114 



JOURNAL OF HOBTIOULTDRE AND COTTAGE GARDENER. 



C August C, 1874. 



with stellate scales, which give them a somewhat glaucous 

 aspect. The fertile fronds are broad and short, several times 

 forked, and very leathery in texture. Native of Western 

 Africa. 



P. GKiNDE. — This truly beautiful species never fails to excite 

 the admiration of all beholders (some idea of its appearance 

 may be obtained horn fiij. 37, for which we are indebted to the 

 courtesy of Mr. B. S. Williams, of the Victoria Nursery, Upper 

 HoUoway). This species must be provided with a large and 

 broad block of wood, or half its beauty is lost. The sterile 

 fronds are erect, the upper edge variously forked, but plain 

 and rounded below. Fertile fronds from 1 to 3 feet in length, 

 coriaceous in texture, 

 dichotomously forked, 

 and light green in co- 

 lour. Too much cannot 

 be said in praise of 

 this charming plant. 

 It must be grown in 

 the stove fernery. Na- 

 tive of Australia and 

 the Malay Archipelago. 



P. Wallichii. — I 

 have left this species 

 until last, because it 

 is at present so very 

 rare and so very little 

 known in cultivation ; 

 it will, however, when 

 it assumes its proper 

 character, become as 

 general a favourite as 

 the preceding, which, 

 indeed, it much resem- 

 bles, but is larger and 

 altogether more mass- 

 ive. Unfortunately but 

 few plants are as yet 

 to be found in collec- 

 tions. It has been fre- 

 quently sent to me from 

 Borneo, but hitherto I 

 have not been fortu- 

 nate enough to receive 

 it in a living state. — 

 ExpEBTo Ckede. 



THE GLADIOLUS. 



This year I added to 

 my stock some £1'2 

 worth of imported 

 buibsof the best kinds 

 I had met with, a few 

 seedlings from the 

 Messrs. Kelway, and, 

 thanks to Mr. ISauks, 

 also several hundreds 

 of his much-prized 

 seellings. As last year, 

 I again manured freely with new cow manure, laying it some 

 lO^or 12 inches deep, and commenced planting my bulbs in the 

 open ground in the iirst week of March, some with sand around 

 the bulbs, and some without ; but as my land was light, I 

 ihought this trouble was superfluous, and I really now see no 

 diiifdrence. Having been early planted of course they came 

 up early, and then, as with horticulturists generally, I had 

 to contend frequently against severe pests. Over the most 

 valuable beds for several weeks I propped-up some old frame 

 lights, and soon after I had reason to see how much better it 

 would have been had this system of protection been extended 

 to the whole. Those protected remained green and healthy- 

 looking, whilst the rest had just as much as they could do to 

 keep themselves erect ; in fact, some gave way after the 

 severest nights, and then speedily died-off altogether. But 

 these early frosts also damage the outer she)l-hke haulm, 

 snd then when it from the first continues to decay, a nasty 

 littlo insect gets in between this outside and the more healthy 

 folioge, and frequently eats its way into the spike from the 

 surface down to the bulb. Mulching the surface with ma- 

 nure too near the plants likewise encourages these pests — so 



much so, that I am now beginning to think that it is as well 

 to refrain from mulching altogether. 



I have no reason to complain of misses this year among my 

 French bulbs, and unquestionably they are the most level lot 

 I have, though quite two-thirds of both Mr. Banks's and the 

 Messrs. Kelway's are quite their equal in robustness. I have 

 before complained of expensive French bulbs not growing. 

 Those of my own saving have done worse, a feature in growing 

 the Gladiolus which I can only ascribe to the fact that, like 

 the Potato, it needs a change of soil. I have not lost one by 

 wireworms, on my still somewhat new soil — the sixth year 

 after being broken up from a very old pasture. I attribute 



this good fortune to 

 the free use of nitrate 

 of soda. Some few — 

 say a tenth — have 

 shown signs of disease, 

 but when they turn 

 yellow I now at once 

 pull them up, and then 

 at least they are a 

 source of no further 

 annoyance. With me 

 the disease is still all 

 in the roots, which, 

 after I pull them up, 

 I find to be quite soft ; 

 and after pulling thi m 

 through the lingers 

 they have much the ap- 

 pearance of a mouse's 

 tail minus the skin, or 

 at least the skin of the 

 root leaves the fibrous 

 part much in the same 

 way. I find that it is 

 no matter whether the 

 land is rich or poor, for 

 this disease amongst a 

 portion is all the same ; 

 and I am afraid that I 

 must speak of the total 

 cure as a thing of the 

 future. 



As a whole my col- 

 lection of Gladiolus 

 never, I think, looked 

 so well ; and this day 

 (July 30th), I find that 

 the first six spikes are 

 in bloom, and some 

 hundreds more are 

 throwing up their 

 heads. After expend- 

 ing so much money, 

 the prizes offered for 

 Gladioh in this neigh- 

 bourhood are simply 

 contemptible ; and it 

 is more than likely, 

 with one or two excep- 

 tions, I shall show them only to those who visit my httlj 

 garden at home. For a sovereign outlay you may cut and 

 come again at Dahlias, but after spending £2 a-dozen for 

 Gladiolus bulbs you are fortunate if you can show four blooms 

 on the day you want them ; and for effect, what comparison 

 can Dahlias bear to equally well-grown Gladioli ? 



I think I ought to say that though situated by a pnbUc foot- 

 way iu the midst of a coUiery district, and though I have one 

 or two fine young Apple trees which bore well last year, and 

 several berries, my garden gate has never been locked night 

 or day, is free to all, and up to the present I never knew one 

 enter to injure either fruit or flowers. So much for the people 

 of a village in the populous county of Durham. — Joseph 

 WiTHEBSPOON, Chester-le-Strect. 



Platvcehum alcicoeni:. 



The Bedfobd Hill Plant Sale. — The collection of plants 

 belonging to J. Brand, Esq., of Bedford Hill, Balham, was 

 sold by Mr. J. C. Stevens on July 21st and 22nd. Fine plants 

 of Phalfenopsis Schilleriana realised from £3 os. to £10 10s. ; 

 OdoutoglosEum pulchellnm majus, £10 10s. ; Epidendrum 



