until the space 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 togethe