28! 



JOUENA.L OF HOETICUTjTURE AND COTTAGE GARDENER. 



t Soptember 2o, 187(1. 



to be kept moderately moist when ia full growth, bat the 

 resting period must be marked by a very limited supply of 

 water — just enough to prevent the bulbs from shrivelling. It 

 is a native of Guatemala. Then there is the rare and mag- 

 nificent 0. splendidum, which requires very similar treatment. 

 It is very seldom seen at exhibitions, not because it is not 

 adapted for exhibition purposes, but because it is so very rare 

 that very few persons are in possession of the plant. I have 

 seen it only once in flower, and that was a very fine plant 

 exhibited by Mr. W. Denning some five or six years ago in one 

 of the choice collections he exhibited at South Kensington. 

 The plant had one stroDg spike about 2 feet long with a dozen 

 expanded flowers of large size ; the sepals and petals are dull 

 yellow blotched and barred with purplish brown, with a very 

 large expanded lip of a rich bright yellow. It is also from 

 Guatemala. Another equally rare species is Oncidium Eogersii. 

 It is from Brazil, but does well amongst the Cattleyas, and 

 requires the same treatment as 0. ampliatum majus. The 

 finest plant in existence is that in the rich collection of Messrs. 

 James Veitch & Sons, Royal Exotic Nursery, Chelsea ; it pro- 

 duces a large branched spike annually in November, contain- 

 ing upwards of two hundred fully expanded flowers at one 

 time. The spike is not erect like 0. splendidum, but arches 

 over gracefully. The flowers are of a beautiful golden colour, 

 and are from 2 to 3 inches across the lip. 



Oncidium crispum and the variety flavam are natives of the 

 Organ Mountains. They also succeed best in the Gattleya 

 house, but must not be grown in pots with peat and sphagnum, 

 for such Orchids cannot bear much organic matter to come in 

 contact with the roots. 0. erispum succeeds best on a block. 

 The plant ought to be fastened to this, and the base of the 

 block should be placed in a pot, and the space between it and 

 the sides of the pot should be filled-in with clean potsherds. 

 The roots require water daily, but avoid watering the leaves 

 and pseudobulbs. The flowers are of the uniform shade of a 

 copper-coloured Indian. 0. crispum marginatum is of the 

 same colour as the type, but the sepals and petals are margined 

 with bright gold, while 0. crispum flavum is of a uniform 

 coppery yellow with scant markings. This fine Orchid has 

 received a first-class certificate during the present year, and 

 the plant has attracted much notice at several exhibitions, 

 where it has figured prominently in the collections arranged 

 by Messrs. Veitch, and from which plant the accompanying 

 figure was taken. — J. Douglas. 



THE CULTUEE OP TOMATOES. 



Not many years since the Tomato (Solanum Lycopersicum) 

 was only grown in a few gardens, and then in some cases only 

 for ornament, but the rapidly increasing demand for this 

 highly ornamental esculent has now to be part of the study of 

 nearly every gardener, however small and meagre may be his 

 convenience. The Tomato is highly esteemed by most owners 

 of gardens, and also by gardeners, who usually exhibit a collec- 

 tion of vegetables in the early summer, when a dish of Toma- 

 toes is found an acquisition and a very strong point in favour 

 of the exhibitor. 



Tomatoes are so esteemed by my employers that they would 

 use them in some form every day throughout the year were 

 they obtainable, oftentimes using them cut into slices similar 

 to Cucumbers, and served uncooked with oil. To meet this 

 demand it occurred to me (for want of other room) that the 

 plants might be grown in pots on a shelf in the apex of a small 

 Louse, which place I found very suitable, and the plan proved 

 a success. This mode of culture I have practised now for 

 several years. Daring January or early in February I well 

 drain an 8-inch pot, throe parts fill it with soil, and sow some 

 seed of the Orangofield Dwarf, and plunge the pot in a common 

 hotbed ; the seed will rapidly germinate, and in a few days the 

 plants will appear. As soon as large enough I carefully thin 

 them out, leaving about twenty-four of the strongest ; this 

 prevents the young seedlings from being overcrowded and 

 drawn up weakly. By sprinkliug a little soil around and 

 between them they emit roots further up the stems, and 

 remain short and sturdy. When about 3 inches high they are 

 found strong enough to handle safely, and are potted in 5-inch 

 pots. I pot them as low as possible, and replaoo them in the 

 hotbed again. As soon as well rooted they are shifted into 

 !)-inch pots, using a compost of turfy loam, and it is astonishing, 

 if well fed, what a large quantity of excellent fruit of this variety 

 can be produced by plants in pots of this size. After shifting 

 them to their fruiting pots they are placed on a shelf near the 



glass ia a Cucumber pit, vinery, or even a warm greenhouse 

 (my only convenience at that time was a warm greenhouse), and 

 are kept close for a few days. After the roots have begun to 

 move freely the plants have plenty of air and all the sun they 

 can possibly have. Many of them soon require staking, and 

 by the time these pots are full of roots the plants begin to show 

 flower. As soon as two or three clusters of blooms show I nip 

 off the points of the main stem, and remove all subsequent 

 growths as they appear. When the fruit is large enough to 

 discern their shape they are thinned out with a pair of scissors, 

 removing all which are faulty or corrugated, carefully retaining 

 such as are likely to become large, smooth, and handsome 

 fruit. 



The plants are grown on as fast as possible, taking care to 

 keep them stout and stocky and well supplied with clear and 

 liquid manure water. Occasional doses of soot water are very 

 beneficial to them — in fact Tomatoes are very gross feeders, 

 and are among the most thirsty plants in cultivation. When 

 exposed to the full influence of the sun on a shelf, turf sods — 

 such as the edgings of turf from the sides of walks, and short 

 manure placed around and between the pots — prevent the 

 moisture from rapidly drying out of the pots, and the roots 

 ramify into the rich material, and from it the plants obtain 

 much nourishment. As the fruit increases in size it is found 

 necessary to support some of the clusters with bast suspended 

 from the tops of the stakes. 



The Orangefield Dwarf grown in the above way and kept 

 close to the glasB will carry a good crop of fruit, and the 

 plants will not be more than 18 or 20 inches in height from the 

 top of the pots. It is only on account of its dwarf habit that 

 I advocate the growing of this prolific variety, for since the 

 introduction of Hathaway's Excelsior it has in several points 

 superseded the above, more especially for its earliness and 

 smoothness, it being the very perfection of shape, and if planted 

 out in any convenient place under glass and kept well stopped 

 it will produce abundance of handsome fruit. I have found the 

 fruit of this variety if subjected to a close atmosphere liable to 

 crack, which is not the case with the Orangefield. 



The Tomato is readily increased by striking cuttings. A few 

 plants kept through the winter will furnish plenty of cuttings, 

 and these if rooted will become fruiting plants sooner than 

 others which have been raised from seed ; but in my opinion 

 the success of fruiting Tomatoes early depends in a great 

 measure on the stopping of the plants. 



I have planted them out on a south border after carrying a 

 crop of fruit in pots, and trained and stopped them in a bush- 

 like form to stakes, and they have carried the second crop. 

 Whether planted against walls or in an open piece of ground 

 attention must be paid to stopping and watering, and every 

 means rendered to enable the fruit to ripen as soon as possible 

 before the chilly nights and early autumn frosts set in. All 

 such as are not ripe must be gathered and plaoed under cover 

 where they will ripen. In cold wet seasons they are liable to a 

 disease Bimilar to the disease in Potatoes. 



With regard to the announcement that "the introduction of 

 Tomatoes into the vinery will prevent wasps eating Grapes," 

 I have to say that I have tried the plan during the past few 

 weeks, and have found it absolutely useless for the purpose 

 recommended. 



The variety recently introduced by Messrs. Carter & Co., 

 called the Green Gage Tomato, is very pleasing in appear- 

 ance and is good in quality, but as a rule it does not grow so 

 large as some others ; but one plant I saw had fruit on this 

 year as large as the fruit of Hathaway's Excelsior, which is 

 possibly one of its parents, the growth and foliage being very 

 similar. — J. W. Moohhan.. 



ASPECTS OF NATUEE.— SEPTEMBER. 



September is a month not only peculiarly charming in itself 

 with its softened sun and various tints of autumn foliage, but 

 it is dear to us as the last darling of summer, whose latest 

 breath will lead us to chill October's wintry arms. 



The present haB been an exceptional season, for such blus- 

 tering winds and heavy rains as we have lately had have this 

 year, indeed, much changed the aspect of the month. Gene- 

 rally it is the time when we enjoy all the full fruits of autumn, 

 while the daily declining sun sheds a mellower light on hill, 

 dale, and mere, and the tranquil skies form a fitting background 

 to the peaceful richness of the landscape. In the woods and 

 fields we miss many of our summer favourites; the wild 

 flowers of the month are neither so gay in colours nor bo per- 



