194 
JOURNAL OF HORTICULTURE AND COTTAGE GARDENER. 
[ March 9, 188 J. 
place in any collection. It is a very dwarf species, the pseudo- 
bolbs being little more than an inch in height. The leaves, which 
are produced in pairs, are short and leathery. The raceme springs 
from the base of the old pseudo-bulbs, and bears, as a rule, three 
flowers, each about 1^ inch across. The sepals and petals are pure 
white, but the lip has a yellow blotch in front, and the side lobes, 
which curve inwards, are beautifully pencilled with golden yellow. 
Like C. odoratissima, which it much resembles in size and habit, 
this species requires an intermediate temperature. It may be grown 
on rafts, but succeeds better in small pans suspended from the roof. 
A compost of sphagnum and fibrous peat and a liberal supply of 
water at the roots are its principal requirements. A small plant is 
at present flowering in the cool Orchid house at Kew.—A. B. 
PACKING GARDEN PRODUCE. 
[Concluded from page 170.) 
In packing vegetables, Turnips, Onions, Carrots, and Radishes 
are put together in one hamper ; young Cabbages, Cauliflowers, 
and Lettuces in another, the latter being invariably uppermost, as 
they are easily damaged ; Cauliflowers are packed between these 
and Cabbages. Peas, if plentiful, may be packed separately, or 
any space left is filled with Broad Beans. Generally Spinach is 
placed with Cucumbers, Vegetable Marrows, and Globe Artichokes, 
the latter being a vegetable which does not travel well unless care¬ 
fully packed. Parsley, Mustard, Cress, Mint, and other herbs are 
put where space can be found for them. I endeavour to fill one 
hamper with flat bottomed, square punnets, in which there are 
Mushrooms, Tomatoes, and similar small things. A piece of paper 
is tied round and over each punnet. Small boxes, containing choice 
flowers, are packed with the punnets. It is not necessary to line all 
the hampers with paper, but a sheet ought to be placed on the top 
of the contents of each. It costs but little to do this, and the neat¬ 
ness secured is certainly worth the expense. 
In general I think there is more care taken to ensure trans¬ 
mission of fruit so that it reaches its destination in good condition, 
than there is with either vegetables or flowers. For common 
fruits, such as Gooseberries and Currants, the punnets mentioned 
above are requisitioned. They are also employed for Melons. 
Each Melon is enveloped in packing material, and a punnet 
placed over each end ; a string tied twice round keeps the punnets 
from moving. Grapes arrive in perfect condition, packed, as I 
shall describe, in a small hamper, which is first of all thickly lined 
with stout paper. The hamper is then placed in a sloping position, 
and the bunches put closely together until full. Cavities are filled 
with thin paper, and a few sheets of stout paper are placed on 
top next to the lid. At one time I used partitioned flat boxes for 
Peaches, but I find that open flat boxes do as well. It is not 
desirable to pack ripe Peaches without first swathing each in 
wadding. The lid of each box is tied down with string. 
Regarding cut flowers, the chief points to observe are these : 
Select blooms which do not flag quickly or fall to pieces on the 
journey. Gather only those that are young, and fresh in the 
morning, and place the stems for two hours in clean water. There 
is quite a number of good flowers which cannot be depended upon 
to travel; some of these are Pelargoniums, Spiraeas, and Mimulus. 
The blooms of double Ivy-leaved Pelargoniums, which are so pretty 
in vase decorations, even when gummed cannot be depended upon to 
hold together. It is, therefore, wise to reject all flowers about 
which there is any doubt whatever. Unfortunately, it does not 
always rest with the gardener to select, and occasionally special 
flowers are asked for, and these, no matter how unsuitable, must 
be sent. However, it is satisfactory that very many choice flowers 
are suitable, and these ought to be preferred. The propriety of 
choosing only young blooms is apparent when it is considered that 
they are superior to old ones ; they arrive at their destination in 
better condition, and they last longer. The blooms of many plants 
are, indeed, better cut before they are fully developed, and all such 
ought to be chosen at the latter stage. A select list of such com¬ 
prises Tulips, Narcissi, Irises, early Gladioli, Sweet Peas, Arums, 
Rhododendrons, Paeonies, Roses, Anemones, Eucharis, and Lilies ; 
also some Orchids, as, for example, Dendrobiums. Orchid flowers 
ought to be cut when newly opened. During hot weather blooms 
apparently fresh fade quickly if left too long a time on the plant. 
Soaking the stems in water is beneficial from the fact that the 
cells are by this means charged with water, and the flowers conse¬ 
quently keep fresh much longer. Generally speaking, it is unad 
visable to sprinkle water on flowers. If the atmosphere is dry and 
the weather hot, it is a better method to dip the boxes in water. 
Sometimes instead I place a layer of wet paper underneath, and 
then between it and the flowers one or more sheets of dry paper. 
An essential part of good ^packing is to do it so that blooms are 
neither crushed nor bruised. The medium between too close and 
over-loose packing is arrived at alone by practice ; but whilst that 
is the case there are methods which obviate much of the evil 
effects of either. One of these consists in tying flowers in bunches. 
A few kinds are not amenable to bunching, but mostly all good 
flowers are. Short-stemmed blooms require only one tie, those 
with long stems two. All the flowers in each bunch must face one 
way. Three to six Arums make a bunch, six of Emperor Narcissus, 
and twelve blooms of the poeticus section. The foliage of some 
plants is best tied with the bloom ; in this way Lily of the Valley, 
Tulips, and Roses are arranged. Previous to any flowers being 
placed in the box or hamper, the receptacle is lined with stout 
paper. There is no better available non-conducting material than 
paper, hence its value. Fine thin paper is employed to pack 
among choice flowers. Such a difficult flower as the Eucharis 
travels safely with nothing but this fine paper placed between and 
above the petals. Light boxes and hampers are tied in twos and 
in threes ; but in no case is one parcel made too heavy or too bulky 
for rapid handling. 
The plants invariably sent to “ town ” are foliage kinds only. 
When tall they have to be packed in a slanting position to enable 
them to pass under viaducts ; large plants are always heavy, and 
the only means of sending these without receiving damage is to 
pack securely. Here, also, paper is solely used. If a Palm is sent 
a stout stick is first put in the pot, to the stick all the leaves are 
tied separately, and paper is then wound firmly round and tied on. 
Plants of Ficus elastica do not require the foliage tied ; beginning 
at the base of the plant the leaves are pressed close to the stem, 
and are kept there by means of sheets of paper, which when put 
on are tied in a few places. Aspidistras and Maidenhair Ferns are 
examples of plants which as a rule are sent without being first tied 
up in paper. Strong crates are used for carrying purposes. The 
plants are first of all packed closely together and the pots protected 
by means of straw. Then the larger plants are tied together and the 
smaller ones in turn secured to these. Packed in this way they 
arrive at the end of the journey in perfect condition.—R. P. B. 
PROTECTING FRUIT BLOSSOMS. 
The casual observer cannot but have noticed that there is a 
great difference in the bearing of fruit trees. This may be due to 
various causes other than variety, as location and culture, for the 
blossoms of fruit trees vary in hardiness. Large flabby blossoms 
on young sappy wood are more liable to suffer from frost than 
sturdy flowers borne on well matured harder wood ; in fact, adapta¬ 
tion of a variety to the environment depends greatly upon 
acclimatisation and cultivation. If an Apple tree is planted in 
rich, deep, damp ground on the flat, and another of the same variety 
is planted wholly above the surrounding level, there is a difference 
in the hardiness of the blossoms of the two trees. Those of the 
tree placed in the level ground are perhaps larger, thinner, and 
softer in texture, expand widely to receive and condense aqueous 
vapour into dew, which soon passes into hoar frost, and the conse¬ 
quence is they are easily crippled or destroyed. On the other 
hand, the blossoms of the tree on the mound are bold, sturdy, and 
leathery ; not being succulent, the invisible moisture of the atmo¬ 
sphere is not condensed quickly by them, because they are compara¬ 
tively warm and dry. The cold causes the nerve-like ducts of the 
cells in the petals to contract and fold over the organs of fructifica¬ 
tion, which encloses relatively warmer and drier air, so that less 
dew is deposited on the blossoms, and they longer and better resist 
frosts. In brief, cultivation has an important bearing on the 
hardiness or otherwise of fruit tree blossom. Varieties, however, 
vary in hardiness of blossom. Breda, Royal, and Blenheim Apri¬ 
cots are hardier as trees and in blossom than Moor Park and its 
varieties ; whilst the Syrian variety, Kaisha, sets and brings more 
fruit to perfection in a given space than any other Apricot. There 
is no Cherry so hardy in blossom as Corone (Hertfordshire 
Black), and its petals hug the stamens and pistil on a cold frosty 
night. 
The difference in the hardiness of the blossom of Pears 
is remarkable. Crawford, Lammas, Hessle, Beurre Capiaumont, 
Fertility, and Swan’s Egg may be less gaudy than most varieties 
when in bloom, but they are generally loaded with fruit when 
Williams’ Bon Chretien and others have the merest sprinkling. 
Comte de Lamy produces sturdy blossoms at the points of 
the well-set growths, and it is not only the best flavoured of all 
Pears, but the most certain constant cropper. It is much the same 
with Plums, Rivers’ Prolific defies the elements that causes Orleans 
to cast its frosted fruit in shoals ; Victoria is burdened with fruit 
where Goliath and Prince of Wales collapse. In Apples there is 
no comparison of the tender blossomed with the hardy. 
There are differences, therefore, in the hardiness of fruit tree 
blossoms ; they may be slight, yet sufi&cient to account for failure 
