5o6 



Garden and Forest 



[Number 302, 



Cultural Department. 



Greenhouse Work. 



AFTER the Chrysanthemums are past, a reorganization of 

 the greenhouses is generally necessary ; the space lately 

 taken up by those plants is now vacant and available for the 

 regular winter occupants. Our whole stock of old plants of 

 Chrysanthemums is taken out of the beds and pots and 

 planted in cold-frames for the winter. Last winter these were 

 frozen for two months, but we never had better cuttings than 

 we had this spring ; they appear to like the complete rest. In 

 planting care should be taken to leave a good space between 

 the rows, as some kinds are apt to throw out underground 

 shoots, and the varieties may become mixed when the time 

 comes to take cuttings. For late cuttings for bench-planting 

 in June these stock plants will bear topping in April; this will 

 give another crop in May, the second or third week. It is 

 preferable to keep the scarce varieties in a cool greenhouse, 

 so that they can be propagated during early spring. Now that 

 the one-bloom system is so much in favor, the carrying over 

 of considerable stock is absolutely necessary to enable one to 

 take such a large quantity of cuttings at a given period. 



All tender plants that have been in frames should now be 

 removed to the greenhouse and placed in winter quarters — 

 Azaleas, Ericas, Primulas, Cinerarias, Freesias, Cyclamen, 

 Calceolarias, Lachenalias, and all such plants that are liable to 

 injury from cold, such as we may experience any time now. 

 For fumigating plants that are liable to aphides during winter 

 we have for some time used the tobacco-leaf instead of the 

 stems or mid-rib. The leaf is a damaged grade that costs 

 from eight to twelve cents a pound, and is the cheapest fumi- 

 gating material we have found yet, inasmuch as a very small 

 amount of this tobacco is sufficient to kill the insects, a smaller 

 volume of smoke is required since it is so much more pun- 

 gent, and in our experience of over two years with this mate- 

 rial not a plant has suffered from scorching, an occurrence 

 quite common when so much smoke was needed to kill. A 

 slight periodical smoking, say, once in ten days, is far more 

 effectual than waiting until the insects are very abundant. 

 During the winter months the conditions are very favorable 

 to the increase of green fly, and these give place in summer to 

 the black fly, which is much harder to kill by fumigation, but 

 is very susceptible to a weak solution of Fir-tree oil. 



During the past year or two the Carnation rust has been 

 pretty well disseminated throughout the country ; indeed, it is 

 very hard to secure a good stock of Carnations free from dis- 

 ease. We bought the rust two years ago with a new variety, 

 and our experience is by no means unique. The easiest way 

 to check it that we have tried is spraying with Fir-tree oil, 

 using the mixture warm and of the same strength recom- 

 mended for mildew. This same solution has proved an effec- 

 tual cure for one of the worst cases of mildew on Roses I have 

 ever had to deal with. 



Where a number of Rubber-plants are used for decoration, 

 there are always some that have lost their lower leaves and 

 look dilapidated ; these should be topped now and the por- 

 tions of the stem having foliage can be cut into lengths and 

 propagated, and at least two-thirds will root if put in at this 

 time. It is a good plan to place the newly made cuttings in 

 dry sand for a few hours, when the milky sap will coagulate 

 and seal over the cut and aid considerably in root-formation. 

 It will be found also that the more abject the old plant the 

 better the cuttings taken from it will root. Strong, unripened 

 wood of Rubber-plants rarely root freely ; cuttings taken a year 

 ago are now most serviceable plants, about two feet high ; 

 atter rooting the young plants need liberal treatment, as they 

 are gross feeders. 



Poinsettias (Euphorbia pulcherrima) are now developing 

 their bracts, and need abundant liquid nourishment to develop 

 them to perfection and to enable them to retain their foliage. 

 The Poinsettia is a very valuable plant for Christmas decora- 

 tions, and repays any care bestowed on it. When used in 

 a cut state they should be cut three days before they are 

 wanted, and the stems immersed their whole length in a' tank 

 or bath. Enough water will be absorbed in this time to make 

 them keep fresh through any ordinary period, and the same 

 treatment will apply to E. Jacquinseflora equally well. 



The garden varieties of Amaryllis are now becoming very 

 popular, and will be even more so as their merits are better 

 understood. This is a good time to obtain seeds of a good 

 strain and sow them in a gentle warmth. Seedlings will flower 

 two years from now if treated liberally and grown on without 

 check. After the flowering period is reached an annual rest 

 will be necessary at this time. The pots should be placed in 

 a temperature of about .'nfty degrees, and kept moderately dry 



until growth commences in spring, when they will need pot- 

 ting in new soil, the old exhausted soil being shaken out. A 

 packet of Amaryllis-seed, costing one dollar, will give about 

 fifty plants. I have found that imported bulbs take as long to 

 establish them as is needed to raise and flower seedlings, and 

 the quality of the latter is far superior. r- /-, ^ 



South Lancaster, Mass. E. 0. Orpct. 



Flowers for Cutting in Winter. 



T7VEN a small conservatory, when skillfully managed, has 

 -^ great capabilities for giving a supply of cut flowers in win- 

 ter, and its usefulness can be much extended by using in con- 

 nection with it a slightly warmed or protected pit or frame, 

 where a reserve stock of cool-house plants can be stored until 

 needed. Among such plants may be named Azaleas, both of 

 the Indian and Ghent varieties ; Gardenias, Genistas and Aca- 

 cias, all of which can be safely kept in a temperature of forty 

 to forty-five degrees until needed for flowering. 



In a very small house it is better not to experiment to any 

 extent with Roses, as only moderate success can be hoped for 

 with most varieties when grown among a miscellaneous col- 

 lection of plants. If, however, one end of the house or a sec- 

 tion of a bench can be spared, a careful grower ought to grow 

 Roses fairly well. 



Carnations may be grown outdoors to advantage during the 

 summer, and when lifted and potted in the fall can be stored 

 for a time in the pit or frame. In this way a regular supply of 

 these useful flowers can be assured. Bouvardias should be 

 treated in the same way for the summer, but after being lifted 

 they require a higher temperature, and, therefore, had better 

 not be placed in the frame. If kept warm and treated to a lit- 

 tle stimulating food occasionally, the plants will soon become 

 root-bound, when they will flower freely all winter long. 

 Stevia serratifolia and Eupatorium riparium both give useful 

 flowers for mingling with other and more showy kinds, and 

 both are very easily managed. All they need is plenty of hght 

 and water. Many of the Begonias are indispensable, B. Saun- 

 dersii, B. manicata, B. nitida, B. semperflorens, B. incarnata 

 and B. Gloire de Sceaiax being among the most satisfactory. 

 These are all practically ever-blooming sorts, and can be 

 grown by any one. 



The double white Chinese Primrose is an excellent plant for 

 cutting, but the Primroses do not like to have their leaves wet 

 often, and an error on the dry side is easier to remedy than 

 overwatering. A few plants of Cyclamen Persicum will pro- 

 duce a great number of flowers, which stand well when cut. 

 Dutch bulbs are a great help to the cut-flower supply, and 

 should be brought on as required. Freesias, Roman Hya- 

 cinths, Daffodils and Tulips are the most useful, and all of 

 them should be well-rooted before being brought into heat. 

 Crassula lactea is a succulent which produces only one crop of 

 flowers in the season, but that crop is an abundant one, and 

 the large clusters of flowers are very pretty. The plant should 

 have full sunshine, but should be watered sparingly during 

 the winter. Every cutting, or leaf, even, will be sure to root 

 and form a plant if laid on a bed of partly dry sand in a warm 

 house. 



As the plants are brought in from the pit the Azaleas and 

 Genistas will be found the easiest to force, while the Gardenias 

 will take a little longer. Of the Acacias, A. Riceana is proba- 

 bly the earliest to bloom, and is a particularly pretty one. 



Holmesburg, Pa. W. H. JapUn. 



Cypripedium insigne. 



IT is now about seventy-five years since the introduction 

 this fine old plant, one of the first tropical Cypripediums 



of 

 s to 

 be cultivated, and preceded only by C. venustum, which it has 

 long surpassed, in the estimation of cultivators, even in the 

 original form, while numerous superior varieties have been 

 found among importations of what is called the Montanum 

 type. It is from this recently introduced section that the beau- 

 tiful yellow form called Sanderse was obtained, and which is 

 now a much-prized plant in the very best collections. 



On their arrival imported plants of C. insigne are of rather 

 unpromising appearance, but heat and moisture speedily 

 transform them into growing plants full of life and energy, 

 and which are altogether more thrifty than portions taken 

 from an old-established plant that has been long in cultivation. 

 Plants imported from India: two years ago are now vigorous, 

 and flowering for the first time in six-inch pots, many having 

 three flowers each. A very marked feature in this new strain 

 is the width of the white margin in the upper sepal, and the 

 spots are often large and distinctly superior to the old forms 

 so common in gardens. A comparison of Philbrick's variety 



