December 24, 1898. 



GARDENERS' MAGAZINE. 



853 



Work for the W eek. 



COOL ORCHIDS. 



Orchids that flower during the winter months have an exceptional value, even if 

 they are common varieties, as they all serve the same purpose. Where a large 

 quantity of cut flowers is in demand the old but still popular Cypripedium insigne is 

 without doubt one of the best winter- flowering orchids we have, as the handsome 

 blooms when cut remain fresh for a considerable time, and in nearly every 

 garden, where indoor plants are cultivated, this old species will now be 

 found in bloom, it having become such a favc urite amongst gardeners, 

 owing to its vigorous constitution and easy culture. The better varieties, 

 which are also in flower, are certainly not so plentiful, such as C. i., Harefield 

 Hall variety, C. i. Upland's variety, C. i. Dorothy, C. i. Sanderianum, &c; but 

 undoubtedly the most beautiful and distinct of all varieties is G i. Sanderae, which 

 is only represented in the choicest collections at present. Then there is G 

 Spicerianum, another useful species in flower at the present time, and deserving 

 as wide culture as G insigne ; although not such a vigorous grower, the mode of 

 treatment is somewhat similar, and the pretty flowers with their distinctly striped 

 dorsal sepal make a good show. There are a few named varieties in existence, the 

 best of all perhaps being G S. magnificum, a large and very superior form when 

 obtained true. Other cool growing cypripediums, to flower during the winter 

 months, are G purpuratum, G venustum, C. Charles worthi, and the hybrids G 

 Arthurianum, G Leeanum, and G nitens. Cypripediums delight in abundance 

 of water at the roots, especially during the summer months, but now during the 

 short days of winter only sufficient should be given to keep the compost nicely 

 moist ; and when affording it avoid letting the water lodge in the growths as much 

 as possible. 



Where Odontoglossum crispum is grown in quantity there are nearly always a 

 few spikes of flowers to brighten up the house during every month of the year, and 

 at this dull season they are exceptionally valuable ; the flowers certainly do not 

 expand so well now as they do during the spring and summer months. Many 

 buds are lost if foggy weather sets in. It is, of course, in the neighbourhood of 

 large towns and manufacturing districts that these fogs prove most disastrous, 

 as they are so charged with smoke and various gases. So far we have been very 

 free from fogs this year. Odontoglossum Rossi, which grows in company with the 

 O.crispum, is certainly a very charming little winter-flowering orchid,coming in most 

 useful for buttonholes or any other purpose to which orchid flowers are adapted. 

 These plants are of easy culture, and may be had in flower from the latter end of 

 November until April and May. Other useful winter-floweringiorchids are found in 

 Lycaste Skinneri, and its varieties, Maxillaria grandiflora, M. venusta, with sweet- 

 scented flowers, and Sophronitis grandiflora, the brilliant scarlet blossoms of this 

 delightful little species being now open ; and, lasting as they do for a month or six 

 weeks in perfection, their value is obvious, and they also impart a very cheerful 

 appearance to the cool house during the wintry days. The plants should be 

 afforded plenty of moisture at the roots until the pseudo-bulbs, from which the 

 flowers are produced, are fully matured. After this there is usually a quiet season 

 for a time, when a much smaller supply of water will suffice, but even then the 

 compost must never be allowed to become absolutely dry. The repotting of these 

 plants may be done immediately after the flowers fade, or when growth commences, 

 using shallow pans, three-parts filled with drainage, and a compost consisting of 

 equal parts fibrous peat and sphagnum moss. — E. Shill, New 

 Gardens. 



CONSERVATORY AND GREENHOUSE. 



In writing this calendar we confine ourselves as much as possible to such 

 work requiring attention at the time. We are now, however, at a season when 

 the usual daily operations of the plant grower are often interfered with, extra house 

 and other decorations claiming a fair share of attention. On no account should 

 this lead to neglect in the way of watering plants, ventilating the 1 ifferent houses 

 and pits, and regulating the atmosphere of the houses both day and night. Such 

 details, if not carefully attended to during this busy season, would lead probably 

 to much loss and disappointment in the future. Apart from the use of holly and 

 evergreens by the decorator at Christmas time, there is always an extra run on 

 plants in variety, as well as cut bloom, forethought and judgment often being 

 necessary in getting the supply to meet the demand. With cut bloom alone, it is 

 always best to depute one man to manage this as far as possible, as he will know 

 what reserve cut bloom he has to work upon, and act accordingly ; whereas, when 

 several men are set to work to gather the supply, there is often a waste of valuable 

 flowers. With care the same flowers may be used the second or third time, such 

 as when poinsettias are employed for table decorations ; they are much too valuable 

 to be cast on one side. We generally have them collected carefully, tied loosely 

 in small bunches, and then insert the stems in a tank of water in a cool house. 

 Here they remain quite fresh, and retain their foliage better and longer than it is 

 possible for them to do if placed in heated reception-rooms, they form a reserve 

 ready for the decorator, and save a waste of material. Valuable plants are also 

 used, and especially tall, graceful palms, to decorate corridors and rooms. Such 

 positions . are generally kept heated by artificial means at this season, a 

 most trying condition for the plants to be under for, perhaps, a fort- 

 night. Neither is it always possible to aflord sufficient water while they 

 are being used for such purposes. It therefore becomes very neces- 

 sary to see that each one is thoroughly watered before being taken in ; 

 and, moreover, by placing a good pad of wet ground moss over the surface of the 

 ball, it greatly assists to retain moisture in the soil, as well as giving a neat finish. 

 Plants growing in small pots are often used for margins of groups and for filling 

 baskets. These naturally suffer more quickly than much larger ones for the 

 want of moisture. Indeed, not infrequently they have to be turned out of their 

 pots before they can be used in the desired way, especially small ferns and table 

 plants ; therefore they should be prepared for the ordeal by careful and copious 

 watering first, and using plenty of wet moss about them afterwards. This saves 

 much labour in attending to them after when placed where water cannot be used 

 freely, and also the anxiety of fearing they may flag or collapse at a time when 

 they should be looking both bright and fresh. Many object to resort to the un- 

 natural method of wiring cut blooms, but there is no gainsaying but what it proves 

 of great assistance to the florist, not only in making up pleasing arrangements, but 

 a greater display can be made with a few blooms so treated, as they can be fixed 

 m the desired position and made the most of, which is not possible when wire is 

 not used about the stems. Of course, we often see the work of wiring cut bloom 

 done very clumsily, which brings it into ridicule, but when neatly performed with 

 deft fingers so that the wires are made to support the stems, without being exposed 

 or thrust roughly through the bloom, its aid is a great gain, both in arrangement 

 and, what is of great importance at mid-winter, a saving of bloom. Nice little 

 green pieces of moss should first be twisted round the stems to save the binding 

 wire bruising them, and not unsightly tufts of cotton wool commonly seen.— 



Richard Parker, Goodwood Gardens. 



Hall Hey 



KITCHEN GARDEN. 



At this time of the year, when weather permits, digging as far as possible 

 should be proceeded with and brought to a close, for it is a mistake to work on 

 land when wet, as this renders it unfit for sowing or planting for a considerable 

 time afterwards. The experienced cultivator will bear this in mind, as he knows 

 full well the evil effects that arise from puddling the ground, as it were. Better 

 by far defer operations than attempt to cultivate land when in an unfit state. The 

 mild weather has enabled work of most kinds to be pushed forward, so that there 

 can be little excuse for having any arrears. We shall soon be receiving seed 

 catalogues, reminding us that the time has come when plans for the coming year 

 must be thought of ; and, as it is not well to delay the ordering of seeds until they 

 are required for sowing, it is well during the long winter evenings to look over notes 

 of the last season's crops as a guide for future orders. No two places are alike in 

 respect to the consumption of any particular kind of vegetable ; it is, therefore, use- 

 less to attempt to advise on this particular point. But, if gardeners have from time to 

 time taken notes of the various kinds of vegetables most in request, they will 

 doubtless be in a better position to make out their seed orders. 



Those who have room to grow peas under glass may sow now for gather- 

 ing towards the end of April. Peas will not stand forcing, neither will they put 

 up with the drying atmosphere of hot-water pipes. Those who have large, airy 

 houses may grow them very successfully with little trouble ; failing these, pits are 

 more serviceable than small, ill- ventilated structures. Where there is room it will 

 certainly pay to grow the taller varieties, such as Gradus, Empress of India, Early 

 Morn, Early Giant, and the like ; but for small houses or pits the dwarf kinds 

 must be sown. Chelsea Gem, William Hurst, Sutton's Forcing, Carter's Forcing, 

 English Wonder, and such like are all first-class varieties growing about two feet 

 high. The question has often been raised whether it pays to put sticks to such 

 dwarf varieties, and to this I say, without doubt where the most has to be made of 

 a limited space, then staking will certainly pay. I have taken four bushels of 

 pods from one hundred nine-inch pots of Chelsea Gem, which, though not a large- 

 podded variety, fills up well. Carter's Forcing, too, is an enormous cropper, and 

 should not be lost sight of. For those who want larger podded varieties of dwarf 

 habit Daisy, Sutton's Seedling, Perfect Gem, and Dwarf Defiance will suit them. 

 When grown in pots it is far preferable to sow in small ones, and pot on, than to 

 sow at once in nine-inch pots, as space is economised in the first instance. It is a 

 great mistake to sow too thickly, as ten or a dozen plants are ample for one pot ; 

 therefore if the seed be good there is no necessity to plant more than that number. 

 When grown in pits eighteen inches ought to be allowed between the rows, and 

 the plants will give by far better results if they do not stand so close together in 

 the rows as some people like to see them. 



The days will now soon be lengthening , therefore French beans will grow 

 much faster and set more freely. As a less time will be needed to bring the crops 

 to maturity, calculations must be made accordingly. Those sown row, if a proper 

 heat be maintained, will be ready to gather about the middle or end of March. 

 Seakale will now force more readily, particularly if they have been exposed, as 

 growth will then have been arrested. Batches should be introduced at intervals 

 as required that there maybe no blanks in the supply. Chicory will also blanch 

 readily now, and as this is noi only a wholesome salad, but also a good vegetable, 

 it should be grown more largely than it usually is. Up to the present time, the 

 weather being so mild, there has been no necessity for protecting any vegetable 

 crops ; we may, however, expect a change at any time. This being so, material 

 should be had in readiness in case severe frost should visit us. Lettuce and 

 endive that are still exposed will suffer after such mild weather ; therefore where 

 an open shed or pit can be afforded these should be got undercover before the 

 frost takes hold of them. Make small sowings of mustard and cress, and introduce 

 into gentle heat boxes of mint, tarragon, and other herbs required.— H. C. 

 Prinsep, Buxted Paik Gardens. 



FRUITS UNDER GLASS. 



A steady but not forcing temperature of about 70 degrees or a little under, 

 without sun heat, and a dry atmosphere, should be preserved in the fruiting pine 

 house. Damping down and syringing between the plants should, if not entirely 

 suspended, be reduced to a minimum, and only done in the mornings of fine days, 

 and this only in houses that are well favoured in the matter of light and position. 

 The bottom heat, too, should be kept steady at about 10 degrees or 15 degrees 

 higher than that recommended for the house itself. An eye should be kept on 

 the stock plants which are expected soon to be showing for fruit, and as soon as 

 signs of this are seen these should be arranged together and plunged in some fresh 

 fermenting material that will keep the roots vigorously active, for once this stage 

 is reached any further attempts to rest the plants will only spoil the embryo fruits 

 by causing them to become stunted and mis-shapen. These plants will require 

 more water than the rest of the stock, as they must never be allowed to become quite 

 dry at the roots during the time fruit is forming. Smaller stock in all stages down 

 to the most recently potted suckers should be kept for tne time in as low a tem- 

 perature as is safe and have very little water, so that growth is almost arrested, for 

 any growth made now will do more harm than good eventually, and it is best to 

 keep the plants almost dormant until the days begin to lengthen. 



Where leaves form the fermenting medium for the plunging beds no oppor- 

 tunity of collecting a sufficient stock in suitable (dry) weather should be lost, as 

 they may be heaped up in some convenient place, and will then be impervious to 

 snow or cold rains, which do much to destroy their best properties when allowed 

 to penetrate them while lying in the hollows into which they have been blown or 

 dropped. Orchard house pot trees of various fruits, where still outside to retard, 

 should have the litter with which the pots have been surrounded for some time 

 past removed, and replaced with dry material of the same kind or with dry leaves, 

 to protect the pots from bursting under the influence of severe frosts, and also 

 that they may be readily removed under cover whenever this becomes necessary, 

 whatever the weather may be. Though frosty weather is good for the trees it is 

 not good for their roots, especially when confined to pots and exposed to all 

 fluctuations of temperature. If very early melons are desired it will be necessary 

 now to sow some seeds for the first house, but I never like to depend entirely for 

 this crop on seeds sown before the new year, and make a practice of sowing two 

 or three lots at intervals of a few days, and selecting the best of these for growing 

 on, as the kind of growth made by many seedlings at this period is not of the best 

 except in surroundings of the lightest and most favourable description. Another 

 thing which it may be well to remember is that old seeds, provided that they are 

 not over six years old and have been well preserved, germinate best, and make the 

 most fruitful plants. This is not in keeping with one's experience with other 

 things, but it is an undoubted fact with melons. As fast as room can be found for 

 them more strawberries should be brought under cover, and started slowly, after 

 having had the usual dipping, picking over, and cleansing of the pots, following 

 the routine lines laid down in a former calendar.— J. C. Tallack, Livermere Park 

 Gardens. 



