April 14, 1906 



HORTICULTURE, 



487 



general culture of oranges. At Sawbridgeworth the 

 orange is worked upon the lemon as a stock, the latter 

 being raised from pips. A number of seedling lemons 

 are raised each year. After a couple of years' growth 

 these are ready for grafting. Quantities of trees are 

 sent out each year, the firm's customers including 

 colonial growers. There are over 1000 orange trees in 

 two large houses at the nurseries which are famous for 

 other kinds of fruit, several well known introductions 

 having emanated from here. 



A RECORD ORCHID PRICE 



Orchardists from far and near were recently attracted 

 to the sale of a portion of the collection of orchids 

 belonging to Mr. H. T. Pitt, of Eosslyn, Stamford Hill. 

 The most valuable item was Odontoglossum crispum 

 Pittianum. The plant was collected by Mr. J. Carder. 

 and first flowered in Mr. Eochford's nurseries. On 

 coming into the possession of Mr. Pitt it was exhibited 

 in May, 1900, and received from the Royal Horticul- 

 tural Society a first-class certificate. Jt was also 

 exhibited at Manchester where it received a gold medal. 

 A. J. Chapman, in his well known work on orchids 

 describes it as "one of the finest varieties in cultiva- 

 tion." After a brisk bidding the lot was knocked down 

 salesroom prices. This established a record as regards 

 saleroom prices. Included in the sale was a F. K. 

 Sander which realized 800 guineas, whilst others 

 fetched from 300 to 470 guineas each. The aggregate 

 obtained was 5,342 pounds — a satisfactory morning's 

 work for Messrs. Protheroe & Morris, the auctioneers. 

 A second day's sale produced £3,974, indicating that 

 the orchid trade is still "booming" in Britain. 



>3W. CIM*&. 



London, Eng., March 31, 1906. 



Primulas 



Primula is an extensive genus of small and desirable 

 plants. All the species of primrose increase readily by 

 Seeds, or by dividing the plants, which should be done 

 as soon as they have flowered. However, in treating 

 Primula sinensis I do not reproduce them by division, 

 but by sowing the seeds early in April, as better plants 

 can be procured by this method. A light soil is prefer- 

 able in which to sow the seeds of this particular plant, 

 equal parts of loam, leaf mould and sand. It is also 

 highly essential that the pan or pot in which they are 

 sown should be well drained and watered thoroughly 

 before sowing the seeds, which in turn should be but 

 lightly covered, placing them in a temperature of 60 

 degrees until germination has taken place, afterward re- 

 moving them to a cooler situation, say about 50 de- 

 grees. 



When the plants have formed 2 or 3 leaves they 

 should be removed from the seed pan and potted singly 

 into 2 1-2-inch pots, using similar material to that in 

 which they were sown. Care should be taken at this 

 stage not to expose them to undue sunlight for a few 

 days, or until they become established. Plenty of air 

 at all times will add vigor and prove beneficial to the 

 plants. Repot into 4-inch and ultimately into (5 and 

 7-inch pots, as the plants require, with soil containing 

 less leaf mould, and more manure ; decomposed cow 

 manure is perhaps best for this purpose. 



During the hot months of summer the plant may be 

 advantageously placed in a frame or lean-to facing 

 north and shaded during strong sun. As the sun de- 

 clines and becomes less powerful late in the afternoon 

 the shading may be removed. When the nights become 

 cool in September the plants should be removed to the 

 greenhouse and grown in a temperature of 45 to 50 deg. 

 and syringed daily during bright weather. When the 

 pots become filled with roots, liquid manure should be 

 given once a week and a dressing of bone flour occa- 

 sionally. Primulas are not so susceptible to insect pests 

 as are some other plants, but it is well to place tobacco 

 stems between the plants as a preventive. 



Fuchsias at the Spring Show, 

 Philadelphia. 



William Robertson, gardener to John W. Pepper, 

 took first premium for three fuchsias. These were 

 well grown specimens, trained as standards and the 

 variety was old speciosa, which is the best variety to 

 be had at this time of year. The fuchsia lends itself 

 admirably to being grown as a standard and plants two 

 or more years old come more naturally as standards. 



The second prize was awarded to Fred Huggler, 

 gardener for Geo. Vaux, and these were grown as dwarf 

 standards evidently two years old — or rather were being 

 grown the second year from the cutting. This variety 

 was unknown to me nor was it labelled. It resembled 

 the old Elegans or, by some called Charming, but I did 

 not know it bloomed thus early. 'Tis a pity there are 

 not more varieties to be had in bloom at this season of 

 the year. We have depended entirely too much upon 

 Europe for our new varieties of fuchsias, where they do 

 so satisfactorily all summer long, while in this climate 

 they do not thrive during the heated term. 



Here is an opportunity to experiment in raising a 

 new race of early-blooming varieties suitable to this 

 climate, which, there is no doubt, could be done by sys- 

 tematic and well directed effort. Speciosa would pos- 

 sibly lie a useful parent with that end in view. The 

 van'etv Mrs. Geo. Rundle is now in bloom here, so also 

 is Arabella and Gustave Nadand, so that by using these 

 early flowers for pollenizing and by carefully selecting 

 the resultant offspring, success seems assured, especially 

 when Luther Burbank in a recent number of "The 

 Youth's Companion" says that "We have learned that 

 plants are as plastic in our hands as clay in the hands 

 of the potter." I wonder whether the potter has to 

 make GO. 000 pots before he gets one to suit him, as it 

 is said Burbank did when lie rejected 59,999 black- 

 berries before he found the one he afterwards named 

 Iceberg. I do not believe that the raising of improved 

 varieties of plants from seed by cross-fertilization and 

 selection is so easy as it is for a potter to make pots 

 from clay, especially flower pots, but don't let that deter 

 us from making an effort to raise new and improved 

 early-flowering varieties of fuchsia. Let's get to work. 



-7^-0 



~o£&u£z. 



Girard Collegi . Philadelphia. 



