JANUaRY 1, t903. 
THE AUSTRALIAN GARDENER, 
7 
~HYBRIDISING 
GLADIOLUS SPECIES. 
Sir—My. Smith’s letter in the last issue 
of “The Australian Gardener’ is not cor- 
rect. in many. ways. In reference to the 
parent bulb of Purpureo-auratus, it is in 
nfo way the parent of the Nancteanus, but 
is a hybrid-of Sandersi and Gandevensis. 
It is also the direct parent of Childsi. It 
is so'named after Mr. Sanders, of England. 
A. Gladiolus does not change its color when 
grown froms bulbs or bulblets. The change 
is only from seed. Also the first growth 
of small seedlings will not keep two years 
and ‘then grow. They have no substance 
in them. The starch in them does not 
retain the moisture and other matter, and, 
therefore, life is very short. I should not 
like to trust’ them more than seven or 
eight months at most. But bulbs grown 
from bulblets will keep two years. After 
growing them once they are more hardy. 
because they grow from a bulblet which 
has more vitality in it at first than has 
the seed. Seeds will grow and bloom in 
from one to three years, while bulblets will 
take two to four years to bloom. There- 
fore, seedlings from. seed are more tender. 
But life is in a greater hurry to regenerate 
itself. « , 
Gladiolus Sandersi in itself is one of the 
most pleasant to look at. It has rather 
a thin stem, but the flowers are very large 
and wide. Mr. Smith seems to warn 
buyers of bulbs that the Australian grown 
are going back to the one-sided growth. 
But this is not s0, as we now cross from 
the finest-and strongest of hybrids, turning 
out the finest new varieties. The Aus- 
tralian grown seedlings will give a greater 
number of -choice flowers per 1,000 than 
any - other - country..- -One American 
grower says’ that he bought 14 oz. of choice 
seed' froma noted grower. | He got thou- 
sands of seedlings. Next year he bought 
10,000: from one year seedlings. From all 
those ‘he says’ he-had only 1,000'choice ones, 
the balance’ to be sold to’ the trade as 
common. . ion Mee 
‘ I am, Sir, &c:, 
af) L. H. HOWELL. 
Mount Victoria. we 
GLADIOLI IN POTS. 
pais a 2BOce = 
These splendid flowers are so decorative 
for a balcony or a room that they should 
be grown by every one, especially as it is 
" not nécessary to possess a garden for them, 
as they can be thoroughly well grown on 
_the-leads. of a house, though it is well to 
arrange a shelter of wire netting over them 
where,.cats abound. ‘ 
The corms of ‘all the different groups of 
summer gladioli should be potted early in 
Spring, giving them good drainage anid a 
compost of! turfy mould two parts, to one of 
leaf mould, with a little soot and sand. 
But failing all these materials, jadoo will 
make an excellent substitute, and if this 
should be selected, 5 in. pots will be large 
enough; while with ordinary soil pots 6 
in. across at the rim will be better, placing 
one corm in each, about an inch below the 
surface, whilst another inch of space! should 
be allowed for watering, and a little top- 
dressing just as the flowers begin to show 
color. 
Brenchleyensis gladioli to flower towards 
autumn. Nothing can be more effective to 
place amongst ferns or foliage plants, 
either indoors or out, and they will all 
open their blooms well in the semi-shade of 
a room if allowed to expand the lowest 
bloom in the sunshine. In. fact, the 
flowers last much longer in a room than in 
the full sunshine, and if grouped in a 
verandah or a balcony they should, if pos- 
sible, be placed in the shade or sheltered 
from strong sunshine during the heat of the 
day, as in this way their blooms last longer 
open, and do not lose their tints so quickly. 
Seedling Gladiolus. 
From the time that growth begins the 
gladioli must not be allowed to suffer for 
want of water. During the first two or 
three weeks they will want none if the 
compost used was properly moist, unless 
the weather should be unusually dry. Very 
soon they will need a neat stake each, for 
they must on no account be allowed to fall 
about. Stakes about eighteen inches long 
will do, and the tall spikes should be tied 
as they grow. 
ihe ieee pietiol will bloom first, 
and exquisitely beautiful they are, quickly 
followed by the splendid Childsi and Nan- 
ceianus groups, with the brilliant scarlet 
ww Np 
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