28 
JOURNAL OF HORTICULTURE AND COTTAGE GARDELER. 
[ January 8, 1885. 
The compost we use at the repotting 1 is two parts light fibrous loam, 
one pait peat, ami one part leaf soil, with, the addition of some silver sand 
and charcoal. Water must be carefully supplied until the plan’s are 
rooting freely into the fresh compost. Give them a light position, shade 
from bright sunshine, and do not place them too far from the glass. 
Alter the plants have rooted well into the fresh compost a little Clay’s 
or Standen’s manures sprinkled occasionally on the Rurfacs of the soil is 
a great assistance. As the plants cease fl iwering those which are 
worth keeping for growing on are gradually dried off, and rested in a 
temperature of 50°, to be repotted as soon as growth commences. It is a 
great mistake to place the conns when at reG near hot-water pipes.— 
A. Young. 
NOTES ON ORCHIDS. 
Cypripedium Sedeni. —This superb hybrid is very useful 
at this season of the year, especially as its bowers are produced 
succes8ionally over a good space of time. The flower spike is 
branched and produces its bowers alternately along the stem, 
and before one is over another is produced. The bowers in 
colour are rather striking, whether seen upon the plant or in a 
cut state m vases. The sepals are greenish white, the petals 
being twisted towards their extremity, and in colour are white 
edged with purple, while the lip is rich crimson and shaded with 
purple. This Orchid grows well and increases in size more 
quickly than many vai'ieties when grown in a warm structure. 
It appears to succeed remarkably well during the winter in a 
temperature ranging about 60° at night, with a rise by day of 
5 or 10 when the weather is mild. During the summer the 
night temperature should be kept at from 70° to 75°, with a rise 
Ry day of 10° or 15 u from sun heat. For a time this Orchid may 
when in flower be employed in the conservatory, although I 
would not advise it remaining in that position the whole of the 
time it is in flower. A few weeks in this structure, however, 
proves beneficial to the plant, for it grows afterwards with 
increased vigour It should be grown in a pot or pan nearly 
three parts filled with daainage. It will be found to succeed 
admirably in a compost of fibry peat and living sphagnum moss 
and lumps of charcoal used freely, or broken crocks. The moss 
should largely predominate, for I have found it succeed best 
when nearly two parts of the potting material has consisted of 
moss. This plant should be well elevated above the rim of the 
pot or pan in which it is grown, so that its roots can pass over 
the hole and cling to the pot. Care must be taken to keep the 
material about its roots sweet, or it will not long remain in health. 
While growing liberal supplies of water should be given ; in fact 
the material should never be allowed to become dry. Jf used in 
a cool temperature while in flower keep the plant rather dry, 
and by no means apply cold water to its roots. The water used 
should be tepid, and under all circumstances not lower than the 
temperature of the house. 
Maxillaria grandiflora. —Although this thrives admir¬ 
ably in the moist cool atmosphere of the Odontoglossum house, 
I have hitherto found it succeed better and increase in size more 
rapidly when grown under warmer conditions. Up to the present 
time I have grown it in a house containing some Dendrobiums, 
Cattleyas, Cypripodiums, Oncidiums, and others wheie the tem¬ 
perature at night ranges about 58° to 60° from October to the 
beginning of March, and during the summer months 65° to 70°, 
with a rise of 5° or 10° by day according to the weather. Although 
grown under these conditions it must for a time after the com¬ 
pletion of growth be placed for at least a few weeks in the Odon¬ 
toglossum house, where the night temperature ranges from 45° 
to 50 c . After resting it is brought into the higher temperature, 
and then very soon produces its fragrant flowers and shows signs 
of commencing growth. It may be mentioned that unless it is 
placed for a time under cool conditions that it appears impos¬ 
sible, however dry at the root it may be kept, to induce it to 
rest completely and thoroughly, which is not only necessary in 
order to retain this plant in perfect health, but to insure its 
flowering freely. When kept under warm conditions it no sooner 
completes its growth than it shows signs of again starting into 
activity, which in a very short time would thoroughly exhaust it. 
The foliage when the plant is in health is dark green and about 
a foot in length, while the pseudo-bulbs are rather flat with sharp 
edges. The flowers are produced from the base singly upon a 
short scape about 6 inches long, much after the style of Lycaste 
Skinneri. The sepals and petals are pure whi e, while the lip 
is dark purple towards the sides, with a yellow blotch in the 
centre and white towards the base. This variety is well worth 
growing in any garden where choice sweet flowers suitable for 
cutting are appreciated during the winter. 
' This Maxillaria may be grown in a pot half filled with drain¬ 
age and potted in fibry peat and small lumps of charcoal. It 
will do very well in a mixture of peat and moss; but as the 
latter decomposes rapidly the former is used with a good layer 
of living sphagnum on the surface, which can be removed annu¬ 
ally without disturbing the roots of the plant oftener than when 
the peat fibre is decomposed and requires to be renewed. This 
plant evidently enjoys a surfacing of moss, for it becomes annu¬ 
ally filled with roots The peat fibre should be pressed in as 
firmly as possible and the plant raised above the rim of the pot. 
During the season of growth the supply of water must be liberal 
both to the roots and in the atmosphere. After growth is com¬ 
pleted no more water need be given than will be sufficient to 
keep the pseudo-bulbs plump. During growth moderate shade 
should be applied, but afterwards light and air must be freely 
admitted to mature the growth, or it may not flower so satis¬ 
factorily as might be desired. 
Pilumna (Trichopilia) fragrans.— This deliciously fra¬ 
grant Orchid is not grown nearly so much as it deserves, for its 
delicate pure white flowers could not fail to prove acceptable to 
the most fastidious during the winter months. This Orchid is 
often grown in too high a temperature, and consequently fails 
to be satisfactory. It will succeed very well in the cool house 
with Odontuglossums, and I would prefer growing it in this 
structure to subjecting it to stove treatment the whole year 
round. It succeeds admirably grown with Cattleyas and Onci¬ 
diums during the summer ; in fact is subject to the same treat¬ 
ment as Maxillaria grandiflora as regards heat. Directly the 
growth is completed it is removed to the lightest and warmest 
part of the house in which Odontoglossums are grown, and 
arranged as close to the glass as possible. Under these circum¬ 
stances it matures its pseudo-bulbs thoroughly. The length of 
time the plants remain under this treatment depends upon the 
time they are wanted to flower, varying from one to three months. 
As soon as the plants are re-introduced into the warmer house 
their flowers are soon visible at the base of the pseudo-bulbs, 
this very often being the case before they are removed from their 
resting position. Their plants should be grown in pots liberally 
drained, and in a compost of peat fibre and small portions of 
crocks or charcoal. These plants can also be grown very suc¬ 
cessfully in baskets suspended from the roof, in potting they 
should be well elevated on account of their flower spikes, which 
are very much inclined to droop. During the growing season— 
that is, when in active growth-a good supply of water maybe 
given at their roots; but even then it must be given them with 
judgment. Great care must be exercised in watering during the 
resting period as well as during the completion of growth, and 
again for some time after they start into growth. During these 
periods no more must be given than is sufficient to keep the 
pseudo-bulbs plump. The most careful and judicious watering 
must be practised, for if too much is given during the time 
indicated, or even in any stage of growth, this plant will not long 
remain healthy. 
P. nobilis is perhaps more beautiful than P. fragrans, and is 
well worth growing. P. nobilis requires the same treatment 
exactly, but has larger flowers with a blotch of yellow in the lip. 
Four or five flowers are produced on each spike, and this species 
is equally as fragrant as the above.— Scientia. 
TRENCHING GROUND. 
When I penned my remarks under the heading, “ Is Trenching 
Always Judicious ? ” I certainly wondered what “ A Thinker ” would 
have to say upon the subject. In fact, I should have been disappointed 
if he had not taken the matter in hand, as, in spite of the “ twaddle ” 
which the Oxford card asserts accompanies his thoughts on paper, 
I still think he is most competent to separate the good from the bad 
wherever he turns his attention. I regard him as a sort of safety valve, 
now become quite indispensable to the Journal of Horticulture, his 
proper functions being to indicate where any of us would-be authorities 
are inclined to go too fast. 
What I wish to impress on my readers is the necessity for better and 
more intelligent surface culture, as opposed to deep digging. As I have 
previously admitted, there are soils jam! gardens that may be improved by 
trenching, but in many cases there is little or no necessity for it, and 
there is a possibility of much harm accruing from a reckless hunt for this 
“ gold mine.” There is gold to be found, but it lies near the surface, and 
by surface I mean a depth of about 12 inches. Market growers have in 
times past found gold at a less depth than that, or say no deeper than a 
plough will go, and excellent crops are grown at the present time under 
the same treatment, though I am sorry to say the profits are now very 
small indeed. Strange to say, I have never worked in a garden the soil 
of which was naturally light, nor has trenching been much resorted to 
with one exception, and in this case much more harm than good resulted 
from it. Yet we had always seemed to have vegetables and fruit equal 
to the majority of places. Consequently, I am justified in repeating that 
there is much less necessity for trenching than many seem to think. Mr. 
S. Chinery, on page 572, mentions having practised trenching during 
forty-five years, and his father did the same before him ; but this merely 
