303 
[ October 11, 1883. 
JOURNAL OF HORTICULTURE AND COTTAGE GARDENER. 
the fruit, however, being smaller than the average, a few days 
later in ripening, but very highly coloured. 
Those results are very suggestive. If the ripening of an 
early Apple, such as the Duchess of Oldenburg, can be 
accelerated by three weeks, the fruit being also large and 
beautifully coloured, that is an important point gained, and 
the same stock is worthy of being tried for other ea,rly dessert 
Apples such as Mr. Gladstone, also kitchen Apples, and if 
the results are equally satisfactory we shall be closely ap¬ 
proaching the desideratum of having Apples all the year round. 
The vigorous growth of Golden Noble on the Eibston 
Pippin “ almost killed with canker,” suggests the desir¬ 
ability of trying the Eibston on the Golden Noble thus 
established, with the object of ascertaining how far the stock 
will influence the old favourite in rendering its growth 
similarly free and cankerless. 
That soil and climate influence the colouring of Apples 
is beyond question. The examples now on view from widely 
separated districts show this conclusively. From Kent, 
Middlesex, Monmouthshire, Dorsetshire, and Devonshire we 
find highly coloured fruit, whereas the same varieties from 
Lincolnshire, Staffordshire, Yorkshire, and Durham are 
practically colourless, flhis is only what might be expected; 
but few persons would anticipate that Duchess of Oldenburg 
grafted on the Golden AYinter Pearmain should not colour 
at all, W'hile on the Eeinette Van Mons the fruit should be so 
Landsome, nor that exactly the same phenomena should occur 
with Cox s Pomona worked on the same stocks, especially 
its Eeinette A an Mons is not itself highly coloured. It is 
■quite clear there is something to be learned on the question 
of stocks, and it is equally certain that much knowledge on 
varieties can be gained by an inspection of the 8000 dishes 
■or more of fruit in the marvellous collection at Chiswick. 
It is . a grand museum of Apples, and most instructive, 
especially as the correct and erroneous names are attached 
to the dishes where corrections w T ere necessary. It affords 
such an opportunity for the study of the Apple as has never 
been seen before, and is not likely to occur again. All 
.gardeners, and indeed everybody interested in this fruit, 
should make an endeavour to spend a few hours at Chiswick 
during the next week ; and, as has been suggested by Mr. 
Harding, if advantage is taken of excursion trains from 
various districts to the “ Fisheries,” two wonderful Ex¬ 
hibitions can be seen in one day, and neither of them will 
soon be forgotten. 
Nor must reference to the contributors to this remarkable 
display be omitted. There were neither money prizes nor 
medals to tempt them, yet from nearly every county in 
f ngland fruit has come, with interesting consignments from 
Wales and Scotland. Perhaps especially noticeable is the great 
representative collection of 279 varieties from Tweedside, 
not only by the excellence of much of the fruit, but by the 
•complete manner in which it was presented by Messrs. 
Ormiston & Eenwick of Melrose. It is the produce of six¬ 
teen gardens, and was accompanied by an apparently un¬ 
limited supply of printed circulars containing lists of the varie¬ 
ties and notes from the several cultivators explanatory of the 
conditions under which the fruit w r as grown, such as alti¬ 
tude, soil, subsoil, and treatment to which the trees had been 
subjected. This must be regarded as a model consignment. 
Messrs. Jefferies of Oxford also collected and furnished fruit 
from several gardens and gave similar information; the 
Durham Gardeners Institute also worthily shared in similar 
•work.. Other collectors probably assisted, and to them and 
to individual contributors the thanks of cultivators are due 
for the generous support thus given in rendering the gathering 
what it undoubtedly is, a decided success. 
Air. Barron is especially to be complimented on this 
satisfactory achievement, and the cheerfulness "with which 
Lis assistants have discharged the extra duties that have 
devolved upon them merits approval, while Air. Killick has 
worked assiduously in naming the fruit, his intimate know¬ 
ledge of Apples rendering his services valuable. 
It will be remembered that the collection remains till the 
18th inst., and can be reached in half an hour from South 
Kensington, both Turnham Green and Acton Green stations 
on the Metropolitan District Eailway, being about ten 
minutes’ walk from the Gardens ; Chiswick station on the 
London and South-western line being also within a mile 
of the Exhibition. It may be also remarked that the 
vinery in which the chief display is arranged is the finest 
in England, and the Grapes above and the Apples below 
form a spectacle unexampled and unique. 
The immediate result of this Congress will be to stimulate 
the planting of Apples of the best varieties, thus the fruit 
supply of the future will be insured as better than that of 
the past, and assuredly there is room for improvement. 
ORCHIDS IN AUTUA1N. 
As some of the most beautiful and useful of these choice plants 
need special attention now, a brief note on their requirements may, 
perhaps, be of service to those persons who are “ trying their hands ” 
at the culture of the most popular kinds, and are hoping to succeed in 
growing and flowering them well. At present I will confine my 
attention to three of the most useful genera—Dendrobiums, Calanthes, 
and Odontoglossums. 
Dendrobiums. —Such kinds as D. nobile, D. AVardianum, D. 
Devonianum, and others that were started early and allowed to make 
their growth under the influence of plenty of heat, light, and air, will now 
be in a v r ell-ripened condition. This condition must be reached before 
the plants are removed to cooler, drier, and more airy quarters. It is 
a great mistake to bring these plants to rest prematurely, for such 
treatment will not insure the best results. They must be carefully 
and gradually brought to a standstill to enjoy the period of rest so 
essential to their successful cultivation. 
Calanthes. —These, if properly attended to during the summer, will 
be strong, and their flower spikes now throwing up rapidly. From 
this time they should enjoy a somewhat drier atmosphere than has 
been necessary during their growing period. Do not discontinue the 
use of stimulants until the first flower opens, and maintain the foliage 
healthy as long as possible. The glass of the house inside and out 
should be thoroughly washed if needed, so that every ray of light 
possible will reach the plants. Keep them close to the glass, as the 
colour of the flowers depends very much upon the light they receive 
when they are developing. If the early batches are coming forward 
too rapidly the temperature can now be gradually lowered, and the 
plants thus retarded. 
Odontoglossums .—Alany plants that have made strong well- 
ripened growths will be producing flower spikes. A sharp look-out 
must be kept for slugs at the present time, for if any are allowed to 
exist a good number of spikes may be ruined in a night. A little 
cotton wool placed round the spike is an admirable plan, but the 
safest is to suspend the plants from the roof until the spikes are firm 
and thus safe from the ravages of these most troublesome pests. 
Keep a sharp look-out for aphides, and eradicate them at once, for 
when they are allowed to establish themselves upon the flower spikes 
they soon injure and deform the blooms. I am no advocate for 
fumigating these plants, but remove these insects by means of a soft 
brush and a little weak tobacco water. Shading is often practised 
after this date by many growers, but ours is removed for the purpose of 
allowing those growths not yet fully developed an opportunity of 
becoming thoroughly matured. The plants must not be allowed to 
suffer by the want of water either at the roots or in the atmosphere. 
Keep them close to' the glass and admit air freely when favourable, 
and the flower spikes will be stout and compact instead of weak and 
slender. Do not allow ihe night temperature to fall below 55°, and 
allow a rise of 10° during the day by sun heat.— AV\ Bardney. 
THE ROSE ELECTION. 
An election of newer varieties, valuable as it is, necessarily means 
a small number of voters, and not a few of those who have so kindly 
assisted in previous years have returned their papers, honestly con¬ 
fessing that their experience of “ newer ” varieties was not sufficiently 
extensive to justify their giving an opinion. This is every way 
satisfactory ; it proves that those who have voted in previous elections 
are for the most part growers who desire to record their own views 
founded on their own experience, and it is this collective recorded 
experience that is of value. Some, however, of the returns have had 
remarks attached to them not altogether complimentary to the general 
excellence of the newer Hoses—for instance, one remark appended 
was that there were not more than a dozen worth cultivation. This 
perhaps is a little too sweeping, yet I fear there is a fair amount of 
