April 5, 1913 



HORTICULTURE 



501 



Coelogyne pandurata 



Here is an ideal flower for St. 

 Patrick's day. How ridiculous it 

 seems to go to work and color or 

 dye white carnations green for St. 

 Patrick's day ! I have on numerous 

 occasions been asked what is the 

 name of these green pinks which 

 people saw in the florist's store 

 prior to and on Patrick's day, but 

 at no other time of the year, and 

 these people were innocent enough to 

 believe the fake to be natural. 



Now if florists are anxious to 

 serve the dear people from the Em- 

 erald Isle with green flowers on St. 

 Patrick's day, why don't they look 

 around Nature's storehouse first and 

 see what they can find in that line 

 before degrading our honorable 

 profession by putting a faked 

 article on the market. Ever seen 

 Coelogyne pandurata in bloom ? Why 

 here you have the most lovely 

 shade of green anybody could possi- 

 bly ask for, and it usually blooms 

 about this time. This is no joke; the only part of the 

 flower that is not green is the pandurate (or fiddle- 

 shaped) lip which has some jet black blotches bordered 

 in part with white. Too bad that that lip isn't harp- 

 shaped instead of fiddle-shaped ! How appropriate it 

 would be. Perhaps someone of Horticdltdre's es- 

 teemed readers know of a green flower where the harp 

 is represented in place of the fiddle. This, like all 

 Coelogynes, is of the easiest possible culture; a shady 



place m a warm greenhouse or stove will suit it. During 

 the growing season it must have a liberal supply of water, 

 and it must not be kept dry for any length of time, even 

 during its resting periods. 



Nnu(jnhtcl\ Conn. 



Ananassa sativa variegata 



Ananassa sativa variegata is one of the handsomest 

 variegated plants we have, and I have often wondered 

 that it is not more generally grown by florists. One 

 quite often sees a few sickly, badly colored pandanus 

 plants, but here is a plant that can be relied on to always 

 show its rich variegation. It is very largely neglected 

 by the trade, on account of an erroneous idea that a 

 stock of it is hard to obtain. We have fruited a plant 

 in a seven-inch pot, and after cutting the fruit have pro- 

 cured twelve young plants from the old stem below 

 the fruit in less than a year, each cutting forming a nice 

 plant in a five-inch pot before the year was up. Judging 

 from the prices asked for Ananassa variegata in the cata- 

 logues, for five-inch pots, I don't see why there shouldn't 

 be a dollar in it. One thing also in its favor is that it 

 makes an excellent house plant, lasting for a long time 

 if not overwatered. As stated above young plants are 

 raised from the stem of a plant that has fruited, and 

 there is not much difficulty in fruiting them, in a tem- 

 perature from 60 to 70 by night, with a rise of 10 or 15 

 degrees during the day. 



The young shoots start from the base of the leaf very 

 soon after the fruit has ripened, and may be removed 

 when large enough to be potted singly in a 2i^-inch pot, 

 the compost being a sandy peat with some fine charcoal 



added. Place the small plants in a bottom heat of not 

 less than 70 degrees, in which they will root in from 

 three to four weeks. They may be moved along into 

 larger pots as they require it. We find the best potting 

 material is a rough fibrous peat, with enough sand and 

 charcoal to make it have a gritty feel. At all times place 

 the plants as near the glass as possible and maintain a 

 night temperature of not less than 60 degrees. This 

 treatment will bring out that rich golden tinge to the 

 variegation which is the delight of the cultivator. Like 

 all pineapples this plant is very sensitive to overwatering 

 and may be allowed to become much drier than the ma- 

 jority of plants before watering. When the plants have 

 attained the desired size, the night temperature may be 

 lowered to around 55 degrees, with air freely admitted 

 during the day. This hardens them nicely for house 

 decoration or shipping to customers. We have seen 

 these plants affected by red spider, mealy bug and scale. 

 The former may be kept in check by the syringe, the 

 bug and scale by Hydrocyanic gas. 



sjecT^ \!^, 'zfuZt 



Medford,Mass. 



