1 1 2 



THE GARDENERS' MA GAZINE. 



February x% ^ 



In the Orchard. 



The winter so far has proved one of the most favourable on record for 

 carrying on all kinds of work in connexion with fruit growing, 

 particularly in orchards. Since the fall of the leaf there has been nothing 

 to interfere with lifting, root-pruning, and planting, and all such work 

 should be in a forward state generally. At any rate, where it is not 

 so, the plea of adverse climatic conditions cannot well be advanced as 

 the reason for arrears. Root-pruning is always best done before the turn 

 of the year, and the same remark applies to root-lifting, as the trees do 

 not then sustain 00 severe a check from the performance of the operation. 

 Any trees which may be needing a check should therefore be attended to 

 at once, and the work brought to a conclusion as early as possible. Turn- 

 ing next to planting. This has been carried out from early autumn up to 

 the present time with most favourable results as regards the working of 

 the soil. The latter has invariably broken down well, and there has 

 been no difficulty in obtaining a sufficiency of the finer particles for work- 

 ing amongst and covering the roots. Trees planted under such circum- 

 stances should, and will, no doubt, succeed, and growers may look 

 forward to the result with equanimity. 



There yet remain another few weeks in which planting may be done, 

 and although no advocate for late planting of fruit trees, especially for 

 orchards, I should not hesitate in the matter if time is an object, and 

 there are many gaps to make good, or a fresh area to plant up. The 

 great thing to observe in this case is to keep the roots of the trees out of 

 the ground as short a time as possible, and to well moisten them in 

 Spuddle" composed of clay and water before planting. Ordinary soil 

 will do in case clay is not procurable, and a little cow manure added will 

 render the u puddle" more adhesive. This clings to the roots and keeps 

 them uniformly moist until new roots are emitted and push out into the 

 soil surrounding them. Staking is a matter which has a great deal to do 

 with their future success or otherwise, as, if not kept firm and rigid, trees 

 never do any good. When improperly staked they are at the mercy of 

 the wind, which, in swaying them backwards and forwards, causes a funnel- 

 shaped hole to be worked out round the stem, extending from the surface 

 of the soil down to the roots. Every time rain falls the water pours down 

 this opening, the roots become water-logged, they soon begin to decay, 

 and in course of time— unless the matter is remedied— the treeldies. 



Matters calling for attention at the present time where all the fore- 

 going details have been carried out, are the pruning and cleansing of the 

 trees, and manuring or top-dressing all such as need it. These, it may 

 be mentioned, are operations which are too often observed in the breach, 

 which is to be greatly deplored, as it is owing to such neglect that many 

 orchards are in their present miserable condition. When the trees in an 

 orchard have arrived at a bad state for want of pruning and the keeping 

 down of insect pests, it takes a long time to bring them back to a healthy 

 condition again. As regards pruning, this has to be clone by degrees, as 

 the adoption of too severe measures at the outset practically ruins the 

 trees. Very often the cutting out of the dead wood alone in such cases 

 suffices for the first year, as this alone exposes the remainder of the wood 

 on the tree to more sunlight and air than it has experienced perhaps for 

 years. The following season a general thinning of the heads may be 

 done by cutting away branches that cross each other, and by a judicious 

 reduction of the spray at the ends of the branches retained, so that sun- 

 light and air may penetrate freely to all parts of the tree. The removal 

 of large branches should be carefully avoided in such cases of neglect, as 

 this invariably gives the trees a shock from which they seldom recover. 

 Well-managed trees require but a general oamination every year, which 

 will keep them in good order and in a healthy, bearing condition. 



With regard to parasites, such as moss, lichen, and mistletoe, these 

 should be got rid of at all costs. The first two may be killed by white- 

 washing the stems and branches, and by syringing the self-same wash 

 after straining it through a fine sieve among the smaller branches and 

 sprays. Another good plan is to cast freshly slaked lime freely all over 

 the trees directly after rain or during a fog when the wood is moist. This 

 adheres wherever it touches, and quickly does its work, and may be 

 repeated if the fust application should be washed off. Those possessing 

 appliances in the shape of hop washers of the manual or horse-power type 

 could not put them to a better use at this time of the year than to wash 

 their orchards with them, either with the simple mixture mentioned above, 

 or the more sure and effective remedy, made of caustic soda and potash, 

 tor a hopwashing machine, the limewash should be first strained through 

 an old bag, and then thoroughly wet every part of the trees with the 

 mixture. A manual machine would be the best to apply the soda and 

 potash solution with, and the end of the branch pipe should be fitted with 

 a sprayer. For tall trees, two or three lengths of galvanised tubing, made 

 to screw into each other, are needed, so that the topmost part of the tree 

 shall be effectually reached with the spray. These lengths can be fitted 

 together as required by the person applying the wash, and the branch 

 with the sprayer at the end should be made to fit any of these. This 

 solution is made by boiling one pound of caustic soda and one pound of crude 

 potash together in ten gallons of water. This will serve as a basis of cal- 

 culation when large quantities are required. This kills all insect life, 

 chrysahds, and eggs, as well as parasites, but must not be applied afrer 

 the buds become prominent. 



As regards manuring and top-dressing, a good dressing of farmyard 

 manure spread over the surface of the ground under the trees acts as a 

 good stimulant when they merely require something to keep them up to 

 their work. If lacking energy, something more than this is needed, and 

 it the orchard is a grass one, the sward beneath each tree should first be 

 removed. Then apply the manure, after lightly pricking up the soil 

 lying over the roots, or. if the 



c c VZZ — : V w >vlul wo °u asnes sumcient to colour the 



surface of the soil. Dried blood and bone-meal, mixed in equal quanti- 



*s does fish manure, and superphosphate of 

 The two latter chemicals must be mixed 



lime and muriate of potash. 



together in equal quantities and applied but sparingly as th 

 powerful stimulant. Two ounces to a square yard is asuffi m * 1 1 

 this at any one time. After spreading or sowing the manure 2? 1 d i°* * 

 not necessarily in the turves as dug up, but chop them uo ami i 

 pieces grass side downwards as far as possible, and tread all fi ^ 



Liquid manure is also valuable, and this may be carted and 

 the surface any time during the winter months. The more mn^K** * 

 soil contains the more valuable will the liquid prove, as its fertir ^ 

 perties will be arrested and stored up for future use' instead ofmS 

 down to the subsoil and be lost, as it would do if the soil be drvn? 

 is also an excellent way of disposing of the contents of cessnool w 

 sewage tanks. The liquid ran be used in the way described a! 

 solids, when mixed with coal ashes or fine soil, can, when quite *Lil! 

 used as a top-dressing. All the above-mentioned manures, whether ?JmU 

 or solid, can be applied with equally as good results to trees Rrowin* 

 arable land as on grass land. Whatever stimulant is given fruit tim 

 arable land should either be lightly dug in beneath the trees or bun* 

 first remove about three inches in depth of the surface soil then. ^ 

 spreading or sowing the manure, return it, and make all firm Sia? 

 trampling it a few times. 6 " 



Stoke Edith Gardens. ^ Ward 



L/E 



ANCEPS WADD 



i n all its vanea iorms L ena anceps is a most beautiful and accen t^ 

 winter-flowering orchid, not very difficult to manage and amply repay* 

 during its period of inflorescence for all the trouble expended upou 

 during the rest of the year. The brightly-coloured forms are by fartk 

 most common, and some of these, such as L. anceps Barkeriana, L i 

 Crawshayana, L. a. Scottiana, L. a, Chamberlainiana, L. a. Hallattm 

 &Cj are wonderfully rich, large, and beautiful. Then there is a serial 

 with paler colouring, sometimes a quite delicate shading over a life 



ground ; these are extremely elegant, and include such gems as L i 



— 1 ■ / ~ ^ - — * ■ ^* w fr«v»m*M ■ 



L. a. Percivaliana, L. a. rosea, and L. a. Veitchiana, &C 



L a. leucosticn 

 Then we ha* 



the white varieties, and possibly the greatest interest centres in tlot, 

 while on the score of beauty and elegance they certainly cannot be bertfc 

 First among these with regard to purity comes L. a. alba, which has a 

 pale yellow disk, but no markings on the inner surface of the side loba 

 In point of extreme beauty combined with size and fine formation L a 

 Schrcideriana stands first, though in breadth of petals it is prohifcK 

 beaten by L. a, Dawsoni. Following these come the lovely varieties of 

 L. a* Sanderiana, L. a. Ashworthiana, L. a. Hilli, L. a. Stella, La 

 vestalis, L. a. Williamsiana, and the new L. a. Waddoniensis. 



* The latter variety first made its appearance at the Royal Horticuluwl 

 Society on the 8th inst. It came from the gardens of Philip Crotk 

 Esq., F.L.S., Waddon House, Croydon, and was staged by his garda*, 

 Mr. Harris. It is a remarkably fine form, and will no doubt impron 

 for the two spikes shown each bore but two flowers. The two larfl* 

 flowers measured a little more than four and a quarter inches acn* 

 while from the apex of the lip to the tip of the dorsal sepal mcaSBd 

 fully four inches. The broad petals and narrower petals are of gni 

 substance, pure white throughout, save for a faint tinge of green at tk 

 tips of the sepals in a newly-opened bloom. The lip is notable by reMii 

 of its broad, bold front lobe, which is pure white ; the disk is very tiki 

 and of a rich golden yellow colour. The side lobes of the lip are w 

 but along the inside are veined with pale purple, the veins shadiM* 

 crimson-purple as they recede. L. anceps Waddoniensis has sorocwli 

 small pseudo-bulbs. Altogether it is a very fine orchid, and if it scat* 

 comes up to the high standard of L. a. Schroderiana, it is nevertheless *t 



worth v tn rpnrp<;pnt tht> wV»it*> vuri^tl^Q nf the sneries in the collcctlfli* 



C. K- 



the genial Treasurer of the Royal Horticultural Society. 



Spr 



Plan 



of Cucu 



come 



There never could have been a better January for the n^*^ 



hes* 



dtifc* 



character as during the last week. With me there has been 



~ 1 vondertuiiy 



citation if I — . 



good bottom" heat, Ours have entire new soil, and having pre 



in raising plants, all being so wonderfully easy. Strong p 

 planted will grow away without hesitation if they have the full 



benefit 



cue tun ana Drought into lite by the warmtn. 

 dusted round the hillock will render travelling 



perieact 



young cucumber growth is more to their fancy than any bait. , 



What little water the planted cucumber.- will need must i*r ^ 



warm ; indeed this is a necessity. That used for damping «j» ^ 



*- - • • 1 x% — the - 



ih oesi me cucumber plant is very tender, ana cspcuiai 

 in its new quarters. The growth, however, of such 



now 



is 



11 



_ »***V« M IUJ UclVD ItllgUJV.lMU 



indeed a pleasure to be among them, Our last house wiu r Z cp «^ 

 March, and these I find from past experience are the ^"'PLjjg** 

 Wind must be carefully guarded against, laying a rolled ; sack . a& 

 bottom of door to prevent draught. The glazing should also 

 Though I do not syringe the cucumbers, yet when watering, t ^0 

 well moistened ; but when erowth reaches the wire, except C Q n d, uo oS ^ 



tbey 



Our last house will be 



clean 



eakly plants 



r lair conu.»--^ 



tIor ded as tbey^ 

 h to keep the*** 

 .eked by msec!* 



Bottesford Vineries, Nvtts, 



Stephen 



