i8g6. 



GARDENING. 



215 



CANNA MME. A. BOUVIBH. 



not be kept steadily at a higher tempera- 

 ture than 110° or thereabout, else the 

 seed may be killed. But it is astonishing 

 the amount of hot soak some seeds will 

 bear, especially those of the pea family, 

 without being injured. The moment the 

 skin cracks or softens (which "can be dis- 

 cerned by the swelling of the seed) the 

 seed should be removed from the soak and 

 sown or kept moist till the general sow- 

 ing is done. Even after a couple of days' 

 soaking, and two or three scaldings we 

 have found seed that showed not the 

 least sign of softening. We sow them as 

 they arc and wait their convenience to 

 sprout, be that a month or a year. A hot- 

 bed is a poor place for a stubborn seed. 



A Book on Floricultukk.— W. W. S., 

 Wisconsin, "wants a book on floriculture 

 that will give a new beginner all needed 

 information on the cxiltivation and care 

 of flowers both indoors and out." .4ns. 

 There is no such book. Peter Hender 

 son's "Practical Floriculture" is the best 

 in its way; get it from the publisher of 

 Gardening, price $1.50. 



Aquatics. 



GROWING WATER LILIBS IN TUBS. 



The enquiry of A. D. M. in Gardening, 

 page 196, March 15, reminds me of our 

 experience last year in growing water 

 lilies in tubs. We purchased of a whole- 

 sale liquor dealer casks which, when 

 sawn in two, gave us tubs three feet in 

 diameter and two in depth and each hav- 

 ing five iron hoops. Ithink wepaidabout 

 $1 25 per cask and freight We procured 

 growing plants in April of nynipha;as 

 candidissima, cbromatella, carnea, pyg- 

 trnea, Zanziharensis azitrca and rosea and 

 odorata rosea, and kept them in pots in 



tubs or pailsofwaterin the conservatory, 

 until planted out in the tubs. We found 

 the fibre tubs the cleanest and most satis- 

 factory in which to stand the pots indoors 

 as there was more room for the expan- 

 sion of the leaves. The soil was prepared 

 as directed in Gardening's answer to A. 

 D. M. page 196, but with the addition of 

 a 6-inch pot full of bone flour to a wheel- 

 barrow load of soil, thoroughly mixed. 

 Water in the tubs was added as the 

 plants increased in size. We felt well 

 satisfied with the experiment and the 

 amount of bloom was perhaps all we 

 could expect from such restricted f|uarters. 

 The tubs not being large enough to give 

 the long stems room to float the leaves 

 and crowding them against the sides the 

 edges of the leaves would turn brown, 

 disfiguring them to quite an extent. [In 

 cutting a cask in two we generally cut 

 right across through the middle of the 

 hole in the side, so that when the tidi is 

 set level the water stands about an inch 

 from the brim, the hollow at the holeact- 

 ing as an over-flow; many of the U'aves 

 then jam up against the sides of the tub 

 without spreading over it. But if the hole 

 is sawn out so that the edge of the tub is 

 even all round, the water rises to the 

 brim, and' the leaves float easily out of the 

 water and over the sides with very little 

 harm to themselves. Never shower them 

 overhead in the heat of the day; this to a 

 large extent will prevent sunseald.— En.] 

 The stems would frequently measure 

 three feet. When taken out of the tubs in 

 the fall the increase in the number of 

 bulbs by oflshoots was very gratifving. 



For fish we tried pickerel, perch, horn 

 pout, sun fish and gold fish. The pickerel 

 were too lively and jumped out. The gold 

 fish came from a pond where the water 

 was not clear, and were too wild, and 

 would stir up the soil whenever ap- 

 proached. The sun fish soon became 

 iled to their new home and afforded 



us lots of amusement. After a few weeks 

 they seemed to learn where the food came 

 Irom and readily took it from our fingers 

 and it was quite interesting to visitors, 

 who would hardly credit our statements, 

 to feed them themselves. We had a minia- 

 ture fish food experiment station, and be-, 

 came thoroughly convinced that the sun 

 fish were of a discriminating and epicu- 

 rean nature, for they certainly displayed 

 more fondness for chicken than for any 

 other food, though thej' would dispose of 

 quite a quantity of angle worms, and 

 took good care ot all mosquito larvae. 

 This year we shall keep only the sun fish. 



I would caution A. D. M. to have a 

 snmll stream of watcrconstantly running 

 into the tubs where the fish are kept, as 

 without it they will live but a short 

 time. " F. C. Curtis. 



Maine. 



Orchids. 



ORCflID NOTES. 



The following are in bloom here: Laalia 

 harpophylla, a species with small orange 

 colored flowers. It does best in baskets 

 with a small amount of potting material. 

 Pbalwnopsis Schilleriana, the most relia- 

 ble species where there is not a separate 

 house for their culture. The sphagnum 

 on the surface should always be kept in a 

 growing state; for this reason the pans or 

 baskets should be comparative small. 

 Cattkya intermedia and C. Schrodera: are 

 useful and easily grown kinds for pot 

 culture. Dendrohium chrysotoxum, a 

 beautiful easily grown and reliable species 

 for basket culture. Epidendrum ciliare 

 docs well on blocks. Oncidiuw phyma- 

 tochilum, with odd looking, brilliant 3'el- 

 low flowers marked with brown. This 

 plant is ornamental even when not in 

 flower. It does best with basket culture 

 and in an intermediate temperature. 

 Odontoglossum citrosmum. a beautiful 

 orchid producing long pendulous racemes 

 of lemon scented, whiteflowers. Itshould 

 be grown in suspended baskets, and when 

 in flower removed to where the air is 

 comparatively dry, when it will last 

 longer than it otherwise would. Dendro- 

 hium Wardianum, the large flowered 

 type; some of these have pseudo-bulbs 

 over three feet in length. D. nohile, D. 

 calceohis and D. Findeyanuni, Cliysis 

 licvis, Odontoglossum Rossi majus, and 

 O. Rossi aspersum, Goodyera discolor, 

 Epidendrum O'Brieni, Cymbidium aloi- 

 folium and Schomburgkia undulata. 



Among cypripediums are in bloom: C. 

 hirsutissimum, Rothschildianum. calo- 

 pbyllum, callosum. Dauthieri, Boxallii, 

 leucorrbodum, cardinale, Harrisianum 

 superbum and villosum aureum, the last 

 named a splendid improvement on the 

 type and a fine flower for cutting. 



Orange, N.J. Wm. Fitzwili.iam. 



I have always wanted a thoroughly 

 honest and practical periodical. I saw 

 the first number of Gardening, sent in my 

 subscription and have even,- number of ft 

 up to the present time. C. S. H. 



Higganum, Conn. 



We find Gardening an invaluable h Ip 

 in matters pertaining to the vegetable 

 and flower garden. 



Montana. Sister Rose Vincent. 



Your Gardening is the best of all horti- 

 cultural papers in the United States. 



C T. L. 

 Williamsport, Pa. March 7, 1896. 



