November 5, 1890.] 



Garden and Forest. 



54i 



same horizontally, one may imagine what a splendid spec- 

 tacle a large spike of this species offers. One of the chief 

 characteristics of the flowers, and one which has reminded 

 many of the flowers of Miltonia (Odontoglossum) vexillaria, is 

 that they are flat, the sepals and petals being almost in the 

 same plane, the lip alone projecting. The upper sepal and 

 the two petals are almost similar ; the former, however, being 

 larger. They are roundish oval in shape, of a soft pink or lilac 

 color, and decorated at the base with crimson spots. But it is 

 the two lower sepals which form the chief attraction of the 

 flower. They are much larger than the other segments and 

 broadly elliptic. The ground color is a soft creamy yellow, 

 becoming more subdued toward the margins, and upon this 

 there are from seven to nine broad red veins, half of which 

 give off branches toward one edge and half toward the other, 

 thus giving the whole a most charming appearance. The 

 projecting front lobe of the lip is dark brownish red with 

 three keels in the centre, while the ovate side lobes are green- 

 ish yellow speckled with red, and the short, thick column is of 

 a bright, conspicuous yellow. 



A variety known as Albata appeared about four years ago in 

 the collection of Mr. W. Lee, of Downside. It has smaller 

 flowers, with white upper sepal and petals, which are spotted 

 with purple at the base, where the petals also have a sulphur- 

 ous tinge. The lateral sepals are yellow, with a white margin, 

 and reddish feathered veins. 



Vanda Sanderiana itself has only been about seven years in 

 cultivation, having been introduced in 1883 from the island of 

 Mindanao (the largest of the Philippines) by the firm in honor 

 of whose chief at St. Albans it received its name. So great 

 was the sensation caused by its appearance that at the London 

 salesrooms in October, 1883, as much as 200guineas were will- 

 ingly paid for a plant less than three feet across and bearing 

 ninety leaves. And as evidence of the great esteem in which 

 Sander's Vanda is still held, I may mention that in September 

 of this year Sir Trevor Lawrence paid ninety guineas for a 

 plant imported by the same firm. Mr. Lee, of Downside, who 

 a few years ago possessed one of the finest collections of 

 Orchids in the world, had the honor of being the first to flower 

 this Vanda after its introduction. 



Imported plants must be carefully treated at first in order to 

 establish them. They should be put in a warm, moist house, 

 spread out on the stage until the leaves and growths begin to 

 " plump " a bit. Or they may be put in pots, with clean crocks 

 around the roots, and receive an occasional syringing until the 

 same effect is produced. When thoroughly established they 

 should be put in a compost of peat and moss, with which may 

 be mixed pieces of crocks and charcoal. In spring-time 

 growth begins, and as it increases in vigor water must be given 

 in proportionately larger quantities. The temperature during 

 this period may range from sixty to eighty degrees Fahr., and 

 the atmosphere should be laden with moisture. Abundance 

 of light without exposing the plants directly to the sun is also 

 necessary, as it not only accelerates the growth, but also ripens 

 the plant. A short period of rest may be given the plants in 

 winter, but they must not be permitted to get dry, and the tem- 

 perature may vary from sixty to sixty-five degrees Fahr. 

 isleworth, London. John Weathers. 



Setting Strawberry Plants in Autumn. 



ORDINARILY I have not advocated fall planting to any 

 great extent, as spring-set plants generally succeed the 

 best; but this season has been exceptional, and those who have 

 planted early in this section are fortunate, judging from my 

 own experience. Last spring the ground which I had intended 

 for strawberries was in peas, and I set only a few plants of 

 several varieties for stock, and my fruiting beds were turned 

 under as soon as the crop was gathered. This left me to de- 

 pend on fall-set plants for my strawberry-crop next season, 

 and as soon as the peas were harvested the ground was pre- 

 pared and ready for the plants before the plants were ready. 



About the middle of August the ground was set with 500 

 plants of the newer varieties, and as they were lifted and trans- 

 ferred to their new quarters with a mass of soil attached to the 

 roots so few of them felt the change that the loss was less than 

 two per cent. Such plants, with their roots running through 

 the soil in a natural way, are altogether superior to potted 

 plants. These plants were set in rows two feet apart, and they 

 have grown and thrown out such strong runners that, if left 

 undisturbed, I believe they would have covered the entire 

 surface of the ground before winter. Rains have been fre- 

 quent, keeping the ground wet and cool — just the conditions 

 needed for them — and they have improved the opportunity, 

 and offer a better promise of a crop than I have ever seen in 



fall-set plants. By the middle of September the bed needed atten- 

 tion, but when the work should have been done the ground was 

 too wet, and the plants were left to care for themselves while 

 the grape harvest was gathered. 



The bed has just been cleared up, the runners and surplus 

 plants removed, and the prospect is fair that they will grow 

 yet for some weeks. I estimate the gain in setting such plants 

 from one's own grounds as fully fifty per cent, over plants 

 brought from a distance whose roots are divested of soil. If per- 

 sons who wish to follow peas or early potatoes with straw- 

 berries would adopt this plan of setting a few plants early in 

 spring for stock, they can generally set their new beds much 

 earlier than if they depend on buying their plants, can have 

 better plants and better results, but, as stated at the outset, it 

 must be remembered that this has been an exceptional 

 season. With hot, dry autumns, as we sometimes have, the 

 results would be far less satisfactory. 



Earliness in setting in spring or fall is the keynote to success. 

 Stock plants set early in spring before growth commences re- 

 ceive little or no check, and will furnish plants for fall setting 

 much sooner than if planted later, and the earlier plants are 

 set in July or August the more satisfactory will be the results. 

 Dealers do not like to sell plants before September on account 

 of the loss of young plants, and for this reason the price of fall 

 plants should be double that of spring plants. I have another 

 bed set between the 2d and 7th of September which has done 

 fairly well ; but just at that time we had a week of hot, dry 

 weather, and the plants were checked, mainly because they 

 could not be lifted with the earth adhering as in the former 

 case. 



Montciair, N. j. E. Williams. 



Grapes in Eastern Massachusetts. 



"\1 7E cultivate in our experimental collection fifty-five varie- 

 * * ties of hardy Grapes, one vine of each, and in order, if 

 possible, to ascertain the best varieties for family use, we have 

 given them careful personal attention. The following, ripen- 

 ing in the order named, are the twelve most approved by my 

 family : Lady, Moore's Early, Cottage, Eumelan, Worden, 

 Wilder, Barry, Brighton, Massasoit, Lindley, Prentiss and Iona. 



Lady Washington, Jefferson and many others are good, but 

 only ripen when the growing season is longer than the aver- 

 age. We are located on the' highest land in the city, eighty 

 feet above sea level, with grounds protected by a six-foot, tight 

 board fence on north, west and south, also on the north by a 

 belt of Fir and Pine-trees. Up to the present time, October 

 20th, there has been no frost in our grounds. Three weeks 

 since it appeared in the valley 500 feet north of us. 



We prefer a wire trellis running north and south, with posts 

 ten to fifteen feet apart, six feet high, and carrying five courses 

 of wire, about equal distance apart, stretched horizontally and 

 fastened to the posts. The vines are set eight to ten feet 

 apart in rows eight feet apart. Although they are hardy, in 

 our changing climate we find they do better if laid down after 

 pruning in November and covered with earth. The fan-sys- 

 tem of training, and the spur-system of pruning, we consider 

 most satisfactory. The limited area of our grounds, being a 

 city lot, made it necessary to utilize every foot of land. It is 

 under-drained and subsoiled. The only fertilizers we have 

 used are cow-manure, ground bone and wood ashes. 



Cambridge, Mass. Benjamin G. Smith. 



A Dangerous Enemy to the Radish. 



A LARGE grower of Radishes in Piscataway, New Jersey, 

 tells me that he will be forced to give up raising this crop. 

 His favorite sort is a mammoth white. Half of the crop or 

 more has been ruined this season. Before the roots are a 

 quarter of their marketable size they turn black in spots, where 

 they shrink and often crack. An expert can go through the 

 rows and identify the diseased roots by the peculiar yellow 

 color of the foliage. A microscopic examination of the dis- 

 eased places on the roots reveals the traces of the same Fun- 

 gus, or one very closely related to it, which causes the "club- 

 root" of the Cabbage and the "knot-root" of the Turnip. All 

 three of these host-plants belong to the same natural order 

 (Cruciferce); and it is not surprising to meet with this Fungus 

 in the roots of the Radish. Several complaints have come to 

 the station of fields of Cabbage ruined by the "club-root." 

 This is so named because the Fungus of a very low order 

 causes the Cabbage root-system to become a mass of irregular, 

 misshapen warts and knots. With the Turnip the root is more 

 fleshy, and the opportunity for distortions is not so great. 

 Under the microscope there are no filaments to be seen, and 

 therefore this Fungus differs from nearly all others which prey 



