18 
THE FLORIST AND POMOLOGIST. 
[ JANUARY, 
same nail. Cuba bast or some of those modern substitutes for it is all that is 
necessary for fastening trees ; we have not used a shred for many years. The 
expense of shreds and nails saved by systematic training is no mean item, and the 
saving of labour is also of considerable moment. 
I should consider it now-a-days a special treat to visit a garden where all 
the walls were quite covered by well-trained healthy fruit-bearing trees. It 
is as much credit to a cultivator to have his trees in good order, as anything 
else in connection with a garden. 
A few years ago I visited a large garden which bore a wide reputation for 
finely-managed wall-trees, but great was my disappointment when I saw the pear 
walls entirely clothed with branches scarcely four inches apart, and was told they 
seldom carried heavy crops, though they flowered well. The reason was not far 
to seek. The gardener (who had lately come to the place) was taking advantage 
of every opportunity to reduce the number of branches to at least one-half, and 
what I admired as much as his skill, he was renovating the whole place without 
censuring his predecessor in any way, relying on works rather than words. It 
is much to be wished that such a spirit was more common among gardeners, when 
they succeed men who have laboured in the same field. As it is, we may often 
put down the snarling of one practitioner at his predecessor’s labours, as an excuse 
for his own want of ability.—M. Temple, Blenheim Palace. 
LATE PEACH DESSE TARDIVE. 
can recommend the above as a good late variety, later than any others we 
have on the open wall. The tree is of vigorous growth, and appears to 
stand the spring frosts better than many other sorts. On a young tree, 
we had some very fine fruit, not only as regards size and colour, but also 
flavour; these were ripe on October 12th, and from their sound and good 
quality, I am persuaded they would have kept for some time after pulling if 
required, had they been put in a proper place.—A. Henderson, Tlioresly. 
WATERING COOL ORCHIDS. 
HE note in the last number of the Florist with reference to the Cool 
Orchids at Trentham is a very interesting one, but the part which refers 
to the use of cold water, summer and winter, is calculated to mislead young 
or inexperienced cultivators. The plain fact given, namely, that the 
Trentham plants are healthy and vigorous in spite of the use of cold water, does 
not prove that it is the best for them; indeed, I fully believe from my own 
experience, and from the experience of others, in the culture of these plants, that 
the Trentham plants would have been better in every way had tepid water been 
supplied to them. I am fully convinced that no class of plants (excepting 
Aquatics, of course) requires more water than the cool-growing Odontoglots, 
Orchids, and Masdevallias. One famous grower of these plants plunges the pots 
in a yessel of tepid water, and holds them there until the compost has become 
