308 
THE GARDENING WORLD. 
January 14, 1888. 
will be afforded to those who possess a green¬ 
house by the growing of a few dozens of these 
plants in pots. So great an advance has been 
made during the last ferv years in the strains 
now procurable, and the colours are so diversi¬ 
fied, the habit of the plants, as a rule, so neat, 
and the bloom so abundant, that, when once 
taken in hand, the cultivator must be dull 
indeed if he does not become enthusiastic over 
his charge. Some care, however, is necessary 
that the flowering season may be extended as 
much as possible, and this is not an inopportune 
moment to show how this may be done. We 
may premise that we have only just removed 
last season’s seedlings from the stages where 
they have been flowering since July, simjfly to 
make room for the many forced and other 
plants which now abound. These plants now 
give us an abundance of cuttings, which will at 
once be put in, and as soon as they are struck 
they will be potted off singly into small 60’s, 
grown in gentle heat, and be kept as near to the 
glass as possible to prevent drawing. Good 
drainage and a light rich soil, it should here 
be stated, are necessary to ensure a quick free 
growth. 
When well started they should be kept 
stopped until sufficient shoots are obtained to 
make nice bushy plants, and during the flower¬ 
ing period they should be fed constantly with 
liquid manure. These early-struck cuttings 
will be well in flower during May and June, 
and give a full supply of flowers before the 
seedlings, which should be sown about the 
middle of February, come in; later sowing 
would do, but it is always preferable to be early 
with them, so that the single ones may be 
weeded out, and, if necessary, be used for 
bedding purposes, for which they are admirably 
suited; the selected ones will then he kept 
pinched and free from flowers until, as in the 
previous case, well-formed bushy plants are 
secured, when they may be allowed to flower 
and take the place on the stages of the early 
stock. Of course, in the event of any of these 
being required for propagation on account of 
particular merit, they should be cut back and 
placed in a cold frame, where they will quickly 
throw out cuttings, which strike readily and 
winter well if a slight heat can be afforded 
them. 
In procuring seed, we, perhaps, need hardly 
observe that the very best strains should be 
obtained, and care should be taken in the 
sowing of the seed, as when it germinates, 
some—after lying dormant for a long time— 
frequently produce plants which give the most 
double flowers. The pricking-out of the seed¬ 
lings should be done as they become large 
enough to handle, returning the pan to its 
original position until well on in the season, 
simply filling in the holes made by removing 
the plants with fine soil or sand, and sprinkling 
to settle it. It will be advisable, too, to cover 
the pan with a pane of glass, as almost all 
insects are particularly fond of feeding upon 
the tender foliage ; and when very small, the 
plants must be kept shaded from the direct 
rays of the sun. 
-->¥«*- 
Royal Horticultural Society.—At the general meeting 
of the Fellows held on Tuesday last in the Crush Room 
of the Royal Albert Hall, Dr. Hogg presided, and the 
business done consisted exclusively of reading the 
minutes of the irregular meeting held on December 
13th, and giving force to the resolutions then passed 
by putting them to the vote again. A few unimportant 
amendments having been made, the resolutions were 
put to the vote and carried without opposition. 
A New Kitchen Apple.—From Preston comes the 
announcement of a new culinary Apple, named Gold 
Medal. It is in course of distribution by Mr. W. 
Troughton, nurseryman, and it is described as of the 
“first size and quality; an early and most excellent 
cooking Apple of great fertility, young trees producing 
abundance of fruit ; flesh pale yellowish white, very 
juicy, sweet, tender, and firm, with a brisk and pleasant 
flavour; in great perfection in August.” It takes its 
name from having been awarded a Gold Medal at the 
great show of the Preston Floral and Horticultural 
Society in September, 1882. The diagram accom¬ 
panying the Apple shows it to be of large size, and in 
shape not unlike Warner’s King ; but being so large 
and so early—for does not the description say, “ In 
great perfection in August ” ? — it cannot fail to be very 
useful, not only for kitchen, but also for exhibition 
purposes. Our best August culinary Apple for exhi¬ 
bition is Lord Suffield, and we shall be glad to see the 
new Gold Medal in competition with it. Does any 
reader of The Gardening Would know anything 
about it ? 
National Chrysanthemum Society.—A meeting of 
the general committee of the above society was held at 
their new quarters, Anderton’s Hotel, Fleet Street, on 
Thursday last. The president, Mr. E. Sanderson, 
occupied the chair. It was decided that the annual 
meeting should be held on Tuesday, the 31st January, 
at 7 o’clock, at Anderton’s Hotel. Several special 
prizes offered to the society were accepted, amongst 
them being some from Messrs. Cannell & Sons, Swanley ; 
Mr. C. Fidler, of Reading ; and Messrs. H. Deverill & 
Co., of Banbury. A very interesting discussion took 
place upon Mr. Cannell’s method of ballot judging for 
prizes ; but as he was unable to convince the meeting 
of the advantages he considered were to be derived from 
this mode of awarding prizes, he withdrew his request 
to have the awards for his new varieties made in this 
way, and promised to repeat his offer to give, at the 
November show, £20 in prizes for the best exhibits of 
his new varieties. 
The Great Yorkshire Gala. —The annual meeting 
of the guarantors and life members took place on the 
6 th inst. under the presidency of Sir Joseph Terry. 
The election of officers for the ensuing year resulted as 
follows:—President, the Lord Mayor of York; chair¬ 
man of committee, Sir J. Terry ; vice-chairman, Mr. 
Alderman Rooke ; treasurer, Mr. J. Wilkinson ; 
auditors, Messrs. Milward, Turner, and Scott; 
managing committee, the Lord Mayor, the City 
Sheriff, and Messrs. R. Anderson, Balmford, W. 
Bland, J. Blenkin, Browne, Bulmer, Chapman, Cooper, 
Dunkley, Foster, Garbutt, G. Hodgson, G. Kirby, T. 
M. Lambert, P. Matthews, Preston, Rotherford, G. 
Seller, W. Stowe Sharp, E. Wade, J.P., and J. E. 
Wilson. Mr. John Wilson was re-elected secretary, 
and in returning thanks, stated that he had held the 
office for twenty-nine years, and hoped the Gala of this 
year would be more successful than any of its pre¬ 
decessors. They had a grand history of the past to 
guide them. 
M. Xavier Gregoire, of Jodoigne, in Belgium, died 
on the 21st of December last, at the age of eighty-six 
years. He was well known to most pomologists and 
fruit growers in general as the raiser of many choice 
seedling Pears, several of which have been grown in 
this country for a long time, and are popular from their 
excellence for dessert purposes. As long ago as 1830, 
this veteran contracted a taste for raising seedling Pears 
for the purpose of obtaining meritorious varieties. 
This he did out of mere love for the thing, as he did 
not make a trade of his hobby, but distributed what he 
succeeded in raising with the greatest generosity. Of 
the varieties now grown in this country might be 
mentioned Nouvelle Fulvie, Zephirin Gregoire, Zephirin 
Louis, Beurre Delfosse, Leon Gregoire, and others. 
The second variety mentioned is a medium-sized dessert 
Pear of great excellence, and now in season. Some 
years ago he gave his trees to the School of Horticulture 
of Yilvorde. 
A Flower Farm in the Maritime Alps. — The 
United States Consul at Marseilles has recently been 
the round of the principal districts in the Alpes- 
Maritimes where flowers are grown for the purpose of 
making scent, such as Grasse, Seillans, &e., and has 
sent a very interesting report upon the subject to his 
Government. One of the largest flower farms visited 
was that of the Marquise de Rostaing, at Seillans, 
about 2,000 ft. above the level of the sea, and twenty 
miles from the coast, upon the southern slope of the 
Alpes-Maritimes. The soil is of a chalky nature and 
very poor, and up to 1881 the Olive groves which 
covered the property yielded but a very small income. 
Madame de Rostaing, however, determined to see 
whether it could not be made to grow flowers, and, 
cutting down the Olive trees, she had the ground 
trenched to a depth of over 4 ft., while arrangements 
were made for irrigating the five-and-twenty acres. In 
the autumn of 1881 she had planted 45,000 Violets 
and 140,000 white Jasmine, while in the spring follow¬ 
ing the rest of the ground was planted with Roses, 
Geraniums, Jonquils, &c., and a laboratory built for 
making scent. The result was most satisfactory, for 
in the fourth year — that is to say, in 1885 — the 
property, which had before yielded an income of £23, 
produced scent to the value of £S63, leaving a net 
profit of £154. The nature of the soil was such that 
the preliminary outlay had been an exceptionally 
heavy one ; while, as the interest on the capital 
expended is included in the above estimates, and as, 
moreover, the flowers planted had not attained complete 
maturity after four years’ growth, it will be readily 
understood that the business can be made a very 
profitable one. 
Maidstone Gardeners’ Society.—At the fortnightly 
meeting of this society on the 4th inst. the exhibits, as 
usual, were very numerous, and far exceeded in bright¬ 
ness and effect many of the old-time quarterly shows. 
The hon. treasurer, Mr. 'W. R. Harrison, submitted 
the quarterly balance sheet, from which it appeared 
that the total income for the past three months 
amounted to £20 5s., and the expenditure, including 
the heavy loss, £17 0s. 9 d., incurred at the late Chry¬ 
santhemum show, to £28 Is. 9 d. The total net balance 
to the credit of the society was £292 14s. 7 d., and it 
was said that it is upwards of eleven years since the 
balance had been so small. The best thanks of the 
meeting were accorded to Mr. Harrison for his state¬ 
ment, and in acknowledging the compliment, he said 
that he hoped and believed that there were better times 
in store for the society. 
Californian Root Crops.—M. Bergman, in a recent 
number of Le Jardin, states that the fruit crop at Los 
Angeles, in the district of San Francisco, has been one 
of the most satisfactory. It is said that 23,000 tons of 
Oranges alone have been sold this year. In addition 
to that, a large trade is in course of formation for the 
supply of crystallised fruits, the quality of which is 
reported to be as good as the most celebrated product 
of this kind in the south of France. Seeing that the 
price of good fruit is so low—viz., from ^d. to a id. per 
lb.—it is greatly feared that the enterprising Americans 
will ere long become a formidable opponent against the 
French in the English market for a commodity in 
which the French have hitherto excelled. 
Birmingham Gardeners’ Association—At a recent 
meeting of the members of this association Mr. ‘William 
Spinks, manager of Mr. Hans Kiemand’s nursery, read 
a carefully thought-out paper on Narcissi, which was 
followed by a good discussion. The general meeting 
of the association for the election of officers took place 
on the 3rd. inst., when Mr. W. B. Latham was 
re-elected chairman, and Mr. J. Hughes as secretary. 
-- 
THE CULTURE OP CATTLEYAS 
AND LgELIAS.—II. 
Treatment of Newly-imported Plants. 
If the plants are received in good condition, half the 
pseudo-bulbs should have fresh leaves ; the plants 
should be looked over and all dead roots, leaves, or loose 
material removed, and then be sponged with tepid 
water to free the plants from insects and dust. They 
may then be placed upright in some shady position, in 
a house having the temperature of 55°, and frequently 
doused over with pure water at the same temperature 
as the atmosphere. Some growers pot them up at 
once, placing nothing but crocks about them until the 
roots begin to push. Others grow them on blocks of 
wood the first season, but in taking them off for potting 
the roots always get broken, and if potted along with 
them the wood is likely to breed fungus. If the first 
system be adopted the plants may remain under the 
conditions described until they begin to push roots, 
and before these are in danger of getting broken in 
handling they should be potted up. Mischief is often 
done by placing the plants in too great heat at first, 
which causes numbers of the leaves to turn yellow and 
drop off. 
Potting. 
The best time to pot is just when the plants show 
signs of commencing to grow, which, in the majority of 
cases, will be in early summer, and the material for 
potting should be the fibre only of the best peat (all 
the small particles being shaken out), mixed with about 
an equal quantity of live sphagnum moss. Have a 
quantity of clean crocks ready broken into two sizes. 
After turning a plant out of its pot (should the roots 
adhere much to the sides, it is best to break it) remove 
all the old potting material, carefully preserving the 
live roots, but cutting away all that are dead, and any 
old spent bulbs that look unsightly. Next select a 
pot which should be perfectly clean, a little larger 
