The Gladiolus Part 4

For shipment, the spikes are tied in bunches of twenty-six to twenty-eight, so that each bunch will make two liberal dozens. They are then placed in an upright position in a crate, box, or other receptacle.

There are various styles of packages, and each shipper chooses to suit himself. One season I shipped thousands of spikes in tall candy pails, with an inch or two of water in the bottom. They started at night and arrived at their destination in the morning, "as fresh as daisies," the commission man said. If the spikes are slightly wilted in transit it does little harm, as they revive very soon after being placed in water, though it is probable that any wilting shortens their terms of service more or less.

Some growers cut the spikes before any flowers open, tie them in small bunches, wrap in paper, and pack in crates, in layers. This method is good for very long distances.

There is one other mode of shipping which I adopt when I wish to send spikes that have several blooms open, without injury to the flowers. I take a half bushel market basket, line it with waxed paper, sprinkle damp moss in the bottom, and then "string" the basket--that is, sew strong cords across it with a sail needle, three in each end at the top, about three inches apart, and three others below these, an inch or two above the bottom of the basket. The flowers are then put in slantwise, beginning at the ends of the basket, and working towards the middle, until the s.p.a.ce is all occupied. The lower cords hold the ends of the stems in place, while the upper ones support the weight of the flowers, and keep them from crushing each other. A basket thus prepared will carry from fifty to one hundred spikes, according to the angle at which they are placed. The nearer upright their position the more the basket will hold, but an angle of forty-five degrees is as much as they will bear without swinging sideways and becoming disarranged.

It is sometimes desirable to send a spike by mail, and this can be done to perfection by enclosing it in a pasteboard tube, such as publishers use for mailing pictures. It should be drawn into the tube stem first, and out the same way.

Growing and Saving Seed.

One of the most interesting branches of gladiolus culture is the growing of seedlings, and a very important part of this is producing the seed.

Of course, seed can be bought, but it is more satisfactory to the grower to raise it himself, as far as practicable, and know what it is, besides eliminating an item of expense. Spherical or conical bulbs are more vigorous, and therefore better for this purpose, than flat ones of the same sort. There is a difference in the productiveness of varieties in regard to seed, as well as bulblets, some yielding little or none, while others bear freely, but in the latter case it is not best to permit the bulbs to ripen the greatest possible amount. When they begin to bloom they should be beheaded, leaving only the lower flowers and buds, say four, or five, or six, and these will develop large, strong pods, filled with seed of the best quality in point of vigor. This method is also advantageous to the bulbs, which, though only a secondary consideration, are not by any means worthless. For the benefit of both seed and bulbs, the matter of cutting off the buds that are not wanted should be attended to promptly as soon as the first flowers unclose.

When the seed begins to ripen, it should be watched, and secured at the proper time. At a certain stage the pods burst open, and if left long after this, the seeds, which are very light, are apt to be blown away.

The careful grower wishes to save every seed, for he has a feeling that if one is lost, that one may be the choicest of all.

CHAPTER XIII.

Crossing or Hybridizing.

These expressions seem to be popularly used in a rather free way, as applied to the gladiolus, to denote the bringing together of different varieties, for the purpose of obtaining seed, which shall produce new and diverse kinds, combining in some degree the qualities of the parents, and presumably of superior excellence. Accepting the foregoing terms in the sense alluded to, as meaning simply a mixing of stocks, or of varieties, there are two ways of securing the desired results, the natural and the artificial. In the former, insects and the wind do the work; in the latter, it is done by hand. It may be worth while to speak of these methods somewhat in detail, with the prefatory statement that a variety is not supposed to reproduce itself from seed, and as a rule it does not. Although there are instances in which seedlings bear a close resemblance to a parent, or to each other, theoretically no two are alike, and in reality there is a wide range of variation among those grown from the same bulb. In this variation lies the charm of the work and the secret of success.

Suppose the grower wishes to cross two varieties in the natural way. He plants the bulbs near together and apart from others, far enough distant so that their pollen cannot reach the blooms. Between the two there is an interchange, each being fertilized by the other, and the results will comprise as many variations as there are seeds produced. Several kinds may be planted together in the same manner and the consequent combination will be still more numerous and varied. If the amateur wishes to save seed from his bed of mixed bulbs, he watches the blooms as they come out and cuts and carries away any that are not desirable to propagate from, so that they may not affect the seed of the others. By this method all the seed saved is of a high grade of excellence, and the new developments from it are exceedingly interesting.

When the grower purposes to cross two varieties artificially, he goes about it early in the morning, when the blooms first open. He selects the flower which is to be the mother parent, cuts away the stamens with sharp pointed scissors, and then covers it with cheese capping, to keep out strange pollen. From ten o'clock in the forenoon to about four in the afternoon, the pistil secretes a honey-like liquid, which causes the end or stigma to be moist. It is then said to be receptive, and the grower carries the stamens from the other parent, and gently touches the stigma with the anthers, causing the pollen to adhere.

Hand-hybridizing can be carried on in a garden, or any small area, while special crossing done in the natural way requires a great deal of room.

The artificial method also has the advantage of being perfectly exact, while in the other there is a possibility that pollen carried by bees may be introduced, even at a considerable distance.

Whichever plan is adopted, the work is very fascinating, and if the grower succeeds in attaining the realization of his ideals along the lines he is pursuing, or even a near approach to those ideals, the pleasure he experiences is ample recompense for all his efforts.

[Ill.u.s.tration: EUROPE]

[Ill.u.s.tration: ATTRACTION]

[Ill.u.s.tration: SPHINX]

CHAPTER XIV.

Enemies and Diseases.

The gladiolus has almost no enemies, and the same may be said of diseases. The bulb has a very unpleasant taste, and is somewhat poisonous. It is not eaten by mice or grubs. The black aster beetle is fond of the flowers, and is quite a pest when very abundant. These insects have a preference among colors, and attack the red flowers first, especially a scarlet sort named Bertha. They will single out the spikes of this variety in a field of mixed colors, and devour the very buds as soon as the red comes in sight. They are especially troublesome when the weather is hot and dry, as they can then fly readily. When it is cool and damp, if jarred from the spikes they fall to the ground, and are slow in regaining their places. The grower of flowers, either amateur or commercial, finds in these insects an enemy hard to contend with, but the grower of bulbs pays no attention to them, as they do him no harm.

In regard to diseases, bulbs sometimes become scabby, but this seems rather an accident than a disease. It is apparently due to conditions, and is not perpetuated by heredity. Perfectly sound bulbs may produce scabby ones, and vice versa. If healthy bulbs are planted in a place that is too wet, or that is subject to frequent overflow, or if they come in contact with barnyard manure in the ground, or if the foliage is seriously injured in the growing season, the product is liable to be scabby. Some years ago I had a field of gladioli, one end of which proved to be a runway for dogs, and the plants that came in their way were broken, or partly broken. As a consequence, many of the bulbs in that part of the field were scabby, but these planted in a different place, produced smooth ones the next season. If bulbs are taken up and cured immediately after the tops have been injured, by wind or otherwise, they will be sound and in good condition for the next year, even though not half grown; but to be deprived of their foliage, or a large portion of it, while the roots remain undisturbed, appears to destroy the balance, and cause bad results.

In some localities the gladiolus is affected by rust, which turns the tips of the leaves brown in the growing season. If this is a disease, the remedy does not seem to have been discovered, but in numerous instances careful observation will show that it is due to local causes.

The foliage is sensitive to atmospheric conditions, and cannot be successfully grown where it is subject to poisonous gases. Smoke from a pottery carried over the bed by prevailing winds is almost sure to be fatal. Salt is thrown into the kilns to glaze the ware, and the chlorine set free is deadly to many plants. Even smoke from factories is more or less injurious, and many cases of rust can be traced to some such source.

Taken all in all, the gladiolus is one of the most reliable of crops.

(See Note.)

Note:--There are three well defined diseases affecting gladiolus bulbs during growth and in storage, soft rot, hard rot, and scab.

There is no cure for the two former, but they may be controlled by discarding all affected bulbs and planting in fresh soil free from animal manures. Scab may be greatly reduced by soaking all diseased or suspected bulbs, after removing the outer coatings, for twenty minutes in a solution of bichloride of mercury, fifteen grains to each gallon of water, or for same time in solution of formalin, one pint to thirty gallons of water.

CHAPTER XV.

What Const.i.tutes a Good Variety.

The different types of the gladiolus vary so widely that they cannot be measured by one fixed standard, but there are some general requirements of excellence that apply to all. Vigorous healthy growth is indispensable. It is not worth while to cultivate a variety that is const.i.tutionally feeble. Another essential is a fair-sized clean bulb, and it is desirable, though not imperative, that it should produce bulblets freely. The leaves should be green to the tips throughout the season. The spike should be tall and straight, with a good distance between the first flower and the foliage. In some varieties the spike develops so rapidly, and is so tender and succulent, that it is unable to support its own weight. Hence, it makes a crooked stem which is a blemish, however perfect it may be otherwise. Ordinarily, it is better that the spike should not have branches, though some of the best kinds do, as May, Augusta, and others. When a variety is used for forcing, and individual flowers are cut, branches are an advantage, as they lengthen the season, but when the whole spike is cut they are useless, and worse, for they exhaust the bulb more or less, and time is consumed in taking them off. The stem should be able to take up water freely, so that it may open a goodly number of flowers at once. This is a characteristic common to the Gandavensis varieties, while the opposite is true of the Lemoines. The typical spike should have two rows of flowers facing the same way, and near enough together to conceal the stem, or the most of it, but not so close as to look crowded. The blossom should be finely arched, and open enough to bring out that frank, engaging expression which is peculiar to this flower, and one of its special charms. The petals should be of ample width, to give the bloom a rich, generous appearance. Substance in the petals is of very great importance as enabling them to endure exposure. If too thin, they will wilt in a warm or windy day.

There is one more requirement, without which all other perfections go for naught,--fine coloring. It may be light or dark, delicate or rich, solid or a combination of few or many hues, but it must be clear, spirited and attractive, not dull nor muddy, nor faded. The gladiolus comprises such a marvelous range of colors, from white up through all the shades of pink, melon, and scarlet, to the richest and most glowing reds; some fine tints of yellow; and innumerable blendings, markings and variegations, that there is no need of accepting or perpetuating an unlovely color or one that requires an apology.

CHAPTER XVI.

How to Obtain a Choice Collection.

There are, as before stated, some qualities which are requisite to a good gladiolus, but this demand does not draw close or inflexible lines.

There are hundreds of varieties in existence which possess the necessary traits in a considerable degree, and more are being produced every year by the growing of seedlings. This breadth of variation gives room for the exercise of individual tastes equally as diversified, and it is interesting to observe the differences displayed. One person's ideal may be quite ordinary in the estimation of another. Once, when I exhibited ninety varieties at a fair, I was surprised to see a lady select as her first choice the one which was ninetieth in my opinion.

There are several ways of obtaining a fine collection. If one can afford to gratify his wishes without regard to expense, he can buy named varieties year after year, select those that he most admires, and reject the others. With less outlay he can buy mixed bulbs of a high grade, or unbloomed seedlings, and retain the finest, as before. This is an excellent way, and in no other can a choice collection be obtained for so little money in so short a time. Another method, which involves still less expense but requires more time, is to grow bulbs from seed, and it is wise to procure the seed from many different sources, in order to attain the most extensive range of colors and characteristics. Seedlings well grown the first year will show a few flowers the second, and the next season all will bloom. The grower can then choose those that please him best, and this work is unspeakably captivating.

CHAPTER XVII.

How to Keep a Collection Vigorous and Well Balanced.

The gladiolus, like other flowering plants, shows the effects of continued neglect or ill usage in diminished vigor and inferior bloom.