178 
THE FLORIST AND POMOLOGIST. 
December, 
DEGENERATION AND DISEASE 
IN THE GLADIOLUS. 
Gj'p WAS much pleased to read Mr. Kelway’s 
^ p article on the Gladiolus at p. 165. The 
renowned Langport grower has evidently 
hit upon the right way to manage this fine 
autumn flower. It is, however, news to many 
of us that it does equally well in stiff clay and 
in loam over gravel; the system of planting, 
too, is of the most primitive description. Alto¬ 
gether, Mr. Kelway’s remarks ought to encou¬ 
rage every one who possesses a garden to go in 
for the culture of this flower’. 
I have grown the Gladiolus for many years, 
and my experience with it is rather different 
from that of Mr. Kelway. He believes neither 
in disease nor degeneration. Now, if neither 
the one nor the other has been experienced 
at Langport, it does not follow that other 
growers have had no experience with them. I 
know many growers of this flower, and most 
of them know too well what degeneration is. 
When I used to grow for exhibition, I found 
it necessary to order a collection of French- 
grown bulbs every year, though at the same 
time I had plenty of the same varieties grown 
in our own garden the previous year. The 
home-grown bulbs looked healthy enough, but 
when planted in the same beds and under 
the same conditions as the Continental bulbs, 
the difference at blooming-time was very 
perceptible,, our own stock being weakly in 
growth, with the leaves of a much paler green 
than the others. Iudeed, I never expected to 
cut an exhibition spike from a Gladiolus, after 
it had once flowered in our own garden. It 
was because of this, that I threw away all the 
seedlings that I obtained first-class certificates 
for in London. I am certain that it is a mis¬ 
take to give certificates for single spikes of 
Gladioli, and would suggest that three spikes of 
any variety should be staged, before a certificate 
was awarded. I had a letter last week from a 
grower in the North, and in it he says :—“ You 
are quite right about the degeneration of the 
Gladiolus. I cannot get exhibition spikes from 
my bulbs, after they have been once grown in 
this country.” So much for degeneration. 
Then as to disease, that, too, is well known ; 
the bulbs turn black, and die outright. This 
disease has been looked into by scientific men, 
and decided to be caused by some fungus. 
How can such a thing be “ a misnomer?’’ Are 
typhoid fever or the potato disease misnomers ? 
Mr. Kelway refers to nostrums to be placed 
under and over the bulbs. Who recommended 
them ? I place clean sand under and 
over the bulbs, and fill up the drills with pure 
rotten yellow loam, for if I did not do this, I 
should lose many more than I do. The only 
person whom I ever knew to recommend nos¬ 
trums for the Gladiolus is Mr. Kelway 
himself, in the form of his Gladiolus 
manure. I should not have noticed these 
points in Mr. Kelway’s letter, if it had not 
called in question what I had previously written 
on this subject, and been apparently written 
with that object. If not, will Mr. Kelway say 
what are the nostrums he refers to, and who 
recommends them ? Sand and loam are not 
nostrums. Patent manure, the composition of 
which is kept a secret, is what I understand to 
be a nostrum. 
A correspondent in a contemporary has also 
attacked me on the question of disease and 
degeneration. He says Mr. Kelway has stated 
that all roots increase in size in proportion to 
the quantity of foliage, “ whether they are lifted 
or not.” That is, you lift a bulb from the 
ground, taking it with its leaves, a.nd laying the 
plant out to dry. The bulbs will then increase 
in size, the same as if they were still in the 
ground. Is this so ?—J. Douglas, Ilford. 
VINES AND VINE-CULTURE. 
Chap. XVIII.—The Varieties of Grapes. 
( Continued .) 
descriptions of the varieties of Grapes 
■luded in our Synoptical Table are 
re continued, from page 165. 
Chasselas Musque (62).—A round white 
Muscat Grape.— Synonyms: Chasselas Musque 
de Nantes, Cranford Muscat, Eugenien Fron- 
tignan, Josling’s St. Alban’s, Muscat 'Musca¬ 
dine, Muscat Fleur d’Oranger, Muscat Begnier, 
Muscat Orange du Portugal, Primavis Muscat. 
Vine. — Growth moderately robust and free; the 
shoots occasionally being very strong ; free fruiting. 
Leaves rather small, roundish, or but slightly lobed, 
ripening off rather early, of a very pale yellow 
colour. 
Fruit. — Bunches medium-sized, tapering, on rather 
long, but strong foot-stalks, and well shouldered ; 
generally well set. Berries small, round, pale 
greenish white, changing to amber, and frequently 
with a tinge of russet when fully ripe. Skin thin, 
and very subject to crack, just as it is approaching 
maturity, so that before being fully ripe three parts 
of the berries have to be cut out, and the bunch is a 
mere skeleton. 
Flesh. —Very firm, almost crisp; pale straw- 
coloured, very rich and sparkling in flavour, and with 
a strong muscat aroma. 
History, fyc. —This is an old grape, which has been 
long cultivated in this country, and also on the 
Continent, under a multitude of synonyms. It re- 
