameri¬ 
can Rose Society held at the Eden 
Musee, New York City, March 2/-30, was 
a great and unqualified success. Over 
15,000 of the highest grade exhibition 
blooms were shown in 127 separate en¬ 
tries. Very liberal prizes, in the way 
of costly memorial cups, etc., brought 
a substantial reward to the successful 
exhibitors. Many costly and elaborate 
decorative pieces were shown, among 
which was a liberty cap made up of 1,000 
blooms of the new red rose Liberty. A 
miniature formal rose garden in the old 
style, was made of blooming plants, 
chiefly hardy Hybrid Perpetuals, with 
beds, walks and mounds, surrounding a 
fine Crimson Rambler, trained in um¬ 
brella form. An old Japanese rose, 
representing the progenitors of our 
modern Tea roses, said to be 400 
years old, attracted much attention. 
It was trained in balloon shape, 
and its single white blooms 
formed a great contrast with the im¬ 
mense and brilliantly-colored flowers of 
the latest types, many of which were six 
to seven inches in diameter, crowning 
stems four feet long, clothed with im¬ 
mense foliage. These gigantic blooms, 
however perfectly they may be de¬ 
veloped, have a coarse appearance, and 
cannot be compared in real beauty to 
some of the smaller and more delicately 
tinted varieties. The best red roses ex¬ 
hibited were Liberty, Jacqueminot and 
Meteor; pink and blush, Admiral 
Dewey, Mrs. J. P. Morgan, Bridesmaid, 
Catherine Mermet, Golden Gate, Mme. 
Cusin and Bon Silene. The last popular 
old variety had the prettiest buds of all. 
white, Kaiserin Augusta Victoria and 
Bride. The best yellow was, of course, 
Marechal Neil, through some blooms of 
Perle des Jardins were most excellent. 
To some tastes the Crimson Ramblers, 
with their dense, shining foliage and 
masses of symmetrical deep crimson 
blooms were the finest things in the ex¬ 
hibition. In June it is proposed to hold 
another exhibition, during which all 
classes of garuen roses will be shown, 
as well as forcing varieties. This will 
doubtless touch the popular heart more 
closely than the exclusive and difficult 
glasshouse varieties shown at this time. 
w. v. F. 
SPRAYING FRUIT TREKS. 
The question of spraying fruit trees to prevent 
the depredations of insect pests and fungous dis¬ 
eases is no longer an experiment but a necessity. 
Our readers -will do well to write Wm. Stahl, 
Quincy, Ill., and get his catalogue describing 
21 styles of Spraying Outfits and full treatise 
on spraying the different fruit and vegetable 
crops, which contains much valuable informa¬ 
tion, and may be had for the asking. 
T WO hundred bushels 
of Potatoes remove 
eighty pounds of “actual” Pot¬ 
ash from the soil. One thou¬ 
sand pounds of a fertilizer con¬ 
taining 8 % “actual” Potash 
will supply just the amount 
needed. If there is a de¬ 
ficiency of Potash, there will be 
a falling-off in the crop. 
We have some valuable 
books telling about composi¬ 
tion, use and value of fertilizers 
for various crops. They are 
sent free. 
GERMAN KALI WORKS, 
93 Nassau St., New York. 
When you BUY 
ASHES, buy of a reli¬ 
able home concern that 
has some real responsi¬ 
bility. Our own em¬ 
ployees collect our 
ashes, our own chem¬ 
ists test them, we guar¬ 
antee every lot to be 
PURE, finely screened 
and free from adulteration—and our prices are 
low. Write for quotations. 
DfltlflfCD FERTILIZER CO. 
DUVlIVkVl (Independent), 
Boston and New York. 
CANADA 
HARDWOOD 
UNLEACHED 
FINELY 
SCREENED 
ASHES 
I have been collecting and shipping ASHES foi¬ 
ls years. I sell direct to consumer at low prices. 
ANDREW P. JOYNT, 
Box 388-B, Seaforth, Ont. 
“MAPLE BRAND *’ 
“wood ASHES 
Direct from Canada, gathered, screened and shipped 
under my own personal supervision. 0T Write for 
prices. Ashes shipped subject to approval on arrival. 
F. R. LABOR, Dunnvllle, Ont. 
Quick Fterti/izer 
There is nothing in the American 
market today that acts so quickly and 
surely as a fertilizer as 
Nitrate of Soda « 
Apply to the surface in the spring. 
A small quantity does the work. Watch 
the crops closely and when they look 
sick or make slow growth apply the 
remedy promptly. Book, “Food for 
Plants,” tells all about it. John A. 
Myers, 12 O John St., New York, will 
send you free copy on request. Nitrate 
for sale by fertilizer dealers everywhere. 
Writs at oiica for List of Ooaterm. 
Kill all insecto, teale, 
blight, fungus. The 
most convenient and 
effective sprayers are 
EMPIRE KING and 
GARFIELD KNAPSACK 
Perfect agitators. A brush keepa strainer free 
from thick poison. Impossible to scorch foliage. 
No rubber or leather valves to rot. Let us 
send yon handsome book on spraying—Free. 
FIELD FOKCK PUMP COMPANY, 
2 Msrket St., Lock port, N. Y. 
LEGGETT S CHAMPION 
DRY POWDER DUSTER. 
Dusts two rows of po¬ 
tatoes, tobacco, etc., 
as fast as you walk. 
Also a full line of Hand Sprayers. Write for circu¬ 
lar. Agents wanted. 
LEGGETT & BROTHER, 301 Pearl St., NEW YORK. 
your Fruit Trees and 
24 styles spraying outfits. Best 
and cheapest. For prices and 
full treatise on spraying all Fruit andVegetable crops 
address WILLIAM STAHL, Quincy, IUinois. 
The Slag Phosphate 
is not in the Fertilizer Trust.o We are 
still selling at old prices. Orders must 
be sent in early to receive prompt 
shipment. Address 
JACOB REESE, 
400 Chestnut Street, Philadelphia, Pa. 
“FUMA 
IVkills Prairie Dogs, 
Woodchucks, Gophers 
and Grain Insects.“The 
wheels of the Gods 
grind slow but exceed¬ 
ing small.’’ 8o the weevil, but you can stop their 
with* “ Fuma Carbon Bisulphide ” as are e doing. 
EDWARD R. TAYLOR, Penn Yan, N. Y. 
