December 13, 1S72. ] 



JOURNAL OF HORTICULTURE AND COTTAGE GARDENER. 



463 



before planting," because when the delving-out operation is 

 performed at a more remote period the sets are, consequently, 

 liable to become much shrivelled. But when the planting of 

 them is deferred till late in the season, merely continue to 

 disbud — viz., rub off those shoots that will be unnecessary; 

 and neither for very late planting need the disbudded or dor- 

 mant eyes be made to undergo the gouging-out operation, for 

 the first shoot will then have monopolised so many of the 

 good things which were stored-up in the tuber, that it is a 

 great chance whether the disbudded or dormant eyes will have 

 the power to push at all. 



At all times one shoot is quite sufficient to leave on a 

 moderate-sized tuber, with careful planting, in order not to 

 rub it off, and a good three weeks will thus be gained in ma- 

 taring the crop. When seed Potatoes are made to undergo 

 the above-described process of induration, it signifies little or 

 nothing whether they are " greened " in the sun on the open 

 ground or no — better not. 



I have tried several times the system of planting Potatoes 

 in the autumn in this ground, but I found the soil much too 

 stiff for the purpose. The land during the winter becomes soli- 

 dified to a brick-like tenacity, which no after-forking-over in 

 the spring serves to ameliorate, and the young growing tops 

 find the greatest difficulty, only after performing all sorts of 

 whorls and antics, to push then' way through ; otherwise, in 

 a light friable soil, and under circumstances such as Mr. Rad- 

 clyffe pointed out lately on page 370, I have no doubt autumn 

 planting would answer well, more especially for field sorts, 

 such as Paterson's Victoria and Sutton's Red-skin Flourball. 



Allow me now to state the results of my Potato experience 

 this season more fully than I had the power to do at my earlier 

 writing in No. 598. Much did I marvel, however, when I read 

 what your worthy coadjutor said at page 399, where he sums- 

 up the Gladiolus and Potato disease by analogy, inferring that 

 " we know nothing at all about either !" I do not know much, 

 certainly, about the former, but if I did I would advise " D., 

 Deal," to take up the bulbs as soon as ever he sees the leaves 

 beginning to turn rusty. All fruit, flowers, and vegetables, 

 whether they grow under or above the ground, depend for their 

 well-being upon healthy leaves ; and if from any unnatural 

 check or blight their leaves becomes stricken and disabled, 

 then the sooner the fruit is gathered, or the bulbs or the tubers 

 taken up, the better. I feel almost certain "D., Deal," will 

 not dispute that. I am not fond of going to war for an idea, 

 but I stand firmly by my old colours — an electrical state of 

 the atmosphere in connection with rain being a chief and first 

 cause in bringing about the Potato disease ; and I know that 

 I lay myself open to your batteries by so doing. That cannot 

 be helped ; this battle must be fought-out to the bitter end, 

 and facts are stubborn things ; they shall bear me up in my 

 sequel. 



In the middle of July my new seedling Potatoes induced me 

 to go and stay for a few days in the neighbourhood of Bedfont 

 to watch their precocity and other peculiarities. Not a drop 

 of rain had fallen upon them for some weeks, and my super- 

 visor was praying for some to come down. I did not sympa- 

 thise with him, as my note-book ran thus: — " July 10th, atmo- 

 sphere becoming very foul and thickening ; I doubt the Potato 

 disease is coming sooner than usual this year." In fact, I 

 hinted at the advisability of getting them all up, as most of 

 the sorts were already very nearly ripe ; but we had named 

 the day when friends and critics were to meet to admire or 

 pass condemnation upon them, so they were left to their fate 

 and the elements, and I secretly hugged the hope that the 

 already brewing tempests might pass over without wet, for 

 then I knew they would remain without spot ; or otherwise 

 that the rain would come without the thunder and lightning, 

 and then they would be equally safe from that which Lady 

 Macbeth cried " out " upon. Well, on the 18th the sur- 

 charged clouds could stand it no longer, and on the 19th 

 storms passed over this neighbourhood. But I was forearmed 

 for what I intended to do ; so on the very evening I worked 

 till dark, taking up every other " stool " of my choicest proved 

 seedlings from the ridges, and so on for two or three days both 

 in storm and sunshine, till I had secured as many as I wanted 

 of my precious ones. Many of them have since appeared in 

 the Council Chamber at South Kensington, and it was lucky 

 for me that my experience in the ways of atmospheric causes 

 led me to make no delay, as those of then- fellows which I 

 allowed to remain in the soil, with the hope of a chance of 

 being after-wards able to show them off in their growing state 

 to my friends, <fec, were almost destroyed by the disease, 



whilst not a single tuber is lost, or touched with it, of those 

 which I lifted before they became scarcely blotched in the 

 haulm. 



Again, as regards my newest seedlings, which I raised from 

 the seed-apples under glass last year, one-third of them I 

 planted during the first quarter of last April in the open 

 garden, and one-third of them, from want of room here, I sent 

 to be planted out at Bedfont. In the beginning of July I 

 began to have my suspicions about the disease, so I planted 

 the remaining third part in any spare corners of the garden. 

 Now, I beg of you to judge by the results of these precautions, 

 whether the disease is so profound a mystery as " D., Deal," 

 will have it to be. Of the April-planted lot, which were all of 

 them, as a matter of course, left to acquire then' full growth and 

 features, not two dozen tubers survived the murrain. Those 

 sent to Bedfont were somewhat more lucky ; but of those 

 which I planted in July — the very smallest of the fry — any- 

 how and anywhere, and which "took to grow" after the 

 atmosphere had become cleared of its electricity, I finished 

 lifting them in the third week of October, a most perfect 

 lot, and surely they have been saturated enough and to spare 

 with mere wet. So, if merely plain rain unaccompanied with 

 tempest will bring the disease, why is it that this last and 

 late-planted third was left scathless ? I am most thankful to 

 say that they were ; and, as the above will serve to show, by 

 simply guarding myself against that state of the atmosphere, 

 which is sure to arrive sooner or later during July and August, 

 I have saved my credit and as many as I chose of my crops, 

 plus the results of years of experimental crossings for the 

 future. — R. Fexx, IVooiUtock Rectory. 



NOTES ON DENDROBIUAL— No. 2. 



Dendrobium' Falconeri, from the mountains of Bhotan, is 

 one of the most lovely and distinct forms of the genus, per- 

 haps the queen of all Dendrobes. Like other good plants, 

 it is found difficult to cultivate by many, but that a few good 

 specimens exist I am well aware. As regards culture, I con- 

 sider it an exception to the general rule laid down for Den- 

 drobes. In most cases the new growth is produced from the 

 base of that of the previous year ; and, as well as keeping up 

 a fresh supply, it continues to lengthen and branch from the 

 older growths ; therefore, a plant under favourable circum- 

 stances would soon form a well-furnished specimen. The 

 finest I have seen is growing on a block some 2 feet long, filled 

 from top to bottom with branching growths, from 18 inches to 

 3 feet in length. It also appears to be quite at home on flat 

 pieces of cork, upon which has been placed some fresh sphag- 

 num moss. It is very impatient of being meddled with at the 

 root, therefore it should not be disturbed in the way of shift- 

 ing, unless really needful. It will grow for years in what 

 seems a smaU compass for its roots. With regard to moisture, 

 it should have a constant supply. Look at and examine 

 D. Falconeri when you may, it is in a state of growth either in 

 root or stem, so that to follow the drying-off system would 

 prove very injurious. Water may be withheld to a great 

 extent when it is not in active growth, but never allow the 

 plant to become dry. Many may be induced to do so in order- 

 to obtain a free-flowering habit ; rather than do this, place the 

 plant as near the glass as possible, and string the growths in a 

 careless manner with some neat pieces of bass, so that air 

 and light may have free access on all sides. This will greatly 

 aid them in ripening, and thereby induce them to flower. 

 Better to be content with a moderate bloom obtained in this 

 manner, than run the risk of losing the whole plant by 

 drying-off. 



D. Falconeri should not be absent from any collection. A 

 plant in flower presents an almost indescribable appearance. 

 The predominant colours are white and purple : petals white 

 tipped with purple ; sepals pale rose, also tipped with purple ; 

 the Up white, with a liquid mulberry-coloured and golden- 

 bordered recess. It usually blooms in May, lasting about a 

 fortnight in perfection. 



D. Wardian'um, from Assam, is a very rare and beautiful 

 species, forming a splendid companion to the foregoing, which 

 it somewhat resembles in its knotted stems, although quite 

 distinct, being more robust in its growths, which are pendulous, 

 attaining the length of 2 feet or more. The flowers, pro- 

 duced in twos and threes from the axils, are often 3 inches 

 across. The sepals and petals are white, tipped with rosy 

 purple ; the lip, beautiful rich orange with a white margin, 

 having a crimson spot on each side. ' It blooms in spring and 



