May 15, 1S89.] 



(jcirclen and Forest. 



235 



A Liquidambar in Southern Illinois— See page 232. 



or commercial fertilizer, then with a crowbar set the poles 

 firmly in the furrow four feet apart. Next throw a furrow to 

 the row of poles from each side, leaving them standing- in a 

 ridge. Now, with a rake, dress this becl of earth into good 

 shape, and around each pole plant four beans, eye down- 

 wards, and only just beneath the surface. The elevated ridge 

 around the ])oles will heat up sooner than a flat surface, and 

 the germination will be much more rapid. When the plants 

 are fairly established pull up all but two to each pole, and give 

 a little attention to starting the vines on the poles, as they fre- 

 quently need to be tied at the beginning. But the best way is 

 not to use poles at all. Set two or three stout posts in the line 

 where the Beans are to grow, and then stretch galvanized 

 wire-netting, four feet wide, from post to post, and plant the 

 Beans along the ridge about six or eight inches apart. The 

 wire will furnish points to cling to from the start, and the Bean 

 plantation will look much better than with the poles. 



Perhaps the Lima Bean will in time be able to support itself. 

 The new Bush Lima furnishes a starting point for a dwarf 

 variety to take the place of the old Lima. The Bush Lima, 

 though a good thing, is, nevertheless, the smallest of all 

 Limas, and cannot yet entirely supersede the old large Lima. 

 But having secured the habit it will not be long before we 

 have the big bean on the small bush. As grown here last 

 summer the Bush Lima, or Bush Sieva, was fully two weeks or 

 more earlier than the pole Sieva, and more than that in 

 advance of the large Lima. It will thus be of great advantage 



in localities too far north for the large 

 Lima. But even if we succeed in putting 

 (he large bean on the small bush, it is 

 hardly probal)le that we can put so many 

 there nor keep up the succession as late 

 as on the running vines. Therefore we 

 had probably better not dispose of our 

 poles or wire-netting. In fact, by the use 

 of this netting it becomes easy to grow 

 many desirable Beans which the pole 

 nm'sance has almost banished from oiu- 

 gardens. ,,^ „ ,^ 



Ciozei, Va. iV- F. Massey. 



Orchid Notes. 



Dciidrobiiiiii ochreafuin [Cainbridge- 

 aiiuui) is one of the showiest Orchids in 

 bloom with us at present. Unfortunately 

 it is not flowering freely, and is seldom 

 seen in perfection. It is one of the few 

 Uendrobiums that produce flowers on 

 the young, immature bulbs — a great ad- 

 vantage, since the deep green leaves form 

 ei fine background to the rich golden 

 flowers. These are produced in pairs 

 from the sides of the bulbs, and are some 

 two inches across, the roimdish lip orna- 

 mented by a large crimson blotch. The 

 bulbs are about a foot long, with the 

 nodes somewhat thickened. This hand- 

 some plant was introduced in 1837 from 

 the Khasya Hills, where it grows on trees 

 and rocks. Under cultivation it thrives in 

 small baskets of peat and moss suspended 

 near the glass. During active growth it 

 needs abundant heat and water, and after 

 flowering shoifld be placed in a cool, airy 

 house thoroughly to mature the biflbs. 



Dendrohiiim McCartJiia is a large- 

 flowered kind, very pretty and rare, found 

 on forest trees in the southern pact of 

 the Island of Ceylon. It produces slender 

 bulbs about two feet long, with swollen, 

 dark-colored nodes. The flowers are 

 borne in twos or threes on pendulous 

 racemes from near the top of the stem. 

 In form they are peculiarly flattened, with 

 a sort of spur at the base, the color being 

 white, streaked and suffused with rosy 

 mauve. The lip has a large, rosy-purple 

 blotch in the centre, and is edged with 

 rose. This fine plant is usually difficult 

 to keep in good condition, or even alive. 

 With us it is doing fairly well in the 

 warmest corner of the PhahBnopsis- 

 house, growing in small, shallow pans, 

 drenched with water during growth and 

 k'ept a little dryer while flowering. 

 Dend7-obiuin fiiiibriitmn is an old and showy species that 

 may now be seen in full l;eauty in a great many collections. 

 It is a strong plant with stout bulbs four feet long, thickened 

 in the middle and tapering to the top. The flowers are borne 

 in loose racemes from near the top of the bulbs, which con- 

 tinue to bear them for many years. They are of a bright 

 orange color, the large, roundish lip being l)eautifully fimbri- 

 ated. This plant was introduced from the Himalayas in 1820, 

 and grows freely in good open soil among a general collection 

 of stove plants. A very pretty variety called Oculatum {Pax- 

 tonil) differs from the type in having shorter and more slender 

 l)ulbs, and the flowers are ornamented with a large maroon 

 lilotch on the lip. 



Bletia Shepherdii is one of the best of this genus of terres- 

 trial Orchids. It is a very robust grower with round, flattened 

 bulbs, surmounted by lanceolate plaited leaves about two 

 feet long. The scapes are branching, two to three feet long 

 and bear an abundance of reddish-purple flowers prettily 

 marked with creamy-white streaks on the lip. It comes from 

 Jamaica, and is easily cultivated in pots of sandy peat with a 

 little rich loam added. It should be treated as an ordinary 

 stove plant, and needs a good rest after growth is finished. 



ALrides Fieldingii is a magnificent plant of bold habit 

 growing nearly three feet high, the stem closely clasped with 

 thick, dark-green leaves about one foot long. From the axils 

 of these are borne drooping racemes, often branched and two 

 to three feet long, thickly set with large white flowers, mottled 



