December 6, 1890. 
THE GARDENING WORLD. 
217 
He uses the Rhododendron leaves, not because there is 
anything particular in them not to be found in Oak or 
Beech leaves, but because he has them ready to hand. 
He further says, that under his system of growing, the 
plants do not require quite so large pots in which 
to grow. During the growing season they require 
plenty of water, which drains freely through the 
material, but during the winter months, watering 
requires to be done, perhaps, a little more carefully. 
As regards potting, about every two years he finds is 
often enough, but he uses the best peat to be obtained. 
On inquiring if he grows any of his plants on the old 
system now, he says that was all done away with under 
this new system. 
In relation to the two 
different systems of growing 
0. Alexandras, he tells rather 
an amusing story which 
goes a long way to convince 
the most sceptical that the 
system is really worth try¬ 
ing. An Orchid grower 
called to see him, and was 
struck with the robust and 
healthy look of his plants, 
when Mr. Ballard told him 
the system on which he 
was growing them. The 
inquirer shook his head, 
and said it would not last— 
the system would never do. 
Evidently he had thought 
something about it, for after 
going home he potted up 
a dozen of his plants to give 
the system a “fair trial,” 
as he termed it. As time 
went on he forgot all about 
having potted his plants in 
that way, so there can be 
no doubt about all his 
plants receiving the same 
attention. When potting 
time came round again it 
was observed that some 
plants in the collection had 
made superior growths and 
larger pseudo - bulbs than 
others. His surprise may 
be imagined at finding that 
they were the plants treated 
on this new system, and 
which had quite escaped 
his memory until he turned 
the first plant out of its 
pot. He is now growing 
all his 0. Alexandra on 
this system, and finds the 
plants are making better 
growths, and flowering 
more satisfactorily than they 
did under the old plan of 
filling the pots half full of 
crocks. 
Mr. Ballard is growing 
many of his cool Odonto- 
glossums under this system, 
which suits the most of 
them, but with the 
different genera in the hotter 
section he has not had the 
same success. The above 
method of growing plants 
without drainage, is so 
opposed to all the orthodox rules laid down for plant 
growing in pots—where perfect drainage by using 
plenty of potsherds is considered the most important 
part of the operation—that I trust some of your 
readers will give the system a trial and report the 
results. Is it something new, or has the system been 
tried before 1 If this is to be a better and easier way of 
growing this beautiful and popular plant, it will be a 
great gain to our amateur friends, as well as to many 
gardeners who fail to grow this plant satisfactorily. 
The future of Odontoglossums looks brighter under this 
mode of treatment, and I trust it may be the fore¬ 
runner of their management and culture being better 
understood.— Alex. Wright. 
The Birmingham Chrysanthemum Show of 1891 
is announced to be held on November 11th and 12th, 
when prizes will be offered on the same liberal scale as 
before. 
FERNS FOR HANGING BASKETS. 
Conservatories attached to dwelling houses, or 
greenhouses or Ferneries from which the frost is merely 
excluded, can be rendered both pleasing and attractive, 
even in the dead of winter, by the judicious and 
tasteful arrangement of Ferns, many of which are 
adapted for suspension from the roof, and some cannot 
be shown off to advantage in any other way. Wire 
baskets are generally employed for Ferns, and they may 
be had of different sizes and shapes to meet different 
requirements. The amateur who has spare time may 
construct baskets of various design according to fancy. 
Amongst the Adiantums or Maidenhair Ferns, a 
number are highly suitable for basket work, including 
Adiantum doeabriforme. 
A. assimile, a narrow and slender form of A. 
rethiopicum, from Australia. It will live where frost is 
merely kept out. A. aimulum and A. cuneatum 
gracillimum require greenhouse treatment, but when 
well grown, they hang very gracefully over the sides of 
a basket. Essentially a basket plant is A. lunulatum, 
generally known under the name of A. dolabriforme. 
The fronds are long, pendent, simply pinnate, and 
produce young plants at their apices, as may be seen by 
reference to the accompanying illustration, for which we 
are indebted to Messrs. B. S. Williams & Son, Upper 
Holloway. A second generation of plants may be 
produced at the apices of the fronds of the young ones. 
This takes place with greater abundance and freedom in 
A. caudatum, where fronds and successive generations of 
young plants may hang down for a distance of 3 ft. or 
moie. The fronds are narrow and simply pinnate as in 
the last species, but with oblong, one-sided more 
densely arranged pinnae. It does best in a stove or 
intermediate temperature, although it can also be 
grown in a greenhouse. A small basket is all that it 
requires, or a shallow Orchid pan may be used for the 
same purpose. 
For stove culture, Asplenium longissimum should 
certainly find a place. The fronds are pinnate, lance¬ 
shaped, and in the adult plant greatly elongated, and 
hanging down to a distance of 8 ft.. Young plants are 
produced at the apex, and accordingly a stock can 
easily be kept up of a size suited to that of the 
accommodation that can be afforded it. Being a 
native of Malacca and neighbouring places it requires 
stove treatment. A. flaccidum, although not in itself 
a very elegant plant, is decidedly pendent, and adapted 
for basket-work. The fronds 
are pinnate, with the 
pinme again more or less 
deeply divided, but the 
colour is rather a light 
green. Being a native of 
New Zealand it will succeed 
in a house from which frost 
is merely excluded in winter. 
An interesting and pretty 
Fern, something in the 
way of Adiantum caudatum 
and A. lunulatum, is 
Asplenium fiabellifolium. 
The fronds are pinnate, 
with small fan - shaped 
pinna 1 , and range from 
6 ins. to 12 ins. in length. 
They are pendent, and 
produce young plants at 
their tips. As the plant is 
always of slender growth, 
very small baskets are 
sufficient ; in fact, an in¬ 
teresting effect is produced 
by growing it in coco-nut 
shells with some small 
holes bored in one end. 
The young plants root into 
these holes. 
A number of Davallias 
may be employed to good 
purpose for basket work, 
including D. elegans, D. 
dissecta, D. bullata, D. 
Mariesii, D. Tyermanni, 
and others, all of which 
are of moderate growth, and 
may be grown in a stove 
or greenhouse. They are 
well adapted for wire 
baskets, as the rhizomes 
may be trained all over the 
sides as well as the top. 
The finely-divided fronds 
and the long rhizomes 
covered with rusty brown or 
white hairs give the plants 
an appearance which is 
quite their own. Some of 
the larger ones might be 
employed, but they are 
more bulky, and better 
adapted for taller houses. 
Some growers give pre¬ 
ference to the species of 
Nephrolepis with their long 
narrow fronds, including 
N. exaltata, N. cordifolia, 
N. acuta, and N. davallioides 
furcans. Their long, narrow, light green fronds are 
certainly elegant, and the rhizomes of the first three 
becoming suspended to a length of 2 ft. or 3 ft., add a 
new feature to the whole. The fronds themselves are 
mostly erect. The forked character of the pinnas of 
the fronds adds much to the general appearance of the 
plant, giving it a more leafy character. 
Very handsome is a well-grown plant of Polypodium 
subauriculatum, the fronds of which hang down to a 
distance of 3 ft. to 5 ft. The basket containing it 
requires therefore to be suspended pretty high, in- 
order that the fronds may be out of the way. The 
roofs of conservatories are generally sufficiently high to 
permit of this being done. Woodwardia radicans and 
W. orientalis are strong-growing subjects, with arching 
fronds, capable of being made very ornamental under 
good cultivation. Young plants are produced at the 
tips of the fronds of W. radicans, and often in profusion 
from the upper surface of \V. orientalis. 
