584 
fHE GARDENING WORLD 
May 14, 1892. 
overtop the leaves sufficiently to show themselves 
off. The sepals are deep purple, spreading, and 
fringed with long white papillae, which give them a 
singular appearance. We noted it at h alkland Park, 
South Norwood Hill. 
Stanhopea Insignis. 
This the typical form of the genus is more seldom 
seen in cultivation than several of the others. It 
recently flowered with Messrs. Charlesworth, 
Shuttleworth& Co., Heaton, Bradford, andClapham. 
The flowers are of great size with spreading sepals 
of a pale yellow, beautifully spotted and marked with 
purple. The petals are very much smaller as in 
other species, closely reflexed over the sepals, and 
more prominently marked or even blotched with 
purple. The lip is a singular looking organ owing to 
the greatly inflated base or hypochil; other parts of 
it are also massive, nearly white, and finely spotted 
with purple. The column is broadly winged, and 
very striking in this respect even when compared 
with others. The flowers do not last long in perfec¬ 
tion, but are agreeably fragrant, and therefore not 
objectionable in that respect like S. tigrina and several 
others. 
WHAT TO DO IN THE GARDEN. 
Cyanophyllum magnificum— Fine foliaged 
plants of this class often suffer greatly during the 
winter months owing to bad light, fog, and other 
unfavourable conditions. In such cases, if the plants 
have lost many of their leaves, the tops may be taken 
off and rooted afresh. This will cause the develop¬ 
ment of the side buds on the old plants, and these in 
their turn when firm enough may be taken off and 
rooted. 
Pandanus and Pine-apple. —The best variegated 
suckers of the former should be secured in preference 
to the green ones whenever they make their appear¬ 
ance. The smaller suckers give even better results 
than the larger and coarser growing ones, because 
they keep for a longer time in a useful and suitable 
size for table and other decorative purposes. This 
applies to the crown of the fruit of the variegated 
Pme-apple, which grows slowly, and should other 
suckers be produced from the base of the fruits, as 
sometimes happens, they may be taken advantage of 
for propagating purposes. 
Achimenes.—Give these a favourable position 
with regard to light, and when the soil gets filled 
with roots give weak applications of liquid manure. 
A little guano in the water would answer the same 
purpose. In all cases see that they do not suffer 
for want of water, particularly those in'baskets. 
Fuchsias. —Plants intended to be in full bloom in 
August should be allowed to come on very gradually 
in a cool and well ventilated house. Stopping may 
be resorted to where any shoots are running away 
too vigorously so as to spoil the general appearance 
of the plant. When grown in pyramidal fashion it 
may be necessary sometimes to tie down a long 
shoot to fill a vacant space. Plants intended to be 
in flower by June should not be stopped after this. 
Give copious supplies of water, and in the afternoons 
of fine days a copious syringing is very much liked 
by Fuchsias. 
Annuals for Conservatory Work. —Give 
close attention to such things as Schizanthus, which 
were sown in autumn and are now rapidly advancing 
towards the flowering stage. Single Petunias, Ten- 
week Stocks, Brachycome iberidifolia, and Torenias 
should be potted on as they require it, keeping them 
near the glass to encourage a dwarf sturdy growth. 
Rhodanthes, Acrocliniums, Mignonette, and others 
of that class should be thinned out to the required 
distance apart, as nothing suffers more from over¬ 
crowding in the young state. 
Sub-Tropical Plants— Rapid growing stuff 
should be potted on if they are likely to get pot bound, 
as there is little chance of sufficiently settled A-eather 
to have them planted out of doors for some time to 
come. This would apply to Ricinus, Eucalyptus, 
Hemp and Maize, all of which have been raised from 
seeds. The same would apply to Grevillea robusta, 
Chamaepeuce diacantha and C. cassabonae, and 
Acacia lophantha. 
Orchard House. —All trees in pots will now re¬ 
quire go .d supplies of water, and stimulants of some 
kind, more particularly if they have set a good crop 
of fruit. Top dressings of some rich material will 
also prove very beneficial. Use the garden engine 
freely to keep down insect pests, and should green¬ 
fly have made a footing, fumigate the house on calm 
evenings of one or two successive nights. 
Melons. —Where the crop is only yet about half 
grown, plenty of moisture both at the root-and in the 
atmosphere will have to be kept up; where it is 
approaching maturity, a drier condition must prevail. 
To avoid the necessity of much water at this stage, 
a good watering should be git en a week or more 
prior to ripening, after which a mulching of some 
light material may be given to prevent evaporation. 
Calceolarias and Pansies for Bedding. —All 
the hardier kinds of Calceolarias, such as Golden 
Gem, Floribunda, and others of the same type, may 
now be placed in their summer quarters if they have 
been previously well hardened off. The planting of 
Violas and Pansies should be completed at once, so 
that they may get thoroughly established while there 
is yet moisture in the soil. Young plants that were 
struck in autumn give the most satisfactory- resultst 
and should therefore be employed in the most pro¬ 
minent positions in preference to old plants. 
Sea Kale. —The season forthis excellent vegetable 
is now over, and the manure used in forcing the plants 
as well as the pots covering them should be removed. 
Any sprouts still fit for use may be cut and kept in a 
cool place until required for use. The sprouts that 
are afterwards produced may be reduced to one or 
three, according as there is space to develop good 
crowns for next year’s use. Some of the more 
decayed portions of the dung may be dug in to assist 
the plants in making a good growth. 
Cauliflower, Cabbages, &c —A sowing of early 
and late Cauliflower, such as Early London and 
Veitch’s Autumn Giant, may now be made for 
autumn and early winter use. Some of the Cabbages 
may also be sown for winter use. Eaily Ulm, 
Vertus, and other Savoys for late planting, may, be 
sown at the same time. Sowings of Ne Plus Ultra 
and Canadian Wonder Dwarf Beans should be made 
for a succession. Where much salading is required, 
make a sowing every fortnight of Radishes, Mustard 
and Cress, in quantities according to requirements, 
in order to have a succession in good condition. 
, ♦ , 
SOCIETIES. 
Royal Botanic Society.—The first of a series of 
six lectures on popular botanical subjects was given 
in the museum in the Gardens on the 6th inst. The 
lecturer (Professor Marshall Ward, F.R.S.) took as 
his subject “ Seeds and Seedlings," but dealt chiefly 
with the various contrivances by which the seeds of 
many plants are enabled to distribute themselves 
over very large areas; some winged or provided 
with hair-like processes in which the wind acts as a 
transporting agent ; others, again, whose distribution 
depends upon their attaching themselves to animals 
or birds ; and, lastly, where the plant itself does the 
work, bursting the nut or fruit and throwing the 
seeds to a considerable distance, as in the Sandbox 
Tree, Squirting Cucumber, Balsams, etc. Among 
those plants taking particular care of their offspring, 
he mentioned the Mangrove Tree, which, living as 
it does upon the extreme edge between land and sea, 
and therefore more exposed to accident than most 
other plants, retains its seeds upon the branches 
until the first root has grown as long as a candle 
below the seed; then, when at last it falls into the 
soft mud, it is quite ready to start into growth on 
its own account. 
Sevenoaks Gardeners and Amateurs’ Society.—A 
well-attended meeting of this society was held on 
the 3rd inst., the chair being taken by Mr. Wolfe. 
Mr. Searing was awarded a Cultural Certificate for 
Oncidium spbacelatum carrying two very good 
racemes of its yellow and chestnut brown flowers, 
whilst votes of thanks were passed to Messrs. Baker 
and Searing for Polyanthuses and Auriculas. 
Subsequently Mr. Searing opened a discussion on 
Amateur Gardening, and the judging of cottage 
gardens, which elicited the general opinion that 
rules should be laid down by societies which offer 
prizes for the best kept gardens or allotments, as to 
what the judges would consider when judging ; as 
there was a tendency' amongst competitors to crop 
their gardens with a lot of things which cottagers 
rarely consume, simply because judges in that 
district give points for everything they find growing 
in the gardens; consequently those who happen to 
have the greatest variety won, and those who might 
have a much better garden from a cottager's point of 
view, got nothing. 
ouescions sod snsroeRs. 
*** Correspondents are requested, in order to avoid delay, 
to address all communications to "The Editor” 
or " The Publisher,” and not to any person bv 
name, unless the correspondence is of a private 
character. Telegrams may be addressed " Bambusa 
London." 
Cucumbers diseased. — C. P. : It is impossible to 
tell with precision what is the matter with your 
Cucumbers without seeing a specimen; but we 
suspect they are attacked by a fungus known as 
Glseosporium laeticolor, which penetrates into the 
interior, and ramifying there soon makes its appear¬ 
ance upon the surface, at first as isolated sunk spots, 
which increase in size till they may cover the whole 
of the surface of the fruit. No fungicide will destroy 
it in the interior of the fruit, so that diseased 
specimens should be picked off and burnt. The 
atmosphere of the house should be kept drier in 
order to check the ravages of the fungus. There are 
however several fungi which attack Cucumbers, and 
a badly affected specimen might be sent for micro¬ 
scopical examination. 
Alpine Auricula. — F. Bland : The points of a 
good Alpine Auricula are that the eye should be 
large, circular, well defined where it meets the ground 
or body colour, into which it should not run in streaks, 
nor be angled. The ground colour should be of some 
rich dark hue, and should gradually become paler 
towards the margin, that is, the body' colour and the 
edge should be of different hues blending one into the 
other, and not in distinct zones. The eye may be 
white, yellow, or of some intermediate shade, but 
clear, bright yellow is most esteemed. 
Table Decorations. —Ignoramus . The subject is 
ably dealt with in Miss Hassard’s FPral Decorations, 
(Macmillan) ; and Burbidge’s Domestic Floriculiure 
(Blackwood), There is no separate work on the 
subject. 
Forced Strawberries. — J. White : The plants 
are valueless for forcing another year. You must 
have fresh ones every season. If you could plant 
out the hundred -which have not done very well, they 
would in all probability give you an autumn crop. 
Names of Plants.— F. T., Lanark : Primula ver- 
ticillata.— Miss Walsh : 1, Doronicum plantagineum; 
2, Doronicum caucasicum ; 3, Geum rivale ; 4, Car- 
damine pratensis flore pleno ; 5, Phlox subulata; 
6, Saxifraga cuneifolia; 7, Saxifraga Hostii; 8, Saxi- 
fraga coespitosa var. — IF. J. D. : Oxalis Ortgiesii.— 
Win. D tlgarno : Odontoglossum pulchellum.— G.E.G. 
1, Orobus vernus; 2, Vinca minor; 3, Pyrus Aucu- 
paria.— Cupar Fife: Dendrobium chlorops.— Alpha : 
Cymbidium Lowianum 
Peach Leaves Injured.— G . P. : We could not 
find the insect you refer to, but whatever it may be, 
it is certainly not the cause of the serious injury to 
the leaves. They are in a poor, flimsy condition, 
wanting in substance and vigour through being kept 
in a too moist and close atmosphere. They have 
been scalded by being caught by' bright sunshine 
while wet; the moisture has acted as lenses and 
killed the tissues of the parts acted upon, which 
eventually wither up and drop out. Not even the 
rapacious Otiorhynchus could damage them to the 
extent yours have been injured, and the remedy is 
to give more air, and earlier. in the morning, and to 
keep the atmosphere dried. 
Vine Losing its Bunches. — J. R.\ The most 
reasonable explanation would appear to be that the 
Vine is in a poor condition at the roots—in fact 
starved. The shoots made up to a certain point 
were made upon the reserve material stored up in 
the rods the previous year, and after growth com¬ 
menced vigorously the roots should have come into 
healthy vigorous action to carry- on the work. This 
yours do not seem to have done—hence the want of 
power to develop the bunches any further. 
Moss on Surface of the Soil. — J. IF: The 
soil must be in a bad condition or the moss would 
not grow in the way it does. See to the drainage at 
once, then scrape off the moss and top dress with 
fresh soil. You do not say if the Azaleas are in pots, 
but in any' case the remedy is the same—give good 
drainage and renew the soil or as much of it as 
possible. 
Melons Dying. — Omega: It is impossible to say 
with certainty from the piece you sent, because it 
was thoroughly dried up. Melons are liable both to 
insect and fungoid enemies, and the appearance of 
the plant might suggest either; or it might arise 
from altogether another cause. A small, almost 
transparent mite often destroys the young stems 
and leaves, but if the latter are healthy, then the 
matter proceeds from the roots. A fungus named 
Glseosporium laeticolor often destroy-s the plants 
after they have attained full size. It attacks the 
roots and the collar of the plant just where it enters 
the soil. If this is the case, the only remedy is to 
clear out the soil and sow again in fresh material 
obtained from another source. 
Communications Received.— I. F. — W. D. — 
R. B.—T. F.—H. G. C.—Boundarv Chemical Co., 
Lim —W. I.—J. W.—J. L. & S.—R. D.— J. S.— 
W. E.—J. W.—N. S.—VV. P. R.—W. C.— 
X. F. O. 
