SBPTEMBEn 12, 1912. 



The Florists^ Review 



13 



SEASONABLE NOTES. 



Deudiobiums. 



Some of the varieties which are de- 

 ciduous when in flower now have 

 pseudo-bulbs well made up. After the 

 last leaf has appeared in the end of 

 the bulb, a gradual reduction in the 

 water supply should be made, and the 

 plants removed from the close, warm, 

 moist house, where they have been 

 growing, to cooler, drier and airier 

 quarters, where the bulbs can be well 

 ripened. This applies to such sorts as 

 the showy and popular D, Wardianum, 

 also D. primulinum, D. chrysanthum, 

 D. Devonianum and some others. D. 

 nobile and its many varieties, also nu- 

 merous hybrids, should be given a 

 brisk, moist heat until their growths 

 are completed, when they also should 

 be moved to drier quarters, where they 

 will be shielded from the direct sun. 

 Do not cut off the water supply at 

 once; this would be disastrous. Where 

 young shoots or aerial growths appear, 

 they can be cut off and placed in small 

 pots or pans of sphagnum and fern 

 fiber. Grown warm, they will soon be- 

 come established. 



D. Phalffinopsis should now be com- 

 ing into flower, and will continue to do 

 so for some weeks. After the flowers 

 start to open, it is better to give the 

 plants somewhat cooler quarters, but it 

 is not advisable to keep them lower 

 than 60 degrees at night or the flowers 

 will not open satisfactorily. This den- 

 drobe succeeds best in pots or pans not 

 over six inches in diameter. It dislikes 

 large receptacles; the finest spikes we 

 have seen, carrying fifteen to twenty 

 or more flowers each, were always in 

 small pans. The variety D. Phalsenop- 

 sis Schrcederianum, now flowering, is 

 better than the type, D. Phalsenopsis, 

 whichy however, is useful, generally 

 being in season for Christmas. 



Coelogyne Cristata. 



This popular orchid is now in active 

 growth, and the bulbs discernible at the 

 base of the shoots. Here is a variety 

 which resents anything in the nature of 

 coddling; an ordinary greenhouse grows 

 it well; better, in fact, than many 

 special orchid houses. The plants now 

 need an abundant water supply, and a 

 spraying occasionally does them good. 

 They should have a weak dose of cow 

 manure once a week, as they are among 

 the orchids which are much benefited 

 by feeding. Some growers do not like 

 to feed cattleyas and laelias, but when 

 it comes to coelogynes, thunias, phaius, 

 cymbidiums, calanthes and cypripe- 

 diums, the plants are much improved 

 by a little judicious feeding. 



Calanthes. 



The bulbs of calanthes are now sufli- 

 ciently advanced so that the flower 

 spikes can in most cases be seen at 

 their base. Give the plants a hot, 

 moist house, and if you have any fire 

 heat, turn on a little each evening, 

 just sufficient to warm the pipes, for 

 if there is one orchid more than an 

 other which really enjoys a smell of 

 fire heat, even through midsummer, it 

 is the calanthe. The finest cultivators 

 of this magnificent midwinter fiowering 

 orchid attribute much of their success 

 to using just a little' artificial heat 

 right through the growing season. The 

 plants, being still in active growth, 

 want abundant water supplies, and 

 liquid manure should not be forgotten. 



Some growers spray their plants, but 

 after this date this is better discon- 

 tinued. The leaves should be kept 

 green as long as possible, and late 

 syringing is likely to develop leaf spot. 

 The night temperature for calanthes is 

 better held at 70 degrees. Of course 

 they are often well grown cooler, but 

 the best I ever saw were given this 



Oyprlpedium Insigne. 



That good old orj^ic"^, Oypripedium 

 insigne, can be well grown either warm 

 or cold. The curious feature about it 

 is that frequently when grown cool it 

 will push its spikes up earlier than 

 those given more warmth. It is still 

 one of the most valuable and accom- 

 modating of all orchids. It can be held 

 almost indefinitely, both on the plant 

 and when cut, and in spite of its cheap- 

 ness and comparative commonness, no 

 other of the genus is in sight to dis- 

 place it as a commercial flower. Any 

 florist can grow C. insigne. It, in 

 common with others of its family, has 

 no drying off period, but needs a fairly 

 liberal water supply the year around, 

 and anyone with calls for funeral de- 

 signs can make no mistake in growing 

 a batch, and certainly any man able to 

 grow carnations, roses or even gera- 

 niums can hardly fail with C. insigne. 

 The cypripediums will still need a 

 fairly heavy shading on the glass, and 

 the bulk of them enjoy a moistex, 

 warmer and closer atmosphere than 

 cattleyas or IsGlias. 



TO SWEET PEA GROWERS. 



J. J. Taubenhaus, assistant plant 

 pathologist at Delaware College Agri- 

 cultural Experiment Station, Newark, 

 Del., sends The Review a list of forty- 

 one questions and the following, with 

 request for publication: 



"For the last two years we have 

 been working on the diseases of the 

 sweet pea and their control. We are 

 about to publish a preliminary bulletin 

 and we are anxious to incorporate in 

 our work the experience and observa- 

 tions of all the leading practical hor- 

 ticulturists and gardeners. 



"In our investigations we have dealt 

 with the following troubles: Damping 

 off, similar to the damping off of let- 

 tuce and other plants; anthracnose, pro- 

 ducing a wilt disease of the tips as 

 well as a leaf and pod disease; streak, 

 a dreaded disease in England now rap- 

 idly spreading in this country, charac- 

 terized by a dark streak all along the 

 center of the stem; mosaic disease, sim- 

 ilar to the mosaic of tobacco and to- 

 mato; root diseases due to fungi and 

 eel worms. 



"Due credit will be given you in 

 our report for any contribution which 

 you will be so kind as to give us. The 



Department of Plant Pathology wiU 

 highly appreciate and consider it a 

 great favor if you will kindly fill out 

 the lists of questions which we here in- 

 clude. An early reply will be duly ap- 

 preciated, as it will save the unneces- 

 sary loss of time. ' ' 



Unfortunately, there are limits on 

 newspaper space, but Prof. Taubenhaus 

 doubtless will send his question blanks 

 direct to any who would like to answer 

 them. 



SWEET PEAS DROPPING BUDS. 



What is the cause of outdoor sweet 

 peas dropping their buds when about 

 the size of a grain of wheat ■? The vines 

 are strong and look healthy, but bloom 

 sparsely, owing to the dropping of a 

 great number of the buds, as stated. 

 They are of the large Spencer type. 



J. M. 



Peculiar weather conditions, rather 

 than soil or any cultural treatment, is 

 usually responsible for sweet peas drop- 

 ping their buds outdoors. I have seen 

 it occur perhaps once in four or five 

 years, and the strongest and most healthy 

 looking vines are usually the most a»- 

 fectod. Generally this dropping of buds 



