422 
JOURNAL OF HORTICULTURE AND COTTAGE GARDENER. 
[ November 14, 1889. 
- We are informed that the warming and ventilating of the 
various offices and Committee rooms in connection with the new Church 
House, Westminster, have had special attention bestowed upon them. 
Thi 9 branch of the work having been executed by Messrs. J. Weeks 
and Co., King's Road, Chelsea, on the new and improved system which 
they have recently introduced, and which has given great satisfaction 
at the New Buildings, Eton College, and the numerous buildings to 
which it has been applied. 
- Cypripedium Spicerianum.— This charming Lady’s Slipper 
is a striking object just now in one of the warm houses at the Birming¬ 
ham Botanical Gardens, several splendid forms of this plant being now 
in full bloom. It is a compact small growing species with bright 
coloured flowers. Mr. Latham has raised most of these plants from 
seed, and although there is a slight variation in colour in some, the 
individuality of the species is preserved, and the plant is easily culti¬ 
vated. It is truly a little gem, and should be in every collection. 
- Eucharises. —The remarks of “A Londoner” (p. 398) anent 
the above subject calls for little comment beyond answering the question 
whether I believe in spontaneous generation. One does not necessarily 
require to be a believer in this theory to write the remarks which bring 
forth the query. That insects are generated in some plants more than 
others is a well-known fact, and my observations lead me to believe 
that certain conditions of plant life are more favourable for the growth 
of the invisible germs than others. When a plant is in a weak state 
from any unnatural cause, such as over-watering, this condition is much 
more suitable for their growth into insect life than when through proper 
management it retains its normal vigour. Many instances could be 
cited in proof of this, but it is quite unnecessary to bring forward any 
others than those already before the readers of the Journal. The two 
cases referred to in my previous communication occurred under my own 
notice, so that I can vouch for their authenticity, and the plants of 
E. Candida afford similar evidence. From the concluding sentence of 
A Londoner’s” letter there seems to be a feeling abroad that I place 
light value on Mr. Pettigrew’s ability as a gardener. Now, although I 
differ from his aquatic system of nursing baby Eucharis—to use 
“A Londoner’s” term—from what I have heard and read about the 
Castle Gardens at Cardiff they must be under excellent management, 
and I yet hope to sail across and see them when my ship comes in.— 
M. D. 
- Resting Eucharises. —In Messrs. Roberts Brothers’ great 
establishment for growing flowers for market at East Grinstead what 
may be fairly regarded as one of the finest collection of Eucharises in 
the kingdom may be seen. There are several large houses filled with 
plants, of which there must be some thousands, and they are remarkable 
for their vigour and floriferousness. “ Do you rest them periodically?” 
was a question put to Mr. Roberts. “ No,” was his reply, with a shake 
of the head ; “ I should be very sorry.” They are always moist, always 
growing, always flowering, and repotted about once in three years. 
They appear to be managed very much on Mr. Pettigrew’s system, and 
it is impossible to imagine plants in a more satisfactory condition.— 
A Londoner. 
- Peach Culture in the Open Air.—I do not think this is 
practised very zealously. I have heard many say Peaches would not 
succeed in the open, but the attempts to produce them were not re¬ 
markable, and I do not know of a single instance where the matter was 
gone into thoroughly that it did not prove a success. In our case I do 
not consider the attention is special, yet we have been gathering Peaches 
constantly from the open walls since the middle of July, when that ex¬ 
cellent early variety, Rivers’ Alexandra, gave us our first fruits. This 
was followed by Hale’s Early, then came Dr. Hogg, both good open air 
varieties. Barrington was fine during the first half of October, and Sea 
Eagle has not been long gathered. A supply of Peaches from the open 
walls for a period of four months is worth trying for, and I urge on al 
who never attempted their culture in the open to give them a trial* 
while those who never went into their culture heartily might profit by 
renewing it. Two points are absolutely essential in their treatment_ 
one being thorough drainage for the trees to ensure their health, and the 
other efficient protection of the blossom from the time it expands until 
the fruit are formed.—S outh Wales. 
■- Diseased Potatoes are generally regarded as so utterly 
worthless that they merit no treatment, but so long as they do not 
become pulpy they are valuable for pigs, and for this purpose alone they 
pay for attention. In some seasons we have thrown our small and 
diseased Potatoes into a large heap, and in a week or two afterwards 
they were only a decayed mass ; but this year we spread them out in a 
thin layer in an out-of-the-way corner under the trees, with the result 
that they are keeping some weeks longer than formerly, and the bulk of 
them will give a return in feeding.—M. 
-The Hall and Fraser Fund.—M r. Fred IJorsman writes 
*• I am pleased to inform you that the subscription up to date towards 
this Fund is upwards of £363. This week’s list includes £10 from G. C. 
Raphael, Esq.; £10 from H. Greenfield, Esq. ; and £5 53. from Jas. 
Buchanan, Esq. If you will kindly ask the gardeners to contribute 
their mites it will enable us to soon close the list.” Mr. Horsman s 
address is Hollybrook, Colchester, where subscriptions may be sent. 
- Henry Jacoby as a Winter Flowering Pelargonium.— 
This variety is well known as one of the most valuable in the flower 
garden in summer, but it is equally floriferous and showy if grown in 
6-inch pots for conservatory decoration in winter. Some plants of it 
propagated last May, grown in the open in pots and never allowed to 
bloom until now, are opening many huge trusses, while many more are 
appearing. From past and present experience of all the Pelargoniums 
we have tried for winter flowering this one is the best. 
- Medlars are a heavy crop. We only gather them when there 
is danger of their being injured by frost, and they are often on our trees 
in November. When taken in, we spread them out in a cool shed, and 
allow them to remain there until they become soft, when some are used 
for dessert, but the bulk are converted into a delicious jelly. 
-Judging Vegetables at the Late Edinburgh Show.— 
“ North Countryman ” writes : “ Vegetables always create much interest 
at Edinburgh, especially amongst professionals, and the exhibits in this 
section on a show day are judged (unofficially) hundreds of times over ; 
but although I have attended these shows for many years, I have never 
been more puzzled to follow the judges than I was at the recent Show. 
Extreme size or coarseness were the only features I could see that they 
had recognised. The largest Onions irrespective of quality were first. 
Large dibble-formed Cucumbers were preferred to those of a compact 
type with little or no neck. In the leading collection of vegetables the 
same Cucumbers were prominent as one dish, another was composed of 
wrinkled Carrots, badly matched, that would not have gained a fourth 
prize in a Carrot class. A third dish was two Vegetable Marrows, 
mottled in character and of no recognised type, and a fourth dish was 
equally unsuitable for a gentleman’s table, being two monster Cabbages 
of the Winningstadt form, and these were four of the dishes in the col¬ 
lection of twelve sorts that won the Veitch Memorial medal on the first 
occasion of its being offered for vegetables in Scotland.” 
- Bullrushes for W inter Decoration.— What is more pleas¬ 
ing for artistic decoration of vases and rooms in winter than Bullrushes 1 
Few have an opportunity of seeing them growing naturally in their 
swampy homes, and this is probably why they are so much valued artifi¬ 
cially, but in many cases they are too late in being cut, and they are not 
long in becoming fluffy in the heads, and falling to pieces after being 
introduced to warm rooms. To avoid this they should always be cut 
before. November, or a little before they become ripe, then the heads 
harden and remain intact for many months. 
- Michaelmas Daisies. —Even hardy flowers become scarce 
under the climatal conditions of October and November, and the 
majority of plants that were formerly bright assume a worn-out aspect, 
but that is the season when Michaelmas Daisies appear in their best form, 
and a collection of them is most valuable. The habit of all the varieties 
is good, the flowers varied in size and colour, although of the same form, 
and, cut or uncut, they charm all who come in contact with them. They 
should be grown in every garden.— Practitioner. 
- It has been generally supposed that the Mango weevil in¬ 
fests the pulp of the fruit, but in a letter read at a recent meeting of 
the Committee of the Agri-Horticultural Society of Madras from Mr. 
C. I. Denton, forwarding specimens of Mangoes, called by the Canarese 
the Bee Mango, he states that the peculiarity of the fruit is that the 
stone contains a bee existing on the kernel. Specimens of the insect 
were forwarded by the Madras Agri-Horticultural Society to Mr. Coates 
of the Indian Museum, who identified them as Cryptorhynchus magni- 
fera, the Mango weevil, whose normal habitation is in the pulp of the 
fruit, and not within the stone. The fruit sent to the Society was care¬ 
fully examined, and the pulp was, in every case, free from the insect, 
which was only discovered when the stones from which the pulp had 
been removed were broken open. 
