January 16, 1886. 
THE HARDENING WORLD. 
315 
FRUITS, FLO WERS & V EGETABLES. 
Planting-out Poinsettias. —Mr. Merritt, at 
p. 298, warns gardeners in low-lying districts not to 
trust the whole of their Poinsettia plants out of doors. 
He also mentions the damage done by frost in Sep¬ 
tember last, but does not give the date. When I wrote 
recommending the system (p. 260) I stated that ours 
were potted up in the first week in September, a date 
full late for winter-flowering plants. They were there¬ 
fore safe from the frost of 7° which we experienced on 
September 27th, which here killed Dahlias, Begonias, 
and all bedding plants. This is not one of the favoured 
districts, but is low, damp, and cold, both spring and 
autumn frosts being very prevalent. The first week in 
July the thermometer registered 35°, just 3° above 
freezing, and the first week in August, on three suc¬ 
cessive nights, it went down to 36°. In advocating the 
planting-out of Poinsettias, I had in view the saving of 
labour where labour is scarce. Of course, where it is 
plentiful, greater results and larger bracts may be 
obtained ; but as' we have had Poinsettias since 
November, and still have a succession with bracts 1 ft. 
across, I am perfectly satisfied with the results of the 
planting-out system.— Chets. Denning, Holme Lacy, 
Hereford. 
Tillandsia Lindenii. —We have several plants 
of this stove Bromeliad now blooming. The plants are 
all three years old, grown on Cork blocks made up in 
the shape of pots, and filled with crocks, charcoal, and 
rough peat. One of the plants has thrown up, inde¬ 
pendent of the centre scape, which is 24 ins. high, 
seven smaller scapes, 12 ins. high, and seven strong 
off-shoots, all very healthy. Is not this an unusual 
occurrence for this plant to throw up so many bloom- 
scapes ? Can any of your numerous readers say if the 
same thing has occurred with them in the cultivation 
of this plant ? We have had stronger plants, but they 
never exhibited this style of blooming before. — W. G. 
[We have never heard of a finer specimen. Its culti¬ 
vation must have been perfect.— Ed.] 
Ringing the Branches of Fruit Trees.— 
Is this process practised now by fruit cultivators ? An 
old gardener of my acquaintance was a great believer 
in it; but probably his views would, in these days of 
progress, be looked upon as old-fashioned and obsolete. 
My old friend held that ringing was highly successful 
in bringing trees into a fruitful state. In the case of 
young trees, he performed the operation on the trunk 
of the tree ; but in the case of those more advanced on 
the branches, and he did it in spring when the sap was 
rising. By means of a sharp knife, he removed the 
bark completely from the wood, so * as to form a ring of 
nearly a quarter of an inch in diameter. By this mode 
of treatment he said he had known whole orchards of 
unfruitful trees brought into a healthy and fruitful 
state, and I am sure he died in the full conviction the 
process was a correct one ; but it is well to rovert to 
these ancient practices and see on what foundation their 
asserted efficacy is based.— R. D. 
Phlox Drutnmondii General Radetzsky. 
—Thirty years ago a very beautiful striped Phlox 
bearing this name was under cultivation ; but it was 
propagated by means of cuttings and not by seeds. 
The flowers were white, charmingly striped with car¬ 
nation, and it was far away in point of beauty ahead of 
the very best striped Phlox Drummondii of the present 
day. I wonder if it is hopelessly lost to cultivation. 
-II D. 
Vines Bleeding.—Mr. Fraser (p. 284) advocates 
the use of Potatos as a preventive, and refers to a suc¬ 
cessful experiment made by himself. I trust he will 
excuse me for saying that I believe he would do wisely 
to thank Providence and not the Potatos for this special 
blessing. Neither mastics, styptics, nor any other 
’tics, nor even the Potatos, will avail for this purpose, 
while Dame Nature goes unchecked, and until she 
herself heals the wound. His application of the Potatos 
may possibly have been simultaneous with the result 
he desired to achieve ; but he will do well not to take 
the credit to himself, nor ascribe it to the influence of 
the Potatos. There is no difficulty, however, in 
effecting this if we only choose to imitate nature and 
employ the same weapon she uses for the purpose. In 
spring, during mild weather, the bark of the Oak may 
be stripped off with the greatest ease ; also the sap of 
the Birch may be freely collected from any fresh-in 
flicted wound. A cold storm or sudden fall of tem¬ 
perature immediately checks its course, the bark again 
adheres firmly to the wood, and the sap refuses to flow 
until the temperature is again increased sufficiently to 
stimulate its action. Should the cold have continued 
but a short time, the wound in the Birch tree will be 
naturally healed, and to obtain more sap a fresh one 
will be necessary. As with the Birch so with the Vine. 
Reduce the temperature suddenly and sufficiently to 
check-the flow of sap for a short time (a day or two at 
most), the wound becomes sufficiently healed, and 
bleeding is effectually prevented. — T. Challis. 
Christmas Decorations.—I placed in my 
employer’s front hall a few plants out of the stove that 
were in bloom to create a little change in its appearance, 
not to say make it look more cheerful, for what with 
the costly paintings that hang on its walls, heavy 
tapestry over all the doorways, furniture of peculiar 
■workmanship and great value, and large cases of birds 
and animals that look as natural as life, with (sus¬ 
pended from the ceiling) a chandelier of most uncommon 
construction, and which was once owned by an ex-king 
of France, and the hall warmed by hot-water pipes 
secreted under marble slabs, it wants little from the 
gardener’s hands to make it more cheerful in its owner’s 
sight. Still, my employer is an admirer of all that is 
beautiful, and appreciates his gardener’s taste when he 
comes downstairs every morning and finds something 
brought in from the floral world ; and so on Christmas- 
eve we had Dendrobium nobile, I). speciosum, Barkeria 
Skinnerii, Gongora maeulata, Zygopetalum Mackayii, 
arranged in front of some plants of Euphorbia jac- 
quiniseflora, all on the floor. These are all grown in 
the stove with other plants, and we could have taken 
indoors also Dendrobium lituiflorum and Lnelia anceps, 
with a late spike of Odontoglossum grande. This 
latter Orchid blooms in September and October, and 
sometimes earlier with us ; and these stand uninjured 
for a fortnight after Christmas, and some of their un¬ 
expanded blooms will open here.— JV. IV. 
An Error in Celery Growing.— In reference 
to the statement at p. 298 that the system of earthing- 
up Celery is injudicious, and that dry litter is a superior 
substitute, 1 must say that at first sight the idea seems 
good ; but on consideration, I come to the conclusion 
that dry litter would, if used, soon become a soddened 
mass with the rain and also waterings that, in the 
course of application, would saturate the litter, and so 
the Celery would be banked-up with nothing better than 
a heap of decaying matter, which would be injurious to 
the plants, and also look very unsightly where neatness 
and order are considered essential. In regard to the 
other remarks—viz., manuring, moulding too tightly, 
&c.—of course these are quite right, and will doubtless 
be useful to many amateurs attempting Celery culti¬ 
vation.— R. R. C. 
The Winter Aconite.— These are the first 
hardy plants to bloom after the new year comes in, 
and this year a tuft of them growing under some Rho¬ 
dodendrons opened their blooms on the 1st inst. This 
same root we note annually as to the date when it opens 
its first flowers. Some years it has been February 
before they have shown themselves. I have quite a 
bank of them in the shrubberies, and how showy they 
are when grown in a mass .—East Norfolk. 
Vegetable Culture: Over-production.— 
In their new annual seed catalogue, Messrs. Harrison & 
Sons, of Leicester, publish the following pertinent 
remarks on this subject: — “ The severe depression in 
agriculture has been the means of so many suggestions 
being made that, like some ailment, any quantity of 
sympathy is expressed and any quantity of remedies 
advised—all as the best ; but a few remarks from us 
will, perhaps, not be unacceptable to our customers and 
friends, and which are founded on practical experience. 
Many eminent politicians during the past few years 
have addressed the farmers of England on the great 
subject of what to grow to pay, and advocated farmers 
turning their attention to the production of more vege¬ 
tables, fruit, &e., and we have reason to believe their 
advice has been followed to a great extent with, we 
regret to say, in some instances, very unhappy results, 
inasmuch that our markets have been glutted with 
vegetables of very inferior quality, which, in many 
cases, did not realise sufficient to pay for transit and 
market expenses, and caused consideiable injury to the 
practical market gardener, who had been at great 
expense to plant and grow to perfection his various 
crops, which become depreciated in value by the 
overcrowding of the market with badly-grown stuff. 
We therefore suggest to any farmer contemplating 
vegetable growing to consider if his land is of suitable 
quality, situated in a locality where he can obtain 
an unlimited supply of manure and labour (which 
are most essential), and within an easy distance of a 
good market. Without well studying these points it 
will be advisable to pause, or the consequences may be, 
as we have already stated, a loss to himself and an 
injury to market gardeners, especially those who 
cultivate so much land with the spade. 
-->X<--- 
ORCHID NOT ES AND GLEANINGS. 
Potting Cool House Orchids. —Any time 
during the early part of the present month I have 
always found the best in which to begin repotting those 
of the cool house Orchids which require it, or which are 
likely to require it during the season ; and in deter¬ 
mining it is better to decide to re-pot if there is any 
doubt in the matter. In fact, in going through the 
cool house Orchids, it is the best way to re-pot all^ 
unless some special reason for not doing so can be 
found ; indeed, even those sending up flower-spikes 
need not be rejected. There need be no hurry, but 
steadily prepare tor the work by getting ready a suffi¬ 
cient number of pots of all sizes, crocks, fibry peat 
without soil, and living Sphagnum Moss. These two 
last-named articles are all that is necessary in that way ; 
and although at one time a notion got abroad that the 
potting material was improved by being mixed with 
sand, the error of the .idea soon got found out and the 
practice abandoned. Fibry peat and living Sphagnum 
Moss in about equal proportions, or in any other pro¬ 
portion which, by the inferior character of either of the 
ingredients may seem advisable to ensure a free-draining 
mixture, is the best, and with the same view in sight, 
viz., free drainage, should the pots be carefully crocked 
nearly two-thirds of the way up, large pots having a 
smaller one inverted in them where desirable for the 
sake of lightness and perfect drainage. 
The materials for potting should not be mixed 
together before use, but kept in separate heaps and 
mixed as required, so that the proportions of each may 
be determined during use, and because when so used 
the mass is not liable to cake as it is when mixed before 
using. The peat should be in lumps, hand picked, 
and the pieces selected according to the size of the 
plants, and in potting each plant which it has been 
necessary to shake quite out of the old stuff, a good 
solid piece should be put under the centre of the plant 
for the roots to be separated over, and thus offer a 
ready means of doing what seems a little difficult to 
the beginner—keeping the roots from getting too much 
up in the centre during repotting. The plant should 
be held in position by the left hand, the side to which 
it is growing being kept nearer the middle, and further 
from the side than the other part, so as to allow of its 
having room to grow. The potting material should be 
filled carefully in from the centre, and finished at the 
rim in a manner which a little practice generally obtains 
the mastery over, but which it is difficult to give 
intelligible directions about. Some beginners become 
good potters very soon, on the other hand, some old 
hands never become skilful at the work. Dirty pots 
or crocks should never be used again without washing, 
and new pots or new crocks should always be soaked 
and allowed to get nearly dry again before using, or 
they often exhaust the moisture in the potting stuff 
and cause it to crack away round the rim. This is an 
old-fashioned notion but worthy of all respect, like 
every other time honoured idea which is true. 
When actually ready to begin potting, clear a couple 
of yards of the stage where it is desirable to commence, 
have it thoroughly cleaned and pass over the next lot 
of plants to it after repotting, the space thus cleared 
being cleaned and used in the same manner, and every 
plant should be cleaned and dead or useless pieces cut out 
while in process of potting. The material used should 
be just moist, and my practice was not to water the 
plants after repotting for a couple of days, as I consider 
any accidentally broken roots heal better when not 
brought into contact with water whilst fresh, and 
because when the plants are potted into tolerably moist 
stuff (but not wet) they can go a time without water ; 
this may be a matter of little importance, but at all 
events it is worthy of consideration. The proper course 
is to begin with the Masdevallias, continue with the 
