40S 
THE COTTAGE GARDENER. 
February 27 . 
soon as they are the size of a pea they should be 
hardened off and planted out thickly in the open 
ground. 
“ Tn the Chinese work entitled Tili-king (that is to 
say the Book of the Produce of the Earth) is the 
following passage relating to a variety of the Dioscorea, 
which appears identical with our species :—‘ When the 
root is very long, it is cut into pieces of two inches in 
length and planted.’ 
“ In the course of the year, these produce an abundance 
of seed, which is gathered and buried in the earth, in 
order to preserve it; in the spring it is taken up and 
sown in rows of prepared ground ; thus treated, the 
plants grow vigorously, and soon yield their produce. 
Liquid or strong manure must not by any means be 
used. If it be the object of the cultivator to grow a 
very large amount of produce on a small space of 
ground, the Chinese agricultural work, Nong-sang-Tsi- 
Voo (Book vi., fol. 19), gives the following directions : 
‘ Trenches or pits are dug, 10 feet long, 3 feet wide, and 
5 feet deep ; the bottom is carefully cemented over with 
tiles or bricks ; it is also advisable to brick or board up 
the sides, in order to prevent the roots of the surround¬ 
ing plants or trees from entering. The pits are then 
filled with earth mixed witli decayed manure. When 
three rows or drills are made the length of the pits, and 
the seeds or small sets planted close together, as soon as 
the plants begin to grow vigorously, they are supported 
with stakes: at the end of the year the tubers will have 
become extremely large, and with the produce of one 
pit sufficient food will be produced to support a man an 
entire year.’ 
“Again we find the following in the Wou-pen si-chon: 
— 1 A little before and after the period called Jian-chi 
(4th April), trenches are dug in ground of a sandy 
nature, 10 feet long and 2 feet deep ; a compost made 
of equal parts of earth and decayed manure is thrown 
in and covered with the surrounding earth 2 feet thick. 
Tubers are then cut into pieces of 3 to 4 inches in 
length, and planted or laid close together about six 
inches deep in the trenches. If the weather is dry, 
they may be moderately watered. After the period of 
Chouang-Kiang (2nd October), and before the ground is 
frozen, the tubers should be taken up and placed in 
cellars.” 
The high price of corn, and the consequent dis¬ 
inclination of both the manufacturers and the consumers 
of ardent spirits to have these manufactured from that 
which not only increases the price of those spirits but 
the price of bread also, by rendering corn still scarce^ 
has suggested the cultivation of the IIolcus saocharatus, 
the Sweet Soft-Grass, or, as it has been termed, “ The 
Sugar Cane of North China.” 
This reed-like Grass has long been known, and is 
cultivated, we think, for the production of Sugar in some 
districts of Nepaul, as well as in the cold districts of 
China. Mr. Henderson says :— 
“ Whilst travelling, in the autumn of last year, in 
Belgium and France, I met with the IIolcus Saccharatus, 
the properties and qualities of which I now propose to 
describe. It is not, strictly speaking, a new plant, since 
it was cultivated in Italy in the fifteenth century, where 
it was probably introduced by the Venetians and 
Genoese, during the period of the great maritime 
intercourse which then existed. It was not, however, 
known among us until about five years ago, when 
M. de Montigny, the French Consul at Shanghai, sent a 
collection of seeds to the Geographical Society at Paris, 
among which was found a packet labelled ‘Sugar-Cane 
of the North of China.” 
There is some chance of its succeeding in the milder 
parts of England ; and au estimate of its value may be 
formed from the following facts ascertained from its 
culture in France:— 
PRODUCE PER ACRE. 
Steins and Leaves, 68,938tt>s.,or more than 30 tons. 
Stems only ... 43,984tbs., ,, 19 tons. 
Juice (55 per cent, of sterns) ... 2,415 gallons. 
Sugar (8 per cent, of juice) . l,935fbs. 
Pure spirit (Alcohol, 63 per cont. of juice), 182 gallons. 
The dressed fibre of the stems from an acre, after the 
juice has been expressed, weighs four tons, and these 
are ascertained to be worth £10 per ton to the paper, 
maker. 
Those who wish for fuller information will do well to 
expend a shilling upon Mr. Henderson’s pamphlet. It 
contains abundance of information relative both to the 
Dioscorea and the IIolcus, and has a lithographed 
drawing of each plant. 
A FEW CHOICE ORCHIDS FOR JANUARY 
AND FEBRUARY. 
lx is almost needless to expatiate here on the great 
boon that is conferred upon the lover of flowers during 
the dreary winter months, by the introduction of even 
one really good winter-flowering plant; and the next 
greatest hero to him who traverses other climes to enrich 
his own country’s gardens, is he who shall rescue from 
neglect or oblivion plants which, although tolerably 
well known amongst plant men, have been cast aside 
for lack of a discriminating eye to hunt out, and, by 
high culture, develope their hidden treasures. 
It may seem presumptuous in me to chat about 
Orchids, after such excellent papers as my old friend, 
Mr. Appleby, gave us in the earlier pages of The 
Cottage Gardener ; and, in good truth, I have nothing 
particularly novel to exhibit; but we may not spend a 
whole life in simply searching out novelties,—there are 
some old-fashioned things which will bear talking about 
again and again. 
First among January Orchids, in point of utility, I 
would name the old Zyyopetalum Mackayi, so well known 
to every Orchid grower. But as our duty, in the main, 
consists in leading on those who are taking their first 
steps in gardening, we must frequently descend to what 
we consider well-known points in gardening. Let me, 
then, advise all these who have a tidy greenhouse, pretty 
well boated, and who desire to have an Orchid or two 
on which to try their hand, to get a good plau.t of the 
best variety of Zygopetaluin Mackayi. 
Nothing is more easily cultivated, providing it can 
have a warm corner in the greenhouse. This Orchid is 
none of your fastidious things which cannot bear 
contact with moist vegetable matter; it is a gross 
feeder, and revels in abundance of fibrous, peaty 
matter, providing the one great principle in all Orchid 
culture be adhered to; viz., the rapid passage of all 
moisture be duly attended to, and, as a consequence, 
the free admission of the agency of the atmosphere. 
The next in order I may name is Epidendmm 
fragrans. Many of this family are very shy, and will 
only succeed on blocks; but hero is one robust as the 
Zygopetaluin Mackayi, and nearly as gross a feeder. 
Unlike many of the family, the blossoms are not noted 
for gay colours ; but this is amply compensated for by 
its free-flowering habits in the dead of winter. 
Next, I must turn to one of the finest things amongst 
the Orchid tribes, a perfect gem— Ccelogyne cristata. If 
