250 
JOURNAL OF HORTICULTURE AND COTTAGE GARDENER. 
f March 28, 1889. 
that time it showed not the least inclination to terminate its season 
of flowering, and, even if no more had been produced, it must have 
continued to the end of this month, probably much longer. 
The plant possesses a sturdy, upright, and compact habit of 
growth, and branches freely at every joint until it shows its first 
buds ; after that it is covered with flowers. We have only one 
plant, but were evidently fortunate enough to hit upon the exact 
mode of culture it likes, and I append a few particulars of our 
treatment, as they may be of service to others who are growing 
this Begonia for the first time. 
The cutting, a very small one, was obtained on April 17th of 
last year, and was inserted in a 2-inch pot in a propagating case in 
a warm house. When rooted through to the sides of the pot we 
removed the plants to a light but shaded position on a shelf near 
the glass at the back of the Cucumber house, where it soon com¬ 
menced growing freely, but, having taken so long to root, did not 
require potting until the middle of July, when it was shifted into 
a 3^-inch pot and returned to the same quarters On September 
24th it was again shifted, this time into a 5^-inch pot, which size 
would be found very suitable for most purposes, and the plants can 
be conveniently accommodated on a shelf near the glass better than 
if in larger pots. 
When at its best our plant was more than 2 feet high and 
15 inches through at the base, forming a small pyramid-shaped 
mass of bright rosy flowers, which contrast admirably with the 
bronzy green cordate leaves of this variety. 
The soil used consisted of two parts peat, two parts loam, one 
part leaf soil, with a fair addition of charcoal broken small, and 
sand. The temperature ranged from 65° to 70° at night, with a 
rise of 5° or 10° by day during the early stages of its growth, 
gradually falling to 60° at night, with a proportionate rise by day in 
November and December. 
Gloire de Sceaux is undoubtedly one of the finest of recently 
introduced flowering plants, and in my opinion is destined to 
become a universal favourite when it is better known. A few 
more varieties equally good in every respect and of different 
colours—say, for instance, a white and a crimson—would suffice, 
with the subject of these notes, to produce a truly splendid show of 
flowers at a time of the year when flowers are scarce.—C. L., 
Bristol. 
CANKER IN FRUIT TREES—CHEMICAL 
MANURES. 
I cannot concede that “W.’s” plan of curing cankered trees 
“ is the simplest, most economical, and satisfactory method of 
dealing with the great evil in question.” If the treatment with 
manure succeeds—and “ W.” admits that after closely inspecting 
my trees he was “ able to record that the canker in them appeared 
in every case to have been arrested ”—it is more simple and 
economical, and no one can doubt that it is more satisfactory, as it 
does not involve the substitution of one variety for another. What 
satisfactory successor could be found to a Ribston Pippin ? Is it not 
worth while to make an attempt to maintain that old favourite in a 
collection, even if the attempt involves an innovation so repugnant 
to the notions of many good gardeners as the use of a chemical 
manure ? 
I must again try to make more clear what is a chemical manure, 
as your correspondents seem to attach an unnatural meaning to the 
term. All manures, whatever may be their source—animal, vege¬ 
table, or mineral—are chemical. Chemistry deals with matter in all 
its forms, relations, combinations, decompositions, &c., therefore 
stable and similar manures are in every respect as much chemical 
as those commonly called artificial, composed of salts, minerals, &c. 
The former, while owing their fertility to precisely the same salts, 
minerals, &c., as the latter, have this serious drawback, that more 
than 97 per cent, of the whole, mainly composed of water and 
carbon, being profligate or useless associates, only add to the cost of 
the application to the soil. All manures derive their fertilising 
properties from the same elements. The only difference between 
artificial and stable manure is the relative proportion of fertilising 
elements contained in them. 
“ W.” states that he regenerated a favourite Ribston Pippin by 
removing two cartloads of the old soil and replacing it with fresh 
compost largely composed of wood ashes. I thank him much for 
this evidence, as it so strongly confirms my views. “ W.” replaced 
soil exhausted by the Apple tree with fresh soil highly manured 
with one of the most complete of chemical foods for plants. Wood 
ashes, unfortunately, cannot generally be procured in sufficient 
quantity, or the gardening world would not have been troubled 
with my formula, as I believe they are a perfect substitute for it. 
Though I may not convince “ W.,” allow me to assure him that 
a surface sprinkling of artificial manure will, with an ordinary rain¬ 
fall, fertilise the soil for 2 feet or more, and increase the growth 
of surface roots to a surprising extent. I have often been in¬ 
terested and amused at the rapid emission of root fibres all over 
the surface soil of a pot immediately after it has been dressed with 
artificial manure. So far from such manure not penetrating the 
soil, there is great danger of the loss of nitrogenous elements by 
an application too early in a wet season, when they are carried away 
by the drains before the plant has derived from them the full 
benefit. Nothing in my theory implies that the ordinary rules for 
maintaining the proper mechanical condition of the soil may be 
neglected, therefore the allusion to the “soapy condition” is beside 
the question. 
I do not assert that a tree which is naturally a weak grower will 
by appropriate food become a strong grower, but I maintain that 
such food will make it a healthy tree. “ W.” asserts that the 
healthy growth of a grafted tree is the result of the graft reacting 
on the roots, and restoring them from a checked and paralysed 
condition. But what caused this condition ? Not the canker, 
because, according to “ W.,” this disease is the consequence of the 
root paralysis. 
I do not understand why the roots of a tree apparently healthy 
should become so affected. The majority, if not all, of my trees 
immediately before they were attacked by canker were growing 
strongly, and seemed to be in perfect health. Perhaps it may not 
be easy to find out exactly the special elements required by each 
variety of plant or tree to make up the deficiencies in the soil, but 
it is not so difficult when we have an analysis of their ashes ; if not,, 
we must use a complete manure, containing all the ingredients 
generally necessary for perfect plant growth, and these are now 
well known. “ W .’s ” visit was to me a great pleasure, and although 
we might differ on a few minor points, generally we were in perfect 
accord, and I derived much instruction from the narration of his. 
varied experiences. 
Mr. Brotherston is unreasonable. He asks me to explain certain 
phenomena relating to particular trees, while he does not state the 
exact circumstances of each, and because I do not rashly venture an 
explanation founded on my imagination of them, he assumes I have 
no knowledge about such cases. Certain mechanical conditions of 
soil are necessary for perfect growth ; given these, the most barren 
soil, provided it be free from poisonous matter or sandy unculti¬ 
vated links, may, by the application of the proper quantity of the 
necessary elements of the plant, become as fertile as cultivated 
alluvial soil. The only advantage of the latter soil, leaving climate 
out of the question, is that it contains naturally what has to be 
supplied to the former, consequently it can be cultivated at much 
less expense.— Edmund Tonks. 
CERTOPODIUM SAINTLEGERIANUM. 
This beautiful and showy Orchid has been in bloom for the 
last five weeks in the collection of A. H. Smee, Esq., The Grange, 
Hackbridge. Professor Reichenbach named it in honour of the 
discoverer, Mons. de St. Leger, who found it in Central Paraguay. 
It is now considered to be only a very fine form of C. punctatum. 
The flowers are yellow, heavily barred and spotted with brown, 
produced on tall branching spikes, and at the base of each branch 
are large bracts of the same colour as the flowers. Cyrtopodiums 
are deserving of a place in the most select collection of Orchids 
where they can be treated to the heat of the East Indian house. 
To grow them well they should have plenty of pot room and a 
compost of fibrous loam and peat, with a little chopped sphagnum 
and crocks broken small. During the season of growth the plants 
are greatly benefited by occasional supplies of weak liquid manure, 
and water should be given freely to the roots. When growth is 
complete very little water is necessary. Mr. Smee’s plants are 
treated in the manner described, and they seldom fail to bloom 
satisfactorily, more than a hundred flowers being open on a spike 
at the same time. The long graceful leaves are ornamental, and 
render the plants very attractive even when not in bloom. 
DENDROBIUM NOBILE INTERMEDIUM. 
This pretty variety, which is nearly white, except the crimson 
spot in the centre of the lip, is, in company with the well-known 
typical form, flowering most profusely in the houses at Croydon 
Lodge, the residence of Stephenson Clarke, Esq. Lycaste Skinneri 
