MAY 21, 1914. 



Tfi© Fk^lsts' Rcvk\» 



27 



SEASONABLE SUGGESTIONS. 



Shading. 



Up to the present we have not been 

 favoted with high temperatures; in 

 fact, it has been unseasonably cold 

 most of the spring, with considerable 

 cloudiness and precipitation. "Under 

 conditions such as have prevailed, 

 orchids which were lightly shaded will 

 have fared the best. It is during the 

 prolonged cold and sunless spells of 

 weather that those who have movable 

 lath blinds have a great advantage 

 over those who paint kerosene and 

 white lead or some similar shading on 

 the glass. But while light shading has 

 advantages for eattleyas and laelias, 

 phalffnopsis, cypripediums and niil- 

 tonias want a heavier shade, as do 

 calanthes, dendrobes and odontoglos- 

 sums. An hour or two of direct, bright 

 sunshine after this date may do serious 

 injury to them. Streak shading has 

 some advantages. This consists sim- 

 ply of painting strips three to four 

 inches wide and leaving similar widths 

 clean. It is easy to make brushes 

 that have sufficient width to cover 

 16-inch glass. 



Feeding. 



Plants now are nearly all in more 

 active growth and water supplies must 

 be increased. It is, however, always 

 safer to let the plants go a little on 

 the dry side rather than the reverse. 

 Cattleyas, recently potted, are making 

 roots more freely, but water these with 

 care. Do not imagine, because some 

 active roots are pushing, that the 

 plants need a daily soaking. All cat- 

 tleyas, Iselias, cypripediums, ccelogynes, 

 in fact all orchids, are benefited by a 

 light spraying overhead daily at this 

 season, when the weather is clear. 

 Apply this sufficiently early so that 

 the plants will be dry before sunset. 



The subject of feeding orchids gives 

 rise to antagonistic views. Some de- 

 nounce it as extremely harmful and 

 show plants of astonishing vigor which 

 have nej^er been fed. Others will 

 produce plants which will win applause 

 and we are told that feeding did it. 

 When practitioners thus differ who is 

 to decide? There is surely some middle 

 ground on which all can or should 

 meet. '^" 



The most rabid opponents of feeding 

 for orchids must ag^ee that without 

 manure water it would be impossible 

 to produce the fine calanthes, phaius, 

 ccelogynes, cymbidiums, sobralias, zygo- 

 petaluma and cypripediums. The writ- 

 er's experience has been that careful 

 feeding much benefits all these plants. 



Dendrobiums, odontoglossums and pha- 

 Isenopsis will appreciate weak doses of 

 cow manure water, but applications of 

 Cookson's formula are just as good. 

 Well established cattleyas and laelias 

 with receptacles filled with active roots 

 are undoubtedly benefited by weak 

 doses of liquid manure while in active 

 growth. I know some growers who Use 

 Clay's fertilizer in water with good 

 results, but it should be remembered 

 that only strong, well rooted plants 

 should be fed. 



Cattleya Fly. 



> I was pleased to read the article in 

 the Review of May 14 regarding the 

 cattleya fly. The varieties of cattleya 

 on which the fly usually comes are. 

 labiata and Tftianse. The first named 



has usually been the worst offender, 

 but Trianae of late has been just as 

 bad. Anyone receiving new cattleyas 

 would be well advised in cutting off 

 all growths just starting and burning 

 them. This is a radical remedy, but 

 it is the best one we have. It takes 

 courage to chop off all these tlice leads, 

 but it will pay in the long run. If 'all 

 are cut off the chances are that most 

 of the flies are killed. If one or two 

 fine growths are left to develop and 

 hatch a few broods of these arch 

 enemies of cattleyas, it will be a pain- 

 ful and discouraging task to control 

 them. 



Fumigate with strong nicotine. Lay 

 sticky fly papers among the plants; 

 these will catch quite a few. Look 

 over the growths carefully at least 

 twice a week. Never fumigate with 

 hydrocyanic acid gas. Cattleyas are 

 apparently tough subjects, but cannot 

 stand gas. The months of April and 

 May are those when this fly is most 

 in evidence, but many hatch in March 

 and at other periods during the year. 

 Such long bulbed varieties as Portia, 

 Bowringeana and Skinneri are rarely, 

 if ever, attacked. 



LoweU, Mass. — James J. McMaumon 

 has almost completed a new home in 

 Kenwood. He recently installed a large 

 water tower at his range at Dracut. 



COLD STORAGE FOB PEONIES. 



Please tell us, through The Review, 

 about the best method of holding peony 

 blooms for Memorial day, where they- 

 come too early. Where cold storage is 

 employed, please state the best temper- 

 uturt!. F. B. R. 



ends only with the marketing. It is 

 an art at which few are proficient. The 

 average grower's stock brings more 

 money, in an average season, if sold at 

 once than it does if given a term in 

 cold storage before being put on the 

 wholesale market. 



The question gives no information as 

 to the quantity of stock or the condi- 

 tions under which it is to be handled, 

 so that a reply can be only general in 

 character. If the stock is only a small 

 quantity and to be held only a few 

 days, for local trade, if not too far de- 

 veloped it can be put in water and 

 stored in any cool basement where 

 there is pure air. If a larger quantity 

 is to be cared for, space can be pro- 

 cured in a public cold storage ware- 

 house. One of the warehouses at Chi- 

 cago sets aside a big room for peonies 

 each season, running it at 36 degrees, 

 but no special temperature is needed; 

 all cold storage warehouses contain ap- 

 ples and the peonies will keep with the 

 apples if properly cut, bunched and 

 wrapped. The cold-storing of peonies 

 on a large scale is an art that begins 

 with the selection of the varieties and 



AMERICAN PEONY SOCIETY. 



Representatives of the American 

 Peony Society, Horticultural Society of 

 Chicago and the Chicago Florists' Club 

 held a meeting at the Hotel Sherman, 

 Chicago, May 14, to complete arrange- 

 ments for the annual exhibition of the 

 American Peony Society, which will be 

 held in Chicago this year, under the 

 auspices of the local organizations. 

 Those in attendance were Wm. A. Pe- 

 terson, of Peterson Nursery; Carl Cropp, 

 of Vaughan's Seed Store; Arnold Rin- 

 gier, of the W. W. Barnard Co.; Thomas 

 Wallis and M. Barker. The Art Insti- 

 tute was selected for the exhibition, 

 which will be held June 12 and 13, this 

 date being subject to change as weather 

 conditions affect the local crop. C. W. 

 Johnson, Morgan Park, 111., was ap- 

 pointed manager of the exhibition, and 

 all inquiries referring to premium list, 

 prizes, etc., should be addressed to him. 



