November 9, 1889. 
THE GARDENING WORLD. 
157 
which it is intended to place the bulbs, and lay down 
whatever kinds it is proposed to plant at regular 
distances apart. They can in that manner be dis¬ 
tributed according to the order they are wished to 
occupy at flowering time, and all errors will be avoided 
which are likely to occur if planting be proceeded 
with without this previous arrangement. Then, with 
a trowel, make a hole sufficiently deep to get the crown 
of the bulb about 3 ins. beneath the surface of the soil, 
cover it up, and the operation is complete. For the 
sake of neatness, a covering of coco-nut fibre may be 
spread over the bed, but this is not really required. 
—-- 
Hotes on 'Bruits. 
Atple, American Mother. 
The number of names given to this Apple is something 
remarkable, besides which there are other varieties in 
this country to which the name of Mother Apple is 
applied. The variety under notice is one of the few 
Apples of American origin that have proved suitable 
for cultivation in this country. The fruit ripens well, 
has a beautiful appearance on the table, and is a dessert 
Apple of first-class quality, coming into season in 
October, and lasting good through November. At 
present it is simply delicious. The fruit is of medium 
size, conical, and of a beautiful golden yellow colour, 
suffused, mottled, and streaked with crimson on the 
exposed side. The flesh is pale yellow, as firm as a 
well-ripened Ribston at the present time, but is also 
tender, remarkably crisp, juicy and sweet, with a 
delicious aromatic flavour. 
Beurr£ Capiahmont Pear. 
Amongst the prettiest of Pears now in season must be 
included the above mentioned, which succeeds well on 
the rich alluvial soil at Chiswick, in the gardens of the 
Royal Horticultural Society. The tree is ordinarily an 
abundant bearer, and succeeds well in various parts of 
the country, even as a standard, especially when 
grafted on the quince. The fruit is naturally of 
medium size, but the average of a crop is good, and 
therefore the variety may be included in the list when 
planting is contemplated. In shape the fruit is 
regularly pyriform, and tapers gradually to the stalk, 
which is about 1 in. in length, allowing it to hang 
freely. The skin is almost uniformly covered with a 
pale cinnamon-russet, yellowish in the shade, and 
suffused with red on the exposed side. The white 
flesh is buttery, rich, melting and very juicy. 
- **$«. - 
ORCHID NOTES AND GLEANINGS. 
♦ _ 
™ ♦" 
The Orchid Growers’ Calendar. 
A great deal of an Orchid grower’s time must of 
necessity be taken up in keeping the plants clean by 
dipping and sponging ; but there are certain seasons of 
the year when it is advisable to clean the houses as well 
as the plants, and now that shading can be dispensed 
with it is a good time for a start. We begin with the 
Cattleya house, and thoroughly clean the plants by 
sponging. Then having moved enough plants to 
allow of the roof-glass and woodwork of one or two 
lights being freely syringed, without any drip falling 
near the plants, we proceed to scrub the woodwork and 
clean out the laps of the glass by means of a zinc label 
bent to the shape of a letter L, after which the glass is 
washed, and the whole syringed down. The shingle 
and stages are then washed and everything above and 
below having been thoroughly cleansed, the plants are 
stood in their places again and another batch taken 
down, until the house is cleaned through, when the 
shallow tanks under the stages are cleaned out, and 
any spaces of vacant wall near the pipes, out of sight, 
are treated to a coat of lime-wash, and if the outside of 
the house be washed down at the same time, all will 
then be light and clean. 
Those who are wise will avoid being in a muddle in 
two or three houses at the same time, therefore it is 
best to finish one house before beginning another, or 
the owner of the collection may possibly he reminded 
of spring cleaning in some establishments where the 
housekeeper lacks method, and where everybody is 
inconvenienced, while everything is turned upside 
down. Experience teaches us that it is far better to go 
through the plants frequently and sponge them before 
they get very dirty, than to clean them at long 
intervals, the former plan being better for the plants” 
and far less tedious for those who have to clean them. 
When, in watering through the collection, a plant is 
observed to be infested with any kind of insect, it 
should be stood down so that it may be cleaned ; and if 
this rule be carried out all the year round, the 
periodical sponging through the whole collection will 
not be so formidable a task. Far better is it to 
employ an extra hand, if possible, for this purpose 
than to let the plants suffer in health through being 
infested with insects, until they decrease in value, 
perhaps, three times the amount the extra labour 
would cost to keep them clean and healthy. 
Flowers of good form, colour, and substance are not 
produced by dirty and unhealthy plants many years 
in succession, and those who have seen many collections 
and observed the prices realised when they came under 
the hammer, will agree that clean healthy plants are 
alike a pleasure to sell and to buy, while on the other 
hand a dirty collection spreads live-stock and discontent 
wherever they go. 
The Temperatures for November are:—East 
Indian house, 70° to 75° by day, 65° at night ; Cattleya 
or intermediate house, 65° to 70° by day, 60° at night ; 
Odontoglossum or cool house, 55° to 60° bv day, 50° at 
night .— IF. P. 
Maxillaria nigrescens. 
With the exception of such species as M. Sanderiana, 
M. venusta, M. grandiflora, and perhaps one or two 
more, many Maxillarias worthy of attention are seldom 
met with in general cultivation, being confined for the 
most part to collections remarkable for their botanical 
characteristics. Anyone, however, who saw the subject 
of the present note in good condition would at once 
consider it worthy of a place in most collections. A 
fine specimen of this somewhat rare and remarkable 
species is now flowering in the choice collection of 
Holbrook Gaskell, Esq., Woolton Wood, Liverpool. 
Over three score blooms are fully expanded, and the 
deep ruby colour of their segments presents an extremely 
attractive appearance. It is always worth while, when 
in the vicinity, to pay a visit to this grand collection, 
which is kept in splendid condition by the gardener, 
Mr. Ford.— Visitor. 
Cypripedium Spicerianum. 
Regularly as autumn comes round C. Spicerianum 
produces its handsome and long-lasting flowers. The 
persistent properties of the species is shared in bv a large 
number of other kinds, which also bloom at various 
times of the year, whereas C. Spicerianum is naturally 
an autumn-flowering species only. Of course, its 
season may be prolonged for two or three months by 
growing batches in houses kept at different temper¬ 
atures, but then the flush of bloom occurs in October 
and November. The most striking features are the 
broad white standard, with its claret-coloured midrib 
and green blotch at the base, together with the undu¬ 
lated petals and the prettily-coloured staminode. This 
latter is violet, with a white margin and a green 
central spot, the whole forming an eve-like centre to 
the flower. The white of the standard is sometimes 
flushed with pink. 
Indian Crocuses. 
Such is the popular name given to the deciduous 
species of Ccelogyne, better known amongst gardeners 
perhaps under the name of Lagenaria. A number of 
them annually appear in great beauty in the autumn 
months, and also find their way into market. The 
commonest is, of course, C. lagenaria, but C. maculata 
and C. Wallichiana are not uncommon. The first 
named has purple sepals and petals, and a white lip 
suffused with rose, and blotched with purple and 
crimson. C. maculata is white, barred on the lip with 
crimson. A very pretty rose-coloured species is C. 
Wallichiana, striped on the lip with fine rows of white 
fringes. Although not true Crocuses, the order to 
which they belong is closely allied to the Iris family, 
which includes them. The popular name is appro¬ 
priate on account of the dwarf habit, the deciduous 
nature of the plants, and the colour of the flowers. 
-- 
Gardeners' Improvement Societies. 
Manchester. 
The first meeting of the session of this society was 
held at the Grosvenor Hotel on the evening of the 
31st October, Mr. Ilruce Findlay, president, in the 
chair. The report of the treasurer, Mr. Robert Tait, 
which showed a balance in hand of £9 15s. 6 d. for the 
session 1888-9, was read and approved, after which the 
election of officers for the year was proceeded with. 
Mr. Findlay was again re-elected president ; Mr. A. 
Scansfield, vice-president ; Mr. R. Tait, treasurer; 
Mr. W. B. Upjohn, secretary. Committee, Messrs. E. 
G. Hughes, F. Robinson, J. Briddon, J. Lunt, 
W. Plant, and W. Elkin. The members afterwards 
sat down to tea numbering fifty-two, and a most 
enjoyable evening was spent in listening to speeches, 
songs, and music. The syllabus for the session will bo 
in the hands of members this week, and will be found 
full of interesting subjects, commencing with an 
address from Professor Williamson, on November 7th, 
on “Plant Nutrition: especially on the Supplies of 
Nitrogen to the Vegetable Kingdom.” 
Ealing. 
At the weekly meeting on Wednesday evening, October 
30th, Mr. G. Cannon occupied the chair. The first and 
second-prize papers on the cultivation of the Hyacinth 
and Tulip were read by the writers, Mr. H. Dee and 
Mr. Edwards. An animated discussion followed, in 
which Mr. S. A. Sewell, Mr. Dawes, Mr. Fountain, 
Mr. Harman, Mr. Green, Mr. Viner, and others took 
part. The exhibits were good and interesting, Mr. 
Harman having a tray of Dahlia blooms very fresh and 
good. Mr. Cox, gardener to Miss Collinson, showed a 
collection of Pears, good varieties ; Mr. Chadwick, 
branches of the White Bullace or Damson, laden with 
fruit; Mr. Edwards, gardener to W. Owen, Esq., a fine 
dish of Cox’s Pomona Apple ; Mr. Griggs, gardener to 
A. Dixon, Esq., two fine Orchids—viz., Odontoglossum 
Rossii and O. crispum ; Mr. Long, gardener to E. A. 
Oakshott, Esq., several plants in bloom of tuberous- 
rooted Begonias and zonal Pelargoniums ; Mr. Baird, 
gardener to — Daw, Esq , a fine plant of Richardia 
Ethiopica, blooms of Eucharis amazonica, and of the 
green Rose (R. viridiflora) ; Mr. Gates, gardener to 
Prof. Henslow, a fine Solanum capsicastrum ; Mr. 
Roberts, gardener to J. Harris, Esq , four varieties of 
Adiantum, one plant of Gloxinia, and twelve bunches 
of cut blooms, such as single Chrysanthemums, zonal 
Pelargoniums, double white Petunias, and Gloxinias ; 
Mr. Slatter, gardener to J. Moore, Esq., a specimen of 
Laslia Perrinii, with six blooms ; Mr. Green, Acton, 
blooms of decorative Chrysanthemums, and a branch of 
Cedar of Lebanon, showing the male catkins. Several 
new members were elected. A vote of thanks was 
passed to the chairman, who announced that there 
would be no meeting on the 6th, owing to the Chry¬ 
santhemum show of the Ealing Horticultural Society 
taking place, and that Dr. Masters would lecture on 
November 13th on “ Sports.” 
-- 
The Gardeners’ Calendar, 
THE STOVE. 
Crotons and Dracaenas. —Plants whose roots are 
now very much confined for want of space may be 
assisted by the use of liquid manure. By so doing the 
necessity of re-potting till spring will be obviated. 
Stand the plants, both of Crotons and Dracaenas, as 
near the glass as possible, so that they may receive a 
maximum of light and sunshine to maintain the rigidity 
or leathery character of the foliage, and bring out the 
varied tints of colour to that extent which is possible 
under the circumstances. The tops of old and leggy 
Dracaenas may be cut off and rooted in a close frame, 
while the old stems are laid in the coco-nut fibre of the 
propagating bed, to push their dormant eyes and 
furnish cuttings later on. 
Gardenias. —Old plants especially will derive great 
advantage from frequent doses of weak liquid manure. 
If the plants are grown in pots, see that the drainage 
is always in perfect order, and in giving liquid manure 
see that it is not charged with slimy matter or floating 
portions of the manure from which the liquid has been 
made, otherwise the surface of the pots will soon be 
clogged up, and rendered partly impermeable to air and 
water. 
THE GREENHOUSE. 
Lachenalias. — Remove these from the plunging 
material as soon as they are seen to be pushing their 
leaves, otherwise the latter soon become drawn and 
spoiled. Transfer the pots or pans containing them 
to the shelves of a pit or Peach house, where they will 
be kept cool and well ventilated. Like all other 
bulbous plants, they soon get spoiled by being coddled 
in a close atmosphere. Very little water will be re¬ 
quired in their earlier stages, but they must not be 
neglected in this respect, otherwise they cannot make 
good growth. 
Camellias.—T he buds of these will soon commence 
to expand, and the chief objects to which attention 
