July 2, 1874. 1 



JOURNAL OF HORTIC0LTUBE AND COTTAGE QAEOENER. 



ono pimple enltnral process, consisting of the careful watering 

 and transplanting of the young seedlings into rich nursery 

 borders, to bo removed from thence into the flower beds in 

 autumn, when the beds are cleared and dressed with manure 

 or rich soil. The ten kinds which I have selected embrace 

 three shades of blue, two of pink, two of yellow, and three 

 white kinds of distinct form and growth. Sufticient seed to 

 afford a large supply of plants may be procured for three or 

 four shillings, so that it is evident the expenditure of either 

 time or labour need not deter anyone from carpeting (he beds 

 with gi-een folia{;e during winter, and rendering them bright 

 with gay flowers throughout the spring and early summer. 



My aim in contributing these notes is to induce those who 

 have not hitherto seen or understood much of the real beauty 

 of spring flowers to take up their culture iu earnest. For the 

 further assistance of such I append a few hints concerning 

 the arrangement of the plants in the beds. If a ribbon 

 border were required I would proceed thus : — Beginning in 

 front, white, pink, blue, yellow ; or blue, white, pink, yellow, 

 keeping the yellow Lasthenia at the back because of its tall 

 growth ; but if a deep yellow were specially required for a 

 front row, then we must call in our invaluable ally Golden 

 Feather Pyrcthrum, of which a stock of plants is raised by 

 sowing seed any time iu August. Following Golden Feather 

 in front with blue Nemophila, pink Saponaria, white Silene, 

 and with blue Myosotis behind, we have a combination that 

 few summer flowers can equal, and which certainly none can 

 surpass. 



Small beds, each containing ono distinct colour, as shown 

 in the plan (/((/. 1), have a pleasing effect, and solitary beds 

 may be filled in a variety of ways. A bed near a house would 

 be very beautiful if planted with pink Saponaria, surrounded 

 by a broad band of its white variety, and with an edging of 

 blue Nemophila; or, if the bed were large enough, the Nemo- 

 phUa might form a band as wide as Saponaria ealabrica alba, 

 adding an edging of Golden Feather Pyrethrum. The same 

 arrangement would be equally effective at a distance by sub- 

 stituting Silene of both kinds for the Saponaria. Another 

 striking bed might be composed of golden Lasthenia for a 

 centre, with concentric rings of CoUinsia verna, white Myosotis, 

 pink Silene, and blue Nemophila, proceeding outwards from 

 the Lasthenia in the order named ; and for beds of two colours 

 we may surround Saponaria ealabrica with various appropriate 

 edgings, such as S. alba, Nemophila insignit:, and Golden 

 Feather Pyrethrum. — Edwakd Luckhubst. 



PACKING CUT FLOWEBS. 



In answer to " A. S. L. M," it is no doubt true that great 

 quantities of flowers are spoilt through careless paclcing ; at 

 the same time far more are spoilt through neglect after they 

 arrive at their destination. The box will be opened, and per- 

 haps the contents placed in a warm dry room, a few put in 

 water, and the rest left exposed to the dry atmosphere of the 

 room for an hour or two, or until an opportunity occurs for 

 Betting them in water. This is no fancy picture. I have often 

 known such to be the case. 



I will first give a few hints as to how the flowers should bo 

 packed, and afterwards state how they should bo treated when 

 they arrive from the country. Tin boxes made with moveable 

 ' trays are always to be preferred. They should be made of 

 good strong tin, as they are very liable to be knocked about in 

 travelling. They can be made of any size required, but with 

 large boxes there should be divisions, so as not to have great 

 quantities of flowers placed together. The great evil in pack- 

 ing is having too many crowded together without any division 

 of a substantial nature between them. Packing in thin layers 

 with a little cotton wool between such choice flowers as Gar- 

 denias, Stephanotises, &c., is always better than damp moss, 

 which is sometimes used. The moss is heavy, and is liable to 

 do more harm than good owing to its shifting about when 

 travelling. Koses may be packed in a box with the stems in 

 damp moss. If trays with holes iu them are used the stems 

 can be put through the holes into the damp moss, so that 

 there can be no danger of its injuring the petals. 



A very important matter is the cutting of flowers. They 

 should always be cut iu the morning or late in the evening. 

 Morning is better. If gathered in the middle of the day, with 

 a hot sun, they will never last fresh any length of time. 



Flowers should be unpacked immediately they arrive, and 

 if possible in a cool damp room or cellar, and at once placed 

 in cold water. Many kinds of Ferns will not last fresh for 



more than a few hours after they are cut ; and in rooms where 

 gas is used they are almost certain to wither up in one night, 

 unless they are removed to a cool damp cellar, or even to the 

 open air for the night. Plants of Ferns and many other plants 

 growing in pots, and carefully attended to as regards watering, 

 will seldom look fresh for many days if kept iu rooms where gas 

 is used — a sufficient proof of its injurious effects on vegetable 

 life. Cut flowers should always be placed as far as possible 

 from the gas-bumers, and near a window where they can have 

 fresh air. The water used should be changed often, and a 

 small lump of charcoal placed in it, which will keep the water 

 pure, and help to prevent the flowers from fading. — J. S. 



READ'S SCABLET-FLESHED MELON. 

 I HAVE found this Melon a shy setter, but with a little care 

 in fertilising the flowers, and keeping the air of the pit or 

 frame drier than usual until the fruit shows signs of swelling 

 off, I have secured an abundant crop. I have at present two 

 dozen fruits under two lights of a pit, and half of them are 

 larger than an Orange aud swelling quickly. I will cut off all 

 the small ones in a day or two to an average crop, when I find 

 I am safe. I grow my Jfelons on manure in a pit which can be 

 heated with hot water as soon as the heat is found to decline. 

 I quite agree that the habit of the plant is ample and good, 

 but I think it will be found to succeed in and require a high 

 temperature. — W. L., Lisbum, Co. Antrim. 



EosE Claude Levet. — Mr. Cant is right in saying that Pierre 

 Seletzky is a capital Rose. It is of much the same colour 

 as Claude Levet, but it is full to the centre, which Claude 

 Levet is not. Its formation, disposition of, and quality of the 

 petals, together with circular outliue, are excellent. It will be 

 one of the best of its year. I have pleasure in recommending 

 it. It is, moreover, on the Manetti a good grower. — W. F. 

 Eadclyffe. 



THE TIGER FLOWER, ODONTOGLOSSUM 

 GRANDE. 



This is just the plant for an amateur to commence the cul- 

 tivation of Orchids with, because its constitution is bo robust 

 that it will live under very trying conditions, and, as a rule, 

 plants of any description have to suffer some rough and un- 

 congenial usage during the earlier days of a young beginner's 

 practice ; and whilst it undoubtedly is one of the gayest of its 

 class, it is so reasonable in price that a first failure does not 

 entail a sufficiently heavy loss to deter those with even a small 

 income from maldng a second venture, and those who possess 

 only a Wardian case to indulge their fancies may hope with 

 ordinary care to be enth'ely successful iu its culture. 



Odoutoglossum grande (fig. 2) has now been an inhabitant 

 of our plant houses for some thirty-five years. For its intro- 

 duction we are indebted to the late Mr. Skinner, who did so 

 much during his visits to South America to famiharise us with 

 the Orchid flora of Guatemala. It is a sturdy bold-growing 

 species, characterised by its dark blue-green pseudobulbs, 

 bearing a pair of ample dark green leaves, which are, when 

 healthy, thick and leathery in texture; the scape is erect, and 

 produced from the base of the pseudobulb, coming away 

 almost simultaneously with the young growth, and the flowers 

 open during early autumn, and last a very long time in full 

 beauty if not sprinkled with water from the syringe. The in- 

 dividual blooms usually measure some 5 or 6 inches across, 

 but extra fine varieties are sometimes to be met with which 

 considerably exceed that size. The sepals and petals are rich 

 orange yellow, having the appearance of being varnished ; the 

 basal portions are ornamented with broad transverse bauds of 

 rich brown. The lip varies iu size considerably in different 

 specimens, and is creamy white iu colour, being dotted and 

 streaked rather sparingly with bright purplish brown. Each 

 spike bears usually from three to five or six flowers, aud I have 

 had a uot-vei7-large plant produce as many as forty blooms, 

 in which state it is truly a gorgeous spectacle. This, taken in 

 conjunction with the fact that it is sufficiently robust to allow 

 of its being used for the decoration of apartments, or, indeed, 

 in any situation where gay and festive flowers are desiderata, 

 renders it a favourite with all who know it, and should bo a 

 sufficient recommendation to all those who have not that 

 pleasure to at once add it to their' collections. 



I have before observed that Odoutoglossum grande blooms 

 during autumn, but within the last few years we have had a 



