356 
JOURNAL OF HORTICULTURE AND COTTAGE GARDENER. 
[ October 16, 1884. 
manured, and the Peas sovs^n in due course. The only variety grown on 
the borders was Veitch’s Perfection, which is not considered one of the 
hardiest. Suffice it to say, however, that it yielded our best supply of 
Peas this season both as to quantity and quality, while other so-called 
hardy sorts were so badly mildewed that they were of little service. 
Omega, however, I should state was lees affected than others, and from it 
a good number of large dishes were obtained. 
Sulphate of Ammonia fob the Onion Maggot.— Referring to 
this pest, a writer in the Journal about midsummer last, said that it is 
useless to apply any remedial measures after the maggot has attacked the 
crop. Phis is just what I was thinking at the time I read his paper in the 
Journal. Anxious, however, to save at least a portion of a crop of Onions 
which had already been attacked I resolved, after guano water and petro¬ 
leum had failed, to try sulphate of ammonia. I had proved its efficacy 
in driving away slugs from other crops, and thought it might be distasteful 
to the Onion maggot also, besides stimulating the growth of the young 
Onions. I had four beds each 50 feet by 4 feet, and the seed was sown 
in rows. To the two centre beds only was the sulphate applied at the 
rate of one tablespoonful to each gallon of water. This checked the work 
of destruction, which bad been going on rapidly ; and although the enemy 
was not entirely destroyed, I am glad to say that quite double the weight 
of Bourid bulbs was secured from those rows to which the sulphate of 
ammonia was applied than from the others, and almost enough to maintain 
the usual supply. 1 am only sorry I did not apply this remedy on the first 
indication of the enemy’s presence.— D. M. Montgomerib, Ayrshire. 
A VEGETARIAN BANQUET. 
^ Thousands of persons of nearly all ranks in society have partaken of the 
sixpenny dinners provided by the Vegetarian Society at the Health Exhi- 
bition this year some because they liked them, others from motives of 
cmiosity. Opinions as to the character of the repasts vary considerably. 
They do_ not satisfy hungry persons, is perhaps almost the general verdict; 
but It will be conceded that the dinners are as good, wholesome, toothsome, 
and nutritious as any others that can be had at the price, while a bright and 
cheerful room with bright and cheerful waiters render the meals additionally 
agreeable. 
The objects of the Society are to induce habits of abstinence from flesh, 
fowl, and fish; and to advocate the substitution of fruits and wheatmeal 
bread mainly, then garden produce, oatmeal, the pulses, vegetable oils, Rice, 
Maize, and other cereal and farinaceous food-stuffs; promoting thereby 
health, economy, humaneness, temperance, peace, and the general well-being, 
employment, thrift, and happiness of the people. Great zeal is displayed in 
carrying out those objects practically, as in the dinners referred to, also 
iffirough the press, for the Society has a good organ in the •' Dietetic 
Reformer,” which is published monthly at the moderate price of 2s. 6d. 
per annum. 
object of giving still further prominence to what is considered 
^e advantages of a vegetable diet exclusively, a banquet was given by the 
President and Executive Committee of the Vegetarian Society in their 
Kstaurant at the Health Exhibition on Thursday evening last, B. W. 
Richardson, Esq., M.D., F.R.S., presiding. For the information of those 
persons who may not be very well able to understand how a banquet can 
be provided without animal food, we give the menu on this occasion 
including the dessert. 
Mej^.- Soups: Tomato and Lentil Soup. Entrees: Green (Sugar) Corn j 
Oaten Grits; Macaroni au Gratin. Removes: Braised Haricots T Savoury 
Omelette ; Curried Mushrooms and Rice ; Bread Fritter. E 7 itremets: Boiled 
Chestnuts; Samp Pudding; Vegetable Marrow au Gratin. Vegetables; 
Hrussels Sprouts; Potatoes; Jerusalem Artichokes ; Baked Turnips. Sweets: 
Barley Pudding; Ceylon Pudding; Apple and Damson Tart; Vegetable 
Custard; Iceland Moss Jelly and Pine Apple. Stewed Print: Pears. 
Apricots, and French Plums. 
DES.SERT—Gropes: Muscat of Alexandria; Muscat Hamburgh, and 
Blai^ Hamburgh. Foreign: Lisbon Sweetwater, and Almeria. Pears: 
Duchesse d’Angouldme ; Louise Bonne of Jersey, and Autumn Bergamot. 
Apples •• King of ^e Pippins ; Cox’s Orange Pippin, and Ribston Pippin. 
Puts; WMnuts, Filberts, Cobs, Hickory, Pecan, and Virginia Pea Nuts. 
Bananas, Spanish Melons, Greengage Tomatoes, and Brazilian Oranges. 
Beverages: Lemonade, Seltzer, Zoedone, Sparkling Hop, Morello Champagne, 
Fruit Champagne, Coffee, Cocoa, Chocolate. e & , 
were excellent, and most of the dishes appeared to be enjoyed, 
but the Mushrooms would have been a good deal better if they had not been 
tmned goods, ’ or rather “ buds,” for they were poor in comparison with the 
produce of pastures or prepared beds in or outdoors. 
Ai the close of the banquet Dr. Richardson delivered an admirable address, 
and his remarks had the greater weight from the fact that he is not quite a 
'lot 1'' partisan. He treated the subject impartially and 
philosophically ; he demonstrated that animal food is not so essential to the 
public health as is popularly supposed; he showed that the value of fruit 
and gram as food is being more and more recognised, and appeared to be 
convinced that in the future the consumption of animal food would decrease, 
and nobody be the worse, but rather that everybody would be better in every 
way for the change. He spoke strongly of the importance of utilising the 
refuse of stables, the effluvia of which is so obnoxious in towns, for growing 
Mushrooins, which he described as the most nutritious of all vegetable food. 
V V « r sustaining power of vegetable oils, and expressed his 
belief that food in every way equal to milk could be and would be produced 
from the vegetable kingdom. Dr. Richardson’s address produced a decided 
impression on the meeting, and it was calculated to gain converts to the 
cause; but its effect was undoubtedly in a great measure nullified by 
what the majority considered the extravagant utterances of too zealous 
advocates of vegetarianism pure and simple. One gentleman endeavoured 
to prove that an exclusively vegetable diet must be sound, because he could 
never touch ” animal food, as if in blissful ignorance of what a writer in the 
Journal has described on the “ palate test,” did not cut in two ways. Not¬ 
withstanding that this extreme advocate was robed in a dress made entirely 
from the products of the vegetable kingdom—a velveteen coat, cotton cord 
trousers, and canvas shoes, with gutta percha soles—his views were felt to 
be just a little intolerant, and he was only cheered by those who needed no 
arguments to convince them to eschew animal food in every form. Another 
“ example ” of vegetarianism was so advanced as to express his belief that 
not only would the food of the future be the exclusive products of the 
vegetable world, but that cooking would become obsolete, and “ things 
would be eaten raw.” Both those sensational “ examples ” ostracised Mush¬ 
rooms for the very reason that Dr. Richardson advocated their use—that 
they contain nitrogenous matter. 
We sympathise with the work of the Vegetarian Society; we are con¬ 
vinced that the wholesome and nutritious qualities of the products of the soil 
are not sufficiently appreciated ; we admire the enterprise of the officials of 
the organisation, but we are quite unable to feel that the peculiar utterences 
of what “ outsiders ” conceive to be the peculiar “ fads ” of the over-zealous 
can have any substantial effect in gaining adherents to the principles sought 
to be established by the Vegetarian Society. Dr. Richardson’s address 
produced a decided effect, and we cannot help thinking that if it had been 
the only speech delivered on the occasion that the objects of the directorate 
of the Vegetarian Society would have been more effectually promoted. 
ORCHID NOTES. 
Cattleyas.— Not only is constant attention needed during the 
growing season to develope large pseudo-bulbs, for unless they have 
been made under conditions suitable to render them firm and solid 
they are sure to disappoint the grower when the flowering season 
arrives. It is next to an impossibility to expect fine large well- 
coloured blooms, and these produced freely from soft unripened 
growths. There can be no doubt whatever that the secret of flower¬ 
ing these beautiful Orchids satisfactorily is thorough maturation of 
the pseudo-bulbs and a complete season of repose. Failure in many 
instances may be traced to unripened bulbs and insufficient rest, but 
when these conditions have been accomplished flowers are certain, 
and strong vigorous growth the following season. Many use shading 
during the season of growth of too heavy a nature, which not only 
breaks the sun’s rays, but excludes a large amount of light, which 
would prove beneficial to the plants. All shading will soon have to 
be dispensed with, yet for an hour or two during the brightest part 
of the day it might be serviceable to any plants in feeble health or 
in a backward condition of growth. When it is found necessary to 
apply shading in such instances the whole stock should not be subject 
to the same treatment. To be successful a system of sorting out 
must be practised, and as plants approach the completion of their 
growth they should be removed to more airy, drier, and lighter 
positions to ripen and mature them thoroughly. If convenience does 
not exist for removing them from the house in which they are grown 
—and seldom indeed can this be accomplished in the majority of 
gardens—they can be placed at the coolest end, and the shading so 
arranged that one portion can be shaded and the other not. This 
may cause some little inconvenience to the grower, and destroy for a 
time the efliective arrangement of the house as a whole ; but what 
does this matter if the plants are assisted to ripen and flower well, 
which would not be the case where a mixed collection is grown 
under any other system ? In the cultivation of Orchids we are too 
prone to follow rules laid down on some hard-and-fast lines, and 
thus shade the whole to a certain day whether they require it or not, 
and then discontinue it altogether until some appointed day for again 
replacing it. Orchids are shaded in many gardens on a most inju¬ 
dicious principle, for the moment the first ray of sunshine strikes the 
house the blinds are drawn down, and remain until the last ray has 
disappeared from the structure. This is radically wrong, and no 
wonder so many specimens are to be found with long slender pseudo¬ 
bulbs that have been drawn up weakly and softly. Plants grown 
under such conditions cannot be expected to flower ; in time their 
vigour is destroyed, and they gradually decline in health. If more 
care and attention were devoted to the ripening of the plants through 
the autumn months greater success would be attained, and failure 
reduced to a minimum. 
Dendrobiums. — Like the above these often fail to grow satis- 
factorily or flower profusely, simply because they are not carefully and 
judiciously ripened and rested afterwards. The house in which they 
make their growth is often too moist and too heavily shaded for them 
to become firm, and ripen gradually but surely. It not unfrequently 
happens that the structure in which they have been growing contains 
plants that must be shaded more than is really good for the plants in 
question. It is difficult to suit the requirements of all exactly where 
mixed collections of plants are grown in the same house, and to 
subject the whole contents of such a structure to conditions suitable 
for the proper development of one species or variety would never do 
unless they largely predominated, and their treatment had to be 
considered before that of the remaining occupants. Under such 
conditions it is very difficult to grow the whole of the plants well, but 
a very large share of success can be attained if the sorting system is 
followed. The whole of these plants do not complete their growth 
at the same time, therefore to treat them as they should be treated 
