594 
IHE GARDENING WORLD 
May 21, 1892. 
plant. You now have the plant tied up, the next 
thing to do is to stake it, which is in most cases a 
very important matter. For this I prefer a bamboo, 
as they are light and strong. Press the stake into 
the soil, keeping it as near upright as possible, then 
secure plant and stake, tying both together. Wrap 
the plant all over in paper, tie securely ; next put on 
a cover of cotton batting, tying it on, then put on the 
final covering of strong paper, tie securely, and the 
plant is finished. If the plant is going a long dis¬ 
tance, and is likely to be two or three days on the 
journey, it is best for the packer to use his own 
judgment and put on extra paper for the final cover¬ 
ing. You will find it is cheaper in the end, and what 
is more to the point, it gives greater satisfaction to 
the buyer to receive his plants in good condition than 
for them to be partly frozen. 
This way of packing will serve in all cases of Palms 
such as Areca, Cocos, Rhapis, Seaforthia, Kentia, 
Ptychosperma, and Oreodoxa. Other Palms to be 
packed in a different way are Latanias and all Palms 
with broad or palmate leaves. On account of their 
leaves it is not safe to tie them up as you would an 
Areca. Commence by tying the stems so that the 
leaves are flat; secure all leaves in this way and then 
stake your plant; in doing this you must use two 
good stakes, tying an extra piece of stick across the 
top of the stakes to give the required width ; secure 
all stakes, pass a few ties around stakes and plant, 
and cover as recommended for the Arecas. This 
packing with two stakes can be done with success for 
Palms such as Latanias, Ceroxylon, Corypha, 
Livistona, and Phcenicophorium. 
In packing stove plants such as Cyanophyllum or 
Spaerogyne great care must at all times be exercised, 
for by bending the leaf a little too much it will break 
off, and the plant is ruined—-except for the propa¬ 
gating house. In packing a Cyanophyllum measure 
the height of the plant and cut the stakes accord¬ 
ingly. Use two stakes with a cross piece, stake 
your plant so that the leaves are flat; before tying 
up the leaves place between each pair of leaves a 
piece of oil paper to prevent one leaf touching or 
rubbing against the other, tie up each pair of leaves 
separately, cover with tissue paper, then cotton 
batting, and last, but not least, put on the covering 
of strong paper. Anthuriums and Caladiums can be 
packed in this manner, but as their leaves cannot 
with safety be turned up it is best to draw them all 
into the centre, still keeping them flat, and pack as 
you would a Cyanophyllum. 
The plant I have had most trouble with, and 
which requires the most care in packing, is Bertolonia 
Van Houtteii, on account of its short and tender 
stems ; but to do away with all difficulty I have 
found it best to use four stakes and let the plant re¬ 
main as near in its natural growing position as 
possible. After securing the stakes wrap up the whole 
plant in either oil or tissue paper, cover well with 
cotton batting and finish with a sheet of paper. As 
the Bertolonia is one of the tenderest stove plants 
we have, great care must be taken in packing to 
guard against frost. 
In packing Orchids great care and good judgment 
is essential. Take, for instance, a plant of Odonto- 
glossum crispum with a spike of flowers varying from 
twelve to twenty full blooms; to look at such a plant 
would be enough for most people and, as for packing 
it, why, it would be simply out of the question. 
How to pack such a plant is learned by experience 
and practice only. No one can learn by simply 
watching an experienced man pack one. It is only 
after failure that success is achieved. To pack an 
Odontoglossum in flower get a light, strong stake, 
measure and cut it about 2 in. longer than the flower 
spike, wrap the stake in tissue paper and put it as 
near the centre of the plant as possible, securing 
firmly. After you have secured the stakes and cut 
some tissue paper into strips of about i in. wide, 
commence binding the fiow'er spike to the stake. 
Now is the time to see whether a man can pack an 
Orchid in flower or not. If he is new at packing such a 
plant he will undoubtedly break off several of the 
flowers before he is through, but if, as the saying is, 
“ he has been there before,” he will bind up the 
whole flower spike without breaking a petal. Having 
gotten the flower spike securely fastened to the stake 
the rest is simple and easy. Get four more stakes, 
paper them, and stick one in each corner of the bas¬ 
ket or pot. If in a basket and the stakes are not firm 
it is well to tie them to the basket and so prevent any 
chance of a stake getting loose and the flowers being 
broken. Next cut four sticks to fasten to the top of 
the stakes. In doing this see that none of the flowers 
touch the stakes ; if they are likely to touch cut the 
sticks longer and spread out the stakes, thus giving 
the flowers all the room necessary. Tie the fiow'er 
stake at the top so that no movement is possible. 
After satisfying yourself that the stakes are fast wrap 
the plant up in tissue paper, then cotton batting and 
strong paper .—Arthur T. Caparn, in " The American 
Florist.” 
DUNEDIN, STREATHAM 
HILL. 
The villa residences along the main road at Streatham 
Hill have large gardens both in front and behind, and 
in the front gardens especially trees are largely 
planted, and give a fine effect to the whole particu¬ 
larly at this time of the year, when the varied tints 
of spring foliage are just showing themselves again 
in all their beauty. Now more than at any other 
time till autumn the trees have an individuality of 
their own till the fully-matured foliage assumes more 
nearly a uniform greenness. Amongst these villas 
is Dunedin, the residence of N. N. Sherwood, Esq., 
who has a considerable extent of garden ground 
behind the house, under the care of Mr. Jones. 
The cool Orchid house is now very gay with 
Miltonia vexillaria in considerable numbers and 
variety. All the occupants of this house are in fine 
condition, and many of them are in bloom, but the 
Miltonias constitute the leading feature on account 
of their numbers. Some have rosy-purple flowers 
uniformly all over with exception of the golden- 
yellow disc with three red lines radiating from it. 
Others are paler, and some plants have the lip 
spotted all over with deep red markings. The plants 
are all ^in excellent vigour. Odontoglossum crispum 
is also flowering in some quantity. In some cases 
the flowers are heavily suffused with rose, and some 
are pure white with broadly ovate, imbricated, and 
toothed petals, and elliptic sepals that are corres¬ 
pondingly wide. The spikes of O. Pescatorei are 
branched. Some variety may be noted amongst the 
flowers of O. triumphans, but the blotches are 
in most cases of a rich dark hue. O. luteo- 
purpureum sceptrum is very distinct and pretty, 
although the flowers are never so large as those of 
the type also flowering here. Some beautifully 
marked forms of O. crispum Andersonianum stand 
out prominently amongst the other kinds, on account 
of their delicate and ever-changing tints. The 
younger flowers are darkest in colour as far as the 
yellow is concerned. Two very fine pieces with large 
pseudo-bulbs and well marked flowers bloomed 
recently. Others now flowering are O. Rossii majus, 
O. luteo-purpureum radiatum, and O. polyxanthum 
with its curiously concave, chocolate-brown lip 
margined with white. Masdevallia Harryana and 
M. Veitchi serve to give variety to the whole. 
The Cattleya house includes a variety of subjects, 
amongst which Cypripedium Lawrencianum was 
notable for the size of its flowers. Dendrobium 
Cambridgeanum flowers on the young wood while 
the leaves are still quite fresh, so that the effect of 
the blooms is considerably enhanced by the foliage, 
which is of a rich, dark green hue. Near by is a 
fine piece of D. thyrsiflorum, the orange-yellow lip 
of which contrasts finely with the white sepals and 
petals. Cattleya Mossim, C. Skinneri, C. citrina, 
and Laelia purpurata are now in season and represent 
this popular class of Orchids. C. citrina is grown 
on a block and is as fragrant as ever. Here also 
may be noted Odontoglossum citrosmum and O. 
hastilabium, the latter having branching spikes. 
Trichopilia suavis is also in bloom, as well as the 
fascinating C. bellatulum. 
A stove forming a compartment at the end of the 
Cattleya house contains some grand samples of 
Eucharis grandiflora, of which about twenty-seven 
spikes of bloom from a pot were obtained about 
Christmas. Suspended from the roof in baskets are 
some specimens of Nepenthes Mastersiana and N. 
Rafflesiana well furnished with last year’s pitchers. 
The side shelves are occupied with Aralias, Crotons, 
Pandanus, etc. Orchids may also be noted here, 
particularly Phaltenopsis, including P. grandiflora 
with large blooms. Dendrobium Dearei, D. Strat- 
iotes, and Vanilla aromatica are also doing well, and 
all in bloom, the latter being trained along the roof. 
Close by is another stove occupied with a varied 
assortment of Ferns, Caladiums, Anthuriums, and 
Gloxinias, the latter being in bloom. Melons are 
grown upon the roof in summer Aerides odoratum 
finds a place here. Behind this is a cool house 
containing Miltonia vexillaria, Coelogynes, and 
Cypripediums, where in fact they are grown until 
they come into bloom. Another low house is 
occupied with double forms of Chinese Primulas. 
Calceolarias in considerable quantitv and variety 
are now flowering in frames. Another cool house 
is occupied with Azaleas, Lilium Harrisi, and 
Tomatos along the front. The stems of the Lilies 
are 4 ft. high, and bear five to six flowers on each 
stem. The occupants of the cool fernery planted 
out on tufa rockwork, are now commencing to grow 
again. Cibotium spectabilis. Davallia platyphylla, 
Nephrolepis exaltata, and fine foliaged Begonias are 
still in good form after the winter. The tufa is 
covered with Ficus repens. 
BORDER CARNATIONS." 
When, some years ago, I first commenced to take 
an active interest in the cultivation of the Carnation, 
I was sanguine that I should be able to produce from 
the open border blooms which should rival, if not 
surpass, those cultivated under glass. My anticipa¬ 
tion was, of course, as you must all know, a mere 
piece of presumption, a seedling from enthusiasm 
crossed by ignorance or want of experience. I do 
not, however, now regret that my aim was somewhat 
loftier than I could hope to realise, as it taught me, 
at any rate, to be dissatisfied with anything but the 
best, and encouraged me to seek that best by all 
means in my power. I feel it as a compliment, 
altogether beyond my deserts, that I have been asked 
to-night to open the discussion upon this subject, and 
I feel that I cannot do better than give, in as simple 
words as I can, the result of my own experience. 
The first and most important fact that I learnt, 
and one that has subsequently been confirmed by 
many disappointing experiences, is that all Carnations 
are not suitable for open air cultivation. This is 
one of the points upon which I hope to hear some 
remarks this evening ; I state it as a conclusion to 
which my own experience has led me. Do not 
understand me to call in question the hardiness of 
the ordinary Carnation (of course I am not speaking 
of the Malmaison type). No doubt all Carnations 
will live, and all will bloom more or less without 
shelter of any sort. But one variety will give eight 
or ten good blooms in the open border where another 
will give but one or two, and those very inferior to 
what the same variety would produce when cultivated 
under glass. The first thing to be decided, therefore, 
is what varieties should be grown. It is impossible, 
or rather I should say it would be useless, to give 
names, for I have found Carnations singularly 
sensitive to .the influences of soil and climate, and 
that varieties which will do well in one garden will 
by no means necessarily thrive in another, even 
though it be but a few miles distant. For instance, 
I have several neighbours at Hayes, one in particular 
some two and a half miles from me, in whose garden 
the old Clove Carnation flourishes magnificently, 
whereas, with me at Hayes, they all, year after year, 
perish miserably from spot, until I am almost forced 
to confess that I cannot grow them. 
They should not be ''Bursters.” 
The first essential, to my mind, in a border Carnation 
is that it should not be what we call familiarly "a 
burster.” All Carnations will at times, and in 
certain seasons, show a tendency to this weakness, as 
we know' only too well; but certain varieties with 
short, round, flat-headed buds always must burst 
their calyx, the very form of the flower bud 
necessitates it, and such varieties should never be 
planted in the open border, for the weather, the bees, 
and the earw'igs will spoil every bud before it is well 
open. There are certain characteristics required for 
all border varieties. They must be of vigorous 
habit and free flowering, preferably of dwarf rather 
than tall growth, and they should be inclined to 
make hard and wiry rather than "sappy” grass. 
There is no doubt that this matter of the nature and 
character of the growth is of much importance, and 
that there are many varieties apparently of extremely 
vigorous type which will not stand great vicissitudes 
of weather in the winter. About four years ago I 
raised two or three varieties of apparently very vigo¬ 
rous habit, with which I w'as much pleased. They 
- A paper read by Martin R. Smith, Lsq., at the last 
monthly conversazione of the Horticultuial Club, May 3 rd 
1892 . 
