September 24. l8 9 8 - 



GA RDENERS' MA GAZINE. 



625 



WORK FOR THE W EEK, 



WARM ORCHIDS. 



Thf dendrobiums will be rapidly completing their season's growth. It would be 

 11 m have a system of removing them gradually to the resting-house, by which 

 k would be no check. Examine them twice a-week, and those fully grown 

 e with soft-soap water and remove to the intermediate-house. Others that 

 k^been removed to the house earlier can be taken into the vinery or any 

 Trlcture convenient that will answer the purpose, after which the water must be 

 •twhaliy decreased. Avoid extremes, and do not keep them too dry nor yet 

 dovra them with the hose-pipe. Such treatment has a tendency to produce 

 black spot with which growers are generally troubled in this section. A certain 

 ountof thought and judgment is required. The best course to obtain good 

 flowering plants is to have sound, well-ripened, stout bulbs, these to be kept 

 in a plump state throughout their resting season. The deciduous species, such 

 as Wardianum, heterocarpum, Bensonfce, macrophyllum, Devonianum and many 

 others, ought to shed their leaves in a natural manner, those belonging to the ever- 

 green sec don ought to be just the reverse, and retain their leaves. A large pro- 

 portion of orchidists have practised growing the plants throughout the winter 

 months the same as the summer, with a view to obtaining larger plants in a shorter 

 time or with a view to propagation. This method is satisfactory so far as it 

 goes, but on the other hand, providing flowers are required, the resting plan must 

 be adopted and strictly adhered to. Sometimes it will be found at an old- 

 established place, amongst the collection of various plants, a large specimen of 

 Dendrobium nobile, which has been grown for a considerable number of years in 

 the same place and entirely under the same treatment year after year, during 

 which time there has been comparatively few flowers produced ; eventually the 

 advice of a grower is sought, and a rest is recommended, which, of course* 

 proves a great success. The bulbs that have been growing for so many years are all 

 well ripened and all ready and willing to make a display. When the season comes 

 and the flowers are produced the grower is quite satisfied that such a specimen 

 in such conditions never existed before, so must find its way to the various local ' 

 exhibitions. This is a proof of the importance of resting dendrobiums. 



Ldia anceps, mostly among the dark varieties, will be producing their spikes ; 

 others will be earlier and growing fast. It is advisable to put thin, neat stakes to 

 them in order to protect them from being broken, as in lifting baskets down from 

 the roof for watering purposes and rehanging them we are apt to break them ; a 

 slight sponge over with weak soft soap water now and then will prevent any scale 

 lodging on the leaves or in the axils ; a fumigation of XL All will also be a 

 preventive to green fly, which very often troubles us during the growing season 

 of the flower spikes, and, lastly, affects and disfigures the flowers. Vandas of the 

 tricolor and sauvis section are grown in some collections ; if any are leggy and 

 dwarf plants are desired they may be cut down and dropped into a pot within a 

 few inches of the base of the bottom leaves, that is, providing the roots are con- 

 venient to do so ; if not, they may be dropped accordingly in order to have 

 dwwfer plants, allowing them plenty of crocks and moss ; nothing else is required ; 

 they must be kept in a shady place until something like established ; the hot rays 

 tftte sun which we often have at this time of the year must be guarded against 

 wictiy m order to keep the leaves in a healthy state. The damping and watering 

 gjally will require discretion ; plenty of fresh air on favourable occasions, as 

 wp»nt air at this season is bad among orchids ; a little more fire heat will be 

 \a at D J lght L t0 dry up the sta g nant moisture. The cattleyas must be 



thT^H 1 * Wh f re ? ny rot is lod S in g cut awa y th « b ulb ; keep a sharp eye on 

 u* cattieya fly ; fumigate occasionally to kill the insects ; very little will act, 

 being so fragile.— T. Stafford, Tyntesfield Gardens. 



STOVE PLANTS. 



aToidrniH T ^ R ^w 111 be required in ventilating these structures now in order to 



rZce wilin Ug ^ l S> u Whl( ; h mean a severe check t0 the P Iants deling it. More 

 35hT i™ e * 1° 6 plaC ec * . u P° n the heatin S a PP ara tus to keep up the 

 *ow S , JfflE A* season th * <»eful a °d thoughtful stoker can best 

 tke SSt^il lf the mgh \ has cold > and k has been necessary to push 



3d t f" ft° V u t0 be bnght and P romise a hot d *y> he <* n eas "y hav * bis 

 So> S i^i5f pait 0f the da * kee Pi*ghis fire low and clean 

 *nins ,° n to meet the declining sun heat. The morning 



^floors / I?u tag u 6 be P<: rformed »ater than has been the rule, though 

 ««Ste£*fe *? thing u p turn 4 



:med not later than two 

 The same remarks apply 



neces- 



P- m -. damnimr fcf alter P 0 ° n r s y rin g in g to be performed not later than two 

 10 the intermedial \ again - before § oin S in t0 tea ' The «™e remarks apply 

 "^teonall b. w ^ may be kft ° n top ventilators in this 



Batches of 1 • ^ C ° n, £ n ts. 

 * 1 shdfln the°fn i? 1 ?' ach j men «» and tydteas, as they pass out of flower, place 



when Z I > gradually reduce the supply of water, withholding 



■* ^ stored llt t^A™^ 010 ^ 111 * dried ; when this » attained the pots 



N«*« f L. j / n a ° r y P^ce f ree from drip, where the temDerature in the 



* to re 



tcniDGrsit 



^'^i^^i^ 1 ^ 1 ^ 0 ^ 45 ° r 5 ° Caladiums, after being 



?**turc. tk t red m the stove > as th e tubers will not stand a low tern- 



wno have experienced difficulty with the latter, when allowing 



e nl»« P f°. ! ? W ^ lch they were 2 r °wn during the preceding 

 J and piacina t ? ri 4 n g them out of their pots, shaking the tubers free 



^ that&dnn m fl S1Dgly ln Sma11 P° ts with a ,ittIe dr X stnd. 

 r !*«ood at tK- ^!,A 0wer , in e will require a reduced supply of water, and 



are still flowering to be 



<* stood 



^ C !i«;;" i :r iailcs . occasi onally. Afford water less freely to dipladenia*, as 



■rded 



moisture, therefore, fumigate two or three nights in succession with XL All 

 tumigatmg compound, to be repeated again in the course of a week, so that they 

 may be quite eradicated. With the reduction of atmospheric moisture greater 

 care will be necessary in watering, so that none suffer from a lack of moisture at 

 the roots. 



Gloriosas, after flowering, should be gradually dried off, and when the tubers 

 are quite mature (which will be when the shoots and foliage are quite ripened off), 

 store the pots away m a dry place in a temperature of 60 degrees. Attend regu 

 larly to cleaning and sponging any plants infested with mealy-bug and scale ; 

 plants cannot progress satisfactorily where these are allowed to thrive.— T. 

 TUNNINGTON, Ripley Castle Gardens, Yorks. 



THE FLOWER GARDEN. 



The continued dry weather and extreme heat is playing sad havoc with the 

 occupants of herbaceous border^ under ordinary culture, and it rarely occurs that 

 these are so situated where water may be applied in quantity and often, which has 

 been very necessary this season to preserve a fresh and growing condition. 

 Although a loose surface helps considerably to counteract drought by forming a 

 kind of dusty mulching, the earth has become so hot and parched that many sub- 

 jects are showing distress, and if flowers are desired later, water and an additional 

 mulch should be applied if possible, the past week having added considerably to 

 the distressing drought, and water supplies are in many instances used up. 

 Border chrysanthemums, so useful through the early part of October, should 

 receive some assistance or the flowers will be poor should the foliage suffer to any 

 extent. Several are already in bloom, one of the best of these being the showy 

 golden yellow Flora, a variety that continues to produce young flowering shoots 

 from the old wood until really cut down by several degrees of frost. Some other 

 varieties flowering are Canari (dwarf bright yellow), Bronze Bride, Mons. 

 Gustave Gunnerwald, Mrs. Selby, Illustration, and Harvest Home, which may be 

 described as an early flowering William Holmes, and a very desirable variety. 



Michaelmas daisies in several varieties are also being forced into blcom by the 

 extreme heat, and watering will be necessary with the tall growers to preserve the 

 lower foliage. These are so useful for supplying cut flowers that their culture deserves 

 extension. Nothing is more showy now than masses of the purple blue of the 

 variety Amellus bessarabicus — about two feet in height, the foliage perfect, and 

 where no water has been given— the white of Harpur Crewe, and the pale lilac of 

 Cordifolius, Acris, and others. These should be tied loosely to stakes if not 

 already done, or heavy storms of wind and rain, which we may expect sometime 

 this or next month, will break them down. Sunflowers, Pyrethrum uliginosum, 

 and others should also be afforded support. Phygelius capensis is one of the 

 brightest dwarf-flowering subjects in the borders at the present time ; it seems to 

 stand the drought well and flowers freely. Dahlias in light soils have had a very 

 trying time recently, although where well mulched and watered occasionally the 

 flowers have been good. While these are in bloom the collection should be 

 examined and correctly named, or the colour and description placed on a label to be 

 attached to the root when lifted for storing later on. The second flowering of 

 roses has, through the dry conditions above cited, been somewhat poorer than 

 usual, the growths made being thin and weakly. One of the best dry weather 

 roses is the old Gloire de Dijon, which has yielded a wealth of blossoms notwith- 



of the teas, as Anna Olivier, Madame Lambard, 



standing the drought ; and s 

 Marie Van Houtte, have furnished some fairly good flowers. 



Carnation layers that have been regularly watered since layering will have 

 become sufficiently rooted to allow of their being severed from the parent plant 

 within the next week or two, to be either replanted in a permanent position for 

 flowering next season, or to be potted up and kept in cold frames during the 

 winter. In all light soils border carnations are best planted in the open early in 

 autumn. In clayey, wet soils in cold localities it may be necessary to winter them 

 in cold frames, to be planted out in the spring, but the less cooling the plants 

 receive the better. The positions of the beds for the carnations should be changed 

 annually, if possible, and also be prepared beforehand by deep digging, adding 

 fresh loam or thoroughly decayed manure if the ground is in a poor condition. In 

 planting, a space ot not less than a foot apart each way should be given.— C. 

 Herrin, Dropmore Gardens. 



HARDY FRUITS. 



Owing to the long protracted drought and heat in the southern parts of the 

 country, many of the late apples are dropping their fruits in large numbers. This 

 is to be regretted, as the crop in many districts is none too plentiful, and if the 

 fruits are gathered too early they will not keep. Birds are most troublesome this 

 season with the best coloured fruits, and in many cases it has been necessary to 

 net the trees ; at the same time I am not much in favour of placing nets so close 

 to the frnits 'that the strain of the nets makes an impression. In the case of fine 

 fruits, I have used tiffany with advantage. Small trees that have well coloured 

 fruits, are covered with this material, but it is not well to cover so closely that 

 the air cannot circulate freely. Small bush trees will repay copious supplies of 

 moisture if in light soil, as these are mostly on the Paradise stock, which is a surface 

 rooter, and the later varieties will need assistance to mature the fruits. Liquid 

 manure may still be given the last-named, and if a mulch was applied as previously 



advised, the trees will perfect the crop, and late apples this year will be limited in 



Ppar, will oav for similar attention. Trees on the quince stock have 



SC;oof S rand W wili need liberal supplies of mobture to enable them to perfect 



t W fruit I fear in many gardens the crops of both apples and pears this year 

 their fmit. l tear m m y t d be ovcrlooked even 



SSfiS X-e S£5. A* ^ sofl is so dry the trees need moisture to build 



■ 



Bin- $ ns 01 passing out 



m - Sr f Gesnera zeb - 



run to waste at this 



needed in'so many different ways. Apricots are feeling the effects 



■ 



«ted 



becotn 



&** manurT Zd^A P °-"' using a com P ost of 'oae 



5JJJ* J <*«s of LtiriJTu ? u lX ' m i Ch is a suitable siz *d pot" to ' flower them in. 

 ^ ""ermediate hou.V ;r ,u Ve beeQ g rowin S in c ° o1 frames should be removed 

 tWl ^^aesame rpm 1 yr f main loD £ er in cot>1 quarters they will lose 

 ■.; r ' a P^ndula aurea " app J y t0 Th P s acanthu S rutilans. As the plants of 

 fc2 Te T much tn tuT T° flower > the >' should be associated with ferns, it 

 -vffigS*. BoueSnvm? ?u aUt / aS the y l0Se their lea ves before their 



kZ*»Oedom Z:. 8 . '? v dhas that have done flowerina t k„;, . k_ fc . 



Later batches may be 



trees 



h .k In the crw*i ♦ 7 au " UIU De removed to the s 

 ■fir^y it win tem P erature ^Dger they will suffer. 

 " teeni i« l b ? ne «ssary to reduce the atmosnhf 



season as it is *" ~ ""^ f m doubly "anxious as it often occurs. We lose 



of drought .n our hgh. . sal, and ^ and ^ ^ a may 



£"^^^lS3jffi«fcS»i. The same remarks apply to cherries on 

 be preven lea ^ *» ding mor e than ordinary attention, as, like the 



2££tf£ STnStf^uSe a 8 nd need ample support. Newlyplanted 

 apricot, tftey root ne rf ejul . q the ^ e endeavour 



^l^tStok5»Sta5« on the t/eu/tf if they drop prematurely the 

 ti t^il^&Uo induce the trees to grow vigorously another year. 

 Dark snnveis f . ^ trees early in the summer and need not reiterate 



h^d^ven STwSdS that should the mulch need renewal do not 

 tne aavice givca, mate rial t as this is more necessary now than earlier, 



fiesitate to app > Recently-planted trees bearing heavy crops 



^ f °M? C S^ not wel1 to ***** the trees 



should have a P c ^ £ ™ ^ be made good use of . In the ^ of early 



_p ^ ah stove piancs mat nave unduly, and at tnis aaic : supplies of moisture once 



be removed to the stove without further kinds the crop may be cleareo auu & K Ff 



^Sl 0 conserv e a r tn nin L Dg ^ Some time Ml stov « plants that have 



. wvatory should be removed to the stov^ 



^perature longer they will suffer. 



c moisture ; should 



increase \ 



a week at least. 



the reduced 



ee* m ***** as it is often called, should be put in order before the 



crop "sUken T Of course, ere this some early fruits will Lve been gathered, but 



