130 



Tirr. C.IRDENER'S MONTHLY 



\_May, 



newest and best p]nf^Hsh. Frcncli. and American 

 varieties, all line, but as a bedder, Ralph is king. 

 I have no interest in the sale of plants ; my 

 object is to eall the attention of lovers of plants 

 to two good things, and to encourage home 

 productions. 



(Since our note appeared we have seen blooms 

 of Halph, and agree with all that is said of it. 

 The shade of color is similar to one now well 

 known as General Lee, hut it is much superior 

 in form and other good characters. — Ed. G. M.] 



KILLING MEALY BUG. 



r.v (i. wKKiirr, imick falls, ill. 

 For more than a year I have used kerosene to 

 destroy mealy bug and scale louse, and have 

 found it the most convenient and eftectual 

 remedy. I apply it to the backs of the insects 

 with a feather, and brush lightly around the 

 axils of the leaves infested, and I cannot perceive 

 any injurious etTects of its use upon the most 

 tender plants. Hot water cannot be used upon 

 large specimen plants, besides, there are some 

 succulent plants, like Mimulus, which will not 

 endure 120° without injury. Of late years it 

 seems utterly impossil)le to keep a conservatory 

 or bay window free from these two pests, for 

 the reason that every accession of new plants 

 from the large greenhouses brings a new stock 

 of bugs. For my own part I would rather pay 

 double price for clean plants, than deal with a 

 lousy -florist . 



BRASSIA, MILTONIA AND ODONTO- 

 GLOSSUM. 



BY C. H. SNOW. 15ALTIMOKE, >1D. 



These three species of orchids are closely 

 allied, botanically, to the Oncidiums,and resem- 

 ble them in their growth and maimer of bloom- 

 ing. They all send their flower stems from the 

 base of the bulbs, which stems vary in length 

 from a few inches to three to five feet. 



Brassia. Although many orchid growers do 

 not place much value on these, yet some ai'e 

 really pretty, and all are curious and free 

 flowering. They all belong to the Western Con- 

 tinent, and come mostly from the warmer parts, 

 and with me do well in the hottest place with 

 the E. India orchids. The sepals and petals in 

 all the varieties are long and slender, and resem- 

 ble at a distance some huge insects. 



Brassia Lanceana and Lawrenceana are both 

 from Guiana, resemble one another very much, 

 and grow well in shallow baskets with broken 

 crocks and charcoal. The sepals and petals are 



greenish yellow barred and spotted brown, lip 

 j yellow spotted purplish brown. 



li. Caudata. Sepals and petals greenish white, 

 lip jnn-e white, spotted brown. West Indies R. 

 vierrucosa [Mexico and (Ivatemala) sejials and 

 petals pale transijanmt green; lip white, with 

 green warts. B. (Jireoudiana. This is the hand- 

 somest species that I have seen. Comes from 

 Central America. The flowers are bright orange, 

 yellow spotted with reddish orange. Flower 

 stems two feet long. 



There are several other species, diffViring from 

 the above slightly, in marking. Tht^y mostly 

 bloom in the Spring, just before they commence 

 to make new growth ; but they do not always do 

 so, as the Guiana varieties will bloom twice a 

 year if handled properly. 



Miltonia. This beautiful genus comes from 

 Brazil. A few species from Mexico are now 

 placed as Cyrtochilum, and these latter are not 

 remarkable for their beauty. Miltonias mostly 

 bloom in the late summer or early autumn 

 months, andwill commence to make newgrowth 

 in the fall and winter, if kept in a good heat say 

 from sixty to seventy degrees; and I lind nil or- 

 chids coming from South Brazil grow through the 

 winter months^ and do well and bloom well if kept 

 warm and near the glass. At this time nearly all 

 my Cattleya, Lielia, Miltonia, Oncidium and Zy- 

 gopetalons from Brazil are growing strongly, 

 and this coincides with what I have seen in Bra- 

 zil, for it is late summer there now. Miltonias 

 have two distinct st^des of bulbs, one small, from 

 two to tliree inches long and flat. These belong 

 to the M. spectabilis varieties, and have short 

 flower stems with one or two large flowers. The 

 other form of bulb is more cone-shaped, narrow- 

 ing to the top, and from four to seven inches 

 long. M. Candida l)elongs to this class and they 

 have longer flower stems and jnore flowers. 



All Miltonias have very small roots, which I 

 think are only annual, the plants deriving suste-- 

 nance from roots emitted fiom the young 

 growth. . 



I find the spectabilis varieties do admirably on 

 rough cork, the rougher the better. The stronger 

 gi'owing varieties grow well in small pots, well 

 drained, always keeping the plants well above 

 the pots. Those on cork need syringing twice a 

 da3' when in active growth. They should never 

 l)e allowed to get too dry, as the bulbs are 

 small. 



Miltonia spectabilis. The flowers of this 

 species are quite large, sometimes over three 



