10 



THE GARDENERS' CHRONICLE OF AMERICA. 



ought to provide some accommodation for these valuable 

 insect exterminators. 



For those birds which come early in the season, be- 

 fore an abundance of their natural food is to be found, or 

 for those which remain with us during the winter, when 

 snow and ice cut off their natural food supply, food must 

 be provided, if we wish them to stay, or they will migrate 

 to places where food is to be found, or perish. 



Suet should be hung on the branches of trees and 

 seeds, grain or other suitable food placed where it may be 

 found by the birds. 



Boxes' may be made or bought for this purpose. Berry- 

 bearing trees and shrubs should be planted in abundance 

 wherever possible for the accommodation of the birds, 

 as well as for their aesthetic value of brightening the land- 

 scape in winter and summer. 



Coniferous trees are valuable to protect the birds from 

 cold anti from their enemies. 



Where the natural supply of water is not abundant ii 

 should be liberally provided. Shallow pans are valuable 

 for this purpose. 



The most serious enemies of the birds are : 



First — The small boy with a rifle. He should be con- 

 verted by education. Second — The stray cat. Should be 

 exterminated. Third — The English sparrow. Should be 

 caught by traps and utilized as food. Fourth — The red 

 squirrel. Should be kept checked so as not to become too 

 numerous. The gray squirrel should not be considered 

 as an enemy of birds ; in most localities the gray squirrel 

 needs protection from extermination. 



Hawks, owls and other birds of prey should not be con- 

 demned, for while they undoubtedly do some damage, 

 this damage is generally more than repaid by their per- 

 petual destruction of mice, rats, shrews, moles, rabbits, 

 weasels and English sparrows. 



Societies such as The American Association of Park 

 Superintendents, The Society of American Florists, The 

 National .\ssociation of Gardeners, and others, whose 

 object is the protection of plants from the ravages of in- 

 sects, and their cultivation for ornamentation and use, 

 should have committees on bird protection. 



It is not the object of the writer to go very deeply into 

 this interesting, useful and fascinating subject, but an 

 attempt to induce the reader to take a hand in this work, 

 the success of which needs the personal efTort of a'l 

 thoughtful persons. 



The following list of a few of the best books on this 

 subject may be of value : 



E. H. Forbush, "Useful Birds and Their Protection," 

 published by the Massachusetts State Board of Agricul- 

 ture, Boston, Mass. 



"Bird Houses and How to Build Them," by Ned Dear- 

 born, Farmers" Bulletin No. 609, U. S. Department of 

 Agriculture, Washington, D. C. 



\Vm. H. Hornaday, "Our X'anishing Wild Life." Pub- 

 lished by the New York Zoological Society. 



Chester A. Reed, "Bird Guides." published bv Double- 

 day, Page & Co., Garden City, N. Y. A'aluab'le for the 

 identification of birds. 



ORCHID NOTES. 



It has been almost a century since Cypripedium insigne 

 was first introduced; now it is as common as it is old. 

 The cultivation of it is comparatively simple or it would 

 not survive the very rough treatment that this orchid 

 often receives. Somehow C. insigne always seems to be 

 in the way, consequently, they must be moved from place 

 to place to make room for some plants that are thought 

 to be of more importance for the time being, and eventu- 

 ally they are carried out of doors to be placed in cold 

 frames for the summer, says a contributor to Tlie Ameri- 

 can Florist. 



There certainly is no need for treating cypripediums 

 roughly considering the attention they require and the 

 space they occupy ; any neglect of needed attention is 

 shown by the flowers produced, only too often are they 

 kept in the summer quarters too long, or placed in a very 

 cool greenhouse for the sole purpose of retarding the 

 flowers, which only results in securing a crop of useless 

 short-stemmed blooms. There are quite a number of the 

 green-l.eaved cypripediums that are gooil for florists' use, 

 but in addition to the above variety, C. Leeanum, C. 

 Xitens and C. Villosum are best for winter use, and with 

 only ordinary watchfulness will thrive in a cattleya house, 

 and they will also succeed in a house suitable for carna- 

 tions providing they are given sufficient shade during 

 summer. This they need under any considerations ; either 

 permanent shading on the glass, or l]lin(ls of some de- 

 scri]ition. 



Py Courtesy of .^'HcriVoH Florist. 



V.\SE OF CYPRIPEDIUMS .\Xn .\SPAR.\GUS, 



These terrestrial orchids do not require repotting very 

 often, for the finest flowers are procured from pot bound 

 plants, but when potting does become necessary, use a 

 compost of solid lumps of peat,, fibrous loam and sphag- 

 num moss in equal parts. The pots need to be filled quar- 

 ter full of broken crockery for drainage, and see that the 

 plants are not set too deep into the pots (the base of the 

 leaves should be level with the top of the pot ) , place the 

 compost firmly round the plant, water sparingly for some 

 time afterwards, but spray them often, and keep the sur- 

 roundings damp to maintain a nice growing atmosphere 

 at all times. The summer flowering varieties such as C. 

 Lawrenceanum, C. barbatum and C. callosum, with many 

 others have mottled leaves and they require a little warm- 

 er treatment than those having green leaves. 



