December 15,1881.] JOURNAL OF HORTICULTURE AND COTTAGE GARDENER. 
535 
L. Perrinii still render the houses gay and attractive. Lycaste 
Skinneri, a truly handsome winter-flowering Orchid, with its 
varieties ranging from pure white to the deepest crimson, will 
now be in bloom, and is invaluable at this period on account of the 
long time the flowers remain in beauty either on the plant or when 
cut and placed in a vase. The plants should be grown in the inter¬ 
mediate house and kept rather shady during the growing season, 
which is from May to October, and should not be allowed to 
become dry at the roots. Now they should be in a drier atmo¬ 
sphere, so as to prevent the flowers spotting. Lycaste lanipes is 
also producing its numerous greenish white flowers, which are 
useful for cutting. It requires the same treatment as L. Skinneri. 
The fiery red blooms of Masdevallia ignea look well now amid 
their dark green foliage. Masdevallia tovarensis—This, the only 
white Masdevallia in cultivation, is very floriferous, bearing as 
many as four charmingly pure white flowers on a single peduncle, 
and blooming from the old spikes as well as from the new ones. 
It is the easiest of the family to cultivate, and delights in a cool 
damp atmosphere and placed near the glass. Until lately it was 
a very expensive plant, but, like Angracum sesquipedale, is now 
within the reach of everyone. Maxillaria grandiflora — This 
beautiful Lycaste-like Orchid will now be in flower. The flower 
is sweet-scented and of a pure snow-white colour, with a sack-like 
lip blotched with purple on each side. It is of easy culture and 
thrives well in the cool part of the Odontoglossum house with a 
plentiful supply of water, but now while in flower should have 
a little heat and be kept drier, and as soon as done flowering put 
back into the cool house, because it soon becomes covered with 
thrips if allowed to remain long in heat. 
Odontoglossum Alexandra, O. Andersonii, 0. angustatum, 0. 
cirrhosum, 0. gloriosum, 0. Hallii, 0. Pescatorei, 0. radiatum, 
O. Rossii, 0. Roezlii, 0. triumpbans, and 0. tripudians will now bo 
in different stages. These will require careful attention in looking 
after for slugs and green fly, which attack them now. A good 
method to protect them from slugs is to have a trough filled with 
water, into which place an inverted pot, and then stand the plant 
on the bottom of it. Oncidium cucullatum, a very free-flowering 
Orchid, is in flower and making a grand display with its green 
chocolate-banded blooms with large rosy lip, and having the 
additional charm of being pleasantly fragrant. Oncidium cheiro- 
phorum, with its branching spikes about 8 inches high bearing 
from forty to fifty small yellow Heliotrope-scented flowers, is 
beautiful now.— Orchidist. 
APPLES AND HOW TO USE THEM. 
Little by little we make the experiences of others our own 
in possession and practice, and if not too late I should like, in 
return for all the information gained from the communications 
entitled “ Scraps about Fruit,” to offer a remark or two about 
culinary Apples. 
These, as a rule, unless specially required small, are to be pre¬ 
ferred as large as possible. No better example of a profitable and 
economic Apple as to earliness, size, thinness of skin, colour (in 
cooking) and texture is to be found than Lord Suffield. The size 
and delicate skin do not waste the cook’s time and temper in 
paring as smaller and thicker-skin varieties do. Cellini succeeds 
Lord Suffield, different in shape and colouring, not so free a 
bearer, but when well grown large and handsome. I have fruits 
of Cellini now measuring 10 inches in circumference and weigh¬ 
ing GH ozs. Winter Hawthornden and Stirling Castle follow. 
With very late culinary Apples I am not so well acquainted, but 
most table Apples, if a proper proportion of clear cold spring 
water be added to them in stewing, will turn out juicy. Some 
sorts require very little sugar, and the tartness of any variety 
may be increased by the addition of a squeeze of Lemon juice. 
As a preserve or compote Apples may be used in a variety of 
ways, and are healthful, refreshing, and less cloying for young 
people than preserves prepared with the full Droportion of sugar. 
In Germany Apples are much used in open tarts, cooked thus 
—Pare and core 3 lbs. of Apples, boil them till perfectly soft and 
free from lumps in an enamelled pan with about half a pint of 
cold water, boil quickly and beat free from lumps ; when quite 
soft add three-quarters of a pound of lump sugar and boil twenty 
minutes more. Lemon juice, grated and fresh lemon peel, or 
lemon candied peel, or a few well-washed and dried Currants 
may be also stirred in. Apples thus treated will keep good for 
weeks, and put into open tarts or tartlets with a crisp short crust, 
or served as a compote to be eaten with custard or cream, they 
make a popular variety among sweets.—A. M. B. 
Hyacinths. —The appearance of these bulbs is very much im¬ 
proved for room-decoration by planting the surface of the pots with 
any of the dwarf Mosses. Selaginella denticulata is one of the best 
for this purpose, pots of which should be previously prepared, so that 
it may be ready to lift at the time the Hyacinths are placed in the 
forcing pit. If then carefully lifted and placed round the Hyacinth 
bulb, in a few days it will look quite fresh and commence growing. 
I find that the Lycopods are improved by w r eak liquid manure.— 
Leaden ham. 
NOTES ON POTATOES. 
Although “An Old Tater ” has not been very fortunate 
in his experience of Potatoes, yet 1 think he deserves our thanks 
for introducing this subject. The Potato being one, if not the 
most important vegetable crop grown, cannot receive too much 
attention from all who are interested in its growth. As each suc¬ 
ceeding year some new varieties are introduced, some really good, 
others comparatively worthless, it is only by comparing notes 
that many can form any idea of their merits. Were the selection 
of a limited number of varieties left to myself I should be con¬ 
tent with Myatt’s Prolific Ashleaf, Mona’s Pride, Early Rose, 
Dalmahoy, Snowflake, Magnum Bonum, and Paterson’s Victoria. 
I think most growers will agree that Myatt’s is an excellent early 
Potato. Mona’s Pride for seme reason is not so extensively 
grown as it deserves to be ; I consider it one of the best kidneys 
in cultivation. Early Rose is a general favourite. Dalmahoy is 
an excellent variety but somewhat subject to disease (at least such 
is my experience). Snowflake is a good Potato, medium size, 
no waste, and when cooked like a ball of flour. We planted a 
large breadth of it this year, and I do not suppose we picked a 
dozen diseased tubers out of the whole crop. Magnum Bonum is 
a good cropper, and is not so subject to disease as some, but as 
the haulm grows very strong it is not a desirable variety for a 
small garden. Anyone possessing plenty of room, or an open 
piece of ground on which they do not desire to plant a second 
crop, cannot do much better than plant this sort. Paterson’s 
Victoria is a good old sort, though since the introduction of many 
of the American and other varieties is not quite so often met 
with, still I believe it to be quite capable of holding its own 
against any of the new comers. There are, of course, many other 
excellent Potatoes grown equally as good, no doubt, as the few I 
have mentioned, and some do better in one place than they do in 
others, but I can recommend the varieties I have alluded to, as I 
have seen them doing equally well in several parts of the king¬ 
dom. This season we also planted Woodstock Kidney, School¬ 
master, and Scotch Champion. Woodstock turned out fairly 
well and nearly free from disease ; Schoolmaster coarse and 
ugly, the whole crop diseased. The Champion, no doubt, is ex¬ 
cellent for killing weeds owing to the great quantity of haulm 
it produces, but the produce is coarse and slightly diseased. 
Some speak highly of this variety. Tastes differ : my opinion is 
the same as “ An Old Tater,” that when cooked it is coarse in 
texture and bard in the centre. 
With reference to the disease attacking Potatoes, I believe as a 
rule many plant too late. Were they to plant earlier the pro¬ 
bability is that they could have their first and second earlies up 
before the disease usually appears. Some years ago, when in 
charge of a garden in the midlands, I trenched a piece of ground 
early in the autumn, the aspect was a slope to the S.W. Having 
heard much about autumn planting of Potatoes, I decided to give 
it a trial. I planted Mona’s Pride and Gloucestershire Kidneys. 
Happening to mention what I had done to our vicar, he told me 
autumn planting was a common practice in Hants, and I should 
find that, though the crop would be but little if any earlier than 
the spring-planted, yet the produce would be better. What he 
stated turned out correct. I could not wish for a better crop, all 
of good size, scarcely a small tuber amongst them, and quite free 
from disease. But while believing that good results may be 
obtained from autumn planting, I would not advise its adop¬ 
tion unless their ground is high and dry, or is thoroughly well 
drained. My Potatoes were planted about 6 inches deep, and a 
slight covering of litter was placed on during very sharp weather. 
In the following spring, side by side on the same ground, were 
planted Dalmahoys and Magnum Bonum. Both produced magni¬ 
ficent crops, but unfortunately the disease made its appearance 
rather early, and I lost about half the Dalmahoys, while the 
Magnum Bonums were not affected in the least.— Cantab. 
Your correspondent on page 492 gives his experience with 
different varieties of Potatoes, and, as I have grown some of the 
varieties he mentions, I venture to give my experience of them 
also. 
To begin with Early Rose and Beauty of Hebron. Mr. Abbey 
finds these are of poor, waxy quality. With me they are not only 
excellent in quality, but good croppers and quite free from 
