HORTICULTURE.

Press, Volume LXVII, Issue 20328, 29 August 1931, Page 5

HORTICULTURE.

CULTIVATION OF GLADIOLI LECTURE BY MR E. E. WILTSHIRE.' "You have all feasted your eyes on his beautiful blooms, which always axcite much admiration and a certain amount of envy," said Miss M. A. Blackmbre at a crowded meeting of the Homo Economics Association last night, when introducing Mr E. E. Wiltshire, the wcll-kiown authority on gladioli. Mr Wiltshire prefaced his remarks by explaining that the right pronunciation of his ■ favourite flower was glad-i-o-lus, with the accent on the second syllable. "i," but in America, where millions of plants were grown every year, it was appropriately called "the glad." Gladioli, Mr Wiltshrio continued, had risen, during the past eighty years, from obscurity to their present proud position. Before 1850 they .were known only as small insignificant wild flowers growing in Africa and Asia Minor' — about 150 species of many forms and of varied colouring. Each willowy stem bore two or three flowers at one time, each about 1$ inches in diameter. Today it was not uncommon to see flowers 7 and 8 inches in diameter, and the average exhibition stalk bore from 8 to 10 flowers, though he had seen as many as 23 in bloom on one stem at the same time. About 250 species were now known, and the number would increase rapidly as hybridisers had, so far, dealt with only about one hundred 6pecies.

Gradual Development. In 1870 a Frenchman named Lemoine, living at Nancy, successfully hybridised his plants, but no great further progress was made until 1893 when a German, Max Leichtlin, from a Saundersei with re-curved petals, evolved a flower which is the parent of practically all varieties now in common culti vation. He sold some of his bulbs to an American, Mr Child. America tool: the gladioli to its heart and now there are acres of gladioli gardens and a Gladoli Society with 10,000 members, one of whom is Mr Wiltshire himself. Cultivation. Plants may bo sown from tho end of August to the end of October and these should bloom from the New Year till the first frosts. Any good garden soil is suitable for their cultivation. Thoy will thrive in light, sandy loam, or in elay, but when planted in clay soil, the corm or bulb should be Burrounded with sand. Though a sun-loving plant, the gladiolus should be sheltered from the hot sun from 3 p.m., and in Christchurch should be protected from florce nor'-west winds. Mr Wiltshire, by means of diagrams, showed how the corm, when planted, sent out temporary roots, but soon a new bulb, with its own rooting system, grew on top of tho old conft, which it absorbed. Bulbs measuring from 1$ to 1} inches ifl diameter gave best results. Bigger bulbs had their best blooms behind them, smaller bulbs had their best blooms ahead of them. Very big bulbs could be skinned, be carefully divided between their two growing points and they would produce two satisfactory plants. Bulbs with higli crowns should bo chosen. Tiny corm lets that grew between the old and new bulbs should be planted the next year about 1} inches below the surface, first year's bulbs about 3 inches below and a few inches apart, and exhibition bulbs about 4 inches deep and 0 inches apart. The speaker warned bin hearers against the too generous watering in the early stages of the plant's growth. Dampness was liable to eauße disease. "But after four leaves have appoared above the ground and the new bulb is well established, water as much as you like," he said, "1' plant mine in a six-feet trench, turn the hose on them, and give them a bath."

Suitable Manujes. Mr "Wiltshire advised the use of sheep manure and well-rotted fibrous turf, but any weli-rotted manure, thoroughly incorporated and not left in layers just below the conns, would give good results. Bone-dust and superphosphate might be used, but his personal preference was for nitrate of aqda, in solution —one teaspoonful to a gallon of water—applied three times at intervals of a week or ten days, when the first four leaves were showing, but not when the flowers were showing colour in the stems. Even perhaps, was saltpetre, forked in dry or used in solution of the same strength as the soda solution. Manures should be used when the plants were thickening at the base. The application did little good when the stem was half-grown. Storing of Bulbs. Bulbs should be lifted before the foliage died down —from four to eight weeks after flowering. The foliage should be cut off close to the bulb, which should then' be allowed to dry for two osr three weeks'in a cool shed where the sun, light, and air could r6ach them and evaporate the moisture. Each should then be cleaned by the removal of the old bulb and the outer skins. At planting time the skins should < be removed until .the fleshy part was reached, so that no diseased corm would be planted. As a precautionary measure the bulbs might be immersed for five minutes in a solution of 40 per cent, of formalin and water, in the proportion of one of formalin to 100 ,of water, then dried for a few minutes before planting. Cross-breed itig. Mr Wiltshire then described easy methods, of cross-breeding, which he described as the most fascinating phase of gladiolus-culttire. He had cross-bred many varieties, he said, and from a pod of seeds he had grown' 30 or 40 seedlings, and the flowers had been greatly varied in colour. He had had plants in flower 4$ months after planting the seeds. "Go for form and size," he advised, "and Nature will do all you could desire in the matter of colonjr." ]

Mr Wiltshire then gave a list of 12 inexpensive varieties, costing from Is to 5b a bulb, that could be easily grown in ordinary gardens. They were as follows:—White: Pearl. Yellow: Canberra (fairly new) and Golden Dream (bright buttercup-yellow witli large bulb). Pink: Mrs Leon Douglas (begonia pink) and Laidley (rose pink). Red: 'Victor (large red flower with white throat) and Bed Lory (comparatively new). Lavender pink: Berty Snow (needs plenty of Water). Deep purple. Troubadour, Emile Aubrun, and its offspring Marmora (which is lavender grey with petunia blotch in, throat), Our Selection (Australian, a dull bronzy salmon pink with grey markings). "I would like to add a thirteenth to the list," he said, "and that would be our own New Zealand variety—Hinemoa.'' On the motion of Mias Bl&ckmore, a vote of thanks to Mr Wiltshire was carried by acclamation.