70 
THE LADIES' FLORAL CABINET. 
year, from imported bulbs, as from home grown, but 
after the first year there is little difference. I never make 
up my mind as to the merits of a Gladiolus the first year I 
bloom an imported bulb. Gladioli grow in almost any 
soil, except wet and heavy, under which conditions they 
will not thrive or produce fine flowers; a sunny location, 
with light loamy soil, well enriched, suits them, with 
plenty of water in dry times. The bulbs must not be 
planted too near the surface. Three or four inches deep 
is about right, according to the size of the bulb. Re¬ 
member the new bulb or corm is made above the old 
one. 
Tuberous-rooted Begonias ought to be grown in every 
except that it is rather new. I protected mine with 
newspapers and cloth until the last week in October. 
Then I lifted them in boxes and let them ripen off. The 
tubers, may be kept in sand during the winter, examining 
them once in a while to see that they do not get so dry 
as to wither, or so wet from any cause as to decay. In 
the spring they may be planted quite close together in a 
box of earth, where they will start without any heat. As 
I said before, they will stand a great deal of cold. We 
all remember the hard frost the latter part of last May. I 
trembled for my Begonias, which had been planted out 
only a few days before. I had protected them 'with 
flower-pots from the sun in the hottest part of the day 
Imatophyllum (Miniatum Cruentum). 
garden. I prize them higher than any other bedding 
plant, for with me they are truly bedders. They stand 
the rain much better than any other bedding plant that I 
have ever grown, from the fact that the blossoms have 
thick, waxy petals, and as they close when it rains, the 
water slips off the outside of the flower. As soon as the 
rain is over the blossoms open as bright as if there had 
been no rain, and seem to look with surprise on their 
bedraggled neighbors. Last summer I bedded out about 
fifty varieties, among them Pierceii, which I had never 
seen outside the greenhouse. I never saw such fine 
plants of that variety. They were literally covered with 
the lovely yellow blossoms, standing well above the hand¬ 
some foliage. I cannot see why this class of Begonias 
is not more generally grown for bedding purposes, 
and at night from any change that might occur. Over 
these I put some carpeting, and they were not affected in 
the least by the extreme cold. I speak of my experience 
thus minutely to show how valuable I consider them for 
bedding. Another important fact is, they commence to 
bloom when quite small, and flower without intermission 
through the season. 
It seems as though some new plague, in the way of 
disease, worm or bug, made its appearance every year. 
The last two years have been no exception. It seemed 
to me last year I had every worm or insect injurious to 
plant-life, known or unknown, in my garden; 1883 
brought the aphis on Lilies, in many instances destroying 
them entirely. Last season I determined to experiment 
with tobacco stems. I have several beds of Lilies, com- 
