572 
THE GARDENING WORLD 
May 8, 1886. 
Where the sprays or spikes are required for docoration 
whole, they should be arranged in a vase of water, and 
placed in a shady situation, and where possible a large 
glass shade should he placed over them. Even in the 
dwelling-house such rare flowers last much longer under 
a glass shade, and as it doubles or trebles their 
duration, it is a good plan to get one for the purpose. 
In all cases Orchid flowers last best in the shade and 
cool, and many of them are gone in a few’ hours after 
cutting if placed in the sun .—James 0’Brien.\ 
The Orchid Growers’ Calendar. — The 
growing Dendrobes must be accommodated with as 
much heat and moisture as possible, and, until their 
growths are well completed, an unstinted supply of 
rain water should be given them. Good growths may 
be got on these plants in almost any house, even if not 
what is commonly called a hot-house, if they be well 
attended to, but stronger growths better ripened, and 
consequently of better flowering capacity, are to be 
obtained when a good amount of heat is given them 
when growing. Some species are much later than 
others in growing, and it is best to await the evidence 
of starting into growth before putting into heat. Bare 
rafts or shallow baskets are safest for those of the 
D. formosum section ; those of the D. thyrsiflorum 
class, commonly called “evergreen,” succeed well in 
pots ; and for those with long pseudobulbs, which are 
pendulous when allowed to have their way, such as 
D. Wardianum, baskets are desirable. 
While the growths are young, it is advisable to 
abstain from tying them upright (particularly where 
syringing is practised), as that deprives them of the 
natural means for shedding water from the hearts of 
the growths, which they all assume by drooping the 
points forward in such a manner that water, even if 
dropped into the centre, will not remain in sufficient 
quantity to do harm, which is not the case where the 
young growths are tied upright. When any require 
support, however, they should be looped up with a tie. 
All the East Indian things—Phalsenopsis, &c., which 
are growing, should be carefully shaded and kept fairly 
moist .—James O'Brien. 
The Lovat Collection. —At the second day’s 
sale of this extensive collection, Mr. Stevens obtained 
good prices for several fine specimens, including the 
following:—Cattleya Mendeli, 30 gs. ; C. labiata, true 
old autumn-flowering variety, 20 gs. ; C. Skinneiialba, 
12 gs. ; Ccelogyne Massangeana, 27 gs. ; Ltelia aneeps 
Dawsoni, 30 gs. ; Cattleya Mendelii, extra fine variety, 
with eleven flower sheaths, 61 gs. ; another small 
plant, 40 gs. ; and Cattleya Morganse, 111 gs. 
Orchids in Flower. —The following Orchids are 
Messrs. John Laing & Co.’s collection 
now in flower in 
at Forest Hill, S. E. :— 
Ada aurantiaca 
Cattleya intermedia 
,, Lawrenceana 
„ „ oculata 
„ Mossise 
,, Trianas 
„ Mendelii 
Cypripedium barbatum 
„ ,, superbum 
„ Boxallii 
„ Lawrenceanum 
„ villosum 
Dendrobium aggregatum 
,, Cambridgeanum 
,, Devonianum 
,, macropbyllum giganteum 
,, Jamesianum 
,, japonicum 
,, Pierardi latifolium 
„ thyrsiflorum 
Masdevallia Harryana 
„ ,, Bull’s Blood 
Masdevallia Shuttlewortlii_ 
OJontoglossum Alexandra; 
,, ,, roseum 
„ Andersoni 
,, Cervantesii 
,, ,, decorum 
,, citrosmum 
,, eordatum 
„ membranaeeum 
,, (Erstedi 
„ Pescatorei 
,, pulchellum majus 
,, Roezli 
„ Rossi majus 
,, triumphans 
,,' vexillarium (several 
fine varieties) 
Oncidium concolor 
„ cucullatum 
„ varieosum Rogersi 
Phalaenopsis amabilis 
,, grandiflora 
,, Lindeni 
Mossing the Stems of [Aerides and 
Vandas.—The practice of “mossing” up the stems 
of Aerides and Vandas that have lost their foliage, 
seems to me a mistaken policy, for so far as I can see it 
has little or nothing to commend it. In the first 
place, so far as I have observed, it does not encourage 
the formation of new roots, for they, as a rule, come 
higher up where there is foliage, or from the old 
roots. And in the next place, to say the least of it, 
mossed stems look more unsightly than the bare stems 
of the plant would. By keeping the atmosphere of the 
house moist, and a bit of judicious management, they 
will generally form new roots, so that in time the bare 
stems, or part of it at any rate, may safely be taken 
off. It would be interesting to have the opinion of 
others, anent this practice.— J. S. B. 
Cattleya Mossise. —We have received from Mr. 
Excell, gardener to E. A. Leatham, Esq., M.P., 
Misarden Park, Cirencester, a flower off the specimen 
of Cattleya Mossire mentioned at p. 509 as having 
thirty-six sheaths. It measures between 8 and 9 ins. 
across, and is an unusually good variety. The plant 
we are informed is now bearing between ninety and 
a hundred of such flowers ! 
-->S<*- 
A NEW TREE PRUNER. 
Wf. have been favoured by Mr. W. B. Glasscock, 
The Gardens, Shirley Park, Croydon, with a sketch of 
a new tree pruner, which has advantages over other 
tree pruners to strongly recommend it. As will be seen 
from the accompanying illustration, the cut is made in 
a downward direction instead of upwards, as in pruners 
of similar design. By this means the work is rendered 
much lighter, and the fork being introduced beneath 
the boughs, instead of having to be raised above them, 
also tends to lighten the labour. It also makes a 
cleaner cut, with half the force required with other 
pruners. The sketch may be explained thus:—A is the 
A new Tree Pruner 
branch holder, made of two forked plates ; B, the 
cutter-blade, working between the forked plates ; C, 
steel spring, working on the back edge of B, to keep the 
cutter in an open position ; D, bolt connecting spring 
to holder. 
-—- 
ON SETTING MELONS. 
The best articles on the Melon that ever were ■written 
would be pronounced incomplete if details as to setting 
the fruits were omitted. Consequently, the proper 
balancing of temperature, moisture, and air at this 
critical period are minutely set forth and discussed 
according to the writer’s ability. As to water, we are 
rightly told to withhold it from overhead or in the 
shape of atmospheric moisture, and all gardeners of ex¬ 
perience recognise the soundness of the advice. But 
when we are told to reduce the supply to the roots, 
the reasons for such teaching are not so obvious, and 
why it should be applicable to the Melon more than any 
other fruit-bearing plant it is not easy to perceive. 
Nothing proves so disastrous to the Cucumber as to 
allow the roots to get at all dry. Large or half-growm 
fruits may hold their way under the ordeal, but those 
newly set or setting will surely succumb. "With¬ 
holding water from Melons grown in frames for a few 
days at the time of setting seems more reasonable, not 
that it has much effect on the roots, for they are for¬ 
tunately revelling in the stack of manure underneath, 
but is conducive to a dry atmosphere inside the frame. 
In houses devoted to Melon culture we have this agent 
under command, so that any water applied to the roots 
should have no influence on the atmosphere of the 
house. 
Too much importance, I think, is also attached to 
the admission of air into the Melon-house at the time 
of setting the fruit, and I have this season proved that 
it is of no more consequence than to setting a Cucumber, 
and that Melons can be set without the ventilators 
being opened at all, providing there is the required 
degree of top and bottom-heat. Having a small space 
to spare in the end of one of our span-roofed Pine- 
stoves, two pots were plunged and planted with Melons 
and the fruit set like Cucumbers. At first only an odd 
female flower expanded, and set at intervals of two or 
three days ; but as we were not going to be content 
with less than two fruits, and these on strong shoots, 
quite ten days was lost by not having three or four 
opened on the same day or within two days, and having 
to move the odd ones which took the lead, as is their 
habit if there is a few hours’ disparity in their age. A 
set was at last secured, and when we came to thin the 
fruit there were eight or nine on each plant, six so 
even in size that it was difficult to decide which to 
retain till we fixed on those furthest apart and on the 
strongest shoots, and they are now three-parts swelled, 
whilst those in a well-constructed Melon-house, planted 
at the same time, are only setting, as we were unsuc¬ 
cessful with the first laterals and some of the sub¬ 
laterals, which I attribute to want of top and bottom- 
heat, which was at times 8° less than that of the 
Pine-stove, but always 5° lower. 
This higher temperature was the means of bringing 
the pot-plants into flower some days before those in the 
Melon-house, though these received considerably more 
sun when it pleased to shine.— JV. P. E. 
-- 
PATENTING HEDGES. 
It could only have occurred to our Yankee friends 
to conceive of patenting any method of planting a 
hedge. It is hardly even conceivable that such 
an idea could have found a resting-place in that 
ceaseless projector of notions, the Yankee brain, for 
such a length of time as would “lick it into shape.” 
It is so absurd. But it is nevertheless a fact that 
it has not only been conceived but acted upon, and 
even prosecution is threatened in consequence of an 
infringement of the patent rights. The “ Dayton 
Hedge Company ” of Ohio is the patentee, and the 
“Michigan Hedge Company,” which we gather from 
the Albany County Gentleman is a branch of the first- 
named company, is the cause of so much trouble in the 
district in which it claims to operate, that the press is 
taking the matter up with, we should think, good 
reason in the public interests. "We have it on high 
authority that there is nothing new under the sun, and 
we certainly thought that anything new in such an 
ancient and well-worn subject as hedge-planting was 
hardly possible. We also thought, on noticing the 
correspondence in our American contemporary, that 
there must necessarily be something specially good and 
novel in a method of planting that had been deemed 
by our shrewd relatives over the Atlantic worthy of 
protection by patents. On examination, however, we 
find there is nothing in it ; the system being that of 
bending or laying the stem of the plant underground, 
which was practised more or less both in this country 
and in America by the great-grandfather of the oldest 
inhabitant of either country. To our old-world insular 
intellects the claim of this American “ Hedge Com¬ 
pany ” appears incredibly absurd ; but as we gather 
from our contemporary that the agent of the company, 
in fulminating his threats of prosecution of those who 
infringe the patent rights in question, has 150, 000 dols. 
to do it with, we are constrained. to. believe that to a 
certain section at least of the Yankee mind, it li3S 
bottom in it.— Forestry. 
-■’-J-XC—- 
The Gardeners’ Calendar. 
THE PLANT HOUSES. 
The time has now come when the Calanthes will 
need attention, as by this they should be started into 
growth, and if left too long re-potting cannot be done 
without injury to the young roots. Shake all the old 
soil from the roots, and if it is desirous to increase the 
stock, remove all the small pseudo-bulbs, so that they 
may be potted up singly in small pots and grown on by 
