272 
JOURNAL OF HORTICULTURE AND COTTAGE GARDENER. 
[ April 2, 1885. 
Two Veitch Memorial medals will be awarded at the Conference on 
the recommendation of the Committee. 
The Committee have arranged for a dinner in connection with 
the Conference, to take place at the Albion, Aldersgate Street, on 
Tuesday, May 12th, at 6.30 for 7 o’clock precisely. Gentlemen wishing 
to be present are requested to send their names to W. Lee, Esq., Down¬ 
side, Leatherhead, on or before Friday, May 8th. 
CHRYSANTHEMUMS IN APRIL. 
MRS. C. CAREY. 
I SEND flowers, buds, and old leafage of Chrysanthemum Mrs. C. 
Carey for inspection. This variety is by far the best forcing sort I have 
ever tried, the flowers coming full and good, and a continued supply of 
buds coming forward with unfailing regularity. We have been cutting 
from the same plants for the last ten weeks, every flower being removed 
as it became fully developed, others coming on to take the place of those 
cut. This requires a different treatment from that given to plants from 
which the flowers are not cut, and which are merely kept fresh on the 
plants for a longer or shorter period. The plants from which these 
flowers were cut are kept growing in a high stove temperature, and add 
another to the list of softwooded plants which are amenable to a course of 
treatment which insures the continued production of flowers so long as 
that treatment is pursued.—R. P. E. 
[The flowers and foliage are as fresh as we usually see them in 
November, the sprays containing many buds in various stages of develop¬ 
ment.] 
ORCHID NOTES. 
Blinds for Shading .—In few gardens can houses be specially devoted 
to the different genera of Orchids. In the majority of cases one or two 
houses only can be set apart for them. This necessitates having Orchids 
needing warm and intermediate temperatures together, especially to make 
their growth, and even under such conditions very satisfactory results can 
be attained. The system of shading frequently adopted during the de¬ 
clining months of the summer is of much importance ; in fact, this is a 
matter that affects the plants the whole season. Some require much more 
light than others, and it is rather difflcult to remedy this state of things 
and provide for the well-being of all the occupants. The houses in which 
they are grown may vary in length from 25 to 50 feet, and it frequently 
happens that one blind on each side for houses of the former size is 
employed, and probably two for the latter. This system compels the 
cultivator to shade the whole house when a few plants require it, while 
the majority would be the better for a few hours’ brighter light early in 
the day and again in the afternoon. 
For a considerable time I have been considering how mixed collections 
could be best accommodated, and by what system of shading the greatest 
number of plants could be given the amount of shade most suitable for 
their requirements and development. The best and only way I can 
perceive of overcoming this difficulty is to have much smaller blinds; 
for instance, a house 25 or 30 feet in length might have two or three 
blinds on each side instead of one, and a 50 feet house four instead of 
two. By this method one portion can be more densely shaded if necessary. 
This will enable those in charge to arrange together the shade-loving 
plants under one pair of blinds, if the house is span-roofed, those re¬ 
quiring a little more shade next, while those requiring more light can be 
grouped at the opposite end of the house. In arranging blinds for the 
season this matter is worthy of consideration. 
Slugs and Odontoglossums .—It is surprising how fond the slugs are of 
the flower spikes of these Orchids, and if they are not diligently sought 
for at this season of the year, young tender spikes will disappear with 
rapidity. Up to the present time we have been rather free from them 
after those had been exterminated that were imported with the sphagnum 
moss early in the year. Just now hundreds have mysteriously appeared 
and commenced their work of destruction. It is a very good plan when 
slugs exist in large numbers to damp well between the pots before 
leaving work at night, and then scatter between the pots abundance 
of fresh Lettuce leaves. The moisture is a great temptation to 
them to crawl out early upon the Lettuce leaves. If the whole is 
examined about 8 P.M. numbers will be caught, again at ten o’clock, and 
many that remain will be found beneath the leaves in the morning. 
Fresh leaves should be used every night, and by diligence the whole, or 
nearly the whole, may be exterminated in less than a week. Perhaps the 
best plan of all is to remove the pots containing the plants and scatter a 
good dressing of salt over the gravel or other material upon which the 
plants stand, and then wash it thoroughly in with boiling water. A 
strong supply of petroleum will do equally well, and if well washed down 
after it has been applied about an hour no harm will be done to the 
plants when they are returned. Either of these applications will destroy 
numbers of slugs, and those that are not killed will crawl out when it 
beeomes dusk. The above with us has proved a satisfactory plan for 
destroying slugs in our cool Orchid house, not only slugs, but two or 
three dressings with either salt or petroleum and hot water also effect a 
clearance of woodlice. 
Elevating Cool Orchids on Pots .—When cool Orchids are elevated 
upon small pots standing upon gravel or other moisture-holding material, 
the labour in keeping the pots clean is very great. In order to reduce 
labour in this respect wood trellises were made and elevated a few inches 
above the ground which surfaced the beds. The trellises did very well 
during the winter months, but in summer when evaporation was greater 
they dried too quickly, and the plants evidently did not like the change. 
The trellises were removed and the plants placed upon the gravel ; in 
this position they quickly improved, but experience points to the con¬ 
clusion that they do better when elevated on small pots than when 
standing on the surface. When air is admitted at the side of the house 
it circulates more freely amongst the plants than can really be the case 
when stood upon the surface of the beds. Although these plants require 
large quantities of water at their roots they do not like it stagnating about 
them, and it appears to drain away from them much better when they are 
elevated. It would be useful if other growers would record their experience 
on this point.—L. D. W. 
SPRING FLOWERS AT TOTTENHAM. 
A recent visit to Mr. T. S. Ware’s great collection of hardy plants 
at Hale Farm Nurseries,. Tottenham, afforded an opportunity of 
seeing many choice novelties in bloom. No one but those who have 
made a personal inspection of these nurseries can form an idea of its many 
interesting features, especially in spring and Bummer. Mr. Ware has 
always some striking novelty to show his visitors, and on the occasion of 
our visit a few days ago we had the pleasure of glancing at a few of them. 
AmoDg several bulbous plants growing in a cool house we noticed a 
couple of pigmy Narcissus in flower ; one of them, N. monophylla, was a 
very chaste and pretty white form of the Hoop Petticoat section. It is, 
however, too delicate to grow without protection. Some fine clumps of 
Triteleia uniflora were flowering profusely in frames. Iris reticulata is 
another charming early-flowering plant, which certainly deserves to be 
more generally grown. A number were flowering in pots as well as in 
clumps on elevated positions of the rockwork. Its flowers are fragrant, 
and of a deep violet blue reticulated with yellow. Here and there, too, 
we saw bright little beds of various species of Crocus. 
The rockwork was beginning to look attractive. Groups of such 
early-flowering genera as Scilla siberica, Leucojum vernum, Iris reticulata, 
Arabis lucida, Iberis corifolia, and Hepaticas were already in full blossom. 
The foregoing will be succeeded by many others which were rapidly 
throwing up myriads of buds. Numbers of Hellebores were still in flower, 
H. subpunctatus and colchicus taking the lead. 
In some of the frames were a number of the charming Saxifraga 
oppositifolia and the variety alba in flower, the plants being covered with 
their chaste rose and white blossoms. Several members of the Primula 
family, such as rosea and nivalis, were also attractive. Anemones were 
also preparing for a brilliant display of blooms. In one of the houses Iris 
fimbriata, with its lovely pale blue fdnged flowers ; Primula floribunda, 
a delicate yellow ; Ornithogalum gracile, a new species just throwing 
up its flower stems ; Lachenalias in variety, and the pretty dwarf Cycla¬ 
men Atkinsi, were special objects of interest. Frames, houses, as well as 
beds and borders, abound with hundreds of thousands of hardy alpine, 
herbaceous, and florists’ flowers, grown to supply the demands of lovers 
of hardy plants in all parts of the world. 
In one of the cold frames a comparatively little known alpine Butter¬ 
cup, Ranunculus anemonoides, was very pretty. It was growing in a 
pan as shown in the engraving (fig. 49), and in this way is seen to 
excellent advantage. The flowers are white, neat in form, and the leaves 
are much divided, like some of the Windflowers, and to this it owes its 
specific name. It succeeds in a cold frame in light well-drained soil, but 
would probably thrive equally well on a rockery in sheltered positions. 
It is unquestionably a charmingly graceful little plant. 
LIVERPOOL SPRING SHOW. 
March 24th and 25th. 
The third spring Exhibition of the Liverpool Horticultural Society was 
held in St. George’s Hall, and was in maDy respects superior to its pre¬ 
decessors. The display of flowers was perhaps the finest that has been seen 
in the Hall for some years ; in fact, flowering plants were too abundant, 
and the Exhibition would have been improved by the addition of more 
foliage plants. There was no falling-off in the number of exhibits of that 
character, but it was due to the miscellaneous exhibits of local nurserymen, 
who on previous occasions have staged a fair proportion of foliage plants. 
But the flowering plants exhibited by them on this occasion formed an 
exhibition alone. 
Stove and Greenhouse Plants .—These were as numerous and as good as 
during previous years. For six plants, three flowering and three foliage, 
Mr. W. Mease, gardener to C. W. Newmann, Esq., Wyncote, Allerton, was 
first with large well-grown plants, comprising Croton Disraeli, a fine well- 
coloured plant 7 or 8 feet in diameter ; Croton Weismanii, about the same 
size and in superb condition; Areca lutescens, large and healthy ; Imanto- 
phyllum miniatum maximum, a fine variety and a splendid specimen ; 
Rhododendron Victor Regina, large and profusely flowered ; the remaining 
plant being Chorozema cordatum splendens, about 6 feet in diameter, and 
covered with flowers. Mr. J. Jellico, gardener to T. H. Gossage, Esq, 
Camphill, Woolton, was placed second with very creditable plants of Croton 
