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JOURNAL OF HORTICULTURE AND COTTAGE GARDENER. 



[ Deceraber 8, 1303. 



profiled, flat-faced, full flower, with regular petals ; vigorous 

 and decidedly good. 



Le Rhone. — Vermilion it is described as, but certainly not 

 the vermilion of artists, which I have never seen in any Rose ; 

 free bloomer, tolerably free grower, and a good garden sort. 



Mrs. Wm. Paul. — Purplish-red or crimson ; full generally 

 and well shaped; habit &-ee. 1 saw this in bloom in the 

 forcing-house in spring, and in the grounds three weeks ago, 

 so it may be considered a true Pei-petual, which too many 

 so-called are not ; Madame Boll, for instance. 



Henry IV. — Another Rose somewhat the colour of the last, 

 but scarcely so large and double. It is, however, a late 

 bloomer. 



Vainqueur de Goliath. — Brilliant red or crimson, shaded 

 deeper. I am told thatthis is afh-st-rateRose. Messrs. Wood 

 describe it as the best flower of the season. The habit is 

 vigorous and good. 



Madame Alfred de Rougemont. — White, tinted, incon-ectly 

 described as the " shape of the Cabbage Rose." It appears 

 to me to be really a Hybrid Noisette. It is worth a trial 

 for its colour ; good whites are scarce. 



BOUP.BON. 



Louise Margottin. — Lighter than Louise Odier, and every 

 way excellent. 



Those cultivators who have not yet given theu- orders had 

 better not defer any longer. Tlie finest plants are being 

 lifted every day in large numbers, and the run upon certain 

 favourite kinds wUl speedily exliaust nurserymen's stocks. 

 There is one encouragement, too, for the doubting to become 

 growers at once — viz., a considerable reduction has tal;ea 

 place in the price of plants tliis season. — W. D. Pkior, 

 Ho7nerton. 



EESTIJN'G ORCHIDS A5D PITCHEE-PLANTS 



I SHALL be much obliged for some information about the 

 resting of Orchids that flower in autumn and winter. The i 

 rule given is, that as soon as the bulb is fuUy made, or the ' 

 growth of the season completed, water must be gi-aduaUy 

 withheld until the growing season returns. Is this rule | 

 applicable to winter bloomers ? For example : Dendro- 

 bium nobUe formed its bulbs by the fh-st week in August, 

 and has been kept dry till now, when it begins to push the 

 bloom-buds. Must it still be kept absolutely di-y ? D. den- 

 siflorum has rested nearly us long, till the fluting of the 

 bulbs shows the effect of the long tli-ought. It wQl bloom in 

 February. Must it still starve tiU then ? Oncidium flex- 

 uosum, at rest for these three months, has been forming its 

 bloom-panicle nearly as long. lonopsis paniculata (on a 

 block) has been in flower for some six weeks, and I think 

 would long ago have withered, if I had not frequently wetted 

 it. This makes me doubt the propriety of a dry treatment 

 for other species, either blooming or about to bloom. Phajus 

 Tankei-vdliae, and P. Wallichii, again, should these be now 

 quite dry ? 



Would Sir. Appleby, to whose courtesy I am akeady 

 much indebted for a solution of some queries, be so good as 

 to give i;s a little article on the season, duration, and degree 

 of rest-drought in winter-blooming Orchids, and the rela- 

 tion of the rest to the formation and matiu-ation of flowers ? 



I wish, also, to be told, how those plants should be 

 wintered which in summer delight in ha%-ing then- roots 

 bathed in water ? For example : Nepenthes Rafflesiana, 

 which with other species, Mr. Dominy keeps standing, the 

 pot nearly submerged, in a tank of water in the growing 

 season ; and Philesia buxifolia, which I was directed to 

 keep in a saucer of water. I did not ask how long in either 

 case, but I conjecture that both the stove and the o'reen- 

 house bog plant require rest, and ought not now to be 

 standing in water. Please to tell me if I am right in my 

 conjecture, and if so, what condition their roots should be 

 in for the next two months as to moisture. — Okchido- 



PHILUS. 



[Your remarks upon the different varieties conclusively 

 show that you not only love the peculiar and lovely flowers 

 which this great natural order produces, but are bent upon 

 making yoiu-self acquainted with the bes^- modes in practice 

 for bringing about a satisfactory floral display. That you 

 may have the fiill benefit of our practical experience, we shall 



reply to your remarks in a way which we trust will be gene- 

 rally applicable to the many other amateur growers who are 

 beginning to found collections. 



As a general rule, all growers must bear in mind that 

 this tribe of plants, like all others, must have a season of 

 growth and a season of rest. Unlike, however, almost all 

 the other families of plants under cultivation, this one 

 may be subjected to very severe drought without the 

 systems of many of the plants being materially injured. A 

 corresponding degree of excess in moisture, if aggravated 

 by cold, woidd be fatal in most cases. What all Orchid- 

 growers have to study, is the maintenance of the proper 

 balance of moisture and drought at the dift'erent seasons of 

 growth and rest. It is very easy growing a collection of 

 this kind of plants, many people say. So it is ; but it is one 

 thing keeping plants in life, and another thing cultivating 

 them to a liigh state of excellence. Now, I maintain that 

 next to keeping the houses at a temperature suitable for the 

 well-being of the class of plants growing therein, are the 

 comparative degrees of drought and moistui'e, both for root 

 and " branch," for encoui'aging successful gi'owth, and 

 floral development. 



There has always been, and always will be, some little 

 difficulty in explaining the precise treatment necessary for 

 any given species or variety of plant, because in the first place 

 no two men grow them in exactly the same ingredients. 

 Some adopt ordinai'y drainage in the make up of their 

 compost, and ply the watering-pan more cautiously ; others, 

 again, give amjjle drainage, so that water may be poured 

 ujx)n the plants almost at any time; and both may be 

 very successful cultivators. One remark may, however, be 

 made in passing, that whenever the compost becomes a 

 sodden mass where aii' cannot freely cii'culate, the plant 

 will lose every day afterwai'ds, however cautiously treated. 

 There can be no two opinions about this. A &ee circulation 

 of air amongst the roots is at all times highly nrecessaiy to 

 attain success. 



All Dendrobiums, fi'om nobile upwards, reqviire a season 

 of rest varying from four to two months. But for all this 

 it is not to be supposed that they must during that time be 

 kept di'y at the root. Certainly not. A season of rest, as I 

 would have it understood, is a gradual diminution of tem- 

 perature, and a proportionate restraint in the supply of 

 water. D. nobile will live in a greenhouse temperature, 

 even supposing it should occasionally fall to 36° in severe 

 weather, with impunity. Little or no water during such 

 a period may be given, and flower-clusters will show them- 

 selves on the well-ripened wood at every eye. Densiflorum, 

 on the contrary, if subjected to such treatment for any 

 length of time, would die ; but it again will winter well in a 

 temperature that never falls below 40°. Some of the more 

 rare ones — such as Farmeri and onosmum, must not even be 

 reduced so low, but all wUl flower much better if set in a 

 house with a minimum temperature of 50°, and the atmo- 

 sphere kept comparatively dry. Thus, " Orchidophiltjs," 

 and others will see that some Orchids will live and bloom to 

 advantage in 36°, and all the race of Dendrobes in houses 

 from 50° downwards. Whenever there is too much appear- 

 ance of shrivelling in the pseudo-bitlbs, then want of water 

 is the cause. The pai'ty in charge must learn to have his 

 eyes open to administer a remedy when .any flaw occurs. 

 As to Oncidium flexuosum, with pseudo-bulbs matured, and 

 showing bloom-panicles, it should now be in a temperatui'e 

 ranging from 50° to 60° in the night, according to relative 

 temperature out of doors, and moistened whenever it appears 

 dry. lonopsis paniculata has been correctly treated. All 

 block plants must be watered when dry, at whatever period 

 of their growth. If they are allowed to shrivel it will take 

 months to make up the loss. Phaius Taukervilliae, and 

 P. Wallichii, are both ten-estrial Orchids, and should be dry 

 at no season. Now they are showing their flower-spikes, 

 and may be either grown in a temperatui-e of 50° or 60° to 

 suit gi'owers, but it is not wisdom, even in those wishing to 

 retard them for show, to subject them to a temperature 

 lower than 45°. 



Phaltenopses, Vandas, and iErides, again, coming from 

 such a warm region, are better never to be in a temperature 

 lower than 60°, although in very severe weather it might 

 fall to 55° without doing the plants any harm. Moisture 

 here must also be regulated according as the systems of the 



