August 15 , 1896. 
THE GARDENING WORLD. 
799 
soil of a friable nature. A good dressing of burnt 
refuse, soot, and a little salt, will prove beneficial to 
this crop. Thi; should be well blended during 
digging; and where the ground is at all close and 
tenacious, a second forking over will do good ; and 
the addition of some road sand or grit worked in 
during the forkicg would be an improvement. The 
ground should be made quite firm by treading or 
rolling, and i iD. or 2 in. of fne soil secured on the 
surface by raking for a seed bed. The drills should 
be at least 1 ft. apart, and the seed trodden in firmly. 
One great advantage in having a good breadth of 
autumn-sown Onions, is that they generally escape 
the attacks of the Onion maggot, and carry the 
supply on well through the summer. The kind I 
prefer to all others, either for spring or autumn sow¬ 
ing is Giant Zittau. The spring-sown crop will be 
liable to start into growth, should wet weather occur 
after this date, and as this would be prejudicial to 
the ripening of the bulbs, it will be safer to lift the 
crop than allow a second growth. 
Cauliflowers. —Plants of these to stand over the 
winter should be sown some time during the third 
week of the month. A warm, open aspect should be 
selected for the seed bed. A good dressing of well- 
rotted manure, deep digging, and thin sowing, are 
essential in getting good strong plants, to transplant 
into turf pits, and under handlights before winter 
sets in. It is a good plan to make a sowing in a 
skeleton frame where the plants may remain undis¬ 
turbed during the winter. They will form a succes¬ 
sion to the stronger plants under handlights. 
Lettuce. —A bed of each of the following kinds 
of Lettuce should now be sown :—Hick’s Hardy 
White Cos, Paris Green Cos, and the black-seeded 
Bath Cos. Also a bed or two of Cabbage Lettuce. 
Hammersmith Hardy Green, and Perfect Gem, would 
prove useful. A sheltered position and a well- 
drained soil will suit these late sown Lettuces best. 
Crops now advancing in growth should be frequently 
hoed, and the forwardest tied up to assist blanching, 
and keep them in use as long as possible. Continue 
to plant from earlier seed beds to ensure a good 
supply of salading during the winter. 
Cabbage. —A succession bed may now be made of 
Ellam’s Early and Wheeler’s Imperial. These late 
sowings seldom run to seed and always prove useful. 
A bed each of Early Red and Manchester Red should 
be sown at the present time. 
Parsley.— The crop of this should now be abun¬ 
dant, and a part of it may be cut over to induce the 
plants to make a good growth before winter sets in. 
This late growth is generally dwarf and strong in the 
foot-stalk, and stands the changes of winter better 
than when the plants are left uncut. The last sow¬ 
ing may now be thinned, and a bed planted thickly 
with the thinnings, over which a frame could be 
placed later on, would come in useful in spring.— J.R. 
TIE PLANT HOUSES. 
The Stove. 
As long as the spell of dull, cold weather that has 
visited us during the last few weeks lasts the fires 
must be kept going so as to keep a gentle circulation 
in the hot water pipes, otherwise the atmosphere 
will become heavy, and the fall of the temperature 
will not do any good to the plants. 
Potting.— Where any further shifting is required 
it will not be advisable to drive it off any longer. It 
is a great mistake to pot plants too late in the season ; 
for this does not leave them sufficient time to ro< t 
through the new soil, and the cold, damp days of 
autumn find them.unprepared. Even now it will 
not do to give large shifts, but just enough room 
should be given to keep the plants going. This will 
apply particularly to Ferns. 
- Top-dressing. —In cases where the soil in the 
pots is covered with moss, this should be removed, 
carefully avoiding meanwhile doing injury to any 
young roots which may be near the surface A top¬ 
dressing of sandy soil may follow. This will 
certainly improve the appearance of things wonder¬ 
fully, and the plants will look all the better for it. 
Some gardeners do not care for the top-dressing 
system, as they say it is misleading as to the condi¬ 
tion of the plants for water, and apt to prove harm¬ 
ful. It may well do this if the workmen are careless 
or inefficient, but if the good old practice of tapping 
the pots to see if they are dry is followed the 
difficulty will not exist. 
Foliage Plants in Small Pots. —In most 
establishments the stove is the source of supply from 
whence plants for the dinner table and ornamental 
stands within the mansion are obtained. For plants 
of this description it is most important that they 
should be in as small pots as possible. Such 
subjects as these will need to be kept well supplied 
with manure water now, if they are to keep their 
foliage and their health. 
Palms, whether in large or small pots, will be 
particularly grateful for manure now. A pinch of 
nitrate of soda now and again will do wonders for 
them, and if this can be varied by a dose of liquid 
cow manure so much the better. 
Crinums. —From their very size Crinums are 
excluded from all but the largest and roomiest 
houses. Where the necessary space can be given 
them, however, these noble bulbous plants prove 
very effective, for their foliage is both striking and 
imposing, and their huge umbels of flowers are sure to 
attract attention. Throughout the summer months, 
particularly, these plants must never be allowed to 
know what it is to lack water. A mixture of cow 
manure and soot is the best stimulant that can be 
given them. 
Miconia magnifica. —This superb foliage plant 
should have a place in every collection of stove sub¬ 
jects, where its huge, richly-coloured leaves are 
exceedingly ornamental. It revels in plenty of heat, 
and likes a soil consisting of equal parts of fibrous 
loam and peat, with silver sand. Young plants are 
always the most satisfactory, as later on they become 
leggy, and lose a great portion of their beauty. 
Cuttings which were struck under a bell glass in 
spring will now have reached a handy size, and will 
be in need of another shift on. The plant needs a 
good-sized pot, but at this season it is better to err 
on the side of giving too little room than too much. 
Tococa latifolia. —Although not so handsome as 
the preceding subject, Tococa latifolia is well worth 
attention, if only for the sake of variety, as we have 
not too many stove plants that produce this stamp 
of foliage. It will thrive under the same treatment 
as Miconia magnifica, and may be propagated from 
cuttings in the same way, although the compost 
should contain a rather larger proportion of peat. 
Pits and Frames. 
Roman Hyacinths. —The sooner these are obtained 
from the nurseryman and potted off the better. 
They are always expected to produce flower early in 
the season, and it is well to start them going now 
without delay. Forty-eight size pots are the handi¬ 
est to use, and from three to five bulbs may be 
inserted in each of these, according to the size of 
the bulbs. If ashes are used to cover the pots with 
during the plunging period see to it that they are 
free from gas lime, or the tender growing leaves of 
the Hyacinths will presently look as if they had 
been scorched, through contract with the lime. 
Cocoa-nut fibre refuse, if it can be obtained, will 
answer the same purpose as the ashes, and be 
infinitely safer. 
Double Primulas.— Such continuous bloomers 
are these that they commence to throw up flower 
scapes as soon as they have acquired a little strength, 
and unless steps are taken to prevent this expendi¬ 
ture of energy at a time when the blooms are not 
wanted, winter will find us with greatly weakened 
and enfeebled, instead of strong and healthy plants. 
All the flower scapes should be carefully pinched 
out as soon as they make their appearance. It is 
too soon in the season to think of applying liquid 
manure to any extent, but a little weak cow manure 
given every ten days or so will prove beneficial. 
Cinerarias.— These must be attended to for pot¬ 
ting as required. For ordinary purposes a large 
thirty-two pot will carry a very neat and fair sized 
specimen. Where exceptionally strong plants are 
required a sixteen size pot may be given. A com¬ 
post of two parts of good mellow loam, and one of 
leaf soil, with a good addition of silver sand, will 
suit well enough. If good leaf mould is not obtain¬ 
able peat may be made to answer the same purpose. 
The pots must be clean and well drained, whilst pot¬ 
ting should be moderately firm, that is, as firm as it 
can be made by the use of the hands alone, without 
having recourse to the rammer. 
Mildew on Cinerarias.— The plants must be 
looked after carefully for the first spot of mildew, 
which, if neglected, spreads with extraordinary 
rapidity. The affected parts should be dusted with 
sulphur, applied by means of a little sulphur blower, 
which must always be kept handy. Green fly, 
should it put in an appearance, must be greeted by 
light fumigations of tobacco rag, or paper. 
Winter Flowering Zonal Pelargoniums.— 
Owing to the hot, dry weather growth is unusually 
firm and short-jointed here, and we are justified in 
looking forward to a fine show of bloom presently. As 
the plants will now have taken the most of the nutri¬ 
ment from the soil it will be necessary to apply 
manurial stimulants of some kind. Whatever is 
used, however, small doses of it only should be given 
for a start. These may increase gradually in strength 
as time goes on. The joung blooms must be 
consistently picked out as fast as they make their 
appearance, and too gross shoots must be stopped in 
time if the plants are to be bushy and symmetrical. 
Tree Carnations, especially two-year-old plants 
that have been potted on, also evince a tendency to 
flower at this season. It will be well, therefore, to 
keep these blooms pinched out, and thus induce the 
plants to husband their energies. They must be 
gone over at least once a week in order to tie in the 
growths requiring it, for these shoots, if unsupported, 
would fall victims to the first gale of wind, being 
very liable to snap off at the base. If any manure 
is given to the Carnations, great care must be 
exercised in its application, for Carnations are rather 
tender-rooted subjects. 
Mignonette. —Whether in pots or out of them, 
in the conservatory, or the flower garden, Mignonette 
is always sure of a welcome. The present is an 
admirable time to sow seed in pots for spring bloom¬ 
ing. Forty-eight-sized pots will be large enough, 
although 32’s may be used if desired. They must be 
well drained, filled three parts full of a compost con¬ 
sisting of equal parts mellow loam and leaf soil, with 
sand. The seed should be sown thinly, and lightly 
covered with fine soil, the seed pots being relegated 
to a cold frame—one having a north aspect for 
preference.— A. S. G. 
* 
Orchids from Seed.— The success in this direc¬ 
tion by the late Mr. Dominy, and later by Messrs. 
Seden, Warner, Swan, Cookson, Sander, Dr. 
Ainsworth, &c., has been instrumental in inducing 
amateurs in general to take a great interest in 
hybridising this most beautiful class of plants ; so 
much so that it would be indeed difficult to find a 
collection of even small pretensions, but that can 
boast of a batch of seedlings of their own raising. 
Hitherto to their attentions have mostly turned on 
the crossing of Cypripediums, Dendrobiums, Phaius, 
Cattleyas, &c. At any rate one or other of the 
above genera has been the means of bringing their 
names prominently before the public as successful 
hybridists. The cause is, perhaps, that they lend 
themselves more readily to cross fertilisation than 
do those termed “ cool Orchids.” Or is it that the 
atmospheric conditions of the warmer divisions are 
more suitable to the ripening of the seed and the 
germination of the same, or both ? There is un¬ 
doubtedly a fine field open to the hybridist amongst 
cool Orchids, if he can only get the seed to ger¬ 
minate over here as well as Dendrobiums. What 
price for a cross between Odontoglossum grande 
and a fine form of O. crispum ? 
We have been trying for a long time to raise 
Odontoglossums from seed, but until this season 
could never get any to come up. At last, however, 
we can boast of a nice little batch of over a score. 
The seed, as soon as ripe, was sown ; some on 
specially-prepared pots, and the other on the fresh 
potted Odontoglossums. There is no sign of any on 
the prepared pots at present ; so that it would seem 
to sow the seed on pots, in which the parent plants 
are doing well, is the best method. The chief thing 
now they are up, is to keep them from the ravages of 
slugs ; for they would soon make short work of the 
tiny little fellows, if left to^their tender mercies. To 
avoid any harm coming to them we have suspended 
the pots from the roof. Here they will receive care 
ful attention as regards watering and shade, for they 
would soon suffer if allowed to get dry. 
Potting.— If the material in which the young 
seedlings are growing is fresh and sweet, they should 
not be disturbed the first year. By that time the old 
plants will require a shift. Our plan, then, is to care¬ 
fully remove each seedling with a pointed stick, and 
when the old plant is repotted, again prick them in 
evenly over the surface. The second season, if they 
have made good progress, they may be accommo¬ 
dated with a small pot on their own account, using 
chopped moss and peat in equal parts. The small 
pot, to keep them from drying up too quickly', should 
be plunged in one two or three sizes larger, filling in 
between with live moss. 
Watering. —This must be most carefully done. 
If you err at all, let it be on the dry side.— C. 
