260 
THE GARDENING WORLD. 
December 26, 1885. 
respecting a suitable place for the provincial show of 
1887, but though many towns were suggested, none 
seemed to be considered so generally satisfactory as 
Nottingham, and there probably it will be held if the 
necessary arrangements can be made. An important 
clause was added to the report, namely, that “so-called 
hybrid teas shall be classed and exhibited as hybrid 
perpetuals”—a ruling that perhaps many will regret, 
since it will undoubtedly lessen the diversity and 
beauty of the tea collections. Probably, however, the 
decision is strictly correct, and it will remove some 
difficulties that have occasionally cropped up at exhi¬ 
bitions. The usual complimentary votes concluded the 
meeting, but several of the members remained to the 
annual dinner, which took place, at 6 p.m., at the 
same hotel. 
-- 
CHRISTMAS ORCHIDS. 
At this dull season of the year when every good 
Orchid is eagerly sought for, it may not be out of place 
to mention that among the many Christmas flowering 
Orchids, Masdevallia tovarense ranks amongst the 
most useful and beautiful ; and associated with the 
brilliant-flowered Sophronites grandiflora, Oneidium 
cheirophorum, and Odontoglossum Rossii majus, a 
very charming effect may be produced. At the present 
moment a rich display of those enumerated, with a pro¬ 
fusion of other excellent species and varieties, may be 
seen at The Woodlands, Streatliam Hill, the residence 
of R. H. Measures, Esq., including amongst other rare 
and magnificent kinds a new Cattleya with light olive- 
green sepals and petals, the labellum being of a rich 
violet-crimson conspicuously bordered with white ; 
Odontoglossum Insleayi splendens, too, is represented 
by a fine plant and an excellent variety. 
Mr. Measures may also be congratulated on possessing 
the very finest variety of Cymliidium giganteum, which 
is now bearing many long spikes of beautiful dark 
bronzy crimson blossoms. The unique Odontoglossum 
Josephinte, is carrying a branching spike of twenty- 
five lovely blossoms ; a plant of the chaste Lycaste 
Skinneri alba, bearing several pure white flowers ; also 
the true Oneidium varicosum Rogersii, the best variety 
and easily recognisable by its enormous rich yellow 
blossoms. Coelogyne Massangeana, with its pendant 
Racemes is very attractive, while of Odontoglossum 
crispum the varieties are very numerous and exceedingly 
fine, some of them truly superb. Time will not permit 
of a complete list of all the Orchids in flower in this 
grand collection, but I must remark on the wonderful 
plants of Cymbidium Lowianum, full of vigour, and 
just pushing their enormous flower spikes, certainly 
a wonderful lot of plants, quite a number of them, and 
without doubt the best specimens in Europe. 
A very rare and handsome Orchid is Lycaste plena 
alba, and I do not remember to have seen it elsewhere, 
although well acquainted with the species. This col¬ 
lection now abounds in the very best Orchids procurable, 
and is at all times of the year teeming with beauties 
and new pleasures to gratify and delight the owner. — 
G. J. 
-- 
MAOKAYA BELLA. 
It is a pity one so seldom meets with the subject of 
this note, as, when well grown it is a most beautiful 
object, its delicate tinted flowers with the deeply coloured 
veins being particularly striking, and only requiring 
to be once seen to be appreciated. In fact, amongst 
stove winter flowering plants, it has nothing to surpass 
it of a shrubby description of growth. As many either 
fail with it altogether, or only grow it indifferently, a 
hint may not be out of place for another season. Cut¬ 
tings strike freely if a little bottom heat can be given 
them, but for my own part I prefer, when practicable, 
to get strong suckers, which, as a rule, are freely pro¬ 
duced, and with a few roots when detached from the 
parent plant, they will start away veiy strong, and 
soon make specimen plants. In fact from a sucker 
as described, I have more than once grown a plant 
fully 5 ft. high, and of a nice pyramid shape and about 
3 ft. through, and for the last potting, about the early 
part of July, I have given it a 10-in. pot, and as a 
compost three parts of good fihry loam and one of peat, 
with plenty of sand added to keep it open, .as it 
requires plenty of water whilst growing. 
I have grown them in both stove and intermediate 
houses, and shall after they are well established in say 
5 in. or 6 in. pots, always in future keep to the last 
mentioned structure, and if possible give them every 
ray of both light and sunshine, as without so doing 
they make soft, sappy, long growth which never 
flower satisfactorily. So grown, they require more 
syringing to keep away red spider and thrip, but 
scale, which is unfortunately a great pest to this 
beautiful plant, does not increase so rapidly as when 
grown in a more shaded and hotter situation. As a 
rule most plants will have done flowering by the 
beginning of February, after which they may be pruned 
and at once started into growth, so that they may have 
plenty of time to finish active growth by the early part 
of August, when it will prove very beneficial to 
gradually inure them to the open air for a month or so 
if fine weather prevails, but it is not absolutely neces¬ 
sary, choosing a warm sheltered spot in the full blaze 
of the mid-day sun, which will materially ripen and 
solidify the growth, and in this lies the secret of success. 
Watering must from the time they are placed out of 
doors be gradually diminished, until only sufficient is 
given to prevent the plants from flagging. 
On appearance of frost they must immediately be 
housed, and for a month or so after taking them 
under glass, either an early Vinery or Peach-house is 
the most suitable place for them, as both mentioned 
structures will at that season have an abundance of air 
and a dryish cool atmosphere, which suits them admi¬ 
rably ; and continue, whilst in a cool temperature to 
keep them on the dry side. If a succession of plants 
are grown they may be introduced to heat according to 
demand, when water may again be freely given. I 
have found the cool end of a stove to give the finest 
flowers, but not more than if returned to intermediate 
house. Older plants as a rule flower freer than the 
young ones, and one potting per year, say in March, 
will be sufficient. Perhaps this may seem a contradic¬ 
tion to a previous remark, which I intended to refer 
only to plants of first season’s growth. I would not 
keep a plant, however, over four seasons, and the last 
year they will not be equal—as far as my experience 
goes—to the younger, as regards the length of the flower 
sprays, which is to most the chief desideratum. Anyone 
being able to give the above cultural requirements, 
will, I am certain, not have cause to regret it. I tried 
in the south of England a plant out-of-doors, from 
the first Week of June to the last of September, but 
which through making only little growth flowered 
meagrely.— E. Bumper, Summerville, Limerick. 
-- 
PRUNING GOOSEBERRY AND 
RED CURRANT BUSHES. 
The time having now arrived when many persons 
will be busy performing this operation, or contemplate 
doing so at no distant date, a few remarks on the 
subject may be of service to those readers who are not 
quite certain how to act; and those whose experience 
may cause them to differ from me on any particular 
point will have an opportunity of explaining their 
views. Having seen various modes of pruning Goose¬ 
berry bushes in different counties, as practised in both 
private gardens and in extensive market-growing estab¬ 
lishments, and compared the results, I have come to 
the conclusion that in many cases they are not pruned 
in such a way as to make the chances of securing a good 
crop annually as certain as it might be made bv 
pursuing the plan I am about to advocate ; which, 
although I do not claim to be original, yet is one not 
generally practised. 
The usual method of pruning Gooseberries is to thin- 
out the young shoots to from 2 ins. to 3 ins. apart all 
over the tree, and shorten all the terminal ones to 5 
ins. or 6 ins., or sometimes they are left a little longer, 
while those not required are spurred close back. 
Many who prune in this way will, perhaps, point to the 
good results of their practice : but I contend, for 
reasons I shall presently state, that still more satis¬ 
factory results may be obtained by not shortening the 
young shoots at all, except in the case of those branches 
that are likely to touch the ground when laden with 
fruit, or when one shoot touches another. Simply thin 
out the shoots, leaving the bearing wood about 3 ins. 
apart over the greater part of the tree, the centre being 
thinned out a little more, those shoots that are not 
wanted being cut clean away. Any of the main 
branches that show signs of being worn out should be 
removed, and young shoots left to fill tfie vacancies. 
Throughout the pruning bear in mind that the medium - 
sized wood produces the best fruit ; therefore, remove 
the very strong and the weakest shoots. 
The advantages of this method of pruning are that 
the buds are less liable to be injured by birds and 
spring frosts, which sometimes work great havoc among 
them. The natural drooping habit of the shoots is a 
great protection from these evils when not shortened 
back ; and it will often be found when the young fruits 
on the base of the shoots are injured by spring frosts, 
those on the arched portion will remain untouched. 
Tliis drooping habit of the shoot is also a protection 
from the attacks of birds, which often spoil the prospect 
of a good crop by picking out the buds ; but there is 
much less chance of their getting at so large a portion 
of the buds if the shoots are not shortened, because 
they are too pliable, and although they may remove 
the bottom buds, a good crop may be obtained from the 
remaining portion of the shoots. 
In regard to Red Currants I do not think there is so 
much difference of opinion about pruning ; some leave 
the main branches much closer together than others, 
but I think there is nothing gained by so doing. 
When the centre of the bush is left well open, and 
sufficient space left between the main branches to allow 
the sun and air to act upon them, they will retain 
fruitful spurs almost down to their junction with the 
main stem, or if stools, where they spring from the 
ground. But if the bushes are allowed to grow into a 
mop-lieaded shape, the fruitful part will be confined to 
the extremities of the branches, and I am convinced 
that better results would follow if the main branches 
were thinned out more than is generally done. But 
the point on which I think the greatest mistake is 
made, is in pruning the trees during the first three or 
four years. Young trees may with advantage be allowed 
to extend much more rapidly than is generally 
the case, till they have filled their allotted space, 
then the extremities of the shoots can be cut back to 
one eye. 
If good trees are planted they should be pruned back 
rather closely the first year to about two or three eyes, 
to induce planty of breaks, and lay a good foundation 
for the future bush ; but after that, at each annual 
pruning, the young shoots at the extremities of the 
branches may be left 5 ins. or 6 ins. long, and the side 
shoots spurred in closely, except those that are required 
to form additional branches as the tree increases in size. 
I once heard the following remarks made by a shrewd 
and extensive Kentish fruit grower as 1 was passing by 
a plantation of young Currant bushes, “these trees 
were planted the same year as mine, they are now 
not more than half as big, nor do they produce 
more than half the amount of fruit. They won't let 
them grow, but cut them back far too closely each 
year.”— H. Bunkin. . 
-->!<-- 
POINSETTIAS. 
Your correspondents “ J.” at p. 229, and “\V. B. G.” 
at p. 251, both give details of excellent methods 
of growing Poinsettias ; and at the present time, when 
in a good man)’ gardens the staff is on the decrease, 
and the demand for flowers on the increase, gar¬ 
deners are called upon more than ever to devise 
simple means for keeping up the supply. As the 
system carried out here proves highly successful, and 
differs from either of those noticed above, a few details 
may prove acceptable to some of your readers. This 
year the whole of the Poinsettias grown here have been 
planted out-of-doors on a south border, along with a host 
of other winter-floweriug plants. About the middle of 
May the old plants (which had been standing in a shed 
since flowering time) were cut back. The last week in 
May, when the buds were beginning to push, they were 
shaken out of their pots and planted out. By the first 
week in August they had made a good growth, and 
part of them were then cut over for cuttings to provide 
dwarf plants. These, at the present time, are plants 
ranging from 6 ins. to 12 ins. in height, and are 
throwing good bracts with foliage down to the pot. 
The rest were allowed to remain until the first week in 
September, and were then potted up and placed in a 
cool frame, kept close and shaded for a few days, and 
then allowed plenty of air and sun. At the approach 
of cold weather they were placed in slight heat. These 
have from one to six good bracts to a plant, with good 
dark green foliage to the bottom of the stems.— Chas. 
Beniving, Holme Lacy Gardens, Hereford. 
