766 



HOETICULTTTRE 



December 11, 1915 



which is now ripe is smaller, and the 

 leaves have already fallen. 



Ribes fasciculatum, var. chlnense. 



This Chinese Currant is interesting 

 because it is the only species here 

 with fruit which does not ripen until 

 late in the autumn. The beauty of 

 the scarlet fruit is increased, too, at 

 this time by the color of the leaves 

 which turn to bright shades of orange 

 and scarlet. 



Evonymus radicans, var. vegetus. 

 Attention is again called to this form 

 of a well known plant from Japan, 

 fruit pale yellow or nearly white, and 

 as it ripens the bright orange color 

 of the seeds is displayed. This north- 

 ern variety is the best for general 

 cultivation in this climate as it ap- 

 pears to be hardier than more south- 

 ern forms; the leaves are broader and 

 it flowers and fruits much more 

 freely; indeed it is the only form 

 which produces much fruit in the 

 Arboretum and the friiit adds greatly 

 to the beauty of the plants. Like the 

 other vigorous gi'owing varieties it 

 may be grown against a wall to which 

 it clings firmly or as a broad, round- 

 headed bush. There is a form of this 

 Evonymus with leaves hardly a quar- 

 ter of an inch long and known both 

 as var. minimus and as var. keicensis 

 which appears to be still little known 

 in the United States. It is a good 

 plant for the rock garden and for the 

 margins of garden walks. The form 

 from western China discovered by 

 "Wilson, var. acutus. has narrower 

 pointed leaves distinctly veined below. 

 Here in the Arboretum the plants of 

 this form lie flat on the ground and 

 show no tendency to rise and form a 

 bush. They have proved perfectly 

 hardy but have not flowered yet. If 

 this form retains in cultivation the 

 prostrate stems of its present state it 

 may prove an excellent subject for 

 covering the ground under trees and 

 shrubs. 



Asiatic Crabapples. Many of these 

 small trees and shrubs have been well 

 covered with fruit this year. When 

 the whole group is considered few 

 plants are more valuable for garden 

 decoration in this climate it attention 

 is paid to keeping them free from the 

 scale insects which are destructive to 

 all plants of the Apple tribe. All the 

 Asiatic Crabs are perfectly hardy; 

 they grow quickly in good soil, and 

 many of them begin to flower and 

 produce fruit when only a few years 

 old. No plants are more beautiful at 

 the end of May when they are covered 

 with their countless pink and white 

 flowers; and on some of them the fruit 

 Is showy and long persistent. A few 

 of the conspicuous plants are Malus 

 ringo with yellow fruit, interesting 

 as the plant from which the Apple 

 cultivated in China has been derived, 

 and the only Apple cultivated in 

 Japan until recent years; Malus flori- 

 hunda and the hybrid raised in the 

 Arboretum from that species, Malus 

 Arnoldiana, with yellow fruits; Mains 

 zii-mi and M. Sargentii from Japan 

 with bright scarlet fruit; the latter is 

 the only Apple which is shrubby In 

 habit. Interesting, too, Is the form of 

 the Japanese Maltis toringo from north- 

 ern China with small fruits yellow on 

 some plants and red on others. These 

 are only a few of the plants in this 

 large collection which at this time de- 

 serve careful study. 



CATTLEYAS FOR CUT FLOWERS 



It is a well established fact that the 

 trade for orchid bloom has not suffered 

 to the same extent as that of many 

 other classes of flowers at the hands 

 of the price-cutting competitor; for 

 the greater part -of the year the de- 

 mand for first-class Cattleya blooms is 

 in excess of the supply. (Hardly holds 

 true in the U. S. now, Ed.) Certain it 

 is that there are periods when returns 

 are lower than usual, as, for instance, 

 at the height of the flowering season 

 of Cattleya Mossice, but, as a rule, this 

 state of things does not last for long, 

 and when once the back of this crop 

 is bioken there is a rise to the normal 

 and more L-atisfactory prices. 



The cause of this fall is, no doubt, 

 the great quantity of flowers of this 

 particular species that flnd their way 

 into the markets, mainly due to the 

 large importations of collected pieces 

 which have reached these shores dur- 

 ing recent years, often to be sold at 

 very low figures, thus causing a glut of 

 flowers in their season. But even then 

 it is a question whether the crop is 

 not remunerative. It is seldom that a 

 lower figure than 6s. ($1.50) per dozen 

 is reached even on a chance sale, and 

 although cases have been ' known 

 where returns have been lower than 

 this they can only be reckoned as rare 

 exceptions. 



Anyone contemplating taking up this 

 interesting and attractive branch of 

 the trade would do well to pay very 

 careful attention to the stocking of the 

 houses, for by this means only can the 

 desired result be brought about. Xo 

 haphazard buying of plants must be 

 tolerated, but each purchase be made 

 in accordance with a fixed plan of get 

 ting together such a stock of plants, 

 both species and hybrids, as will main- 

 tain a regular and even supply of flow- 

 ers throughout the year. This is one 

 of the chief items towards establishing 

 and holding a successful market and 

 shop trade; the grower should, by care- 

 ful selection, build up his stock in ac- 

 cordance with this idea. 



Although it is upo- species that we 

 must rely for the bulk of flowers, vet 

 judicious selections of quantities of 

 hybrids should be introduced with a 

 view to filling in the otherwise inevi- 

 table blank periods between the re- 

 spective flowering seasons. Such hy- 

 brids may be picked up very reason- 

 ably now, as owing to the great ad- 

 vance made by hybridists during re- 

 cent years many of the old-time good 

 things are of little more value than 

 ordinary Laelia and Cattleya species. 

 Strong and healthy pieces only should 

 be purchased, whether established or 



freshly imported, and it is advisable to 

 invest as much as possible in imported 

 sfuff, for there is always the chance 

 of getting one or two really good 

 things, which, if well disposed of, 

 might pay for the whole consignment 

 or a large part thereof. 



To a large extent the sale for Orchid 

 bloom is a bespoke trade, and, speak- 

 ing generally, there is room for a bet- 

 ter supply during the autumn and win- 

 ter months. It is at these periods and 

 during early spring that prices rule 

 higher than otherwise. A good stock of 

 Cattleya Gaskelliana. labiata, Trianse, 

 and any hybrids flowering about the 

 same time, should be grown. As re- 

 gards prices realized tor individual 

 species, Cattleya Warscewiczii (C. 

 gigas of the trade) takes the lead, 

 although this good point is handi- 

 capped by its shyness of flowering. 

 The variety Sanderiana is more free 

 in this respect than the type. One 

 great mistake made w-ith this species 

 by many amateurs is the use of too 

 heavy shading material during the 

 growing and flowering periods. When 

 the growths are well advanced only 

 sufficient shade to prevent actual 

 scorching of the foliage should be ap- 

 plied, and all means employed to ob- 

 tain that hard and leathery texture of 

 both pseudo-bulbs and leaves as is 

 seen on newly imported plants. This 

 condition can only be brought about 

 by thorough ripening with a maximum 

 of air and light. Therefore, this spe- 

 cies should be allotted either a sepa- 

 rate house or a complete portion of 

 one. Other plants, less adapted to 

 withstanding such extremes, can then 

 receive their requisite treatment. I 

 make no pretence at giving any very 

 explicit instructions as to growing Cat- 

 tleyas, but 1 would like, en passant, to 

 record an opinion that many a man, 

 otherwise a first-class grower, is far 

 too lavish with his shading and water- 

 ing pot. In justification of this state- 

 ment I would call attention to the 

 weak and sappy nature of a large pro- 

 portion of the plants offered for sale 

 in our orchid auction rooms. 



Many Laelio-Cattleyas, apart from 

 their usefulness as inter-season flower- 

 ing plants, are strongly recommended 

 on account of their floriferous nature, 

 as. for instance, many Laelia purpurata 

 hybrids, of which callisoglossa and 

 Canhamiana are well-known examples. 

 It is advisable to avoid any large quan- 

 tities of species or hybrids of other 

 colors than mauve, pink, or white with 

 colored lips, for which there is always 

 a sure demand at one price or another, 

 whereas yellow and similar shades are 

 more often than not a chance trade 

 pure and simple. Cattleya Dowiana 

 and C. aurea might, perhaps, be 

 classed as an exception to this rule, 

 as they generally sell on sight, but it 

 is questionable whether there would 

 ever be that sure demand tor this 

 gorgeous member of the aristocracy of 

 the floral world as exists for those of 

 mauve tints. — A. R. M., The Orchid 

 World, London. 



