November 24. 
THE COTTAGE GARDENER. 
143 
plants, in gouty shoots and diseased leaves. When, 
therefore, as respects growing and flowering plants, our 
friends may read such instructions as, “ Give water 
sparingly;” “Little water will now be required;” let 
it be clearly understood, that the smallness of the 
quantity used has reference more to the distance of 
time between the applications than the quantity given 
when it is wanted. When given, let it reach every root, 
and repeat not the application until the soil is again 
getting dry; whether that takes place, according to cir¬ 
cumstances, in the course of a day, a week, or a month. 
Those who have carefully studiied the pages of this 
work will know that plants at rest , and deciduous plants, 
when they have lost their foliage, and it is desirable to 
keep them dormant, must be watered somewhat differ¬ 
ently. It will have been seen that succulents, during 
winter, will scarcely require any water at all. The gene¬ 
rality of plants that wo wish to rest, say a Fuchsia, must 
be neither wet nor dry. There is always an attempt at 
balancing accounts between roots and stems; and great 
moisture at the former would seek a vent in swelling 
the buds of the latter. Such dryness as a Cactus enjoys 
would give you first shrivelled and then lifeless stems. 
When, for various reasons, we wish a plant to be kept 
neither wet nor dry, but in a medium betweeu the two, 
we must not give water enough to soak the whole ball at 
any one time, but commence the moisture to the centre 
of the ball at one time, and the circumference at another, 
and, what is better than either, prick the ball over with 
small holes, say one every two inches, and two or three 
inches deep, with a small wire, and just give a little 
more at a time than will be sufficient to fill these holes. 
When many plants, however, are kept in this resting con¬ 
dition, nothing is more economical or useful than to 
hook them all together, and cover the pots over with 
some substance, such as damp moss, which will prevent 
the soil being dried ; and then a sprinkling of the stems, 
in a dry day, with a syringe, would be all the watering 
the plants would require, until it was deemed advisable 
to start them into fresh growth. 
ARRANGING PLANTS IN GROUPS. 
This will be a further help to the waterer. The “ ano¬ 
ther plant” would not be quite so likely to get a jet 
when it did not want it. Besides, the system will evince 
a higher style of order, and present more variety, in a 
given space, than when all kinds of plants are mixed 
together, so that every part of the house presents a 
similar appearance. Thus, with a group of Chrysan¬ 
themums, Cinerarias, Geraniums, Salvias, Primroses, 
Heaths, Epacris, &c., you can give each group the water 
it requires, cold or warm, clear or enriched with manure. 
But even with the individuals of each separate group, 
cast your eye, and even your hand, searchingly over it, 
before you let the water-pail approach it. Get used to 
it, and no time will be lost; it will become in a manner 
instinctive. R. Fish. 
THE GLADIOLUS. 
(Continued from page 122 .) 
Propagation: by Offsets. —The directions and obser¬ 
vations given and made in The Cottage Gardener, 
both by myself and brother writers, are intended for 
lovers of gardening that we suppose to require such in¬ 
formation. Hence we write, and, perhaps, sometimes re¬ 
peat, many minute particulars and points of culture, and 
so forth, as the non-experienced cultivator may possibly 
deem superfluous and unnecessary. For such persons 
we do not write. Full as the information may be, it is 
not particular enough, as is witnessed by the many 
queries received and answered every week. I make 
these few remarks to account for my giving such length¬ 
ened papers on the culture of flowers, and in particular 
just now on the Gladiolus. 
Whoever has taken up a root, or bulbs, more properly 
speaking, of this plant, must have observed that it had 
produced several small bulbs not so large as the common 
garden pea on the underside of the old bulb. I have 
counted as many as twenty on one bulb of the G. com¬ 
munis. Other varieties, it is true, do not produce offsets 
so freely, but they all propagate freely enough by this 
vnode. At the time of taking up the roots, separate the 
offsets from them, carefully keeping each variety or 
species to itself, and label them correctly at ouco to pre¬ 
vent mistakes; try and keep them the same way as the 
full grown roots, but plant them aff least a mouth earlier, 
to enable them to make the most of the season of growth. 
The time for planting these offsets depends upon the 
time the old bulbs are taken up. The early bloomers 
aro taken up, of course, early, and the offsets of these may 
be planted in September, whilst the late bloomers cannot 
be planted so early, because they are then in the ground; 
so regulate the time of planting the offsets of these 
accordingly. 
At the time of planting, have a bed prepared similar 
to that made for the blooming bulbs, as described in a 
former paper, and when it is ready bring out the offsets. 
It will be advisable to pass the very smallest through a 
sieve with the mesh just large enough to let them 
through. This will separate them into two sizes, the 
larger ones remaining in the sieve. If the quantity is 
but small they may be divided by the hand. Draw 
drills four iuches apart, and three inches deep, with a 
pole ; a triangular-shaped one is the best for this purpose. 
Then plant the large-sized offsets in the drill, three or 
four inches apart, pressing each down gently to keep 
each in its place. The small fry may be planted thicker; 
indeed, I always sowed them in the same way as I would 
tho large-growing peas, that is, rather thinly. By plant¬ 
ing them thus in two sizes, the larger bulbs will have 
room to produce their broader leaves without shading 
or choking the smaller ones; besides, the larger sized 
will soon become flowering bulbs if grown by themselves, 
and good room given to each. When it is judged they 
are large enough to bloom, plant such in a bed by them¬ 
selves, in order to note which are true to their kinds, as 
sometimes the varieties degenerate. Afterwards they 
may be planted out along with the parent stock. Such 
bulbs as have not attained the flowering size may be re¬ 
planted till they do. The smallest size should remain 
in the nursery bed two years, and should then be taken 
up, the larger bulbs sorted out, planted separately, and 
the small size replanted for two years longer. .1 his may 
appear a tedious process, requiring a large amount of 
time and patience, but when once begun, and the first 
year or two passed over, the cultivator will be receiving 
an annual reward by his increased stock of blooming 
bulbs of these truly, when well grown, magnificent 
flowers. 
The Gladiolus is subject to the attacks of the red 
spider (the remedy for which I have already mentioned) 
and also the wire-worm and mice. In preparing the 
bed, keep a constant look out for the wireworm as the 
soil is beiug turned over. They are easily seen because 
of their clear yellow colour; the most certain way of 
destroying these hard-cased vermin is to collect them as 
they are discovered, placing them in a basin with a small 
portion of oil in the bottom, and when the soil is all 
turned over, and all caught and put into the basin, then 
pour some boiling water over them, and you are certainly 
clear of that lot. Some may escape the keenest and 
quickest eye; and, for fear of that, cut some potatoes or 
carrots into slices, and bury them in the bed about as 
deep as the bulbs. Take them up now and then, and if 
aDy wireworms are preying upon them, scald them to 
death likewise. Mice may be caught in figure of four 
