172 
THE GARDENING WORLD. 
November 13, 1886. 
The Gardeners’ Calendar. 
THE PLANT HOUSES. 
With, the thermometer outside registering 6° of frost, 
precautions must be taken, or mischief will soon be 
done. In the case of cool houses, where general green¬ 
house stuff may be stored, it is advisable to heat the 
pipes in the evening before the temperature falls too 
low. In this way a much greater amount of frost is 
excluded with ease than if left to approach freezing- 
point, as is often done. Unless it shows signs of being 
very sharp through the night, we always close the 
valves before banking up rather than run the risk of a 
high night temperature, as it is at all times most in¬ 
jurious. Be sure, also, to attend to the early ventilation 
of all such houses, as with fire-heat applied they become 
tender, particularly if not thoroughly ventilated. 
Open all available lights and the doors also, which may 
readily be done, as during frosts, generally speaking, 
sunshine prevails in the daytime. 
Be extra careful with the house in which Cinerarias 
may be stored, and if at all possible, rather than resort 
to fire-heat, let the roof be covered with mats or other 
material, as these plants are most impatient of artificial 
heat, and if unduly excited invariably go blind. We 
have brought our Lachen alias from the pits on to a 
shelf in the Peach-house, quite near the glass. The 
foliage has become somewhat drawn ; but in their new 
quarters they will soon right themselves. It is a great 
pity these plants are not more generally grown; 
they are at all times interesting, and when well grown 
are most desirable for room or conservatory decoration, 
as they remain a long time fit for service, and as ladies 
frequently remark, “ those little red-hot pokers are so 
pretty.” Such plants, from the stoves, as Dractenas, 
after being used for house decoration at this season, are 
of very little use; the better plan is either to cut them 
down and insert the eyes in a pot or pan to furnish 
next season's stock, or, as some prefer, take off the top 
and strike in water, and allow the stool to break, 
taking off the cuttings with a heel as they become large 
enough ; the latter plan is all very well if the stock is 
very short or tender, but the eyes are always preferable, 
except in the ease of D. gracilis, which we find give 
much the best plants from cuttings ; the tops, how¬ 
ever, of this variety are useless for propagating. 
Libonias are now in beauty, and when not coddled 
they stand for a long time; Penrhosiensis is far awav 
before floribunda, and is very useful for all decorative 
purposes ; the foliage of the first-named being larger 
and of a good deep green, also makes it more valuable. 
THE FORCING HOUSES. 
The French Beans which we sowed in the heated pit, 
as advised, now come in most useful; we had gathered 
from out of doors until Thursday last, but the frost 
has now completely destroyed the crop ; those from 
the pits maintain the supply, and most necessary this 
is where venison is in use. The batch in pots in the 
Cucumber house will easily follow those in the pits, 
and other sowings having been made, we are easy ; the 
only thing necessary to ensure success with this crop at 
this season, is not to use large pots, 7-in. at the outside ; 
the compost, too, should be rich and light, and, of 
course, I need hardly say, a brisk moist heat must be 
maintained. There are three compartments in our 
Cucumber range, which give us the necessary room. 
AYe find no variety so reliable as Osborn’s Prolific for 
forcing through the winter; later on we use Pale 
Dun, as being longer and larger in the pod. The early 
lot of Sea Kale is starting, no water has yet been given, 
simply employing the syringe; when fairly on the way 
water will be given, but it must be applied warm, to 
induce a quick growth. The manure should now be 
ready for another Mushroom bed to be made up’: nothin^ 
is more vexing than, just in the middle of the season” 
or about Christmas, to find the supply run short, but 
such 'will be the case unless care is now taken ; regret 
is useless, so prepare. 
THE KITCHEN GARDEN. 
It will be necessary to look through the Cauliflower 
and autumn Broccoli squares ; those which are ready 
for use must at once be lifted and stored in a cellar or 
shed for use as required ; the remainder, if the plants 
are developed, may be heeled in, heading to the north, 
and so the season be prolonged. If the weather prove 
very sharp we shall shake litter along the tops of the 
Celery rows, which has been growing so lately that we 
feel sure it will not withstand much frost; the same 
remark applies to Endive, which should be protected 
without delay. Our earliest batch is now well blanched 
and fit for use, hut as the weather has been so mild we 
have continued to use the Brown Cos Lettuce. 
We are lifting Parsnips ; little good is gained by 
leaving them in the ground after this, and, as a rule, 
much injury is done to the soil, if of a retentive nature, 
by allowing them to remain too long ; far better lift 
and expose the roots if it is so necessary, and take 
advantage of fine weather to dig and dress the ground 
for next season’s crop—in fact, we make this rule 
absolute. Chicory and Salsafy too will be lifted 
without further delay, and be stored in cones of ashes 
out-of-doors, the crowns of the plants being placed 
outwards. After a few more such frosts as to-day, 
we shall lift and pit our July sowing of Turnips ; we 
have drawn from them for a long time, and we hope to 
store quite sufficient to carry us the season through. 
Let the double digging and manuring of all vacant 
plots be carried on, due consideration being given as 
to the crop which it has been decided is to occupy the 
square next season. — IF. Child, Croome Court. 
-- 
ORCHID NOT ES AND GLEANINGS. 
Staking and. other Methods of Fixing 
Orchids. —At the start it may as well be said that 
an Orchid should never be left unsteady in the pot or 
basket, but that some means of securing it should be 
resorted to ; sticks or pegs should never be used, 
unless they cannot possibly be done without. The 
mere fact that a plant is shaky in the pot implies that 
it is deficient of root, and in the case of dwarf or 
intermediate-sized plants, it is best at once to re-pot 
them, no matter what season of the year it may be, 
and endeavour in the re-potting to fix them with the 
material used. In all cases where unsound plants have 
to be shifted from this cause (deficiency of root), the 
first care should be to replace them in the smallest 
pots or baskets which will conveniently receive them, 
and the next to see that they are left firmly in their 
receptacles ; if this cannot be effected without ties or 
sticks, they should be resorted to, but as few of them 
as possible. In the cases of basketed plants, the wires 
of the baskets may be made to do duty as stakes ; but 
when such use is made of them, the tie should be so 
arranged that no portion of the plant presses against 
the wire. 
Too much care cannot be taken in this matter, as 
wherever a leaf or pseudo-bulb presses against the wire, 
its injury is only a question of a very short time, and 
injury from this cause is beyond repair. I have given 
much attention to this subject, and could tell some 
interesting, but lamentable, stories about it. In one 
instance I noticed, jome years ago, a batch of Den- 
drobium McCarthise, which were growing in baskets 
vigorously, but suddenly many of the pseudo-bulbs 
turned gouty and black, and on examination I found 
that in every instance the injury took place at 
the point of contact with the wires of the basket, and 
the plants, which had up till a certain time been 
doing so well, afterwards dwindled away. I am 
inclined to think that atmospheric influence has much 
to do with injury by contact with metallic substances 
in this way, and that plants are more liable to come to 
damage during stormy weather accompanied by light¬ 
ning. For the same reason the galvanised-iron wire 
pegs, which many are in the habit of using to make 
the plants firm in the pots, should on no account be 
used. 
Of all the methods of securing plants, the ordinary 
sticks or stakes are the best, and the only thing 
necessary with them is to renew them when required ; 
but at the same time a stick which has rotted off just 
above the soil should never be removed or rejffaced 
without the stump remaining in the pot being removed. 
This is often neglected, and the accumulation of stumps 
in plants which have not wanted repotting for some 
time, in many instances have proved the death of 
valuable plants. From the same cause, too, many such 
things as Phalaenopsis which have been shifted on, 
their old baskets being encased with the roots on them 
in the new ones, have suddenly gone into bad health, 
and the cause has been traced to the decay of the old 
basket. Fungoid growth in any shape about Orchids 
is destructive to them, and nothing is more productive 
of it than decayed wood. I therefore recommend the 
smallest possible use of sticks for Orchids, and the 
removal of the old baskets before shifting on. This 
can generally be effected by the wires of the basket being 
cut at each corner, and then drawn out, and the wooden 
portions may be withdrawn with the least possible 
injury to the roots about them. At all events it is 
better to lose a root or two in the present, than to lose 
the whole plant in the future.— James O'Brien. 
Pescatoreas and Bolleas.— Doubtless, like 
many other growers, I was most interested in the note 
in your last issue, on the successful way in which the 
above named plants are grown and flowered with G. 
Nevill Wyatt, Esq. If Mr. Simcoe will tell us by what 
method of treatment he secures such good results, he 
will do many a great kindness.— J. C. Cowley, grower to 
F. G. Tauiz, Esq., Studley House, Goldhawk Road, TF. 
Cirrhopetalum ornatissimum. —This extra¬ 
ordinary Orchid is now in bloom with Mr. Wm. 
Gordon, Orchid Nurseries, Amyand Park, Twickenham. 
The plant bears two spikes of four and five flowers 
respectively. The curious and pretty flowers, which 
are arranged in umbels, are each -3 ins. in length ; the 
ground colour greyish white, delicately traced over 
with various shades of crimson ; the curiously hinged 
labellum, and the bunches of fringe on the tips of each 
of the petals being rich dark crimson, This is one of 
the finest of the Cirrhopetalums and very rare. 
Oncidium Lanceanum.— I send you a spike of 
0. Lanceanum, which I think is rather a large one, 
considering that the leaf had two spikes. The other 
spike came a little earlier, and is now losing its flowers. 
It bore thirteen flowers, and the number on the two 
spikes was forty-one flowers. The leaf is 19 ins. long 
by 6J ins. broad. I grow my 0. Lanceanum in baskets 
with nothing but crocks and charcoal. They are hung 
high up in the hottest house, and receive plenty of 
water during summer, being syringed twice a day. I 
have grown them this way for some years and never 
was troubled with spot. — IF. Macdonald, Perth. [We 
have never before seen such a specimen, which consists 
of one main and three lateral spikes, carrying a total 
of twenty-eight blooms. The whole inflorescence bears 
evidence of the best possible cultivation, and the spike 
at the base measures over J in. in diameter. When so 
grown, 0. Lanceanum is certainly one of the prettiest 
of rosy-lipped Oncids. It is to be regretted that more 
of our Orchid growers do not get so much beauty out of 
the plant.— Ed.] 
- ►>*<— - 
FLORICULTURE. 
Planting the Show or Florists’ Tulips.—I 
wonder how many Florists’ Tulips were planted during 
the week just ended within a radius of fifty miles of 
London thirty years ago ! Those were the days of 
Lawrence, of Hampton ; Saunders, of Staines; Headly, 
of Cambridge ; Hunt, of Wycombe ; Turner, of Slough; 
Wilmer, of Sunbury ; and others who made the Tulip 
glorious. I well remember the operation of planting 
Tulips at Slough ; it was always done (if possible) 
on the 9 th of November. That was, in fact, 
the traditional day for Tulip planting, and it may 
be so now ; but as the Rev. F. D. Horner has 
observed, “October is not too soon, and December is 
not too late, though I think more than late enough. 
A spell of fine mellow weather can be looked for in 
October, when the soil will be found friable ; and the 
operation, always slow and cooling, will be less likely 
to give the enthusiastic cultivator a severe cold. 
Planting, when the ground is workable, is an im¬ 
portant point, and more easy to secure than in 
November and December, when the days are shorter, 
wetter, and wilder.” 
At Slough the bed was always deeply dug, and a 
great deal of the old soil removed and fresh added ; 
then the Tulip drawers were brought out, and a suffi¬ 
cient number of hands being engaged in the business, 
the work proceeded merrily, and was—as is the usual 
case at Slough—thoroughly well done. 
As to the best soil for the Tulip, let me again quote 
from the Rev. F. D. Horner. In an extremely able 
and interesting article on the Tulip, which appears in a 
cheap book entitled Gardening for Amateurs, published 
at Hull, this eminent cultivator remarks:—“The 
Tulip, though not to be called fastidious as to soil, for 
