72 



HORTICULTURE 



July 16, 1910 



SEASONABLE NOTES ON CUL- 

 TURE OF FLORISTS' STOCK. 

 Aspidistras. 

 No florist should tail to grow large 

 quantities ot tills useful plant whicli 

 stands so well ttie dust, heat, gas, and 

 darkness of the dwelling room, store 

 or other apartment. For interior dec- 

 orative purposes either as a perman- 

 ent or transient adornment of the 

 hotel, office, or house, it has but lew 

 equals. One of the principal merits of 

 this plant is its ability to endure neg- 

 lect as to watering. Now is a good 

 lime to increase your stock. Old 

 plants that are not materially gaining 

 in value as they get too large, should 

 be broken up. Divide these densely 

 grown clumps into pieces for 4 or b- 

 inch pots. They will grow in any good 

 soil that has some fine rotten manure 

 mixed through it. With a little care 

 after dividing them, as they are 

 thrown on their own resources, they 

 will start into making bright and vig- 

 orous plants. 



Calceolarias. 

 The seed of Calceolaria hybrida can 

 be sown from now up to the first weelv 

 in August for next season's trade. 

 Sow the seed in well-drained pans, 

 using a very sandy mixture of soil and 

 some clean leaf mold. Give the pans 

 a good watering so as to have them 

 wet through, then scatter the seeds 

 thinly over the surface. This will give 

 less trouble from damping off. Press 

 the seed gently into the soil with a 

 brick or piece of board as they require 

 no covering of soil, and place a pane 

 of glass over the pans. Place in a 

 frame where the shade should be 

 heavy at first, and towards fall it 

 Suould Decome lighter. The culture of 

 calceolarias requires the strictest at- 

 tention as to details. Fresh air at all 

 times is one of the chief essentials. 

 Avoid extremes either way in water- 

 ing, as these young plants are very 

 susceptible to damp. The loss through 

 damping off is lessened by timely 

 shifting from box to box. When they 

 have made from 4 to 6 leaves they 

 should be potted off into small pots, 

 still using a light sandy mixture. They 

 should have a fine syringiii? overhead 

 several times a day in bright hot 

 weather. You want to keep the young 

 seedlings healthy and moving until the 

 cooler nights of latter part of Septem- 

 bzer and October, and then you can 

 say that you have made a good start. 

 Chrysanthemum Routine Work. 

 Plants set out in the benches in 

 June will now need to be staked or 

 supported in some way, so as to keep 

 them from getting crooked and un- 

 sightly. Proper staking and tying as 

 they make their growth, will make a 

 saving of time later on. Keep the soil 

 (Stirred and free from weeds, attend 

 carefully to the watering so your soil 

 doesn't become sour, do not give water 

 unless the plants require it, and never 

 allow them to suffer for the want of 

 it. Don't try to get too rapid growth 

 by keeping a close, humid atmosphere.. 

 Your aim should be for the very op- 

 posite — short jointed and sturdy 

 growth, which can only be secured by 

 perfect ventilation, and proper amount 

 of moisture at the root. Fumigate as 

 regularly as the weather will permit. 

 During bright weather syringe them 

 freely morning and after dinner. 

 Watch for caterpillars and grasshop- 

 pers, which sometimes give a good 

 deal of trouble. 



Cypripediums. 



In order to successfully cultivate 

 these orchids, they require a well ven- 

 tilated and light house into which air 

 can be admitted at all times, in quan- 

 tities according to the condition of the 

 weather outside. A moist atmosphere 

 during all seasons is essential to their 

 well being. In wet weather admit air 

 freely, otherwise the fleshy leaves are 

 very liable to rot. Dense shading is 

 also detrimental to their welfare; just 

 a light coating during the hot summer 

 months, so as to keep the foliage from 

 scorching is sufficient. Apply water to 

 the roots whenever the compost ap- 

 pears dry and syringe them overhead 

 at least once a day in bright weather. 

 Keep the plants free from thrips by 

 sponging occasionally with a weak sol- 

 ution of tobacco water, and give the 

 house a light fumigating once or twice 

 every fortnight in order to keep down 

 other pests. To strong growing var- 

 ieties liquid manure will be a material 

 help — that is, if they are well rooted. 

 Cypripedium insigne is of very easy 

 culture and is also a profuse bloomer. 

 C. Harrisianum and C, Lawronceanum 

 are very fine. 



Bouvardias. 



Eight weeks more of field culture 

 should make fine bushy plants of the 

 young stock which was propagated 

 last winter, and is intended for next 

 winter's flowering. If the weather be- 

 comes very dry they need some water- 

 ing. If they are planted in a conven- 

 ient place for water, a syringe after 

 every hot day will be found very ben- 

 eficial. It is a good plan to go through 

 them at least twice a week and give 

 all those needing it, a pinching so as 

 to have them in a symmetrical form. 

 Being a tropical plant and very sensi- 

 tive to a low temperature bouvardia 

 should not be left out any later than 

 the middle of September. 



Pansies. 



Now is the right time to take steps 

 towards the raising of a good stock ot 

 pansies for next winter's flowering. 

 Seed sown now will produce good 

 sized clumps, ready to house by the 

 end of September or any time in Oc- 

 tober. By giving them a side bench 

 in a cool house, they will never fail to 

 give good returns. Procure some good 

 vigorous strain and sow in a cold 

 frame that can be darkened by the 

 covering of boards until the seed starts 

 to germinate. Prick off as soon as 

 they are large enough to handle. Keep 

 your beds constantly moist and never 

 let the surface become parched. 



JOHN J. M. PARRELL. 



Mr. Farrell's iifxt note.s will l)e on the 

 following: Eueharis amazonioa; Eupboibia 

 fulgens; Geranium stock plants: Repairing 

 and ontsidp painting; Roses, care of young 

 stock: Wallflowers. 



City of Mexico. — The Mexican Her- 

 ald, in its Sunday issue for June ]9, 

 devoted the greater part of two pages 

 to an illustrated article on Mexican 

 orchids, mentioning among other 

 noted collectors, J. A. McDowell, of 

 this city, who has spent the greater 

 part of the past 15 years in the search 

 for and collecting of specimens. 



Acanthopanax (Aralia) pentaphyl- 

 lum is spoken of as a promising hedge 

 plant where California privet is not 

 quite hardy. Trimmed back it makes 

 a symmetrical and gracefully formal 

 lawn shrub. The foliage is bright 

 shining green. 



PETER BARR MEMORIAL FUND. 



By David Faircbild. 



Every lover of the daffodil in Amer- 

 ica knows or ought to know the name 

 of Peter Barr, who has been justly 

 called "King of the Daffodils." Those 

 of us who had the pleasure of knowing 

 Mr. Barr personally feel that in his 

 death floriculture has lost one of the 

 great striking characters of the gen- 

 eration. His absolute love and devo- 

 tion to the cause of more beautiful 

 flowers and his success in finding and 

 developing them was quite as wonder- 

 ful as his great-hearted kindliness and 

 his attitude of encouragement toward 

 all who cared in any way for flowers 

 or shrubs. 



In view of Mr. Barr's wide influence 

 and the wide acquaintance which he 

 made in his remarkable travels as a 

 man, over eighty years of age, around 

 the world, it seems a most fitting thing 

 that the papers and magazines of this 

 country, which print so many photo- 

 graphs of daffodils every spring, should 

 give publicity to the modest appeal for 

 funds for the purpose of commemorat- 

 ing the life and work of this most 

 lovable of flower lovers. Could the 

 appeal be made in early spring and 

 made a general one to all who are 

 lovers of these spring flowers, I have 

 little doubt that the American contri- 

 bution to this fund would be a most 

 generous one, indeed There are few 

 ways more effective of stimulating 

 creative work with flowers than that 

 proposed by the Committee of the 

 Royal Horticultural Society in the 

 Peter Barr Memorial Medal. 



Walter T. Ware, Ltd., 

 Inglescombe Nurseries, near 



Bath. .June 2nd. 1910. 

 Mr, D. Fairehild, 



Washington, U. S. A. 

 Dear Sir;^ 



Allow me to make a strong personal ap- 

 peal to you to support the objects ot the 

 Barr Memorial Fund, particulai-s of which 

 I enclose. Public appeals are so frequent 

 that this, as in the case of many others 

 has not been so well responded to as the 

 promoters of this scheme would have 

 wished, 



I hope that you recognize the hard life's 

 work that the late Mr. I'eter liarr devoted 

 to horticulture in general and I feel sure 

 that this alone is a justification to you to 

 readily support the fund now on foot to 

 perpetuate his name. 



A .second list of contributors is about to 

 be published and I have no doubt you 

 would like to see your name included. 

 Yojre faithfully, 

 (Signed) WALTER T. WARE. 



PETER BARR MEMORIAL FUND. 



1910. 



Executive Committee. 



Chairman, 



Wm. Marshall. V. M, H,, Auchlnraltb, 



Bexley. 



Treasurer, 

 Henry B. May, Stanmore. Chingford, 

 J. T. IHennett-Poe, M. A.. V. M, H,. Ashley 



Gardens, S. W, 

 Wm. CuthbertsoM, J. P., Durham Road, 



Portobello, Edinburg, 

 Rev. Joseph Jacob, Whitewell Rectory, 



Whitchurch. 

 R, Hooper Pearson, Braewyn, Earlsfleld, 

 Wm. Poupart, Marsh Farm, Twickenham, 

 Chas. E. Shea, Foots Cray, 

 Walter T. Ware, Inglescombe, Bath. 



Hon. Secretary. 

 Chas, H. Curtis, Adelaide Road. Brentford. 

 Dear Sir (or Madam); 



Large numbers of Daffodil lovers having 

 expressed a desire to see a Fund raised for 

 the purpose of commemorating the life and 

 work of the late Mr. Peter Barr. V. M. H., 

 the Members of the Royal Horticulture 

 Society's Narcissus and Floral Committee 

 formed themselves into a General Commit- 

 tee to consider the matter. Various pro- 

 posals were put forward, but those finding 

 most favour were: tJie institution of a 

 Peter Barr Memorial Medal, to be awarded 

 annuall.v in connection with work among 

 DafTodlls; and the provision of a fund for 

 the maintenance of an orphan through 

 the medium of the Royal Gardeners' 

 Orphan Fund, To carry out these pro- 



