396 



HORTICULTURE 



March 31, 1906 



Oncidium crispum 



Herewith is a picture of Oncidium crispum, the plant 

 bearing three spikes, aggregating 14!> flowers. It is 

 growing on a piece of board with a thin layer of osmun- 

 da fibre attached to same for rooting material. This I 

 think makes the best kind of receptacle for this particu- 

 lar species. The roots can roam about at will and don't 

 have to turn any sharp corners as they have to in bas- 

 kets. Besides this the plant can be watered freely 

 without danger of over-watering, as all water drains off 

 quickly and, outside of the thin layer of fern root, there 

 is nothing to hold moisture for any length of time. 



During the growing season which is from February 

 to August or September, water is given very freely ; in 

 hot weather two or three times a day is none too much, 

 but after the pseudo-bulb's have finished once or twice a 

 week will be sufficient. The temperature of the house 

 in which the plant is growing ranges from 45 to 52 de- 

 grees at night in winter with 10 to 15 degrees raise in 

 day time; in summer the house is kept as cold as the 

 weather will permit. Plenty of air is given at all times 

 in summer from top and bottom and in winter as much 

 as outside conditions will warrant. 



In the same house Oncidium varieosnm ami other 

 cool growing oncidiums, besides some odontoglossums. 

 do very well. All plants are suspended from the roof, 

 azaleas, calceolarias, primulas and other cold-growing 

 subjects being grown on the benches. 



(??l./:&^ 



Do Varieties Deteriorate? 



I see it stated by another of your correspondents 

 that it is now the belief of the majority that wearing 

 out of varieties takes place through propagating them, 

 by budding, grafting, cuttings, layers or division of the 

 roots. That varieties may either be deteriorated or im- 

 proved by crossing one with another through the flower 

 and seed is evident, but that this can be effected by any 

 other method of propagation so as to permanently affect 

 the variety I, for one, am at a loss to understand. 



Working upon a weak stock, neglect, over-crowding 

 or poor feeding will of course deteriorate an individual 

 tree or crop and, if persisted in, all crops of the same 

 variety will eventually succumb. But if plants or seeds 

 which have been injured by such causes are again sub- 

 jected to the genial influences of good cultivation they 

 will regain their normal condition and the variety will 

 maintain its identity. Grain crops suffer by the same 

 seed being planted too long on the same land, but change 

 them on to other soil and locality and they will improve 

 without having lost their identity as a variety. I re- 

 member, some years ago, having received some "Ban- 

 ner" oats, the yield of which was enormous! The sort 

 was planted year after year and the quality and yield 

 failed annually until at last one change was made with 

 a friend at a distance who was suffering in the same 

 way, and the result was each had an excellent crop of 

 the true old "Banner" oat; no deterioration of variety, 

 but only of the crops planted without judgment. If a 

 variety is superseded by a superior one, that merely 

 casts the old one into the shade but does not deteri- 

 orate it. 



That a crop, or crops of potatoes may be spoiled by 

 planting the small tubers is now well understood, but 

 the whole family of the variety does not suffer, but only 

 those which have been maltreated. The Early Rose 

 was one of the most remarkable improvements ever 

 effected in the potato. When its merits became known, 

 the demand for it was so great that every means was 

 adopted to increase it. I purchased a few tubers in 

 the fall at $1.00 per pound. I placed them in a propa- 

 gating house in gentle bottom heat, and as they sprouted 

 I took off cuttings and rooted them; when these grew I 

 topped them, rooting the tops, and repeating the process 

 every opportunity, also continuing to propagate the 

 sprouts from the original tubers. When planting time 

 came around I planted the whole in some very carefully 

 prepared ground and, notwithstanding the heroic treat- 

 ment they had been subjected to I had an excellent 

 crop of ordinary sized tubers. The variety was not 

 deteriorated, nor has it suffered any deterioration in all 

 the years since then, for it is one of the finest flavored 

 potatoes of the present day, and is evidently by no means 

 extinct, nor is it deteriorated by age. Burpee of Phil- 

 adelphia, one of tin' most enterprising seed houses in 

 the world, advertise it in their last "Farm Annual," 

 thus "True Early Rose; the standard early potato." 



The argument that there is no new life except a plant 

 is raised from seed is fallacious; indeed it is very diffi- 

 cult to produce some varieties true from seed and if we 

 did not keep up the succession by means of the various 

 methods of propagation above alluded to we should lose 

 our most valuable varieties. If created beings, whether 

 animal or plant, fail from old age it may be inferred 

 that their progeny brought to life during their state of 

 senility may have deteriorated, but why should all 

 their offspring fail at the same time? It is true that 

 fruit trees will grow old and cease to be fruitful, and it 

 is probable that scions taken from such may have 



