CALENDAR FOR THE FLOWER-GARDEN. 



JANUAKY. 



Plant-houses. 



Orchid Houses. — All through this month 

 it will be very necessary to pay special attention 

 to orchids, as there are some species which do 

 not thrive under artificial heat if it be too liber- 

 ally supplied; while at the same time some of 

 those from the hotter regions of the earth would 

 suffer in a low moist temperature if allowed to 

 remain under those conditions for any protracted 

 period. Odontoglossums of the crispum type 

 should be kept in a temperature of from 45° at 

 night to 50° or 60° in the day, according to the 

 weather. Air should be admitted on all favour- 

 able occasions, and the plants should be sprinkled 

 with a syringe every day that the weather per- 

 mits. If possible, the house should be washed 

 and thoroughly cleaned inside, so as to get rid 

 of all insect and other pests that may have crept 

 inside from the cold. Constant supervision 

 must be exercised to prevent snails from destroy- 

 ing the flower-spikes, which they soon find out 

 if any are showing. — Those of the vexillarium 

 type ought to be kept in a temperature a 

 few degrees higher; also 0. Harryanum, 0. 

 citrosmum, 0. Roezlii, and others. If the weather 

 in this month be very severe, so that much fire- 

 heat is necessary to keep the temperature to the 

 requisite degree, a close search must be made 

 for thrips. A little sulphur put down the sheaths 

 will be sufficient to keep them in check. Some 

 of the different sections of Dendrobiums will 

 now be in flower, and they should be kept free 

 from damp or the flowers will become spotted. 

 Those of the nobile division, as, for example, 

 Ainsworthii, an re am, and moniliforme, may have 

 a temperature of from 50° to 55° Fahr. when in 

 flower, and, while at rest, from 45° to 50°, ac- 

 cording to the weather. Plants belonging to 

 the bigibbum section should be kept in a tem- 

 perature which should not fall below 60°; neither 

 ought such as Farmed to be subjected to a 

 lower temperature. Cattleyas generally will 

 now be at rest, and they should have a tem- 

 perature of from 55° to 60°, with a rather dry 

 atmosphere. Those who grow a mixed collec- 

 tion of orchids in one house will find the 

 Zygopetalums very useful at this period of the 

 year. These thrive best in an intermediate 

 temperature. Most of the Calanthes will by 

 this time have finished flowering, and should 

 therefore be put to rest in a warm dry place, 

 which should not be allowed to fall below 55°. 

 As many of the Oncidiums will be throwing 



up their flower-spikes, they will require careful 

 watching to prevent slugs from eating them. 



Hothouse. — During the present month work 

 in this department is not abnormally severe. 

 Special care, however, must be taken to keep 

 the houses at the proper temperature, for as the 

 inmates of these structures have their native 

 habitats in warm countries, they will not remain 

 in health if subjected to cold. Where much 

 house decoration is required it will be requisite 

 to propagate plants for the purpose, and to 

 bring them forward, so that they may take the 

 place of those which become unhealthy through 

 standing too long in dwelling-rooms. 



Caladium bulbs may be divided where there 

 is sufficient heat at command to cause them to 

 commence growth quickly. The little Argyrites 

 and Le Nain Rouge are two useful kinds for this 

 purpose. Small palms should be potted on, so 

 that they may be well rooted before being 

 removed. Kentias, Cocos, Arecas, and Geo- 

 nomas are the most easily adapted to this use. 

 Such plants as Gymnostachyum, Acalyphas, 

 Pandanus, Panicum, Asparagus plumosus, Cy- 

 perus, Crotons, and the like, are all useful in a 

 small state, and may be propagated where suffi- 

 cient heat is available. Many of the plants in 

 this department will soon be starting into growth, 

 and will therefore require re-potting. Material 

 for this, such as peat loam, leaf -mould, sand, 

 cocoa-nut fibre, manure, and moss, should be 

 got ready, and, if possible, put into a warm 

 place, so that it may be of the same tempera- 

 ture as that in which the plants are growing. 

 Have all pots and drainage material washed 

 previous to using them, as cleanliness is of great 

 importance in plant-cultivation. 



Intermediate House. — This will now be 

 occupied with the preparation of cut flowers and 

 plants for the conservatory, for where a supply 

 of these has to be kept up it is imperative that 

 they should be subjected to a lower degree of 

 heat than that of the forcing house before they 

 are removed to cooler structures. Bouvardias, 

 Heliotropes, and many other plants of a similar 

 nature will grow in such places. Imantophyll- 

 ums, Amaryllis, and Epiphyllums, together with 

 many other plants of a like nature, will succeed 

 well in a temperature of about 55° Fahr., in addi- 

 tion to those which have been brought from 

 warmer houses to be hardened a little before 

 removal to a lower temperature. 



Forcing House Where a constant demand 



for flowering plants exists many things will have 

 to be brought forward in heat. Among these may 

 be mentioned Azalea mollis, A. indica, A.pontica, 



