June 27,1896. 
THE GARDENING WORLD. 
687 
CHRYSANTHEMUMS FOR EXHIBITION. 
We have now arrived at a season when the claims 
of our “ Queen ” will be somewhat relaxed ; the 
heavy task of transferring the plants into their 
flowering pots and arranging them in their summer 
quarters are tasks that generally tax the resources of 
the grower to the utmost, yet so important are they 
that other needful work in the garden is neglected, 
to which our attention is now turned. However 
pressing and important other work may be, the 
“ mums ” must still be efficiently cared for, and the 
most important detail at the present time is 
Watering. 
Possibly to many this may be considered a simple 
matter, as long as they get enough. This matter has 
been noticed under the head of “ final potting ” ; yet 
it is desirable again to impress upon the grower the 
grave importance of this matter. The cultivator 
must remember that a considerable mass of new soil 
was added at the time of re-potting, and over-dosiDg 
with water will quickly have a tendency to induce 
sourness of the soil, which is a powerful objection to 
root production, which should be the sole aim of the 
grower at this stage. Keep the roots in a vigorous 
and healthy condition, which means a similar state 
of affairs in the stem and foliage. The afternoon 
should be selected as the best time to give the usual 
watering, and during the hot, dry weather a run 
through about eleven and two will often save punish¬ 
ment to the plants. In the afternoon the plant may 
appear to be fairly moist, yet after an hour or two s 
sun the moisture may be evaporated and the plant 
flagging, which of course means a serious check or 
injury to root extension. During hot dry weather a 
copious syringing will prove beneficial, the moistened 
atmosphere acting like a charm on the exhausted 
foliage, which in its turn will look for increased 
support from the roots. Feeding must occupy our 
attention more fully later on, but even at ‘his stage, 
if the plants were forward and potted early, a 
watering of weak manure water may be given 
occasionally. This will not be needed until the roots 
have reached the sides of the pots and formed a 
network of feeders. This must only be given in a 
weak state. 
Insect Pests 
will now make themselves felt, and determined 
measures must be resorted to in order to keep them 
at bay. Green-fly is the most troublesome, and 
Tobacco powder may be looked upon as the best 
remedy, the fine dust working well down into the 
young foliage at the point. Soft soap and water may 
also prove helpful for this purpose. The best means 
of preparing this is by putting two ounces of soft- 
soap and a couple of quarts of rain water, into a 
sauce-pan, and letting it slowly simmer over the 
fire for twenty minutes ; this, after cooling, can be 
dropped into the points of the shoots with a sponge. 
The preparation can be kept for some time if placed 
in a bottle. Earwigs are a pest that do a consider¬ 
able amount of injury. Traps may be made of 
halves of potatos hollowed out and laid on the soil; 
small pots filled with loose moss are also inviting 
places in which the insect may retire. Hollow stems 
of beans may be placed amongst the growths in 
which they will hide ; these should be looked over 
daily and the pests destroyed. 
Bud Formation. 
The youngest beginner knows that the selection of 
the bud is one of the most important functions of 
arriving at the desired end. Of course the bud can 
only be taken when it shows ; but with judicious 
management it can be made to show somewhat near 
the right time. For instance Charles Davis on an 
early bud will produce yellow flowers which ought to 
be amber. Viviand Morel will come white instead 
of pink or mauve. Madame Darquier becomes light 
in the place of fawn. These and others of a like 
class should be closely watched, and if a bud shows 
it should be rubbed off, when the plant will at once 
push forward and make another bud—the one that 
will produce the proper coloured bloom.— W, 
THE ORCHID HOUSES. 
Cattleya House.— This division is now gay with 
Cattleya gigas, C. Mendelii, and Laelia grandistene- 
brosa. The latter is a fine addition to our mid¬ 
summer flowering Orchids, and one which is a good 
doer and free-flowering. Like most of the tall 
growing kinds, it does best when grown in pots, The 
drainage should be ample and the compost (which 
may consist of good fibrous peat with a few crocks 
inserted here and there to keep it open) must on no 
account be pressed too firmly about them as the 
roots are large and like to ramble about at will. The 
plants, however, should be kept firm in the pots by 
having a good stake to each. The plants of C Men¬ 
delii, as they go out of flower, also of C. gigas that 
have missed, may have a good clean up and where 
required some fresh material afforded them to root 
into, even if you do not repot them. After the 
plants are repotted, place them in a shady part of 
the house, and water sparingly until the roots get 
well hold of the new compost. They will, of course, 
shrivel a little but no harm will come of it if care¬ 
fully treated afterwards. Keep plenty of moisture 
about the pots by means of the syringe and soon the 
new roots will appear and the plants as a conse¬ 
quence will soon assume their natural plumpness. 
Dendrobiums.— The first principle is to get a 
good growth, and the second to thoroughly ripen 
that same if you are to get satisfaction from their 
culture. There are various ways in which to bring 
about these satisfactory results, indeed, circum¬ 
stances at times place us all in a fix, but those that 
love their work are not easily daunted, even if they 
are not so favourably placed. But to ripen off the 
Dendrobes (assuming your readers are, like myself, 
without a Dendrobium house proper) we have to 
work the oracle in this way. The plants as they 
complete their growths are shifted into an inter¬ 
mediate division, where the atmosphere is drier and 
the light good. Here they remain for a week or ten 
days, gradually withholding water. From here they 
are transferred to an airy greenhouse, where they 
are afforded a slight shade until such times as the 
pseudo-bulbs become hard and the foliage of D. 
wardianum, D. crassinode, and the like begin to turn 
yellow and drop off. When they are fully exposed 
to the sun’s rays a gentle spraying overhead with 
the syringe will prevent them from shrivelling unduly. 
Cool House. —Now that the bulk of the Odonto- 
glossums have gone out of flower we shall keep the 
atmosphere well charged with moisture to encourage 
the plants to break away freely. This is done by 
syringing the plants overhead morning and evening. 
If done properly very little water will be required 
other than what is given in this way. It is well, 
however, to look them over twice a week, as some¬ 
times plants at the back become too dry.— C. 
The recent rains have improved matters wonder¬ 
fully, and bedding plants of- all kinds have profited 
greatly, and are now well established in their 
respective quarters. The usual routine of summer 
attentions must, of course, be looked after, viz., the 
keeping of beds and borders free from weeds, the 
picking off of dead blooms, and watering when 
required. 
Carpet Bedding. —Although this system of 
bedding does not find nearly the amount of favour 
that it used to do years ago, and is not therefore 
practised to anything like the extent that it was 
formerly, the majority of gardens contain at least 
one bed furnished on this plan. Carpet bedding has 
this great advantage, that during wet or unfavourable 
seasons it is always bright and always showy, and 
invariably comes up smiling after heavy showers of 
rain that have sadly marred the brilliancy and 
effectiveness of tuberous Begonias, Zonal Pelar¬ 
goniums, Calceolarias, etc. As the plants grow, 
pinching must be resorted to, in order to keep them 
within their proper bounds, and thus keep the 
lines and curves of the design intact. 
Heliotropes. —These will now have made a fair 
amount of growth, and the shoots will require to be 
pegged down in order that the ground may be 
covered as soon as possible. A supply of pegs suit¬ 
able for the purpose should have been procured 
during the winter months. 
Lobelias. —A watchful eye must be kept upon the 
doings of rabbits, which are very fond of nibbling 
Lobelias off close to the ground. In many cases it 
is impracticable to wire off the flower garden in such 
a way that rabbits shall be excluded, but where this 
can be done, a few yards of inch mesh wire will be a 
good investment. Where such protection cannot be 
given the beds it will be necessary to pot a few 
plants up into small sixties. These will come in 
very handy for filling up vacancies caused either by 
death from ordinary causes or the incursions of the 
rabbits. 
Wallflowers.— As soon as the plants in the seed 
beds are a couple of inches high they should be 
carefully lifted and transplanted to a prepared piece 
of ground, which should not be of too rich a char¬ 
acter. Here they may be planted in rows, allowing 
from 6 in. to g in. of space every way, according to 
the variety. Keep them well supplied with water 
until they get a good start, and see that the hoe is 
frequently employed for the purpose of exterminating 
the weeds which choke the young plants if they are 
allowed to have their way. If seed has not been 
sown yet it will be well to see about it without delay. 
Aquilegias. —Not only are these pretty plants 
exceedingly showy in the garden, but the flowers 
come in admirably for cutting, as they last so well in 
water. Seed may be sown at once in a shady 
position. The plants resulting from this sowing will 
pass through the winter unharmed, and will flower 
early next season. 
Myosotis —As this is almost an indispensable 
subject for spring bedding, it is well to have a good 
stock of it in hand. Seed may be sown now in 
shallow drills in a shady place, similar to that 
devoted to the Aquilegias. 
Sweet Peas.— Where these are grown for their 
flowers only, and there is no intention to save large 
quantities of seed, the seed pods should be kept 
picked off the plants for the present. The blooming 
season may be prolonged to some extent by the taking 
of this simple precaution, as the development of 
even a few seed pods seriously shortens the flowering 
period. Supplies of liquid manure may be given 
occasionally, as these serve to materially increase 
the brilliancy and size of the flowers. Attend to the 
staking of late sown rows as soon as the plants are 
2 in. or 3 in. above ground. 
Gladioli.— As high winds exercise a good deal of 
pressure upon the stems of these, it will be advisable 
to afford the choicer varieties, at least, some support. 
Where the plants are grown in clumps of three or 
five, stakes will be necessary for each plant, but 
where they are planted in rows a good deal of time 
and trouble may be saved by driving in a stout stake 
at each end, and stretching a wire or a piece of strong 
tarred twine across, to which the stems may be 
secured. A good mulching of short stable manure 
may be given, and this will render good service in 
lessening the necessity for frequent waterings during 
dry weather, as well as acting as a manurial stimulant. 
* 
The summer pinching or pruning of all kinds of 
hardy fruit trees will now be calling for special 
attention. If the summer dressing is neglected, no 
amount of winter pruning will remedy the evil 
caused by the neglect. Every good grower knows 
how necessary it is that each tree shall be kept well 
in hand, if it is to continue to bear good crops 
of fruits. The flow of the sap must be so 
regulated that it is distributed equally to all parts of 
the tree, and thus some shoots are prevented from 
becoming too strong at the expense of their neigh¬ 
bours. It is only by the careful performance of 
summer pinching that undue weakness of some 
shoots, and excessive vigour of others on the same 
tree, or bush, can be guarded against. 
Apricots.— These may now be given their final 
thinning. For ordinary sized fruits 5 in. of space 
each way will be ample. Although the Apricot 
produces fruit on spurs that are two, three, or even 
more years of age, the finest and best fruit is always 
borne upon wood of the previous summer s grow.h. 
It should be the aim of the cultivator therefore to 
see that a succession of such shoots is kept up, and 
further that these shoots are distributed fairly 
equally over the whole spread of the tree. In any 
case too many growths must not be laid in, or 
crowding and its attendant evils will result. 
Peaches and Nectarines.— Here also the work 
of nailing in the succession shoots must be proceeded 
with apace. Nails that were driven in during the 
winter months must be looked over, for it is very 
possible that some of them may be pressing against 
the swelling fruit, in which case they should be 
drawn before irremediable damage is done. 
A. S. G, 
