ji purine work among strawberries will consist in setting the 

 *** 10 ha "f ' noen Svin the plants with swelling fruits plenty of hquid 



wheD f ^infcon mences, after which clear water only is advrsab e 

 -• ure tiU , COl °^ isL number of the best formed fruits, and in hurrying on later 

 :hiD nir., l»«S5f cSS f'-nd for them. Before being placed in the lorcir^ 

 wehes as fast « room can gome ^ insec tic.de, and for that 



*°* th ^Cbeen u ing this year, for the first time, the X.-L. All insecUcide, 



P*°"JuT2 man leased. The latest batches should now be removed to 

 U which I am grr a m P- ^ commence to grow gently, and will 



frames wher * cool-house treatment to ripen their fruits ju.t in 



„ouire very little **™J n *Z tAMrli Thp nnswssors G f well-stocked, cool 



on their 



GARDENERS' MA GAZINE. 



249 



^uue ]iest outdoors. The possessors 



XJa I houses will have reason to congratulate themselves 

 .tod orchard houses ^ ^ ^ ^ for ^ of 



P^n,! nro bneed,' and much of the blossom on wall plum trees, &c, has been 

 ^ very few ni^nts have passed lately without a register of ten or twelve 

 jIZL of frost, and this, succeeded by bright sunny days, is too much for such 

 *S!f huUoms The trees under glass should be kept as cool as may be, and 

 n lired They will require but little other attention just now, except to see 

 S the) do not become dry at the roots, and to keep down insect pests.— J. C. 

 Tallack, Livermere Park Gardens. 



Home-grown Apples. 



It is very satisfactory to be able to record the advance that hoine-grovvn 

 apples appear to have made in public favour during the past season, as in 

 quite remote parts of the country they have been offered for sale along- 

 side those of foreign growth, and in every instance that has come within 

 mv notice theyjhave stood the test well, and have been much appreciated 

 by purchasers. 



An acquaintance of mine in this county who supplies large quantities 

 of fruit over a widely extended district, was last autumn bewailing the 

 unsatisfactory condition in which the American apples 

 were arriving ; and he had just cause for complaint, 

 for of several barrels opened at one time not one 

 proved to be of good quality throughout, and some of 

 them contained fruit that was decidedly inferior both 

 in sue and quality, and being badly bruised through 

 faulty packing, much of it could hardly be disposed of 

 at a profitable rate. I had often previously advised 

 him to give English-grown fruit a trial, but to no 

 purpose, as he considered that the American article 

 had got such a firm hold of the market that any of the 

 home-growth, however fine it might be, could not suc- 

 cessfully compete against it On this occasion, how- 

 ever, the circumstances already related favoured a 

 trial of the latter being carried out, and an order was 

 eventually sent to a Herefordshire grower for a small 

 quantity of the best market apple then in season, 



leaving the choice of the variety entirely to him- 

 self. 



In response to the order, a very fine sample of 

 Blenheim Pippin was received ; these were well- 

 selected, and the packing of them so well done that 

 scarcely a fruit was marked, and when exposed for 

 lite they quickly drew the attention of customers ; 



k al J ho l ugh . the P rice was at first thought to be 

 rather high, this objection was soon overcome, as the 

 quality either for dessert or culinary use was all that 

 could be desired, and the fruit, owing to its soundnes, 

 could be kept a considerable time without deteriora- 

 iion ihe first consignment was disposed of in a 

 short time, and other orders were dispatched at inter- 

 na, nhrv Ug M Ut season ~ a s long as the variety 



set t^t X \ Tf Ve \ d0r has since ^pressed him 7 

 £ t£ r e11 . sat,sfied w 'th the results of the venture, 

 rnni;r ? f vef y ins tance arrived in excellent 

 n2 k' and the demand for ^ increased 

 wilW ; eCame more known > and customers 



to inrilc u g °° d P rice for a & ood article, 

 to mu-ease this branch of his trade 



foreign^pp^s'Lrhp^ 5 ^ Whcr t P reference fo ' home-grown versus 



* worthy bfme^J T,^ e furni shed the principal supply, I thought 

 to hvJto^ that K ,f . frui terers could be induced 



ch ** the samr a nd P wn„M the public are willing to pur- 



ple home idus'ty^ u hi ^ f^T ^ dev ^opment of a profit- 

 any Otdia^X J^Iw? 1 ? °f S ^°? and there are n ot at present 



Notes on Orchids. 



Oncidium sarcodes. 



Undoubtedly this is one of the most useful and easily managed of oncidiums. 



Like some other species it appreciates more warmth during the winter months 



than is afforded the majority of odontoglossums, while at the same lime it 



needs to be always kept moist, though little water is needed during the 



season of comparative rest. The bright yellow flowers, heavily spotted and 



blotched with red-brown, are borne in long, slender, and graceful branching 



spikes, the latter varying from three to five feet in length. These need to be 



supported, but their beauty is altogether spoiled when several spikes are wound 



round a balloon trellis or one made of stout stakes. Select a few tough osier 



stems, or similar green sticks, and place one to each spike varying the length and 

 stoutness according to the weight to be supported. If the specimen is to stand in 

 a conservatory, or elsewhere where it has to face a certain direction, then the 

 spikes should be disposed so as to droop gracefully in a half circle. If standing 

 alone, then the spikes may depend all round. The use of tough and somewhat 

 pliable stakes is a great advantage for this and other long-spiked orchids, as it 

 prevents stiffness of appearance, and the green bark is not so prominent as green 

 paint on deal stakes. Oncidium sarcodes was first received in England by the 

 Royal Horticultural Society in 1849. C. 



Cypripedium F. S. Ambs. T^oWr^ 0 % 



^^^^^ 



This is a new cypripedium which has a general resemblance to C. Cowleyanum, 

 and like it was probably raised by crossing C. niveum with C. Curtisi. In the 

 case of the hybrid in question the pollen parentage has not been recorded. When 

 Cypripedium F. S. Ames was exhibited by Messrs. Hugh Low and Co., Clapton, 

 on January II, at the Drill Hall, it was the chief attraction in their group. The 

 flower is of good size, as will be seen by the accompanying illustration. The 

 large and rounded dorsal sepal is white shaded at the base with rose, and also 

 heavily veined and lined with deep rose. The broad sepals stand out boldly, and 



as its 

 were 

 He intends 



CYPRirEDirM F< S. Ames 



pi 



in future 



have reflexing tips ; in colour they are similar to the dorsal sepal, with additional 

 spottings and dots of deep purple. The lip betrays the influence of C. niveum by 

 its shape and rounded opening; it is large and fully pouched, rose-coloured, 

 veined with dark rose or even a purple flush ; base white. Measured across the 

 fully expanded petals the flower has a breadth of four and three-quarter inches. 



S. Ames is a welcome addition to the hybrids of C. niveum. — 



Cypripedium F 

 C. K. 



Cattleya Schilleriana. 



years 



tl *t quickly deteriorate If ll ?S S ° UrCe C ? nsists Principally of sorts 



ma i ur,ty ' °i of those not worth 



,r «^ntl y as high as r nT k, ^T^ 5 I read y sale > and at a P ri <^ 



r^ong coun fat that season 'V? Sam P les in a f ^ uit ' 



Wgrown apples 1 * * t Z £. T ° 3 '? i n ' he better distribution of 



r ^'K or eventhe consul » needed whereby the producer and 



*£M.t presen^S with each 



as at present verv f», t TC 7 ucucr acquainted with each 



•'terature could J^Z?^^^ C ° nS , tant readers of horticultural 

 <;* b '* bim to applf d - r f ' ,l neCeSSary I < nforn,ation to a * inquirer to 



ystem of advertising " i * ne SroweA' tor a supply of fruit. If the 



.-^6*ruen was applied tnf»w l\ . 1 au , matter s conne( ted with 



2 ft pages of new/n^l °' n0t ™ the horti cultural papers, but 



£ ^ different as wel N « lvm & th ^ price and description 



°I>en un ^ r,^. ^eties as they came in season, it- ™™,\a 



This orchid appears to be flowering earlier than usual in the majority of 

 establishments It varies considerably in colour, but in the more recent importa- 

 tions there has been a large percentage of fine forms. Many will remember the 

 magnificent C. Schilleriana Hardy's var. shown at the Temple Show, m 1897, by 

 F Hardy Esq., Tyntesfield, Ashton-on- Mersey ; this superb orchid was figured 

 in the Gardeners' Magazine on that occasion on p. 311, May 29, 1897. 

 Reichenbach named the species after Consul Schiller, in whose collection, at 

 Hamburg, it first flowered in 1857. Two years later a much different type was 

 sent to Kew by the Messrs. Backhouse of York, and this Sir W. Hooker named 

 C. Schilleriana concolor. The species comes from Brazil, and bears some con- 

 siderable resemblance to C. Acklandioe, but has darker and rounder leaves. 

 Judging from appearances there are grounds for the belief that C. Schilleriana is 

 a natural hybrid between C. Acklandix* and C. guttata. Some difficulty is 

 sometimes experienced in keeping the flowers fresh for any time, but this may be 

 managed by placing the flowering plant in a drier atmosphere than it previously 

 experienced. Do not, however, allow the flowers to stay on the plant until they 

 fade ; a fortnight is quite long enough, then cut them and stand in a tube of 



water. *** 



James Day. 



GUIDE to the garden for the whole year is the " Gardening Year Book 

 :al articles on the cultivation of Flowers, Fruit, Vegetables, &c. Price 1 

 azine" Office, 4, Ave Maria Lane, London.— [Ad vt.], 



