578 
JOURNAL OF HORTICULTURE AND COTTAGE GARDENER. 
[ December 0, 1886. 
might turn their attention to this section with advantage. The 
Hardy Green Hammersmith is still the best Cabbage variety for 
winter use, and the Bath or Brown Cos is the hardiest in this divi¬ 
sion. Hardy's Northern King is newer, but it does not fold well, 
and we do not like it on that account. The Reading Mammoth 
White is a giant; it is the largest of all, very tender, and a grand 
big Lettuce; and Webb’s Monstrous White Cos is of high merit. 
We were long in favour of the Paris White and Green Cos varieties, 
but have given them up to make room for those named. 
Of Leeks we have tried many, and our experience of 1886 has 
led us to say that in future our main crop will consist of Sutton’s 
Prizetaker. We have had several prizes for it lately, but had we 
trusted to the other varieties grown we would not have been “ in the 
money." The Lyon, and several other specials I could name, have a 
bad habit of coming with a round Onion-like end, and this, in my 
opinion, spoils them ; but the Prizetaker is alike thick from root to 
leaf, and is of the very best quality. We weighed some of our 
specimens early in September, and they turned the scales at 3 lbs.—■ 
A Kitchen Gardener. 
(To be continued.) 
ORCHIDS. 
MASDEVALLIA TOVARENS1S. 
How is it that we hear so little of this elegant little plant now? 
When it was being sold at a guinea a leaf its beauty was extolled as 
regularly as the Christmas holidays, which is also the time when the 
plants are in full beauty. We have it now in full flower. The largest 
plant had on it 197 blossoms open at once—a sheet of dazzling whiteness. 
It is one of the easiest grown of Masdevallias, and now that plants of it 
can be purchased for 5s. each no one should be without it. We grow it 
in the cool house from April to October, and in the Cattleya house during 
the rest of the year. Orchids should be valued for their intrinsic beauty, 
and not because they can be sold for fabulous prices at Stevens’ sale 
rooms, whereas many persons have a notion that these high-priced plants 
in all cases are so much more beautiful. Our Masdevallia tovarensis 
would have sold for £100 four years ago, now it would not realise a 
hundred sixpences, but it is none the less beautiful because of this.— 
J. Douglas. 
[We have seen Mr. Douglas’s specimens, and they merit all he says of 
them. This Masdevallia is undoubtedly one of the most useful for winter 
flowering. The value of really good Orchids varies in proportion to their 
scarcity or abundance.] 
VANILLA. 
A lady writer in the Planter and Farmer says :—The most precious 
crop here (South Sea Islands) is Vanilla, which is both pretty and lucra¬ 
tive, being worth about 4 dols. a pound. It is a luxuriant creeper, and 
grows so freely that a branch broken off and falling on the ground takes 
root of its own accord, and it climbs all over the tall Coffee shrubs, the 
Palms, Avocado Pears, and Orange trees, and everything that comes in 
its way, growing best on living wood, the tendrils thence deriving susten¬ 
ance. It also flourishes best in unweeded grounds, the roots being thereby 
kept cool, so the steep wooded hill-side is densely matted with this fragrant 
spice, which scents the whole air ; indeed, the atmosphere of the house 
is redolent of Vanilla. It is like living in a spice box, as the pods are laid 
to dry in every available corner. They must be gathered unripe anddried 
in a moist warm place. Sometimes they are packed under layers of quilts 
to prevent them from bursting, and so lose taeir fragrant essence. All 
this sounds very pleasant, and only suggests light work. Yet in truth 
this cultivation involves most exhausting toil. The plant is an exotic ; it 
lives in these isles by the will of the planter, not by Nature’s law. In its 
native home exquisite humming birds hover over its blossoms,’therein dart¬ 
ing their long bills in search of honey, and drawing them forth clogged 
with the golden pollen which they carry to the next flower, thus doing 
Nature’s woik of fertilisation. Here the flowers have no such dainty 
wooers, and the Vanilla bears no fruit unless fertilised by human hands. 
So M. and Madame Valles and their son divide the steep hillside into 
three sections, and each morning they patiently but wearily toil up and 
d wn, up and down again, again, and again, in order to manipulate each 
blossom that has expanded during the night. “ Faire le manage des 
-fleurs ’’ as Madame Valle describes her daily task, is no sinecure ; it must 
be done during the hottest hours of the day, when any exertion is most 
exhausting. It needs a keen eye to detect each fresh blossom, and any 
neglected flower withers or drops. Each day the ripened pods must be 
gathered, and in dry weather the plants require frequent watering and 
indescribable toil. 
WASPS AND EARWIGS. 
The past season has been a peculiar one so far as my experience and 
observations have been. Last spring we had more queen wasps than ever 
I remember before the long spell of wet weather in May, which destroyed 
t ie bulk of the nests just as they were started, and the greater part of the 
queens perished with them. What nests were on dry banks or in hollow 
trees do not appear to have produced many queens for next season. 
Late in the autumn I took a nest of Vespa vulgaris for a lecture, expecting 
to obtain some hundreds of queens as in previous years, but there was 
not a single young queen, only the mother of the colony, there being a 
large quantity of males and neuters. I have not seen half a dozen young 
queens this autumn on the wing, and I am looking forward to next season 
with interest. Can anyone kindly give any explanation ? 
Earwigs have been more numerous than ever I remember, and have 
done great damage to fruit. When gathering some Keswick Codlin 
Apples for storing I found they were badly eaten, although I had not 
noticed many earwigs. I had also a tree of Worcester Pearmain Apple, 
which were every one begun, and consequently spoiled for storing. I now 
determined on trapping, and procured from the hedgerows a quantity of 
dry Hemlock stems, which were cut into lengths of about a foot. These 
I rubbed in the fruit hard, making some of the pulp adhere, and placed 
them between the forks of the branches, or fastened them to the stems by 
pliant wire, and in a few weeks I caught over 2500 earwigs, and even 
now I find they take to the traps in mild weather. On one occasion I 
counted the proceeds of my round, and found I had 382. I have 
hundreds alive now in a box with a glas3 lid, wishing to know something 
of their natural history. I always read “Entomologist’s” notes with 
interest, but never remember seeing a chapter on these two important 
enemies of gardeners. Will he kindly reply ? I shall be pleased to see 
the experience of others.—J. Hiam. 
BERRY-BEARING PLANTS. 
In addition to the Holly, which is indispensable at this time of year, 
berry-bearing plants in pots are particularly useful aDd effective for many 
forms of decoration, and are especially commendable on aocount of their 
lasting properties. Ardisia crenulata is’worth more extended culture. It 
can be raised from seed sown in heat, although they are a long time before 
they germinate, and also by cuttings from half-ripened shoots that spring 
from the stem. They should then be grown in heat and moisture until 
they are placed in 5-inch pots, a suitable size for them. From this stage 
they must have abundance of light and a good circulation of air to harden 
their wood, or they will not flower and fruit freely. When well grown 
and berried the plants are most effective as an edging to groups or for using 
singly ; in fact they can be tastefully arranged amoDgst any plants, 
Rivina humilis is very graceful, and can be used with great effect 
rising above dwarf compact plants. It naturally grows 18 inches or 
2 feet high, and its drooping bunches of Red Currant-like berries, which 
are freely produced, are very telling. This plant lasts well, and when 
it has done duty and become shabby it can be conveyed to the rubbish 
heap. It is best raised from seed, and if plants have been once grown in 
the stove, or other warm structure, seedlings are certain to spring up in 
quantity amongst the gravel or other moisture-holding material. If a few 
are potted or raised by sowing the seeds at different times a succession of 
plants can be had. 
Callicarpa purpurea is a useful plant with purple berries that are pro¬ 
duced in bunches from the axils of the leaves along the current season's 
wood. This is readily raised from cuttings of young shoots in early 
spring, but two-year-old plants berry best in pots. They should, be 
rested after the plants are shabby, then pruned well and started into 
growth in heat. During the growing season a high temperature is not 
needed, but the plants must have abundance of light to ripen the growth, 
then they will flower freely and set their berries. Although this can be 
grown very effectively in pots, it is much better when planted in a 
light warm conservatory, where it will make shoots several feet in length, 
2 or 3 feet of which will be thickly studded with small purple berries. 
Solanums are unquestionably amongst the most useful berry-bearing 
plants, for they will bear room and church decoration without much 
injury. After such treatment they only need pruning back and starting 
again into growth. Old plants produce the most berries, but good ex¬ 
amples can be grown in a season from cuttings. To grow them well in the 
northern parts of the country they must be pushed early into growth and 
the berries set in a frame before they are turned outside. This insures 
them being well berried even in the worst of seasons. No greater or 
more striking effect can be produced than a group of Chrysanthemums 
edged with well-berried Solanums, or when they are over Callas take 
their place, and the Solanums still remain good. 
The last that will be noticed are Pernettyas, and for Christmas decora¬ 
tion in pots they are equally as effective as Solanums. The newer varie¬ 
ties are dwarf and berry with great freedom, in fact some plants we have 
now have a mass of berries upon them. These can be grown outside in a 
sunny open position, and lifted and potted in autumn, and when they 
have done their duty they can be planted outside again. Any shoots that 
show signs of running away should be well knifed back. The following 
are amongst the best—Atrosanguinea, atrococcinea, atropurpurea, lilacina, 
rosea major, rubra purpurea, rosea nana, coccinea, and carnea. — A 
Northerner. 
VARIETIES OF PEACHES AND NECTARINES, AND 
TIME OF RIPENING. 
Now that preparations are being made for another season, a few 
remarks on the above may be useful. I have divided the list into two 
classes—viz., those grown as fan trees on a trellis, which are planted in 
borders in the ordinary way, and those grown as pyramid and bush trees 
in pots. It is not advisable to compare all of the two classes together 
(although all grew in the same house), because the pot trees are to a cer- 
