MISCELLANY OF NOTES AND CORRESPONDENCE. 93 



In shifting the plants, take care to drain the pots properly, by using five or 

 six oyster shells, and some rough charcoal, placing some of the roughest of the 

 compost over the drainage. Remove the plants at each shift into pots at least 

 three sizes larger, for though it may not at all times be convenient to adopt the 

 one-shift system, I beheve there are now no good cultivators who think of 

 practising the old small-shift system. It is impossible to say how frequently 

 the plants will require shifting, but if they are growing vigorousl)', they will 

 never go more than six weeks from the time they are first potted until they 

 show bloom, without requiring a larger pot. The best situation for the plants 

 during the first part of their growth will be a low hot- water pit, where they can 

 be kept near the glass, giving them plenty of air both night and day, and 

 abundance of atmospheric moisture, but taking care to shade them thinly during 

 bright sunshine, as the foliage is very liable to burn. As the plants progress in 

 growth and get too tall for the pit, remove them to a house kept at a tempera- 

 ture of from 55° to 65° or 70' ; place them near the glass, give plenty of air 

 and moisture, occasionally moistening the paths, walls, and stages with clean 

 manure water, and dew the plants over both morning and evening with clean 

 tepid water. 



If these directions are attended to and carried out, there need be no fear of 

 the red spider attacking the plants ; but should that pest make its appearance, 

 lay the plant down on its side and syringe with clean soot-water until every 

 inject is washed clean away. Throughout the whole season it will be advisable 

 to water the plants twice or thrice a week with manure-water, formed by mixing 

 one bushel of sheep's dung, one peck of soot, half a peck of guano, and half a 

 peck of lime; put the soot and manures together and mix them into a puddle 

 with boiling water, and then throw in 50 or 60 gallons of soft water and the 

 lime; stir the water frequently, and, after it is quite clear, add two gallons of 

 clean water to every gallon of the manure used, and apply it in a tepid state. 

 It is astonishing what vigour this water imparts to the plants ; iudetd all other 

 things being suitable, they seem to revel in it with that luxuriance that makes 

 them really delightful to look upon. — Gardeners' Chronicle. 



London Horticultural Society, March 17. — Of Orchids, Messrs. Veitch 

 and Son, of Exeter, sent one of the many varieties of Gongora maculata from 

 South America, and two Cypripediums from Java: one a very dark purple, aud 

 the other a paler variety ; both referable to C. barbatum. From Mr. Rae, 

 gardener to J. J. Blandy, Esq., were two fine specimens of the old Phaius gran- 

 difolius, one of Dendrobium Pierardi, and another of Lycaste Skinneri. The 

 beauty of these was, however, cons;derably destroyed by the travelling; a 

 Banksian medal was awarded. Of other plants, Messrs. Henderson, of Pine- 

 apple-place, sent Acacia diffusa, a small Boronia triphylla, producing numerous 

 little rose-coloured star-like flowers ; Trillium erection, a hardy North American 

 herhaceous plant, with dingy chocolate blossoms : and a beautiful collection of 

 Hyacinths, for which a certificate was awarded, prom Mr. Green, gardener to 

 Sir E. Aotrobus, Bart., were three seedling Azaleas, all of them good; but one 

 named alba magniflora, having large white blooms, in which was a shade of 

 pink, especially so ; promising to be a considerable improvement on the kinds 

 now in cultivation ; a] certificate was awarded it. A pale rose-coloured seed- 

 ling Camellia came from Messrs. Lane and Son, of Great Berkhampstead. The 

 plant had only one bloom on it, which, however, served to show that it possessed 

 considerable merit in point of form ; the petals laying nicely over one another, in 

 the way of imbricata. It was named Beaut e Supreme, aud was awarded a cer- 

 tificate. Several fine specimens of Cape Heaths were produced from the garden 

 of C. J. Dimsdale, Esq. These were vernix rubra, an early suit, covered with 

 round orange blossoms; a large plant of transparens, nitida picta, Willmorei, 

 mid lacticolor ; the latter covered with small white flowers ; a Banksian medal 

 was awarded for them. Finally, several cut specimens of half-hardy plants 

 were produced from the open walls of the gardens at Curraghmore, the seat of 

 the Marquis of Waterford, with the view of illustrating what kind of climate 

 they have in Ireland, iu the county of Waterford. Some of the specimens were 

 from a south-east aspect, and the plants from which they were cut were stated 



