l76 



JOUENAL OP HORTICULTURE AND COTTAGE GARDENER. 



[ August 20, 1874. 



12 inches, producing its leaves upon the stem in a distichous 

 manner ; scape terminal, erect, bearing from six to ten of its 

 beautiful flowers, which are in the sepals and petals soft pink or 

 lilac; lip of the same colour, but in addition more or less dotted 

 and spotted with reddish crimson. It blooms during June, 

 July, and August, and continues long in beauty if the blooms 

 do not get wetted with water from the syringe. Native of 

 Guatemala. — Experto Crede. 



THE HERBARIUM. 



Having read with much interest the article on the Herbarium 

 in your Journal of the 30th ult., will you allow me to offer 

 some additional remarks thereon ? The eight new bricks pro- 

 posed to be used as weights would, no doubt, be effective, but 

 very cumbrous and clumsy, as frequent shifting is required ; 

 and the old newspapers are not so porous, and consequently 

 do not absorb the moisture from the plants so quickly as the 

 botanical paper commonly sold, and some expressly prepared, 

 for the purpose. I much prefer, after many years' practical 

 experience, two boards not so wide as 12 inches, and when the 

 plants and papers are arranged the whole to be bound round 

 with two leathern straps about the same as are used for travel- 

 ling cloaks, as by means of the buckles with a little care a 

 good pressure may be secured ; and the apparatus altogether 

 is much more portable, which is often a great consideration, 

 and is very easily opened by merely unfastening the straps. 

 If the straps are changed so as to be buckled the reverse of 

 each other, they can, after being fastened, be strained tighter 

 still. When the plants have been changed, the paper should 

 be well dried in the sun or by a fire. — Edwabd Copland. 



Sale of the Meadoweank Orchids. — The third and con- 

 cluding sale of the Orchids which formed the grand collection 

 of Thomas Dawson, Esq., of Meadowbank, near Glasgow, took 

 place at Mr. Stevens's rooms on the oth, Cth, and 7th inst., 

 when the following prices were realised — viz., Odontoglossum 

 Alexandra? niveum, with seven matured and two young growths, 

 £6 ; 0. hystrix superbum, with nine matured and two strong 

 young growths, £lj C<s. ; Oncidium cruentum magnificum, with 

 eleven matured and two young growths, with two flower stems, 

 £8 10s. ; Vanda cferulea superba, strong plant with twelve 

 leaves, £7 17s. 6rf. ; Oncidium cruentum Peleianum, said to 

 be the only plant in the country of the variety, four matured 

 and one young growth, £(5 10s ; Zygopetalum maxillare Ander- 

 sonii, with eight fine pseudobulbs, very rich and brilliant in 

 the violet colour, £0 10s. ; Cattleya speciosissima gigantea, 

 with seventeen fine pseudobulbs, £6 ; Vanda Batemanni gi- 

 gantea, said to be the lai-gest and finest specimen of the species 

 in Europe — plant over 10 feet high, with four strong breaks, 

 each a fine plant in itself, £13 IBs.; Angrajcum eburneum 

 superbum, largest and best variety, plant with seventeen leaves 

 and two breaks, each six to seven-leaved, £9 ys. ; Lselia super- 

 biens, with fifty matured bulbs and several young growths, 

 £9 19s. C(i. ; Odontoglossum Alexandra, nearly pure white 

 variety, with twenty matured and four young growths, £7; 

 Odontoglossum radiatum majus, extra line plant, with eight 

 matured and two young growths, £7 10s. ; Epidendrum vitel- 

 linum magnificum, with thirty pseudobulbs, £6 6s. ; Cypri- 

 psdium Fairrieanum, plant with eight growths, fine and 

 vigorous, £6 Gs. ; Masdevallia Harryana, Bull's blood variety 

 of the collectors, £13 2s. 6d. ; Dendrobium cierulescens, fine 

 specimen, with two hundred pseudobulbs, £7 7s. ; Lselia 

 Tuckeri, £11 lis. ; Oncidium cruentum superbum, with twenty 

 matured pseudobulbs and four young growths, £8 ; Lielia 

 anceps gigantea, £7 7s.; Lielia anceps grandiflora, £7; Cat- 

 tleya Triana; maguifiea, £7 17s. ijd. ; Angrjecum eburneum 

 superbum, £11. In addition to the Orchids, fine plants of 

 Anthurium Scherzerianum brought £9 9s., £9 19s. Hd., and 

 £11 lis. The total amount realised was upwards of £1500, 

 that at the previous sale being £3016 6s. 



DOINGS OF THE LAST AND PRESENT WEEKS. 



HARDY FEUIT GARDEN. 



The season for gathering the main crops of Apples and Pears 

 is now at hand ; and it is not enough that the fruit is brought 

 to perfection on the trees, it must also be carefully gathered 

 and stored. The fruit-cultivator, who takes as much interest in 

 studying the formation and texture of the many varieties of 

 Apples and Pears as the ardent Orchid-lover or the enthusiastic 

 florist in admiringand noting the distinguishing features of their 



respective pets, has quite as many cultural difficulties to over- 

 come before success crown his efforts. The insect enemies of 

 the Apple and Pear are numerous, and constant watchfulness is 

 necessary from the time the buds open until the fruit is gathered. 

 A maggot similar to that which feeds upon the Rose buds at- 

 tacks the fruit buds as they are opening : it must be destroyed 

 by hand-picking. The larvte of the Lackey moth, which con- 

 gregate together and form a tent-like covering to protect them- 

 selves from inclement weather, whence they issue forth to their 

 work of destruction, must be disposed of in the same manner. 

 In hot dry summers in our gravelly soil red spider is very 

 troublesome ; it sucks the juices of the leaves, causing them to 

 become brown and to fall off before their time. Another maggot 

 attacks the fruit, and it persistently follows up its attacks from 

 the first formation of the fruit until it is gathered — even further 

 than this, it follows it into the fruit room and burrows into 

 it there. It would be a timely warning to say that no fruit 

 that has been attacked by this pest should be left lying about 

 ou the ground, or even left on the trees to fall off. Far better is 

 it to sacrifice all such fruit than to allow it to be a medium of 

 propagating the marauder. Then as to gathering and storing. 

 Of the two it is a greater evil to gather Apples under than over- 

 ripe, and the reverse is the case with regard to Pears. The 

 latter fruit should be taken from the trees in different stages of 

 ripeness, although the best-flavoured fruit will be that gathered 

 when the pips have become about half coloured. Gathered 

 earlier than this, the fruit will probably shrivel towards the 

 stalk, and if allowed to hang later it will certainly be wanting 

 in flavour. More especially will this be found to be the case 

 with Pears that ripen after November. Pears that would be in 

 season iu December and January may be kept until March by 

 allowing them to hang on the trees a month later than usual ; 

 but as to the flavour of such late-ripened fruit, the less said 

 about it the better, although such Pears may be useful to make up 

 dishes if there is other fruit on the table for the use of the guests. 

 It is well that Apples should be ripe before gathering. We have 

 sometimes been tempted to gather the fruit before the pips were 

 brown, to prevent it from being dashed from the trees by wind 

 and rain, but it does not keep so well as that allowed to ripen 

 ou the trees. Do not gather Apples uuless the fruit parts readily 

 from the trees. When it does so it ought to be gathered, other- 

 wise great loss will result should a high wind arise. All fruit 

 ought to be gathered dry, and handled as a careful poultry- 

 keeper handles eggs for sitting from the choicest strain. 



Several questions have arisen lately as to the best place and 

 manner to store Apples. Ours are carried at once to the fruit 

 room, and carefully laid out on shelves ; we would not lay 

 them out more than one layer deep if we could help it, but it is 

 sometimes necessary to place three layers one above another. 

 When this is the case there is considerable difficulty iu picking- 

 out decaying fruit without moving the sound specimens more 

 than is necessary. Han the Dutch hoe through the borders, as 

 weeds had grown more than they ought to have done. 



rRUIT AND FORCING HOUSES. 



Vineries. — Until last week no artificial heat had been applied 

 to the late house of Muscats, Mrs. Pince, &c., since June; and as 

 we like to have the fruit ripe about the first week of September, 

 it has been necessary to warm the hot-water pipes. With venti- 

 lation at front and back, the minimum temperature ranges from 

 65° to 70°, and a nice heat in the pipes causes a good circulation 

 of air in the house, which tends to give flavour to the Grapes. 

 When the houses were built, six or seven years ago, and the 

 borders made, it was intended to widen the space for the roots, 

 which was made up only 6 feet wide inside, and 9 feet outside. 

 All the interior portion has been renewed, and it has now been 

 decided to add 8 feet to the outside. The ordinary garden soil 

 and gravel is being cleared out to the depth of 4 feet, which will 

 allow 1 foot for brickbats and 3 feet for the compost, which will 

 be turfy loam eight parts, rotted manure one part, and to every 

 cartload of this ll lbs. of crushed bones will be added. Though 

 this alteration is being made, recent experience rather goes to 

 show that the Vine will extend itself, and bear immense crops 

 of fine fruit with a very limited root-space. When the space is 

 confined, annual rich surface-dressings and frequent applications 

 of liquid maiiure are necessary. 



Early houses, from which all the Grapes have been cut, are 

 ofttimes left without any attention to the wants of the Vines. 

 All young growths that are made should be stopped; the border 

 will be dry, and common sense suggests that a thorough good 

 watering will cause the buds, whence comes the crop for next 

 season, to develope themselves. The leaves will be dusty, and 

 even if red spider is not discerned at a superficial glance, a little 

 investigation will probably show that it is present ; whether or 

 not, a good washing from the garden engine will he very bene- 

 ficial to the Vines. 



Ctieumhcr and Melon Houses. — During the last two months 

 very little artificial heat has been required for the Cucumbers, 

 and none at all for Melons. With shortening days and a lower 

 night temperature more attention must be devoted to the heat- 

 ing apparatus. At present the Cucumber house is kept at 70° 



