Match 26, 1892. 
467 
THE GARDENING WORLD. 
ripened pods of seeds with me has died. The one 
exception is a plant of O. triumphans which took two 
years to recover, so that a valuable plant as far as 
seed is concerned is best left alone. 
The lasting properties of the flowers of the Odon- 
toglossum family is very great, and the great beauty 
of the individual flowers have a charm that seem to 
be appreciated by most people, although one visitor 
kindly informed me he would sooner have a good 
Cucumber plant than any Orchid flower he ever saw. 
At some future time I may have the pleasure of 
giving you some detailed account of the various 
varieties, etc., of this family. 
To ensure success in the cultivation of this class 
of Orchids, insect pests must be given no quarter ; 
they must be kept under. The first and greatest 
enemies belong to the snail family ; they feed on the 
roots, foliage, young growths, flower spikes, and even 
on the bulbs. It is very pleasant to grow a fine 
bulb, have a nice flower spike about 3 in. long, and 
to find one morning the spike eaten nearly oft and 
hanging down with a little skin that the snail won't 
condescend to eat. I have found several species of 
snails among my Orchids, and the worst seems to be 
a thin-skinned one of a sooty-brown colour, about 
three-quarters of an inch long, whose particular 
food is either the end of new roots or a young flower 
spike. Another is the stinking shell snail, an old 
Orchid enemy, that seems to be fond of decayed 
sphagnum, with an occasional meal of Orchid roots 
and spikes. The small, black, tough, leathery¬ 
skinned common garden snail that creeps into the 
houses through a crack in the brickwork or under the 
door, has an especial fondness for all new bulbs 
of such as O. grande, etc. It bores a round hole in 
them until it has had enough, very seldom troubling 
itself to look after the spikes or roots except they get 
in his way first. The small, common white garden 
snail that gets in with empty pots or so, is generally 
caught around the outside of the pots eating any 
green moss, or young Ferns that may be growing on 
them. A little, white, tough-skinned snail, about 
half-an-inch long, I found amongst some roots 
of O. Rossii majus, eats every living eye out of 
the bulbs as well as all roots. The large black and 
and the large white field snails I have not yet found in 
my houses. They might eat a plant off at once, as 
I heard of one of my friends having his plants sadly 
spoiled by some of this type. There is nothing for 
this enemy except traps, such as Lettuce leaves, 
Turnips, and Potatos, although I find they prefer the 
leaves of Aponogeton distachyon to all others, 
which seldom fails to catch them. I have never 
found any snails eaten by green tree frogs except the 
stinking shell snail, and then only once. It requires 
plenty of patience and constant vigilance to catch 
them at dark or just getting dusk, and when caught 
there is nothing for them but complete extermination. 
Woodlice are another pest, but unless they are very 
numerous they are not mischievous, as they prefer 
decayed vegetable matter. The green frogs give a 
good account of them when they find them. 
Thrip is only found when the atmosphere is too hot 
and too dry. It is an insect that I have not been 
troubled with amongst cool Odontoglossums; nor 
red spider. Ants are troublesome by carrying scale 
about and protecting green-fly, as they seem to be 
fond of the juices of both, which I have no doubt 
they use as food. Green-fly is not troublesome with 
me as healthy plants are seldom bothered with it. 
I never use either tobacco or soft soap or any mix¬ 
ture whatever, trusting principally to healthy plants 
and constant watching of young growths. Cock¬ 
roaches are one of the most dreaded enemies of the 
Orchid family, as they seem to be fond of the sweet 
soots, spikes, etc.; the plants are never safe when 
they are about. Green tree fogs will destroy all this 
family, except the full-grown ones which must be 
caught. Centipedes I never destroy, as they live 
upon all dead insects and insects’ eggs. They are 
ugly things, still I have got used to them. I find I 
have four varieties, but my favourite is the quick- 
moving red one—my old Auricula friend. I never des¬ 
troy a small black beetle, one that is very common. 
I had a great veneration for it since one night I dis¬ 
covered one running about with a purse of eggs of the 
Indian cockroach, which had been imported amongst 
some Dendrobiums, etc. All the weevil family of 
beetles are enemies. I found one eating the foliage 
of O. crispum, and took it to a friend, who kindly 
informed me it was the Peach tree weevil. Of course 
I was sorry it had not stuck to the Peach tree. 
Amongst some imported pieces of O. grande I 
found a lot of the old bulbs with peculiar round 
holes in them. I kept a look out for new ones but 
was always too late, the insect had escaped. I have 
no doubt the green frogs had given a good account 
of them, as they are fond of all winged insects. 
These frogs I have had now two years ; they seem to 
be long-lived, but never breed, although I have 
plenty of water about. Earwigs in autumn are 
troublesome if they get very numerous ; but I try 
to keep all the " Devil’s Coach Horses ” —as an ugly 
insect is called about an inch long, which when dis¬ 
turbed turns its tail up over its back. I have found this 
insect eating earwigs, catching them upon the wood¬ 
work of the greenhouses, and even in the spouts on 
the top at night. There is one rule I follow in grow¬ 
ing these and other plants, that is "if a thing is 
worth doing at all it is worth doing well.” Nothing 
is to be left to chance, neither watering, shading, 
firing, or even insect hunting. — IF. Bolton, Warrington. 
EARWIGS IN PANSYBEDS. 
Mr. J. D. Stuart, in his most interesting communica¬ 
tion on the fertilization of Pansy blooms in your 
issue for March 12th, alludes to the annoyances 
which Pansy growers experience from the ravages of 
earwigs. I too used to suffer terribly from the depre¬ 
dations of these insects, so much so, that from the be¬ 
ginning of August to the end of the season—although I 
had many hundreds of plants—I found it very difficult 
to get a stand of undamaged blooms for exhibition. 
They seem to be very fond of eating the points of 
the young flower buds, and the consequence is that 
when the blooms open there is a bit wanting in every 
petal. 
Three years ago I adopted a plan which I have 
found to be a perfect cure, and of which I send you 
a description in the hope that it may benefit other 
Pansy growers similarly situated to myself. Assum¬ 
ing that the beds are bordered with wood, get some 
strips of zinc 4 in. wide to go round the bed or beds, 
and with strong tacks fix them along the outside of 
the top of the edging. Then curve the zinc down¬ 
wards, as shown in the accompanying sketch, and 
you will have a barrier which no earwig will pass. 
It also keeps snails from getting on to the beds, 
although one cannot help a few getting in when add¬ 
ing fresh soil or manure. Once, however, get rid of 
those inside and there will be no more trouble with 
snails for the season.— M. C. 
-- 
GREENHOUSE NOTES, 
Where there is a brisk demand for choice white 
flowers, there is none which forms a more acceptable 
variety than Lily of theValley. With a mild steady and 
moist atmosphere such as a well-made hot-bed with 
a preponderance of leaves affords, where the plants 
can be encouraged into growth gradually at the dead 
of the year, together with a command of crowns well 
prepared for the purpose, a more or less abundant 
supply of bloom can be had early in the year. From 
the middle ofFebruary, however, onwards, it is not 
a very difficult task where an ordinary forcing house 
or warm vinery is available to get good crowns into 
a profuse flowering condition. When roots are 
abundant, flowering spikes may be cut almost con¬ 
stantly from the period indicated till they come into 
bloom outside by introducing a batch about once a 
fortnight. 
In performing this work we break up the clumps 
and select the strongest crowns only, and the smaller 
sizes are useful for making fresh plantations. The 
crowns intended for potting are packed together and 
tied firmly with cord before commencing the former 
operations. When they are placed in heat and 
immediately covered up with Moss, Cocoa-nut fibre, 
or other available material, in a few days free 
growth will take place, and much finer and more 
uniformly flowered specimens will be secured than is 
possible by merely potting unassorted clumps from 
plantatians where the strength of the crowns vary 
considerably. 
In the case of plants not subjected to hard forcing 
there is a practice followed by some growers of 
restricting them to pot-culture after being lifted 
from the beds, and under good culture larger and 
more erect spikes and also finer individual flowers 
are said to be produced, and a recent trial of this 
system enables me to endorse the experience of 
others who have also put it to the test. In common 
with Deutzias and other plants the development and 
ripening of the growth must be well attended to in 
order to ensure success. 
Besides the sources of supply in such white flowers 
as Lily of the Valley, Deutzias, Pelargoniums and 
Hyacinths, not the least notable are the Chrysan¬ 
themums. Some late struck plants of Ethel kept 
on flowering freely till about February 15th. The 
plants are now, after being cut down, making strong 
shoots, which will be taken off now (March 12th) and 
rooted. These will be grown on till placed in 10-in. 
or 12-in. pots according to size of the plants. In 
these pots they will flower for five or six weeks after 
the January 1st, provided they suffer no accidental 
check from being root-bound, want of water, or other 
causes. Smaller though very useful flowering plants 
of the above and other white varieties suitable for 
late decoration may be got forward in good time 
though not rooted till April if all goes well after¬ 
wards.— D. MAyrshire. 
_ 
SCOTTISH NOTES. 
Formation of Protective Union by Aberdeen 
Gardeners.— A largely-attended meeting of gar¬ 
deners was held in Aberdeen on Friday evening, 
18th inst., for the purpose of forming a trade pro¬ 
tective association. Mr. Thomas Nicol, president of 
the Aberdeen Trades Council, occupied the chair. 
In his opening address, the chairman said that from 
what he had recently learned he had come to the 
conclusion that gardeners were a long-suffering and 
much-oppressed class of men. It was now fourteen or 
fifteen years ago since the last attempt was made in 
Aberdeen to form a union, and the effort was futile. 
The state of matters in the gardening trade was bad 
then, but now it was ten times worse. Market 
gardeners’ wages ran from 18s. to 20s per week, with 
a half-holiday, but they were the best paid men in 
the profession ; jobbing gardeners had no half¬ 
holiday, and, leaving broken time out of account, 
only received from 16s. to 17s. per week. But the 
nurserymen were worse still, as they wrought sixty 
hours per week and received from 14s. to 16s. per 
week in wages; and, although they had a half¬ 
holiday, they were required to make up the time 
thus given in their meal hours. If they were to 
better their position, they must combine and have 
some recognised method by which they might ap¬ 
proach their employers. They must also arrange 
matters so that everyone who desires to become a 
member of the profession must serve a period of 
apprenticeship, as was the practice in other pro¬ 
fessions. There was no organisation among the 
employers, but he did not wonder at that, as the 
men had been at their mercy since ever they were 
men. The private gardeners’ wages were not as a 
rule so high as labourers’ wages, and it was such 
men whom they had to fear, because they were ever 
ready to come into the town and take a situation at 
any wage. There was no blinking the fact that it 
would be an uphill fight to better their position, and 
it could only be done by the combination of a large 
majority acting together for one end. 
The subject was then submitted for discussion, 
and several gardeners expressed their opinions. 
One jobbing gardener said that, although he had 
been all his life at the profession, he earned on an 
average about 12s. per week. Another jobbing 
gardener said he differed from a previous speaker in 
respect to the high rates which the employers 
charged ; as a matter of fact some employers only 
charged yd. per hour, but that was only another 
reason, he contended, wTiy the men ought to have a 
protective union in order to better the position of 
both employers and employed. Mr. John Anderson 
then addressed the meeting on the "Healthy Influence 
of Trades Unionism.” The motion that the gardeners 
present should form themselves into a protective 
union was then put to the meeting, and was unani¬ 
mously adopted. The election of office-bearers was 
then proceeded with, Mr. Wm. Slorach being elected 
president ; Mr. Alexander Fraser, secretary; and 
Messrs. Florence, Ivinnaird, Gray, Duncan, Lawson, 
Smith, and Kenman as members of committee. 
About fifty members were enrolled at the close of the 
meeting. 
