Gardening for Amateurs 



947 



they are left in the store, those in contact 

 with them will quickly become affected. 



Seed Potatoes. If the seed tubers are 

 to be saved from the crop in store they should 

 be picked out now. It pays better, how- 

 ever, to obtain seed Potatoes from another 

 district after two seasons, as the crop is 

 invariably more satisfactory, both as regards 

 quantity and immunity from disease. Any 

 tubers needed for early planting in pots or 

 frames may be placed in trays in a light 

 position to sprout, but the remainder can 

 be spread on floors or shelves in a cool but 

 frost-proof room or shed. 



Wheeling Manure. During the winter 



paths are, of course, very soft, and if wheeling 

 is attempted when they are in such a state, 

 they will be damaged and the work itself 

 made difficult. For this reason a spell of 

 frosty weather is generally taken advantage 

 of by gardeners to get manure wheeled out 

 on the land, no damage being done at such 

 times, and the manure is thus ready when 

 required. 



Digging, etc. This work should be con- 

 tinued at every opportunity, but do not 

 touch the ground when it is wet and sticky. 

 Where nothing else can be done, the soil 

 may be thrown up in ridges to allow the 

 weather to act upon it. 



Hardy Orchids 



E^Ei their sister flowers, which must 

 be cultivated under glass, the hardy 

 Orchids are very fascinating. Many 

 hardy Orchids are British wild plants 

 (though not always restricted to our is- 

 lands), and these are, on the whole, the 

 easiest to grow, though some of the charm- 

 ing North American kinds are equally 

 suitable for our gardens. The following 

 are the chief kinds : 



Aceras (Man Orchis). Of the four 

 sorts known to botanists, the best and most 

 fascinating is Aceras anthrophora, the Man 

 Orchis, so-called because of the resemblance 

 of the flowers to the figure of a man. It has 

 yellowish flowers tipped with brown. This 

 plant requires a chalky soil, and will thrive 

 either in sun or half-shade. 



Bletia. Bletia hyacinthina is a hand- 

 some plant, about 1 foot high, with plaited 

 leaves and rose-purple flowers ; there is 

 also a white variety. It is frequently 

 cultivated in pots, but can be grown in loam 

 and leaf-soil in a sunny place. 



Calypso. The only Calypso generally 

 procurable is C. borealis, a Cypripedium-like 

 flower, with solitary rose, brown and yellow 

 blooms in summer. It is about 4 inches 

 high, and should be planted at the foot of a 

 rockery or the edge of a bog in loam and 

 leaf -soil. 



Gephalanthera. One of the best is 

 C. grandiflora, white, 2 feet high. C. ensi- 



folia, about the same height, has narrow 

 leaves and similar blooms. C. rubra, ma- 

 genta, is handsome. These Orchids like 

 chalk or limestone in the soil, in which there 

 should be plenty of stones. 



Gypripedium (Lady's Slipper). The 

 Cypripediums, or Slipper-flowers, are among 

 the choicest of hardy Orchids. The follow- 

 ing are most often seen : acaule, rose-purple ; 

 Calceolus, brown and yellow ; californicum, 

 greenish-yellow and white or rose ; fascicu- 

 latum, green and brown. A fine one is 

 macranthum, carmine, and the white and 

 brown montanum is beautiful ; parviflorum 

 is yellow and brown, and the Downy Lady's 

 Slipper, C. pubescens, is yellow and brown. 

 C. spectabile, the Moccasin Flower, has 

 handsome pink and white flowers. These 

 thrive in a bog or in moist soil of peat, leaf- 

 soil and loam, with some sand ; C. Calceolus 

 likes yellow loam, a little sharp sand, and 

 some broken limestone. 



Epipactis. The Epipactis closely re- 

 sembles Cephalanthera and thrives well in 

 moist, partly-shaded places. E. gigantea, 

 white ; latifolia, white ; and rubiginosa, 

 purplish, are all good and easily grown in 

 leaf-soil and loam. 



Goodyera. Goodyeras are pretty little 

 Orchids, subject, however, to the attacks of 

 slugs. They are best suited by a shady 

 spot, in soil of decayed Pine needles, and a 

 little leaf -soil and sand. G. Menziesii is 



