£70 
THE COTTAGE GARDENER AND COUNTRY GENTLEMAN, September IS, 1860. 
'tlierwise. We all plant on the same level; we agree 
about the roots being a reservoir which is to fill and feed 
a huge system. A big root is like a big glazed-pipe you 
see them laying down for sewers; a big branch is like 
another pipe that is much larger and between the two ; 
and, between you and me, the unthoughtful will leave a 
small four-inch pipe; and it stands to reason the small 
pipe will neither empty the large one from one end of it, 
nor fill the large one from the other end thereof. Now, 
practically speaking, there is not a hair’s breadth of 
difference between the working of such pipes and the 
flow of the sap between the roots and branches in the 
bad system of managing young plants—fruit trees or 
forest, climbers, and what not. A man plants a pillar 
Hose, or a Glycine, or say a A r ine; it runs up so many 
feet the first season, and he cannot “find it in his heart ” 
to cut it back to the last eye. After that he must leave a 
certain length, and that length, most surely, will represent 
the four-inch pipe for the rest of his life ; and instead of 
gaining time by leaving a length of shoot the first season, 
he loses time and strength of limb, and weight of flowers 
•or fruit every year in succession. The good planter, on 
■the other hand, will cut back his plants to the collar 
once and again until he is sure and certain that his middle 
pipe is of the same bore and capacity as the one before 
and behind it. But another turns round, and says, “ Man 
alive, my pillar Hose taught me that lesson without your 
book ! I left it seven ieet odd at the first cutting. I had 
the four-inch pipe sure enough, but the suckers from the 
collar the second year were of the full bore throughout; 
and you never saw such Hoses as I had then and since.” 
Of course you had ; but you are only one out of many: 
and so we parted. From the garden of the late King of 
Hanover one would think that Planera Richardi would 
make as good a park tree as any of those named above. 
Has it ever been tried ? and what its character under ten 
or twelve years of age P D. Beaton. 
CUTTINGS OF PEHILLA NANKINENSIS— 
WHITE-LEAVED GEHAN1UM. 
Will Ferilla nanlcinensis propagate from cuttings ? If so, 
what is the best time for striking them ? 
I have endeavoured to produce a white-foliaged bedding 
Geranium ; and I believe I have succeeded so far, that! have three 
varieties of light yellow without any sport of green. One has a 
pink Horseshoe. Would these be worth propagating as bedders 
for ribboning ? One is a sport from Mangles' Variegated , and 
has pink flowers. The Horseshoe is from a Geranium called 
Commander-in-Chief, and the other a sport from a seedling of 
my own. —East Anglian. 
\Perilla nanlcinensis grows from cuttings as freely as a Balsam, 
and August is the best time to propagate it; but it is not yet 
proved if cuttings of it will keep over the winter. Seedling 
plants of it will not keep over the winter if they' are from spring 
■sowing certain ; but autumn-sown ones would keep, probably', 
easily enough, and for early work that will have to be adopted. 
We are going to try a batch of struck cuttings of it this winter 
to settle that point. No one lias yet done any good with the 
common white sports from Mangles' Variegated and Commander- 
in- Chief Geraniums, nor any of that class of sports. They 
either die under a bright sun, or revert to the mother type ; blit 
if you have them thus early rooted, it is worth while to follow 
them up, and see what this strange season may have’effected in 
t liem.] 
HAEDY OHCHIDEOUS PLANTS. 
{Continued from page 3G0.) 
Summer Treatment.' —This period of the culture of those 
interesting plants commences as soon as they begin to grow, and 
ends when they go to rest. The summer operations consist of 
watering, sheltering, tying up the flowers, weeding, and Stirling 
the surface of. the soil when that becomes hardened and grown 
over with lichens. On each of those points I shall briefly write, 
in order to show the amateur the proper way to conduct them. 
Watering. —This necessary operation, especially for such as are 
grown in pots, I have already adverted to ; but I may remark in 
addition that the quantity required should be given according to 
the need of plants. In the early months of the year, whilst the 
vegetation is slow and young, very small supplies of water will 
be required, and that at wide intervals. If kept in this early 
stage of growth very wet, the young roots, and probably the 
young shoots also, will damp off, and the plants will perish : 
therefore, let the surface of the soil become dry before water is 
given, and then only just sufUcient to wet the soil. Let this 
water be absorbed before the next is given. As the foliage 
advances in growth more water may be given; and when the 
leaves are fully expanded and the blooms beginning to open, then 
a liberal supply must be given. Tf gentle showers are falling let 
the plants have the benefit of them ; but at all seasons shelter 
them from heavy continuous rains. Some strong-growing species 
will thrive better with a watering now and then of weak liquid 
manure, to which add a handful of quicklime to every galloD. 
This destroys worms and slugs in both a young and full-grown 
state. 
Shelter. —If the plants are in pots and in a cold frame, the 
appropriate shelters are glazed lights. These should be put ou 
during heavy falls of rain or hail, or even strong gales of wind ; 
but, then, air should he given by tilting the lights behind—closed 
frames in wet weather being very unhealthful to these somewhat 
tender plants. 
Tying. —As the flower-stems advance in height neat sticks 
should be carefully thrust into the soil, keeping a sufficient distance 
off the fleshy tubers. Tie with soft bast mat, and tie it loosely', 
so that the stems will not be strangled, and spread out the 
flower-stems when numerous that each may stand clear by itself. 
Nothing looks so slovenly as flower-stems huddled together in 
bundles like a birch broom, and, besides being ill-looking, the 
plants sustain a serious injury when the stems are tied so closely 
together. The leaves do not obtain light, and, consequently, 
turn yellow and drop off—a misfortune that prevents the 
increase in size of the plant. 
Weeding and Stirring the Soil.- —The best management of 
weeds is never to allow them to advance beyond the seed-leaf. 
The labour of weeding is lessened thereby, and the nutriment 
of the soil saved for its legitimate purpose—the support of 
the cultivated plants, and more especially the benefit will be felt 
by plants that have to draw their support from the limited 
pasture of soil contained in pots. The soil in pots by frequent 
waterings becomes crusted on the surface, closing it against the 
admission of air and heat to the roots ; hence it is benefited 
largely by stirring the surface whenever it becomes hard. A 
small stick is as good an implement as any for this purpose, care 
being taken not to disturb or injure the roots or stems in per¬ 
forming this operation. Besides opening the soil to the kindly 
influences of the atmosphere, it gives a freshness and neatness 
to the collection, and prevents the growth of mosses and lichens. 
In the autumn this stirring of the surface by admitting air to 
the interior of the soil assists the ripening of the tubers and 
fibrous fleshy roots, and thus hastens the period of rest. 
Let all the points of summer daily culture be duly attended 
to, and it will be found that the plants will perform their 
functions, and will abundantly reward the cultivator for his 
trouble and attention. 
If any of these hardy Orchids are cidtivated in a bed or border, 
the summer culture in regard to the above particulars of culture 
is nearly the same. The only difference will be the kind of 
shelter to give them. The best shelter is that formed with 
bended hoops and either garden mats or oiled canvass, the latter 
being the best for keeping off heavy rains. A shelter from the 
burning rays of the sun acting too powerfully upon the soil may 
be necessary; and the best shelter for that purpose, as I have 
repeatedly proved, is green moss. A bed covered with that non¬ 
conductor gives it a fresh and lively appearance, and adds 
largely to the health of the plants. 
Winter Culture. —The operations for winter culture are 
few and easily done and attended to. The plants in pots should 
be placed under the shelter of a pit or frame, and the lights 
should be kept on in wet weather to keep off the rain, and thus 
keep the plants in a quiescent state. I should recommend the 
plunging the pots up to the rim in coal ashes or sand, and in 
very hard frost the glass should be covered with mats ; but on 
all fine days the lights should be drawn off 1 entirely, and, in wet, 
muggy "weather, propped up behind, to allow the escape of damp 
air. Of course, all the decayed leaves must be cleared away, and 
