60 
THE GARDENING WORLD 
September 24, 1887. 
flowers that will be produced later on. It is far better 
to plant them in good time, and allow what roots are 
made to become established in the soil, rather than let 
them feed upon the bulb, which they must do. A good 
position to place them in after potting will be at the 
back of a north wall, where the sun does not penetrate. 
Here they will start slowly, and in good time ; but 
take care that a good depth of whatever material is 
used be placed over the bulbs, for if strong roots are 
emitted they will be partly lifted out of the soil, and 
then never flower so satisfactorily. 
Roman Hyacinths. —If potted very early, the first 
hatch of Roman Hyacinths should be fit to place in 
the frames, for if left too long plunged the flower-spikes 
and foliage become drawn, and never give a good 
return. Care must, however, he taken that they are 
not exposed at once to the light, it being necessary to 
shade them until the foliage becomes inured, and 
assumes a natural colour ; but at all times they must 
be freely ventilated. Many of the Fuchsias will now 
be going past their best, and, to make room, may be 
taken from the houses and stood out of doors upon any 
spare border where they are thoroughly exposed to the 
sun, that the wood may become well ripened. 
Propagating. —Should it be necessary to further 
increase the stock of any particular variety of Fuchsias, 
take off all available cuttings, and insert them thickly 
in rather small-sized pots, plunging them in mild 
bottom-heat, so that the cuttings'may strike root, after 
which they should be dried off and stood with the 
other stock. The time is fast approaching when winter 
quarters must be found for a host of things which now 
occupy what may be termed temporary quarters. 
Many occupants of the greenhouses, although serving 
to make the house gay, must perforce make way for 
those which will prove of more value a little later on. 
Eucomas have flowered with us most abundantly, 
but can now be spared. Zonal Pelargoniums, scented 
Yerbenas and others too numerous to mention, will all 
winter better if subjected to a fortnight’s outdoor treat¬ 
ment ; and by this time we may reasonably expect a 
much lower temperature to prevail, necessitating the 
placing indoors of Cinerarias, Primulas, &e., remember¬ 
ing that to secure fine heads of bloom they must 
always be kept growing. In the intermediate house 
the same change of occupants is necessary. The 
tuberous Begonias, although still looking very bright 
and gay, must be placed in the pits and thoroughly 
ripened off, or when potting-up time arrives next 
season the greatest disappointment will be experienced 
in the loss of the greater part of the bulbs stored. We 
have completed propagating, and, as advised, the 
dressing of the beds and borders, making all as neat 
and trim as possible. 
Herbaceous Calceolaria. —We have also pricked 
out several pans of herbaceous Calceolarias, returning 
them to the shady part of the cold pits. The autumn 
sowing of Mignonette is quite ready for thinning out, 
and must be attended to forthwith. We shall then 
remove it from the pits on to the shelves in the early 
Peach house, where it will be near to the glass and so 
make a sturdy growth. 
THE FORCING HOUSES. 
Preparing for Winter. —This is now what may 
be termed a close time in this department, and the 
work is of a preparatory kind. All structures in which 
forcing has been carried on should, as they are cleared, 
be submitted to a thorough cleansing, and, if possible, 
be painted before making another start. The great 
advantage of this will he found in the destruction of 
insect pests, which always, more or less, abound, no 
matter how much care may be exercised. Particularly 
is this the case with Melon growing, especially if a 
second crop is taken from the plants. Should soft- 
soap be used in the washing of the roof, do not let it 
touch the glass, as it has a very deleterious effect. 
Arum Lilies. —We have planted out our bed of 
Arum Lilies, and have every hope that they will well 
repay the care bestowed upon them. The bed in which 
they are planted has been made quite firm, as they 
root so freely if in light soil. At the same time, an 
abundance of drainage was allowed, so that plenty of 
liquid manure may be given. The Cucumbers, which 
have been fruiting all the summer, show signs of 
decay ; but as the succession house is now making good 
progress, no anxiety is felt with regard to supply. 
Those in the pits continue to fruit freely, and will, 
■with heat applied to the pipes, last for some time 
longer. They must, however, be closed earlier in the 
afternoon, and in the case of unheated pits, be matted 
up at night. 
Early Vinery. —We have syringed the early vinery 
with paraffin solution, as there was a trace of red- 
spider. A second or even third application will be 
quite sufficient to rid us of insect pests, and save much 
time later on in barking and painting the rods. 
THE KITCHEN GARDEN. 
Wall Trees. —Since the stormy weather some of 
the trees on the walls—notably, Apricots—have started 
into growth, which is unadvisable. Let them be gone 
over and pinched back, so as to prevent growth being 
made at this season, as it will only result in woody 
produce. Look carefully over the different varieties of 
Pears, and gather as they approach ripeness ; but do 
not let them hang on the trees too long, as many lose 
their flavour by becoming over-ripe. Althorp Crassane, 
Bishop’s Thumb, Louise Bonne of Jersey, and Fondante 
de Automne are a few of those that may be safely 
gathered. Beurre Superfin, Madame Treyve and Marie 
Louise from west wall are now coming well into use, 
and will afford variety to the dessert. Apples, too, may 
now be gathered in. We have housed Rihstons, 
Blenheims, Warner’s King, Cox’s Orange Pippin, and 
some few others ; but, as before stated, they are not 
at all satisfactory this season. We have made another 
sowing of winter Spinach, which will probably prove 
useful for late spring picking. 
Planting Cabbages. —Both ground and plants are 
ready for placing out of Ellam’s Cabbage ; but it is as 
yet too early, and a thoroughly ‘good soaking of rain 
is much needel with us. Celery now grows apace, and 
is consequently attended to rather frequently as regards 
earthing. A few of the earliest planting have bolted, 
but not many. Let the Dutch hoe be kept constantly 
at work amongst all crops, so that the squares may be 
kept quite free from weeds, for with such a fine season 
as we are now having no excuse whatever can be made 
for an untidy garden.— Walter Child, Croome Court. 
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ORCHID NOT ES AMD GLEANINGS. 
Orchid Growers’ Calendar.—Watering 
Orchids. —Happily there is now rain-water for all, 
and I am glad of it, for its wonderful effect on Orchids 
I am constantly harping on. The sight of some 
Cattleya roots dead and miserably decayed, sent by an 
old friend and good Orchid grower, together with his 
account of how the mischief suddenly took place, by 
his being forced to use pump-water during the hot 
weather, again brings the matter up with special point, 
as I this year had, at a place near me, convincing proof 
of the evil influences of waters from certain sources and 
the curative effect of rain-water. It happened thus. 
The old gardener who grew his Odontoglossums to 
perfection by carefully husbanding the rain-water for 
them without syringing, left, leaving his plants in 
grand order; afresh one came, and on visiting the place 
six weeks later I found the plants in a very sad state. 
Antipathy to syringing being a craze of mine, I asked 
the gardener if he resorted to the practice, and he 
replied that he did. I advised him to discontinue 
it, and calling again in a fortnight’s time, and find¬ 
ing them no better, I asked him what water he 
used ; and he replied, from the brook. I then re¬ 
membered that the old gardener once had a difficulty 
with the plants, and we thought we traced it to 
the brook. I therefore advised the gardener to use 
only rain-water. This he did, and in a short time the 
beneficial effect on the plants was marvellous. At 
length the rain-water failed, and recourse was had to 
the brook again, with precisely similar results—the 
plants continuing to decline until the rains came, and 
they are now on the road to convalescence again. Not 
all brook water or all pump water, however, are so 
bad, but the water from some of them is simply poison 
to the plants ; and I am sure that the miserable state 
of some collections which should be good may be traced 
to such sources. 
This brings me to my statement, made in a lengthy 
article on watering Orchids in all its bearings in The 
Gardening World for October 4th, 1884, p. 76, as it 
contains the moral, “ Rain-water is by far the best for 
Orchids, and, where possible, none other should be 
used. So important, indeed, is it that any reasonable 
expense spent in tanks for storing it is money well 
invested. So very marked is its effect on the plants 
that I consider a grower using it on his Orchids has an 
incalculable advantage over one utilising water from 
any other source. Care should therefore be taken in 
summer, or at any other season when the supply is 
likely to run short, that the rain-water be used for 
watering only, and that required for cleansing the 
floors, &c., be brought from where it can be better 
spared. In days gone by—and, with some persons, 
even now—it used to be considered absolutely necessary 
that one or more hot-water pipes should run through 
the tanks in the Orchid houses ; indeed, in some 
instances, the poor plants had to be poisoned with 
water from which the heat had eliminated all the 
feeding gases. No greater mistake could possibly be 
made, for even the hottest house plants do better with 
the unheated water taken from the tank in the house 
in which they are grown .”—James O'Brien. 
Cattleya Hardyana. —This grand Cattleya is 
now in flower at Pickering Lodge, Timperley, in the 
superb collection of Mr. George Hardy, and I have no 
hesitation in saying that it is the finest Cattleya I have 
ever met with, and I have seen many. I gazed upon it 
with admiration again and again, for there is no 
denying its charms. It is in the way of C. Sanderiana, 
and was bought for it. The flowers are fully 8 ins. 
across ; the lip 2| ins. across is very large, and the 
lower half of a rich rosy purple. About half way up the 
colour changes to a deep rich golden yellow, a most 
intense shade, and the yellow portion is margined very 
distinctly and conspicuously with rosy purple. The 
centre of the lip has the purple carried into the throat, 
beautifullyilined with the yellow, which is carried right 
into the column. The sepals and petals are a deep 
mauve, and the flower, as a whole, is fine in form and 
substance. The habit of the plant is vigorous, the 
leaves broad, arching slightly, with a distinct lighter- 
coloured vein up the centre. Mr. Hardy is proud of 
his plant, and is to be heartily congratulated on the 
possession of such a gem. Another fine thing in flower 
just now is the useful Odontoglossum vexillarium 
rubellum.the autumn-flowering variety. The flowers are 
of a medium size, and of a very pleasing deep rose colour. 
The growth of the plant is shorter and broader than the 
usual form, and the pseudo-bulbs elongated. It is very 
free-flowering, several small plants having three and 
four spikes in perfection just now. The Orchids are all 
in grand condition, and innumerable sheaths are now 
showing in the Cattleya house.— A. Outram. 
Phalsenopsis Marise. —This rare species is now 
beautifully in flower at Glasnevin, the plant producing 
eighteen flowers on a two-branched spike. At Kew 
the flowers on an eleven-flowered spike are yet fresh, 
although the first flower-bud opened about two months 
FLORICULTURE. 
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♦ 
The Sweet "William. —Thanks to the late Joseph 
Hunt and William Dean, who did so much to improve 
the beautiful Auricula-eyed Sweet Williams, and others 
who from time to time have 'made a pet of the flower, 
growers are now in possession of strains of the highest 
order of excellence. Really, such flowers are worth 
gazing upon—they have such substance, roundness of 
form, size of pip, and exquisite marking, as would 
scarcely be believed by those who are content to grow 
the old-fashioned types without giving them any special 
cultivation. In colour they vary from pure white, 
through delicate blush, pink and rose, to the deepest 
and most brilliant shades of maroon, crimson, carmine, 
&c. Sometimes as edgiDgs to a deeper ground; in 
others, and especially in what is known as the Auricula¬ 
eyed varieties, with the purest white centres, and also 
distinct edgings of white. At other times the centres 
are handsomely veined. Formerly Hunt’s strain of 
Sweet Williams was represented by varieties having 
fimbriated edges ; while Dean’s Auricula-eyed had 
smooth edges, but since then the two types have 
become intermingled, and these distinctions are nearly 
or quite lost. Some of the self-coloured varieties, 
whether with smooth or fimbriated edges, are par¬ 
ticularly striking. 
Sweet Williams will grow in almost any soil, but 
that best adapted for them is one which will grow the 
Carnation and Picotee well. I find that my own 
plants come very fine indeed in a moist sandy loam, as 
such fine varieties can now be had from seed ; pro¬ 
pagation by means of pipings is only necessary to be 
resorted to in cases where some particularly fine variety 
has to be preserved. The plants throw up growths 
from the base, and these, if carefully removed, will be 
found in many instances to put forth fibres, and if 
they are planted out in well-prepared beds 1 ft. or so 
apart, they will grow into good plants. Those who 
in some parts of the country grow Sweet Williams for 
exhibition, adopt this method in order to have fine 
varieties, and they allow but one head of bloom to be 
