January 31,1884. J 
JOURNAL OF HORTICULTURE AND COTTAGE GARDENER. 
91 
If cold and a stagnant atmosphere are the main causes, then 
warmth and a freely ventilated structure in which to grow these 
plants will effect a remedy. Such has certainly been the case with 
my young plants, for the foliage produced is now healthy and stout. 
'1 he plants I possess are grown with the Odontoglossums, not at the 
coolest or yet at the warmest end of the house, but in the middle, and 
the minimum night temperature is 45° during the winter, and this 
only on very cold nights or during severe frost, often when the tem¬ 
perature stands 55°. The little heat given to maintain this tempera¬ 
ture appears to suit the plants exactly, for spotless leaves are produced, 
and the plants increase rapidly. 1 have given my opinion, but my 
experience is somewhat limited, as I do not possess more than a 
dozen and a half of young plants. I shall be glad to see the opinion 
of others, for no subject is more worthy of discussion.—W. Bardney. 
ABOUT CUT FLOWERS. 
If gardeners were asked in what month they would least desire 
a demand for cut flowers and flowering plants, I think the majority 
would name January. Not that there is a difficulty in obtaining 
plenty of flowers in that month, but it is not easy to keep up a 
supply at this season. One of the very best of flowers is the Chrys¬ 
anthemum, which is of great value in January, though I am inclined 
more and more to grow only white varieties for the time of year. Of 
equally easy culture are Zonal Pelargoniums, Carnations, Lily of the 
Valley, crimson Van Thol Tulips, Hyacinths, Christmas Roses, Tea 
Roses, Camellias, and Eucharises, which may form the main stay in 
the shape of flowers. Besides there are always a few Orchids, stove 
and greenhouse plants, and Primulas which may be usefully employed. 
There are some general principles which should be borne in mind 
and acted upon at all times with regard to cutting flowers, and especi¬ 
ally when there is a “ run " at an untimely season. For instance, it 
is a mistake to cut flowers until they are fully developed, and in 
fact will not stand much longer on the plant. Thus only spikes of 
Lily of the Valley which are fully opened to the tip should be cut, 
in fact these last longer than half-opened spikes ; or in the case of 
Pelargoniums only trusses which are opened to the last pip. Roses 
and Eucharises, or flowers which will not keep on the plant, are best 
cut, and kept stalk in water in a cool room. Even Chrysanthemums 
will keep for several weeks in a perfectly" cool and dry room, when 
they would be useless if left on the plant. If this principle of employ¬ 
ing only the oldest flowers is carried out the probability of a break in 
the supply" is very much lessened, as there will be constantly younger 
flowers coming forward in all stages. As a rule I never cut any but 
these older flowers ; to cut young ones is to use up the supply of a 
future day, which may" need all that can be grown to meet its own 
requirements. 
Another principle which may be emphasised is this—Study sim¬ 
plicity in arrangement. The more simple the arrangement of flowers 
the easier it is for a gardener to insure a supply". 1 do not make it a 
rule, but generally I do not mix different sorts of flowers together. 
It is also necessary to study the kind of glasses in selecting flowers to 
fill them. In large glasses or vases a cluster of small flowers is out 
of place, though on the other hand it does not always follow that 
only the smaller flowers should be used to fill small glasses. If 
it is desired to display a Rhododendron truss, an Amaryllis or a 
Cattleya to the best advantage, select a smallish glass which the in¬ 
dividual will fill, and do not try to improve really fine flowers of 
that sort by employing other foliage. Even a spray of Maidenhair 
will detract from the beauty of such flowers. 
Another point. Do not mix the finer flowers with commoner sorts. 
Keep Eucharis and white Lapagerias to associate with Orchids, and 
with these add only the finest Ferns — Adiantum farleyense or 
A. scutum, or the dark green Asparagus plumosus. With the com¬ 
moner flowers it is not by any means an advantage to use Ferns alone 
for a setting. For large vases, foliage of Rex Begonias, Callas, 
Hollyhocks, Ivy Pelargoniums, &c., are all extremely useful and 
suitable. Leafage is in its way just as much admired as flowers, and 
there is no reason why gardeners should confine themselves to a few 
Ferns. As a rule, let every flower stand clear of its neighbour. We 
may make an exception to this rule, and show a glowing bunch of 
Pelargoniums on a setting of their own foliage, but generally light¬ 
ness is to be commended. Speaking of the latter reminds me that it 
is bad taste to mix dark-coloured varieties and those of a rosy shade 
together. Keep the latter to mix with light forms like Aida or 
other flowers. These help to show off the beauty of each other, but 
if mixed with the crimson kinds the effect of both is spoiled. 
Much that has been been written about vase-furnishing applies 
with equal force to table decorations. There are three simple modes 
of decoration which may either be separately employed or conjointly. 
For small tables cut flowers are most suitable, and these may" be either 
arranged in small glasses or laid on the cloth. Tables to dine say 
from eight to a dozen and upwards are generally decorated with 
plants as well as flowers, The simplest way of using plants is to 
stand them in vessels of plate or some kind of earthenware, or to 
stand them on the table amid a bank of foliage and flowers. In the 
latter case the fewer flowers employed the better. Nothing surpasses 
the common Selaginella Kraussiana as a groundwork, and if it is 
healthy and well grown no Ferns will be required. As a rule half a 
dozen large blossoms round this will be sufficient. White, pink, or 
crimson flowers are most suitable. Chrysanthemums, Eucharises, 
Pelargoniums, and Camellias are very suitable for the purpose, but 
they must be good. If mall plants are sometimes placed round the 
table, crimson Tulips or three sprays of Lily of the Valley, or three 
plants of Rivinia humilis are well adapted for this purpose. These 
require no flowers amongst the moss. If foliage plants are used, then 
three Carnations round each, or as many Bouvardias or double 
Primulas do well. I much prefer to have all the plants alike. Small 
glasses filled with flowers are very pretty. Flat glasses should be 
filled with single trusses of Pelargoniums backed with a leaf of the 
same, or a Chrysanthemum, Camellia, or Eucharis. Tall narrow 
glasses are suitably filled with Lily of the Valley, small Pelargonium 
trusses, Bouvardias, and Dendrobiums. 
In placing flowers on the cloth it is necessary to avoid light- 
coloured flowers unless some dark material is placed for the flowers to 
rest on. But this I do not like, it is artificial. Nothing is so homely" 
as a white linen cloth, and it is easy enough to select colours to show 
on that. The main point to bear in mind in this form of decoration 
is to employ good flowers, and, as a rule, large ones are to be pre¬ 
ferred. As far as possible use the foliage belonging to the plant, 
and when using Ferns select the Adiantums, such as A. tenerum or 
A. farleyense in preference to the common Maidenhair, which is too 
small in the pinnae to show well. As with the plants, I like to employ 
only one, or at most two kinds of flower. These are laid on the cloth 
just before dinner time, and removed immediately dinner is over, so 
that the flowers receive no damage. 
We have some pretty earthenware pots or small vases for decorat¬ 
ing the breakfast table. These hold a small Fern out of a thumb 
pot, or a single Tulip, or two or three sprays of Lily of the Valley", 
and look very pretty" and refreshing. I find the latter and Tulips do 
very well without any soil, merely keeping the roots in water, which 
is hidden by a tuft of Selaginella. — R. P. Brotherston. 
PEACH TREES CASTING THEIR BUDS. 
Last season our Peach trees in the earliest house cast the principal 
part of their flower buds, and we attributed it to dressing them with 
Gishurst compound, although the solution was not so strong as advised 
on the cover of the box. A Nectarine tree in the same house was 
dressed with the same solution with a different result—few of its buds 
fell. Neither of the trees lost any of their wood buds. The trees were 
all badly infested with brown scale, and received two dressings with the 
solution. It had the desired effect with the scale, so that there was 
scarcely a trace of it this season. After pruning the trees this season 
they received a washing with equal quantities of tobacco juice and 
water, and have cast very few buds. Spring water is used both for 
syringing and watering the border. It is warmed to the required 
temperature.—L. T. _ 
I do not think that giving the trees spring water is the cause of 
“Alpha’s” trees casting their buds, as my trees have done precisely the 
same as his, and mine have been watered only with rain water. We 
must look for something else ; but what I am not clever enough to make 
out, but perhaps some of your readers can.—A. S. D. 
LILIUMS FOR MIXED FLOWER BORDERS. 
In a note on this subject on page 37 Mr. Sanders speaks of 
me as having discovered the secret of the successful open-air 
cultivation of Lilium auratum. Though I cannot claim to have 
done this, I have cultivated so many different Liliums for several 
years in the open air that a few notes for the sake of comparison 
may be of use to some readers. As for Lilium auratum, we have 
had elaborate theories propounded in different gardening journals 
to explain the reason why imported bulbs generally flower once 
tolerably well and then die. No doubt in Lilies as in nearly all 
bulbs, the new bulb which forms whilst one year’s growth and 
flowering are going on, gathers a store in preparation for the 
same process the next y r ear; but the great constitutional dis¬ 
turbance caused by what the imported bulb has had to undergo, 
though it does not destroy the flowering power already collected 
under the suns of Japan, causes the bulb to exhaust itself in the 
effort without making another bulb. If these imported bulbs 
are examined as soon as their flowering is over it will generally 
be found that no roots have been made beneath the bulb, but 
only from the crown of it, and that the bulb is dwindled and 
unhealthy and incapable of flowering or even growing the next 
year. A few out of every hundred do better, and the more 
