THE FLOEAL WOKLD AND GARDEN GUIDE. 



279 



loamy land broken up from grass roses do 

 better than in ordinary garden soil, and 

 those who grow for show should either use 

 turf liberally or break up meadow ground 

 for their best plants. Get in briars quickly 

 before the best are gone. Manettis layered 

 during summer may now be divided and 

 planted out in rows for budding next 

 season. 



Rhuharh and Seakale put in to force. 

 We object to the usual plan of blanching 

 rhubarb as spoiling it; unless it is acid it 

 is worthless, and the blancliing system as 

 followed for the markets only produces a 

 mass of vegetable pulp without beauty or 

 flavour. 



Forced Peas and Beans. — Tom Thumb 

 is the best of all peas for forcing; sown 

 now and grown in pots with French beans 

 it will give a good return. Those who 

 force for Covent Garden sow in October 

 and November.* This pea is of dwarf 

 branching habit, and of very little use 

 for out-door work, being tender _in con- 

 stitution. 



Greenhouse and Consekvatoky. — 

 Chrysanthemu ; s will keep the houses gay 

 till after Christmas, when the first lot of 

 forced shrubs, especially azaleas, will come 

 in to take their place. In the conservatory 

 "whatever flowers are at command may be 

 made tiie most of by judiciously inter- 

 mixing with them good plants of Yucca, 

 Ac icia lopliantha, camellias, and others 

 possessing characteristic folitge. Hard- 

 wooded plants in the greenhouse must 

 Lave as much air as the weather will allow 

 and as little water as possible, as we may 

 soon expect severe frosts. The thermo- 

 meter should not descend below 38'. Soft- 

 wooded plants will be subj ct to mildew 

 if the house is at all damp, and must have 

 fire-heat during foggy as well as during 

 frosty weather. Shift any specimen plants 

 that are in need of increased root-room. 

 Peach 2s to fruit early must be frequently 

 syringed, and have as little fire-heat as 

 possible, but the heat may be allowed to 

 rise, with plenty of ventilation, during 

 sunshine. Ericas must have air at every 

 opportunity, and, if forced with other 

 Howering shrubs, must have the coolest 

 place in the forcing pit, and be very gently 

 stimulated. Greenhouse temperature 40' 

 to 45.^ 



Stove. — We suppose the cultivator to 

 be able now to furnish the conservatory 

 with showy specimens of Euphorbia Jac- 

 quiniflora, Poinsettia pulcherrima, Gesnera 

 zebrina. Begonias, Luculias, Camellias, 

 etc., etc., from the stove. But there must 

 be a succession, and one of the first things 

 to consider now is how to make the stove 



available, not only for the preservation of 

 its ordinary inmates, but to forward fur- 

 nishing plants for other structures. Plum- 

 bago capensis, cytisuses, azaleas, and 

 camellias should therefore be introduced 

 at the coolest end of the stove, if there is 

 room for them ; a few roses may be forced 

 with them, and many ornamental-foliaged 

 subjects will be found useful if in a clean 

 and healthy state. Mixed stove selections 

 must now be kept rather cool, as growth is 

 not desirable. Keep the atmosphere of the 

 house sweet by giving air on fine days, and 

 be careful to remove dead leaves, mosses, 

 and liverworts in pots, and whatever impedes 

 the circulation of air or engenders unwhole- 

 some vapours. All plants approaching a 

 state of repose to have little or no water. 

 Plants in active growth must be watered 

 with caution; let them have enough, but 

 see that they do not stand in pans with 

 stagnant water about their roots, or in wet 

 places in the midst of mildew. Tempera- 

 ture of stove 50' by night, 60" by day, 

 with a rise of 10' during simshine. 



Orchid-house. — In collections where 

 there are now only a few orchids in a 

 growing state, the foi"cing-pit may be 

 turned to account to receive them, so as to 

 allow of the cooling down of the orchid- 

 house, and securing thereby a complete 

 state of repose for the plants, which is 

 scarcely possible if there happen to be a 

 few fine specimens pushing into bloom or 

 in an active state of growth. It is at this 

 time of year we see the full value of divi- 

 sions which can be respectively devoted to 

 orchids from different climates and requir- 

 ing now different temperatures. Orchids 

 at rest to be kept comparatively cool and dry; 

 50' by night and 60' by day will be sufficient. 

 Variegated orchids must have very little 

 water now, and, if in a warm house, will 

 do better without than with bell-glasses; 

 they are indeed generally kept too close. 

 Rot and spot are diseases peculiar to this 

 season, and are the result of too much 

 moisture in the house or of drip from the 

 glass. 



Orchids that may he in bloom in De- 

 cember. — Angr£ecum bilobum, eburneum, 

 eburneum superbnm, sesquipedale; Arpho- 

 phyllum spicatum; Barkeria elegans and 

 Skinneri ; Bletia Shepherdi ; Brassavola 

 Digbyana ; Burlingtonia amcena; Calanthe 

 vestita rubra oculata; Cattleya maxima; 

 Warscewiezii ; Caelogyne Gardneriana, 

 media ; Cymbidium giganteum, Mastersii ; 

 Cypripedium insigne, insigne Maulei, pur- 

 puratum; Dendrobium album, monilifo. me; 

 Dendrochilum glumaceum ; Epidendron 

 vitellinum; Grammatophyllum speciosum ; 

 Lselia acuminata, albida, anceps, Maryanii, 



