204 



THE GARDENER'S MONTHLY 



[July, 



value with age, while many other plants become 

 too large and unwieldy. Hence if the Orchid 

 grower ever comes to grief he has some chance 

 of finding some pecuniary salve in selling his 

 plants. We briefly noted in our last that 

 Mr. Tweddle's plants were sold, but had not at 

 that time any particulars. Since then we find 

 that the following are some of them : For Angrse- 

 cum sesquipedale, $135; A. surperbum, $65 

 A. carneum, $75; .Erides odoratum, $27; M^ 

 Fieldingii, $25; Cattleya Mossise, $28; Cattleya 

 gigas, $32; C. labiata, $175; C. Warscewiczii 

 $65; C. speciosissima, $42; Cselogyne cristata 

 $75; Dendrobium Wardianum, $43; D. densi 

 florum, $30; Lfelia elegans, $50; Lycaste Skin- 

 nerii superba, $90; Odontoglossum vexillarium, 

 $100; Oncidium Marshallii, $33; Phaltenopsis 

 Luddemanniana, $65 ; Saccolabium guttatum 



Holfordianum, $200; Vanda tricolor Corningii, 

 $225; Vanda suavis (Veitch's variety), $250." 

 The prices are really low for good specimens; 

 but we see these nineteen plants above brought 

 in $1,623. 



«HH» 



SCRAPS AND QUERIES. 



Begonia hybrida. — C. inquires : Will some of 

 the readers of the Monthly tell me who raised 

 Begonia hybrida multiflora? In what year was 

 it raised, and between what varieties is it a 

 hybrid? 



Azaleas. — E. says : Will you or some of your 

 readers please give me the names and descrip- 

 tions of ten of the best and most distinct double 

 varieties of Azalea Indica, also a list of the best 

 and most distinct single varieties. 



Fruit and Vegetable Gardening. 



SEASONABE HINTS. 



It takes a long while for a good idea to 

 become popular. The Gardener's Monthly 

 long ago showed the advantage of rooting Straw- 

 berries in small pots for fall planting, and ex- 

 pressed an opinion that the trade would soon 

 find an advantage in getting such plants ready 

 and advertising them. The idea slept for a 

 while, but now it has come into general practice. 

 A pot-rooted plant is worth a dozen plants taken 

 fresh from the plant, and will always bring a 

 price proportioned to the labor of preparing 

 it 



The thinning of fruit, — watching of insects, 

 especially the borers in Dwarf Pears, Quince, 

 Apple and Peach, — and summer-pruning are 

 the main subjects of attention at this particular 

 season. Where the soil is not very good, as may 

 be noted by a weak growth of the trees, a surface 

 manuring may be yet given with advantage. 

 Every day's experience more decidedly shows 

 the great advantages to the pomologist of this 

 method of applying manure. 



It used to be, and it is yet to a great extent, the 

 recommendation of writers to cut away rasp- 

 berry canes as soon as they have borne fruit ; 

 fruit-growers know better now. The slight shade 



these old stalks afford, is agreeable to the new 

 growth which is to bear next year. 



In regard to training fruit trees, this is the 

 most important month in the year. If a 

 shoot appears where it is not wanted, pinch 

 it off; this throws the sap into other direc- 

 tions where strength and vigor is desired. A 

 good summer pruner does not leave much to 

 be done in the winter time. 



The time when currants and gooseberries mil- 

 dew and drop their foliage is at hand. Some 

 have found a mulch of salt hay to be good against 

 these troubles, but in fact anything that cools 

 the surface and thus helps to keep the atmos- 

 phere about the plants, is good. A heavy mulch 

 of old corn stalks we have found to be excellent 

 help to success in growing these fruits. 



Preparation for the Celery crop is one of the 

 chief matters in this department at this season. 

 No plant, perhaps, requires a richer soil than 

 this, and of all manures, well decayed cow dung 

 is found to be the best. After so many trials 

 with different ways of growing them, those who 

 have their own gardens, — ama,teurs, for whom 

 we write, — find that the old plan of sinking the 

 plants in shallow pits is about the best. Trenches 

 are dug about six inches deep, and three or four 

 inches of manure then dug in, of which cow ma- 



