330 
JOURNAL OF HORTICULTURE AND COTTAGE GARDENER. 
TRADE CATALOGUES RECEIVED. 
W. & J. Birkenhead, Sale.— Fern List. 
H. Cannell & Song, Swanley, Kent.— Booh of Reference in Ilorti- 
culture. 
Gilbert Davidson, Ammanford, South Wales.— Dutch Bulbs, 
E. P. Dixon & Son, Hull.— General Nursery Stock. 
W. H. Gabb, Small Heath, Birmingham.— Violas and Pansies. 
W. Paul & Son, Waltham Cross.— Catalogue of Roses. 
C. R. Shilling, Winchfield.— Bulbous Roots, Shrubs, and Trees. 
W. B. Tidy, Brockhampton Nurseries, Havant.— Bulb Catalogue. 
All correspondence should be directed either to “ The 
Editor or to “ The Publisher.’' Letters addressed to 
Dr. Hogg or members of the staff often remain unopened 
unavoidably. We request that no one will write privately 
to any of our correspondents, as doing so subjects them to 
unjustifiable trouble and expense. 
Correspondents should not mix up on the same sheet questions 
relating to Gardening and those on Bee subjects, and should 
never send more than two or three questions at once. All 
articles intended for insertion should be written on one side of 
the paper only. We cannot reply to questions through the post, 
and we do not undertake to return rejected communications. 
Yellow Ground Carnations (^Single-handed'). —In addition to the 
varieties named in your list the following among the best grown by 
Mr. J. Douglas are excellent. Louis Phillipe, Due d’Orleans, Miss Audrey 
Campbell, Acteur, Lord Rosebery, and Ladas. 
Red Spider in Greenhouse (J. S. Ashington). —If this pest is 
infesting the plants badly an insecticide will be necessary. We have 
found those which are advertised answer their purpose when rightly 
used according to instructions. Clean all woodwork by scrubbing with 
hot water, using plenty of soap, and give walls and flues a thorough lime¬ 
washing. Avoid crowding plants, and remember that plants in such a 
house require close attention to keeping the leaves clean by sponging 
and syringing, and the ventilators should be opened daily when the 
weather is suitable. 
Xilftlng- Vines (E, B.). —Whether Vines can be lifted or not to 
grow without receiving a severe check depends on (1) their age, (2) the 
condition, and (3) the position of the roots. If your Vines are rooting in 
an inside and outside border, the latter may be renewed this autumn, 
the former another year. If the roots are wholly outside and the Vines 
old they would sustain a check that would prejudice the next season’s 
crop of Grapes. Turfy loam of medium texture, with a tenth part of 
crushed lime rubbish and wood ashes, adding a sprinkling of an 
advertised Vine manure, in quantity advised by the vendor, would form a 
suitable compost. 
Forming- a Privet Hedge (H. B.C.). —It will certainly be advisable 
to follow the plan you suggest. Dig or trench the ground fully a yard 
wide, mixing with the soil some well-decayed manure. Plant in 
November bushy specimens of the evergreen variety with good roots 
6 inches apart. Cut it down in the spring to within 6 inches of the ground 
when the buds begin swelling, trimming in the sides. This will cause 
the plants to branch freely and become dense at the base. Trim the 
sides a little in August; in fact, cut them back so as to form a base of 
not more than 9 to 12 inches width, slightly tapering upwards, and in 
September cut off the top, the mere tips only, so as to form an even 
height. This will be determined by the lowest parts, which will pro¬ 
bably be 18 to 24 inches high. The following year the hedge will 
advance rapidly, and may be treated as in the previous year, when a 
hedge will be had about a yard high, but it is well not to let it grow too 
tall without heading, otherwise it will be weak. About a foot height is 
sufficient to gain in each year after the first up to a height of 3 feet, and 
then 6 inches gain each year until it is of the height required. A hedge 
may be had quicker by planting 2 to 3 feet bushy plants, merely trim¬ 
ming in their irregular side and top growths. 
Treatment of Thunlas (A. R. J.). —The fragment of Orchid sent 
is either Thunia alba or T. Bensonite. These Orchids are identical in 
habit, the first named producing white, and the latter purple flowers. 
The genus Thunia has by some authorities been merged into Phaius, 
but for garden purposes it is more convenient to retain the old name. 
Thunias are deciduous Orchids with erect, leafy, stem-like pseudo-bulbs, 
and the flowers are produced from the apices of these in loose racemes 
during the summer months. The pseudo-bulbs of Phaius proper are 
usually roundish or ovate, with large ornamental foliage. The culture 
of Thunias is very simple. The plants should be repotted in spring in a 
compost consisting of good fibry loam, peat, chopped sphagnum, and 
finely broken potsherds. Good drainage is essential, and water must be 
QCtober 4,1894 
very sparingly applied at first; when the young growths commence 
emitting roots more will be required, and after the pots are filled occa¬ 
sional applications of weak liquid manure are of great assistance. If 
the plants are strong and grown in a good light they should flower 
about midsummer. When the blossoms fade and the foliage begins to 
lose colour the plants must be gradually dried until all is fallen, when 
no more water will be required until growth recommences in spring. 
Thinning: Iiarch Plantation (A, B. C,). —As you suggest the 
Larch will now be suitable for stakes and various useful purposes, and 
the first thinning should be effected as soon as practicable. The trees 
being planted so thickly, it will be necessary to cut away about one- 
fourth of the worst shaped and ill placed, or, if the trees are very 
vigorous and require more room for their healthy development, it may be 
necessary to thin out more freely, always bearing in mind that excessive 
thinnings are more injurious than beneficial; at the same time the thinning 
must be efficient, allowing top space for those that remain, so as to 
insure a sturdy growth. Where the trees have grown most they should be 
thinned most, and vice versa. At the next thinning, say in three years 
hence, the trees will be suitable for rails and general fencing purposes. 
Therefore it is not advisable to thin too severely at first, but whilst con¬ 
sidering the ultimate good of the trees, keep in view the utility of the 
thinnings, as they may be of little use at first, but if left a little longer 
(without prejudice to those that would remain after thinning), their 
value would be considerably enhanced. Judgment must be exercised, 
removing in the first instance the most unsatisfactory in growth. 
Plptanthus nepalensls (Amateur). —You have been correctly 
informed ; the Evergreen Laburnum is the popular name which has 
been not inaptly applied to this rare and little-known Indian shrub ; 
but though it bears some resemblance to one of our most common 
and beautiful flowering trees, yet it can be easily distinguished from 
it at a glance by the most casual observer, and attractive though ic 
be it cannot rival its more floriferous relative in effectiveness. Still 
it is one of those numerous old inhabitants of our gardens that deserve 
to be rescued from the obscurity and neglect into which they have 
fallen owing to the continued and extended introduction of novelties. 
It is of branching habit, but not bushy, and seems to need support of 
some kind, as it has a rather straggling appearance. Trained to a 
wall it succeeds well, and is very pretty during May and early June, as 
it flowers abundantly when in good condition. In a few establishments 
it may be occasionally seen, but it is far from being common. It is 
quite hardy in most parts of England. It needs the protection of a wall 
in the northern or colder districts; but in the south it is rarely injured, 
even if planted in the open. The name given above is the one by which 
it is best known, but it has several synonyms, Baptisia nepalensis being 
one that is occasionally seen, and more rarely Thermopsis nepalensis and 
T. laburnifolia. 
Eugenia TTgnl (II. P.). —This plant is a native of Chili, and has 
been long known under the name of Myrtus Ugni. In Chili the natives 
call it Ugni, and the Spaniards Murtilla. The juice is expressed from 
the fruit and mixed with water, furnishing a very refreshing drink, with 
somewhat the odour of Rosemary. The fruit is the size of a large Black 
Currant somewhat flattened, and of a brownish red colour. The pulp 
is light-coloured, soft, and juicy, with singular mixture of a sweet and 
spicy flavour, which is very agreeable. It is cultivated in gardens 
and used in the dessert by the inhabitants of Valparaiso. Other species 
of Eugenia which yield fruits of some use are the following : The fruit 
of E. pseudopsidium, which grows on the mountains of Martinico, is 
held in great esteem in the West Indies, where it is called Gouyavier 
batard. A decoction of the leaves of B. cheken is said to care 
diseases of the eye. The bark is so astringent as to render a decoc- 
tson of it of great use in cases of dysentery. The seeds of E. tabasco 
are used as a condiment. Jamaica Pepper, or Allspice, is the fruit of 
E. Pimento, a native of the Carribbee Islands, and now cultivated also 
in the East Indies. It is a handsome tree about 30 feet high, with a 
straight trunk much branched above, with dense evergreen foliage. 
Soon after the trees have blossomed the berries become fit for gathering, 
without being suffered to ripen, as when ripe they are moist and 
glutinous, and therefore difficult to cure, and when dried become black 
and tasteless. The berries are dried by spreading them on a terrace 
exposed to the sun for about seven days, during which time they 
gradually lose their green colour and become of a reddish-brown. They 
have a fragrant odour, which is supposed to resemble that of a mixture 
of Cinnamon, Cloves, and Nutmeg, and hence the name of Allspice by 
which they are known. 
Wtalte-fio-nrered Orchids (Amateur), —You are right in assuming 
that white varieties of Orchids are most in demand and realise fairly 
good prices, while sometimes the ordinary type of the species may be 
only worth a few shillings, as in Lycas’e Skinneri, the white variety 
alba is sold for as many guineas. Of the eheaper white-flowered 
Orchids, such as Odontoglossum Alexandra, Coelogyne cristata, apd 
Phalanopsis grandiflora, many are now being grown for market, and, 
together with the coloured Dendrobium nobile, make a feature in the 
florists’ windows in Covent Garden Market. The following is a selection 
of the best white-flowered Orchids :—Aeranthus Leonis, Angracums, 
Anguloa eburnea, Calanthe Turneri nivalis, Cattleya Dominiana alba, 
C. Percivaliana alba, C. Skinneri alba, Coelogyne cristata alba, 
Cymbidium eburneum, Cypripedium niveum, C. Sedeni candidulum, 
Dendrobium Deari (very useful), D. infundibulum, D. formosum, 
D. Jamesianum, Lalia albida, L. anceps alba, and other varieties ; 
L. elegans alba, Lycaste Skinneri alba, L. Harrisonia alba, Masdevallia 
tovarensis, Odontoglossum Alexandra, 0. Pescatorei, 0. pulchellum. 
