September 29, 1888. 
THE GARDENING WORLD. 
78 
Azaleas are very subject to thrip, which soon destroys 
the foliage if not checked. Before housing them, 
syringe thoroughly with tobacco-water, to which 
2 ozs. of soft soap and a small lump of soda has been 
added for every gallon of water. These substances 
must be dissolved in warm water, and afterwards kept 
well stirred. In syringing the Azaleas, lay the plants 
in a slanting direction with the heads over a tub, so 
that the liquid mixture may be used over again until 
all the plants have been thoroughly done. Syringe 
afterwards with clean water. Camellias should have 
their leaves sponged with a solution pf soft soap, 
Gishurst Compound or Fir Tree Oil before they are 
taken to their winter quarters or placed amongst other 
subjects. 
THE FORCING HOUSES. 
Vine Borders. —If the Vines in any of the houses 
have been showing any serious lack or loss of vigour 
during the past season it may almost be taken as 
evidence of something wrong at the roots. This mav 
result from the roots having got into a bad medium, or 
the soil of the borders may have got into a bad state, 
and the roots have suffered injury. In any case the 
best plan is to have the soil removed, commencing at 
the front, where a trench should be taken out, gradually 
working towards the back. All this should be done 
with care, and the material carted away at once. Take 
particular care that the roots of the Vines which may 
be encountered do not get injured as the work proceeds. 
In low-lying situations it will be necessary to concrete 
the bottom of the border, and place 1 ft. of rubble on 
the top of this, making proper provision for the escape 
of surplus water by means of drains. On the top of 
the drainage place a covering of turves with the green 
side down, to prevent the soil getting amongst the 
drainage. Before commencing these operations, how¬ 
ever, it is to be taken for granted that the careful 
cultivator has provided himself with the requisite 
compost for filling up the border again. Two-thirds of 
this should consist of soil from the surface of good old 
pasture land, with a liberal quantity of bones, bone- 
dust, brick rubble, and some half-decayed animal 
manure, the whole of which should have been well 
mixed and lain in a heap for some time. 
Melon Pits, &e.—Before forcing is again com¬ 
menced, Melon, Cucumber, and forcing pits generally 
should undergo a thorough cleansing to free them from 
insect pests,. as no matter what care may have been 
exercised during the growing season, it is very difficult 
to keep them clear of insects. The woodwork should 
also be painted when the pits and houses are at rest or 
empty, not only for appearance sake and the preservation 
of the wood, but for the destruction of insect enemies. 
THE KITCHEN GARDEN. 
Cabbage and Cauliflower Planting. —For early 
spring use such Cabbages asEllam’s Early, Early York, 
and Early Etampes may now be planted. The first- 
named being a particularly dwarf grower, requires a 
distance of 18 ins. only each way. Where Cauliflowers 
are grown under hand-lights, they may now be planted, 
putting a number under each light, according to its 
size. Close the lights after planting until the roots 
have become established, when the top may be wholly 
removed in fine weather. 
Strawberry Borders. —The weather still being 
favourable to the growth of runners, the beds, borders, 
and breaks should be gone over, and all runners 
thoroughly cleared off, together with weeds, so that 
the -whole may present a tidy appearance. A good 
mulching of manure laid between the rows of recently- 
made plantations will assist the young plants greatly, 
and if the plantations were made in August, a crop may 
reasonably be expected from them next summer. 
-«■>;£<» -- 
ORCHID NOTES AND GLEANINGS. 
- •*— -- 
The Orchid Growers’ Calendar. 
Although it is best not to be too hasty in removing 
the blinds from the Orchid houses in autumn, care 
should be taken that they are not used more than is 
absolutely necessary, for a good bright light and a fair 
amount of sun is of great benefit to the plants, by 
hardening their tissues and better fitting them to pass 
over the long sunless periods during winter. The 
blinds should therefore only be used at times, when 
injury to the plants by the unbroken rays of the sun is 
anticipated. At doubtful times, when the sun only 
peeps out strongly occasionally, the blinds need not be 
let down if a little extra ventilation be put on as a 
safeguard. 
Barkerias, Brazilian Laelias and Cattleyas, Mexican 
Lielias, Sehomburgkias, Stanhopeas, Brazilian and all 
other Oncidiums, except 0. macranthum and other 
cool-house kinds, Epidendrums, and other things of a 
like nature may with benefit be kept wholly unshaded 
for the rest of the season if carefully tended. The cool 
houses, Phakenopsis, and East Indian plants, how¬ 
ever, should be carefully shaded as in summer when 
occasion requires it. From many quarters I learn that 
this summer has not been a good one for Orchids 
generally, probably on account of the dull and wet 
weather. While guarding the plants therefore from 
injury from sun-heat now, care must be taken to shade 
as little as possible, so that a hoped-for sunny autumn 
may repair the errors of the summer .—James O’Brien. 
Cattleya Dominiana. 
This rare and magnificent hybrid between Cattleya 
Mosshe and C. Dowiana, raised in Messrs. James 
Veitch & Sons’ nursery, is now in flower in the fine 
Orchid collection of Baron Schroder at The Dell, 
Egham. The flowers, which are large and beautifully 
formed, have rich amethyst sepals and petals. The 
labellum, which is finely expanded and frilled, as in 
C. Dowiana, is of the richest velvety purple, and the 
disk golden yellow, heavily streaked with maroon- 
purple—a wonderful beauty. 
Dendrobium Falconeri. 
Many cultivators experience considerable difficulty in 
flowering this Indian species, even although they 
manage to grow it pretty strongly for years. Others 
there are who succeed but indifferently in getting it to 
produce any really good growths at all. A fair-sized 
plant of it, grown in a basket by Messrs. Shuttleworth, 
Carder & Co., at 191, Park Road, Clapham, has been 
flowering profusely for some time past. The flowers 
bear a curious resemblance to those of D. Wardianum, 
and the latter has by some authorities been considered 
as a variety merely of D. Falconeri. The much-jointed 
and knotty stems of the species under notice, however, 
is quite sufficient to separate the two at any stage of 
growth. The ground colour of the flower is white, all 
the segments, including the lip, being tipped with 
purple. The latter organ is characterised by two large 
blackish purple blotches at the base, surrounded by 
orange, so that the close resemblance of the two species 
mentioned is rather paradoxical, seeing that the stems 
or pseudo-bulbs are so dissimilar. The plant is grown 
in the Cattleya house, and is hung up near the glass. 
Cypripediums at Clapham. 
There is always a considerable amount of bloom on the 
Cypripediums of Messrs. Shuttleworth, Carder & Co., 
at Park Road, Clapham, even although Orchids are 
professedly out of season, and the plants moderate in 
size. One of the prettiest of the hybrid forms on the 
occasion of a visit the other day was C. Ashburtoniae 
expansum. The upper sepal is furnished with 
blackish purple blotches in lines, while the apex and 
margin are white. C. javanicum superbiens is also a 
marked improvement on the type, and has the white 
standard striped with green lines, and the petals 
closely covered with small purple spots. Very distinct 
in its way is C. tonsum, which is noted for the petals 
being much the broadest at the apical end. The 
flowers of C. Dautheri are both large and dark-coloured, 
with a shining lustre. One of the newest and most 
recent additions to the collection is C. Wallertianum, 
the standard of which has deep brown lines on a 
greenish yellow ground, and a white margin. The 
petals have two different shades of brown on the two 
longitudinal halves. The beautiful C. Godefroyae and 
C. Schlimii album are also flowering at present. 
Oncidium dasytyle. 
The dwarf habit and attractive appearance of the 
flowers of this Brazilian species have already made it 
popular with a large number of growers, and its culti¬ 
vation is likely to become extended. It has not 
inaptly been termed the Bee Orchid by some on account 
of the large fleshy black crest on the lip, which is so 
shaped as to resemble an insect of some sort crawling 
up that organ. The sepals are of an ochre-yellow 
colour, while both they and the petals are blotched 
with brown. With the exception of the black disk, 
the lip is of a bright yellow, and by far the largest and 
most conspicuous part of the flower. Its usual month 
of blooming has been given as January; but, like 
0. Jonesianum, it flowers at any time of the year 
almost, while individual plants remain a long time in 
bloom. A large number of plants from a recent 
importation are now becoming finely established in 
Messrs. John Laing & Sons’ nursery, at Forest Hill. 
HORTICULTURAL SOCIETIES. 
Royal Horticultural. 
Tuesday’s meeting will be remembered by the few— 
very few we grieve to say—who visited the Drill Hall, 
for the superb display of Dahlias made by the leading 
trade growers. It is not often that Dahlias of such 
size, perfect form, and clear brilliant colours are seen at 
any time, but at the end of September they were some¬ 
what of a surprise, and a most agreeable surprise too. 
Other special features worthy of high commendation, 
were a glorious group of Nerine Fothergillii, set in 
Maidenhair Ferns, from Baron Schroder’s garden at The 
Dell, Egham, and who was awarded a Silver Banksian 
Medal ; a charming collection of autumn Roses, from 
Messrs. William Paul & Son, which took a Bronze 
Banksian Medal ; a remarkable group of Nepenthes, 
from Mr. B. S. Williams, a sturdy set of plants, in 
perfect growth and well pitchered, which secured the 
highest award of the day, a Silver-Gilt Banksian Medal; 
a large and pretty group of cut herbaceous plants from 
Mr. T. S. Ware ; and interesting hardy plants from 
Messrs. J. Veitch & Sons, which each secured Silver 
Banksian Medals. 
The Dahlia show was made up of extensive contri¬ 
butions from Messrs. Keynes, Williams & Co., Mr. 
Charles Turner, Messrs. Paul & Son, Mr. G. Humphreys, 
Chippenham ; Messrs. H. Cannell & Sons, J. L. West, 
Esq., Messrs. J. Cheal & Sons, and Messrs. Rawlings 
Brothers, and medals were as freely awarded as they 
were well deserved. A number of new varieties were 
certificated, and these are noticed in another column. 
Mr. Sidney Ford, Leonardslee, contributed a beautifully- 
grown and brightly-coloured collection of plumes of 
the pyramidal Celosia, and the Floral Committee 
highly commended the strain. Mr. R. Dean, Ealing, 
contributed some good Pentstemons ; and Mr. Cowley, 
gardener to F. G. Tautz, Esq., a plant of the singular 
Cycnoches chlorochilon, with two spikes of four of its 
monster lemon-yellow flowers, to which a Cultural 
Commendation was awarded. 
At the meeting of the Fruit Committee, Messrs. 
James Veitch & Sons exhibited a fine collection of 
Plums, Apples, and Pears, &c., for which a Silver 
Banksian Medal was awarded. Mr. G. H. Richards, 
Somerley, Ringwood, showed one of the handsomest 
Queen Pines we have seen for a long time, and received 
a Cultural Commendation. A most interesting collec¬ 
tion of hardy fruits came rather late in the day from 
Mr. Fairgrieve, of Dunkeld, N.B , but the various 
samples created much interest among the growers 
present. They were a very fine lot, and in several cases 
were as fine and as fully ripe as the same sorts in 
the south. The collection included Hale’s Early, 
Early York and Early Silver Peaches, Pitmaston 
Orange and Lord Napier Nectarines, and Jefferson, 
Magnum Bonum, Cox’s Emperor, Lawson’s Golden 
Gage, St. Catherine, Pond’s Seedling and Ickworth 
Imperatrice Plums, all of good size and fine colour. 
Berkhamstead Horticultural. 
The thirty-ninth annual shdw of this society was held 
in the Town Hall, on Monday the 24th inst. The 
central hall was devoted to exhibits of gardeners and 
amateurs, the principal feature being the large groups of 
plants set up, not for competition. At one end of the 
hall was shown a fine group of stove and foliage plants 
from the gardens of A. G. Lucas, Esq., Ashylens ; these 
were tastefully arranged by Mr. Higgins. A similar 
group in size was set up by Mr. Hillier, gardener to the 
president of the society, H. H. Cooper, Esq.; in this 
exhibit good taste was shown, especially in the 
arrangement of fine-foliaged grasses amongst the heavy- 
foliaged plants. One long table was devoted to a 
display of fruit, by Captain Curtis, of the Hall, 
Berkhamstead, whose gardener, Mr. Finch, evidently 
knows what are the best sorts for exhibition, and also 
how to show them to advantage. Grapes were well 
shown for competition, especially black kinds. In the 
latter class some really fine bunches were shown by 
Mr. Tarbox, gardener to Lady Sarah Spencer; not 
being quite ripe, however, they failed to secure first 
honours. 
Plants in the gardeners’ class were not a very strong 
feature, but very noticeable was a specimen plant of 
single Begonia, Primrose Queen, shown by E. Mawley, 
Esq. Unfortunately it was shown in the class for best 
specimen stove plant, and failed to get in front of a large 
well-flowered Eucharis for first place ; against another 
plant of its own class it would have been invincible. 
