GLADIOLUS HYBRIDS.

Otago Daily Times, Issue 19964, 4 December 1926, Page 3

GLADIOLUS HYBRIDS.

ORIGIN EXPLAINED BY KELWAY AND SON. In a letter to the editor of The Garden Messry Kelway and Son, the well-known expert growers of gladioli and other wellknown garden subjects, give the following account of the origin of the fine gladioli hybrids which in their flowering season form such a feature in gardens throughout the world• “We feel sure that it will bo of interest to put on record, onco for all, the origin of the hybrids resulting from crossing the species gladiolus primulinus with largoflowered hybrid gladioli (G. gandavensis). “Sir Francis Fox sent us, and to the Royal Kew Gardens, in the year 1905, the first corms of G. primulinus. which were introduced into Europe. Mr Townsend, who was m charge of the building of the Zambesi bridge in 1903, had collected these bulbs and had sent them to. Sir Francis Fox, a partner in the firm which was building the bridge. Our Mr James Kelway handed them at once to Mr Field, the foreman of our gladiolus department, with instructions to grow them inside until the hardiness was known, and then outside, and to cross them as soon as possible with the best varieties of the large-flowered section, the descendants of Souchet’s varieties, which sprang from G gandavensis. In 192? The Times published a statement that the Dutch and American nurserymen were responsible for the production of this beautiful now race of gladioli. We wrote to The Times contradicting this, but the letter was not inserted. We then wrote to Sir Francis Fox, who. in his reply, substantiated the facts we give above and added, ‘T do not think the Dutch growers had any for some years after. I regard you as having produced the earliest and most beautiful results.’ Messrs tjemoine the well known French raisers, raised a cross between G. primulinus and one of their Lomoiuej section. Wo have seen these varieties, which are very similar to thg well known Lemomei hybrids in shape and, as well as very much smaller, arc quite distinct from the section now so popular. “The corms sent to us by Sir Francis Fox in 1905 flowered in 1906 and were hybridised and used for hybridising. In 1912 the Royal Horticultural _ Society gave us an award of merit and their silver floral medal for our exhibit of flowers from the strain, and the National Gladiolus Society at the same show an award of merit for the hybrid varietv which we had named Golden Girl “The first hybrid varieties of this section which were evo r catalogued wore our Golden Girl Ella Kelway, Josephine Kelway Ralph Friendship, Banshee and Elf. All these were offered to the public in 191.3. . , “Dunn" the war. work on this hew gladiolus naturally ebbed in the countries which were at war. Holland and America were "Hie to <ro ahead with such material as thev had. but we should like it known that it is due to Sir Francis Fox’s kindness in us the species, and to our Mr James Kelway, who supervised the work of crossing, that the credit of the inauguration of this now popular flower is due. The press in 1912 su chested that some special name be put to these gladioli, and we distributed them under the name of Gladiolus T.nn' r prini. Hatur for Langport, Prim fm-