I 
98 
THE COTTAGE GARDENER. 
Calanthe ocliracea ; nice yellowish flowers, on several 
] spikes. 
Cymbidium eburneum. This is a rare and very fine 
species, with pure white sepals and petals, and the lip 
of a rich orange-yellow; flowers large and very fragrant, 
and lasting a long time in bloom. 
Gypripedium caudatum (Tailed C.). A very curious 
and handsome species; the petals are lengthened out to 
the great length of 20 inches, hanging down from the 
main body of the flower below the edge of the pot. The 
colour generally is of a pale straw, with brownish spots 
inside the slipper-like lip. 
Cyrtocliilum maculatum ; a handsome species with 
numerous flowers. 
Dendrobium Devonianum; a most delicately beautiful 
sjrecies, the flowers of which are so elegant as not to 
i seem “ a flower of earth, but of heaven.” 
Dendrobium Jenkinsii. This pretty little plant had 
upwards of twenty of its beautiful orange-yellow blos- 
! sums. 
; Dendrobium nobile; a well known, beautiful species; 
i an immense plant, with numerous flowers. 
Dendrobium moniliforme; a beautiful, rosy-coloured 
species, with 10 or 12 spikes. 
Dendrobium clmjsotoxum (Golden flowered D.); very 
fine. 
Epidendrum selUgerum purpureum ; dark flowers on a 
long spike; very fragrant. 
Leptotes bicolor; had 40 blooms upon it. 
Lycuste Harrisoniana; a good old species, well 
flowered. 
Miltonia cuneata. Excepting M. Karmnksii this is 
the finest of the genus, with large, elegant, white and 
yellow flowers; several spikes. 
Odontoglossum Cervantesii, 0. major, and O. roseum. 
Beautiful plants to grow on blocks; they were well 
bloomed. 
Odontoglossum pulchellum; growing in a pot, pro¬ 
ducing several spikes of pure white flowers, with the lip 
tinged with yellow, and spotted with crimson; delicately 
fragrant, and lasting long in bloom. 
Odontoglossum cordatum; new and beautiful. 
Oncidium Tnsleayii. Named in honour of the late G. 
Barker, Esq.’s excellent gardener. A first-rate species, 
with large yellowish brown flowers, spotted with crim¬ 
son. This is one of the best of Oucidiums. 
Phaius Wallichii; a noble species; the plant had five 
spikes of its large, handsome flowers. 
Scuticaria Steelii; a fine plant, with several of its 
handsome flowers expanded. See its peculiar culture in 
a former number. 
Trichopilia ; this is a beautiful species not yet named. 
It had four flowers expanded; the sepals and petals are 
not twisted like T. tortilis; the lip is large, pinkish 
white, and spotted with crimson. Native of Costa Rico. 
Such is the list of orchidaceous plants we saw all 
blooming at once, besides several other smaller species 
that we have not mentioned. The above are sufficient 
to shew Mr. Mylam's great success in cultivating them. 
FLORISTS’ FLOWERS. 
We have very little space left for our weekly remarks 
on these favourites, but we will try to find more room 
uext week. The grand attraction is now the Tulip bed; 
continue to protect securely from frost, wind, and rain, 
to prolong the bloom as long as possible. 
Carnations and Piootees. — Finish placing nicely 
painted sticks to these, tying very loosely, to allow the 
ilower-stem to grow without cramping. T. Appleby. 
THE KITCHEN-GARDEN. 
The severe frost at the commencement of this month 
will be found, we fear, to have made some havoc amongst 
[May 16 . 
the small seedlings just then making their appearance 
through the surface of the ground. Such matters as 
these should be carefully watched, and if any mischief 
has been done, no time should be lost in sowing again, 
otherwise disappointment will occur at a season when 
too late for the evil to be repaired. All the spring sown 
brassica iamily, especially, should be looked over with 
care, observing whether any failures occur, and if so 
what may be the cause ; for the heavy drenching rains 
and hailstorms of April may have so much beaten 
the surface of the soil, notwithstanding the good pre¬ 
paration previously given, and the drying, parching days 
at intervals, may have so surface bound the earth that 
the tender plants may be unable to penetrate through it. 
Frosty nights at the same time also tend to retard, 
weaken, and even to kill many varieties whilst germi¬ 
nating and when quite in their infant state. These mat¬ 
ters we have years ago ascertained, and have various 
plans in practice to remedy such injuries. 
Now, to interfere with the surface of the soil whilst 
the seed is germinating, or the plant is really in an in¬ 
fant state, is so dangerous, that the remedy may possibly 
prove worse than the evil. We will, therefore, begin by 
supposing that a healthy seed-bed has been prepared, 
the seed sown, and all finished as they ought to be; 
after which, and previously to the surface of the earth 
becoming dried, a heavy rain falls; the next day the 
weather proving sunny, windy, and drying, the well- 
prepared seed-bed is found to be surface-bound, harsh, 
and so hard, that it is scarcely possible for the young 
plants to penetrate through it: the first remedy would 
be, if well performed, to surface-rake the soil; but if this 
is done in a thoughtless manner, with a heavy hand or 
a long-tooth rake, and that too at any time during the 
hot or drying part of the day, such treatment would of 
course be certain destruction to the seed, by admitting 
to it all the drying properties of the sun and wind; 
whilst, at the same time, if the operation be performed 
with care in the evening, or in the early morning whilst 
the crust is somewhat softened and modified by the 
earth's evaporation, a decided relief and benefit will be 
the result. Of course a worn down or short-tooth rake 
should never be put into unpractised peoples’ hands for 
this purpose, or mischief will certainly ensue. Those 
who know well what they are going to do may be trusted 
with any rake that comes first to hand. 
Now, for giving surface-bound seed-beds relief on a 
large scale, wo adopt the following plan:—We have small 
wood rollers, from six to eight inches in diameter, and 
about five feet in length, with a small wooden frame and 
handle to them. A boy will roll over several acres of 
surface in the course of a day; and instead of binding 
the soil still harder, if taken in a proper state, these 
little light wooden rollers just crack and loosen the flaked 
and bound up surface, making it friable and healthy; 
giving relief to the young plants just about bursting 
up. If the surface has been quickly and very harshly 
bound up, we prefer the evening or early morning for 
performing these rollings; when, as before stated, the 
surface is somewhat softened by evaporation. Our prac¬ 
tice also is, when needful, to have another boy to follow 
the roller with a hand-bush harrow, made merely of a 
few straight light bushes tied to a very light frame, with 
a short cross or T handle-to draw it by. Thus, by a 
little management, an unkind surface-bound field, that 
■will not allow the infant plant to penetrate, may be con- j 
verted into a healthy surface, allowing every good seed 
the full liberty of producing a plant. These little con¬ 
trivances, trifling as they may appear, often save great 
after-expense and disappointment. Such failures are to 
be observed in evei-y locality; and, after waiting and 
watching for the plant, supposing the seed to be bad, or 
that the fly has taken the young plants as fast as they 
appear, the land has sometimes to be tilled again, and 
