January 23, 1892. 
THE GARDENING WORLD. 
327 
them. But they must remain loyal subjects, care¬ 
lessness or neglect will not be tolerated and is sure 
to meet with punishment. The magician of all ages 
has always courted royalty, to appear before the 
queen was the height of his ambition, and success 
was almost sure to be crowned with any expressed 
wish. And so it is to-day. Those in favour with 
her royal highness, the Rose, want for nothing; houses 
go up, acre after acre is added to their broad 
domains. 
Among the magicians who have become famous 
through their experiments with the Rose are Bennett 
of England—whose " Bennett," Laing and Her 
Majesty will ever be fitting monuments to his 
memory. His trick of turning a few plants into 
nearly £10,000 remains unequalled, while Prof. 
Klunder of New York juggled two blossoms of Her 
Majesty so successfully that they turned into more 
than their weight in gold. 
Peter Henderson, one of our most brilliant per¬ 
formers, caught the golden hued Sunset from the 
Perle; it was fittingly named, as so soon after his 
light sank beneath the horizon. 
To Magicians May and Taplin we are indebted 
for The Bride ; this fact will ever place them in the 
front rank of their profession. 
The Rose is the queen of flowers, but the Bride is 
the queen of Roses. 
To the Messrs. Field is due all honour. These 
capital magicians have given us the American 
Beauty, a Rose in many respects unequalled and 
more popular to-day than ever before. 
We would like to speak of the wonderful transfor¬ 
mation scenes which take place in the change of 
Roses into gold; the great expectations that are 
rudely dashed to the ground ; how the experiment 
fails for want of colour (too much sulphur), and 
another calls the turn too soon and will not let the 
buds expand; another cannot stem the tide, as he 
will not cut them long enough, and still another 
waits until the eleventh hour, and finds the markets 
glutted, or perchance he finds that when he best 
could do the trick he has nothing to do it with. 
But the magician who understands his business, 
knows just what the public wants and when they 
want it, is quick to see that this or that trick is not 
taking and changes his programme accordingly, has no 
failures, his productions are beautiful and the trans¬ 
formation a complete success. 
The Carnation wonder worker is about to try and 
turn his product into gold, and this is the way hegoes 
about it: The crop is on, and so is the green-fly ; to¬ 
morrow morning bright and early (so as to catch the 
first express) the flowers are to be gathered ; to-night 
he smokes and smokes until he says, " surely no fly 
can live through that”; the flowers are gathered, 
shipped and received, and the grower waits for his 
gold, but gets what ? Smoke. The trick has failed. 
Again he tries, this time no smoke, but into boxes 
that have done duty at the grocer's he dumps his 
beauties rare and says, “ now see the change take 
place." But alas ! They were so exceedingly spicy 
that folks really sneezed at them and the magician 
hung his head. But every day the trick is done, and 
when done right it always takes Who ever saw fine 
long-stemmed Carnations with colours bright, the 
flowers well open, the fragrance unadulterated, but 
knew the master magician was there and almost saw 
the gold before the trick was finished. 
Then there are the Violet conjurers. They have their 
little trick and some of them do it well, while others 
in getting ready are in such a hurry they gather all 
the flowers in sight, plucking even the very babies 
from their mother’s arms, huddle them in with their 
older relations and hope everything will come out 
all right. Another says, "that’s no way : I can beat 
that all to pieces and they won’t catch meat it either," 
and in good time when his beautiful large blue (excuse 
me, I mean purple) beauties are exposed there is a 
chorus of ohs and ans. A delightful fragrance spreads 
abroad, the transformation immediately takes place 
and the magician is loaded with questions. " Won’t 
you do it again ?" "Tell us how you did it." And 
the next time he is watched more closely, but he con¬ 
tinues to astonish his audience and they finally con¬ 
clude after many surmises that it must be his location. 
And so we might continue. There are other 
magicians that we might speak of, those whose 
province it is to finish off and complete the work. 
They have their transformation scenes and produce 
enchanting effects that are appreciated to a greater 
or less degree and are rewarded accordingly ; but it 
behoves us all as magicians to see to it that as we 
go along we leave a record behind us that after the 
last grand transformation shall have taken place it 
shall be said of us, " well done."— Robert Kift, in The 
Ameritan Florist. ‘ - -- - - 
Gardening HIiscellany. 
NEW MATERIAL FOR TYING. 
Under the name of Taroba, a new material for tying 
has been imported by Mr. P. McArthur,'4, Maida 
Vale, London, W. It is stated to be the inner bark 
of a tree, and is much used for tying purposes in the 
country from whence it is obtained. Mr. McArthur 
has used it in his Orchid houses for the past three 
months and finds it cheaper and more durable than 
raffia, so universally employed at present. It is 
stronger when wet than when dry and apparently 
should be wetted before use, so as to make it softer 
and more pliable when twisting it for use. Although 
it has chiefly been used for tying purposes in Orchid 
houses it may be used in any other where moisture 
is abundant. Some bundles of it have been sent us 
just as it was imported. The material is cut to a 
uniform length of 21 in., and the individual pieces 
vary from J tu of an inch in width. The latter 
can be split up so as to get sufficiently thin pieces 
for light work. 
ECHINOCACTUS MYRIOSTIGMA. 
The stems of this plant are deeply five-angled, and 
completely covered with small white scales, but 
otherwise quite smooth without either bristles or 
spines. Owing to its remarkably slow growth, it 
forms an interesting subject to graft on the stems of 
some other upright growing kind, such as are found 
amongst the species of Cereus. This is what has 
been done in the nursery of Messrs. J. Carter & Co., 
Forest Hill; and the contrast between the many 
ribbed stems of the stock, with its tufts of spines, 
and the smooth Echinocactus on the top is striking. 
A large number of plants of this kind can be kept in 
small space, and require very little attention in the 
way of watering. Nor are repotting and cutting back 
often required, as in the case of most other kinds of 
cultivated plants. 
DAPHNE INDICA. 
There are red and white-flowered varieties of this 
plant, the dark one being the showiest as far as 
the flowers are concerned. Both kinds are remark¬ 
ably fragrant, and on that account alone a plant or 
two should always be kept in the conservatory during 
the flowering period. The plant is a native of China, 
but only requires a greenhouse temperature for its pre¬ 
servation during the winter. In the summer time it 
may be turned out of doors in a warm sheltered place 
to make its growth or placed in a frame. In the early 
stages of growth the sashes might be kept on to en¬ 
courage the production of wood, after which full ex¬ 
posure to light and air by taking off the sashes would 
be conducive to ripening. The plant may be had in 
flower at various periods during the winter, according 
to the time the wood has been made and ripened, 
as well as to the temperature to which it is subjected 
when placed in the houses. 
AGAVE VICTORl/E REGIN/E. 
The commoner species of Agave attain a large eize 
even in pots after a number of years, but that under 
notice is of very slow growth and never becomes 
bulky. The leaves to the number of forty or fifty 
form a dense rosette, and as the individuals seldom 
exceed 6 in. in length and are frequently smaller, 
an idea of the size of the plant may be gleaned. 
They are lanceolate and gradually narrowed from a 
broad base to a hard spiny point. The surface is of 
a dark green margined with a white line, while there 
are other lines of the same hue on both surfaces, 
and which unite about the middle of the leaf. We 
noted it in the nursery of Messrs. J. Carter & Co., 
Forest Hill- At present it is by no means common in 
collections, but highly valued and appreciated where 
grown. It was introduced from Mexico in 1875. 
MARICA GRACILIS. 
It seems singular that this plant should not enjoy 
the same popularity as Marica Northiana, which has 
recently been been discussed by your correspondents 
“ Effendi W. Beigh " and Mr. J. Percival. 
M. gracilis is also a Brazilian species, and may be 
grown in a stove or greenhouse, while M. Northiana 
is usually considered a stove plant. No doubt 
M. gracilis could bejgrown in a window with the 
same facility as the other. The plant is dwarfer, 
the leaves narrower and more graceful, and flowers 
are produced with greater freedom. The latter are 
white, with the inner segments beautifully banded 
or spotted with brownish-purple. An individual 
flower lasts only one day, but others are produced 
in succession from the same spathe. After flower¬ 
ing the scape bends down and gives rise to numerous 
small plants at its apex, and which may be taken off 
and rooted as separate individuals with great 
facility. 
APPLE ALBURY PARK NONSUCH. 
The fruit is of large size and somewhat globular, 
with five rather prominent angles on the upper half, 
terminating in elevations round the eye. In other 
cases it is inclined to be conical, especially when very 
large. The skin at this season is of a shining yellow, 
except on the exposed side where it is bright red, and 
the whole is thinly marked with small russety dots. 
T. he eye is open and set in a moderately deep cavity. 
The fruit evidently keeps well, as it is still quite firm. 
A dish of it received an Award of Merit when shown 
by Mr. W. C. Leach, gardener to the Duke of 
Northumberland, Albury Park, Guildford. 
-- 
ORCHID NOTES AND GLEANINGS, 
The Orchid Grower’s Calendar. 
One of the greatest errors that can possibly be made 
in the culture of Orchids, is to allow them to remain 
in one pot too long. I am convinced that more 
deaths can be traced to this cause than to any other. 
Never in my opinion should a plant be allowed to 
remain in the same pot more than two seasons; 
indeed if done at the proper time they might be 
re-potted every season with advantage. That they 
will grow and flower well without a shift for two and 
perhaps three seasons I know, but at the end of that 
time they will, if I mistake not, have lost some of 
their former vigour, consequently are not in a 
condition to take full advantage of the fresh material 
afforded them, and the result is a season or two of 
careful handling before it is again in a fit state' to 
flower. More especially do these remarks apply to 
Cattleyas and Laelias. 
I would here advise cultivators to keep a sharp 
look out for the somewhat new enemy with which 
the Orchid grower has to contend. I mean the fly 
that causes the root galls, as when once it gets a 
hold it is very difficult to eradicate. It generally 
makes its appearance in April. The fly deposits its 
eggs or larva on the very point of the roots of 
Cattleyas and Laelias, which causes the point to swell, 
The root grows away again and leaves an excrescence, 
which if cut open will be found to contain one or 
perhaps two maggots, which if left would in due 
course come out and renew the attack, in the shape 
of a fly. We make it a practice to overhaul fresh 
plants, imported or established, no matter from what 
source derived, before placing them with the others. 
Plants so affected should be isolated, and as oppor¬ 
tunity offers they should be shaken out, have the 
roots washed, the affected parts cut away, and then 
be re-potted in some fresh compost. Fumigation 
will keep them in check. 
Where Cattleya gigas Sanderiana is grown in 
quantity there are sure to be some starting into 
growth, and these should be placed in the warmest 
part of the house, or in the warmer section. I do 
not know of any other Cattleya that requires less 
water than this one. Ours are grown in the Cattleya 
house all the year round. It is a light, airy struc¬ 
ture which seems to suit them well. They are all 
grown in teak baskets and suspended close to the 
glass, only just enough water being given to keep the 
bulbs plump until the sheath is in sight, when more 
should be given. Grown under these conditions 
they never fail to flower well with us, producing four, 
five and sometimes six flowers to a spike. 
Cymbidium Lowianum coming into bloom should 
be given some stimulant to assist it to develop its 
spikes; we rarely give ours pure water. The best 
manure to use is the best Peruvian Guano. Its 
strength can be better gauged than when manure 
from the farmyard is used, but as a change the 
latter is useful. Odontoglossum citrosmum just 
starting into growth must only receive just enough 
water to keep the bulbs plump, or they will not 
flower freelv, neither will the spikes be large, We 
