December 16, 1898. 
THE GARDENING WORLD. 
249 
WHAT TO DO IN THE GARDEN, 
Amaryllis. —The chief display with this class of 
plants is made in spring ; but those w'ho have large 
numbers could lengthen the flowering season by 
forcing some and retarding others. The present is a 
good time to put a batch in heat. Previous to that, 
however, the bulbs may be turned out and have the 
ball of soil reduced so that they may be put in the 
same sized pots where the bulbs are full grown. 
Good fibrous loam is the best to use; and it should 
be pressed firm about the roots. Stand them in a 
well lighted position near the glass in a stove. 
Clerodendron fallax. —In most establishments 
this plant will now be completely out of flower. 
The young growths may be cut back to within a few 
eyes of the base. This will encourage the develop¬ 
ment of the buds from which next year’s flowering 
wood is to be obtained, and when the temperature 
rises in spring they will be ready to grow away more 
freely than if they had newly been cut back. 
Mealy bug, scale, and red spider.— During 
the winter months, and especially during severe 
weather that necessitates much firing, plants of 
various kinds are liable to the inroads of insect 
enemies. A dry atmosphere is particularly 
favourable to the development of thrip and red 
spider. The latter is injurious to the fine leaves of 
Alocasias, and thrip plays havoc with Dracaenas, 
Azaleas, and many other plants. The Palms and 
Cycads are liable to the attacks of white scale, 
which settles in great numbers upon the petioles of 
the leaves. Anthuriums are liable to scale, and in¬ 
stances might be multiplied. No opportunity should 
be lost whenever time can be spared to examine ani 
sponge the leaves of those fine-foliaged subjects be¬ 
fore any serious damage can be done. 
Christmas decorations. —Where plants of 
various kinds are largely employed for the decora¬ 
tion of dwelling rooms, it is a good plan to prepare 
them for it some days previously by placing such 
things as Palms and Crotons in a drier and cooler 
atmosphere ; for by so doing the foliage gets some¬ 
what hardened and is then better able to withstand 
the dry atmosphere of a room. Poinsettias might 
be treated in the same way, for it would help to pre¬ 
vent the flagging or drooping of the bracts if the 
weather should happen to be severe when placed in 
the dwelling rooms. The fresh appearance of the 
plants at that time is of more value than the plants 
themselves. 
Astilba japonica (Spiraea).—Some crowns of 
this may be put into heat. They do not as a rule 
come away readily thus early in the season, but a 
few flowering plants dotted about in the conserva¬ 
tory would add much to the variety. 
Epacpis and Heaths.— Careful attention will 
have to be given this class of plants at present in 
the matter of watering, for their slender, fibrous 
roots are very impatient of drought, and soon get 
killed. It is just as bad if the roots get too much 
soddened by overwatering, or by the drainage 
getting stopped up. Sufficient should be given at 
each watering, however, to wet the whole ball of 
soil. 
Vines. —The vines in the earliest house should 
now be starting away freely. When that is the case, 
tie the rods into position. The night temperature 
may gradually be raised until, when the bunches are 
showing, it may stand at 65® unless the weather is 
severe. In that case it may be allowed to drop a 
few degrees rather than fire too hard. Raise the 
temperature to 70° early in the day by fire heat, and 
give a little top air if the sun should raise the heat 
another 5°, closing early. 
Cucumbers. —Very little stopping will be re¬ 
quired at present, but any necessary tying must be 
attended to. Remove all fruits as soon as they are 
large enough for use and avoid overcropping the 
plants as much as possible. Keep down mildew by 
dusting with flower of sulphur, and green-fly by 
dusting the leaves with tobacco powder. 
Figs. —See that the temperature of the fermenting 
bed of leaves and dung used for starting the earliest 
batch of pot trees is not falling below 80°, other¬ 
wise some fresh but previously prepared material 
must be added to keep up the heat. Before adding 
it tread down the bed firmly and place the rest on 
the top. Syringe the trees and all available surfaces 
vdth water at the temperature of the house. Trees 
on trellises in other houses should receive what 
pruning they require, and be cleansed from brown 
scale if so infested. 
Oranges.—-Trees bearing young fruit should be 
kept in a temperature of 65® so as to encourage their 
proper development. Those having ripe fruit may 
by accommodated in a vinery where Grapes are 
still hanging. The atmosphere in the house where 
young fruits are borne by the trees should not be 
kept in a wet and saturated condition at this time of 
the year. Nor must too much be given at the roots 
if the fruits are approaching maturity, otherwise 
many of them will split. 
Onchard House.—No attempt should be made 
as yet to start Apples and Pears, which should have 
a separate house or division of one where early 
forcing is intended. Peaches and Nectarines are 
the only recommendable kinds to force thus early. 
See that the soil in the pots or borders as the case 
may be is in a properly mjist condition. To begin 
with it is only necessary to maintain a night tem¬ 
perature of 45°, and that can easily be kept up. 
Handy fruit trees.—The generally open 
weather which we have been enjoying should enable 
such work as pruning and nailing to be carried on 
with expediency, so that when frost comes, all 
wheeling of manure may be carried on without 
cutting up the walks. The borders in front of wall 
trees are usually cropped, and they may be 
manured and dug, but not trenched. 
-- 
Quescions ano ansojeRj. 
Orchid Culture. — Orchids : Of the species of 
Orchids you mention, give Dendrobium Wardianum 
the warmest end of the house. Syringing is not 
necessary at present, as you can keep the atmosphere 
of the house sufficiently moist by damping down 
once or twice a day according to the state of the 
weather. You must also be careful not to over¬ 
water them while in the resting stage. Just enough 
water to prevent the pseudo-bulbs of such as 
Dendrobium from shrivelling will be sufficient till 
gtowth recommences in spring. While in flower 
you must give them a little more. Those kinds 
having evergreen leaves must not be allowed to get 
so dry, otherwise they will suffer. At the same 
time, so long as they are resting and the damp dull 
days of winter continue, water must be sparingly 
but judiciously applied whenever wanted. Look 
over them every second day and attend to those that 
absolutely need water. Keep your eye on the 
Orchid Calendar appearing in our columns every 
second week, and you may occasionally get hints 
suitable for your case. In any case we shall help 
you over difficulties. 
Names of Fruits.— E. G.: 2, Fearn's Pippin ; 3, 
Alfriston; 4, Dumelow’s Seedling; 5, Rosemary 
Russet; 6, Hoary Morning ; 7, Rymer ; 8, Court of 
Wick; 9, King of Tomkin’s County ; 24, Golden 
Noble. They are all remarkably fine specimens, 
very similar to American produce. 
Rainfall and Sunshine.— R. G. IF.: The mean 
annual rainfall at Keswick (N.W.) is 59 in. ; Fal¬ 
mouth (S.W.), 39 in.; Canterbury (S.E.), 27 in.; 
Liverpool, 35 in.; and Hereford, 30in. The average 
of ten years’ sunshine at Stonyhurst, Lancashire, is 
1288-9 hours; Churchstoke, in Montgomeryshire 
(N.W. of Hereford), 1351-8 hours; Falmouth, for 
S.W., i668-9-hours ; and Glynde, in Sussex, for* 
S.E., i439’i hours. 
Value of Natural Manures. — Plant Grower: 
The value of a natural manure and its nature, 
to some considerable extent, depends on several cir¬ 
cumstances, such as the animals that make it, the 
richness or otherwise of the food supplied to them, and 
the care that is taken to properly ferment and 
preserve it afterwards from waste. Pigs supply the 
greatest quantity in a given time; cows come next, 
then calves, horses, and sheep, the latter giving the 
smallest quantity. With regard to the relative 
values in money of the manures from those animals, 
pigs come first, followed by cows, horses, sheep, and 
calves in the order named. 
Bedeguar Gall.— Hy. Roberts : The extraordi 
nary outgrowths on the Wild Roses you send are 
caused by the larvae of an insect named Rhodites 
Rosae. By cutting one open you will find a number 
of grubs of the insect passing through the winter 
stage. By keeping a number of them under a bell 
glass till spring, the insects will complete their 
metamorphosis and pierce their way out of the galls 
ready to lay eggs on other Roses of the same kind. 
They have four wings and a long abdomen nearly 
separated from the rest of the body, and look 
very much like ichneumon flies. They do not 
interfere with garden Roses unless you consider the 
Sweet Brier as one, so that you have little to fear on 
that score. 
SCILLAS TO GIVE A SUCCESSION. — J. R. : The 
first of the Scillas or Squills to appear above ground 
is S. bifolia in blue, rose and white varieties. S. 
sibirica comes next with deep blue flowers. There 
IS a white variety (S. s. alba), but it is yet rare and 
expensive. These are succeeded by S. verna, S. 
amoena, S. peruviana, S. hispanica and S. nutans. 
The two last keep up a display from April or May 
till well into June according to the latitude of the 
locality in which they are grown. Both of them 
vary with blue, rose, pink and white flowers, and 
there IS a large flowered variety of S. nutans that is 
worth having. S. verna, S. amoena and S. peruviana 
are the least plentiful of the above kinds; all the 
others are readily obtainable. 
Soot as a Fertiliser.—/IRat. Herd: The pro¬ 
portion of fertilising matter in soot is very small and 
variable. It depends upon the amount of Sulphate 
and Chloride of Ammonium present in it. Other 
ingredients of the ash may prove serviceable in cases, 
but the ammonium which contains nitrogen in a 
certain form is the most active ingredient. It is 
therefore necessary to keep the soot as dry as 
possible until it is required for use, and then to apply 
it in spring when the young and growing crops are 
most likely to be in want of it. Amongst those 
crops that are specially benefited by a manure of 
this nature are Potatos, Onions, Tomatos, Carrots, 
Parsnips, Celery, Leeks, and others of that nature. 
None of the Brassica nor Pea tribes are appreciably 
benefited by it. 
Communications Received. —G. McL.—G. B.— 
H. B.—A. W.—J. C.—W. B. G.—S.—J. W.—W. P. 
-- 
TRADE CATALOGUES RECEIVED. 
James Carter & Co., 237-8, High Holborn, 
London, W.C.—Seed Catalogue for 1894. 
John Laing & Sons, Forest Hill, London, S.E.— 
Vegetable and Flower Seeds, Begonias, etc. 
J. R. Pearson & Sons, Chilwell, Notts.—Chry¬ 
santhemums for 1894. 
- 
LONDON SEED TRADE. 
December \ith, 1893. 
Messrs. Horst & Son, 152, Houndsditch, and 
3^, Seed Market, Mark Lane, E C., report a 
steady demand for finest Canadian Red Clover at 
advancing rates. Superfine English Cowgrass dull. 
White Clover, Alsike, and Trefoil steady. 
COVENT GARDEN MARKET. 
Dec. i^th, 1893. 
Fruit.—Average Wholesale Prices. 
s. d s. d. 
Apples.per bushel 20 76 
Cob Nuts, per 100 Ib. 40 o 42 6 
Grapes, per Ib. 0916 
Vegetables.—Average Retail Prices. 
s. d, s. d. 
Pine apples. 
—St. Michael's, each 26 60 
s. d. 
ArtichokesGlobedoz. 3 0 
Beans, French, perlb. 
Beet.per dozen 
Cabbages ... per doz. 
Carrots ... per bunch 
Cauliflowers, Eng.dz. 
Celery.per bundle 
Cucumbers .each 
Endive, French, doz. 
Herbs .per bunch 
X. d. 
6 0 
1 
2 
2 
0 
3 
2 
0 
2 
0 2 
5 0 
0 6 
3 0 
0 6 
s. d. 
Horse Radish, bundle 2 0 
Lettuces ...per dozen 2 0 
Mushrooms, p. basket i 0 
Onions.per bunch 0 4 
Parsley ... per bunch 0 6 
Radishes... per dozen i 6 
Smallsalading,punnet 0 4 
Spinach ... per strike 3 0 
Tomatos. per lb. 0 6 
Turnips.per bun. 0 6 
J. d. 
4 0 
3 0 
I 6 
0 6 
Plants in Pots.—Average Wholesale Prices. 
s. d. s. d. 
s. d. 
X 
d. 
Chrysanthemumsdoz. 4 o 12 0 
Cyperus .per doz. 4 0 12 o 
Dracaena term., doz. 18 o 36 o 
Dracaena viridis.doz. g 0 18 o 
Evergreens,invar.doz 6 0 24 0 
Ferns, invar.,per doz. 4 0 18 0 
Ferns, small, per 100 40 80 
Foliage Plants, doz. 12 0 60 0 
Heaths.per doz. 9 0 iS 0 
Liliums, various, per 
doz.12 0 24 0 
Marguerites, perdoz. 9 0 12 0 
Mignonette, per doz. 6 0 10 0 
Palms in variety,each 2 6 10 0 
Palms, Specimen ... 15 0 63 o 
Pelargoniums sclt.dz. 20 40 
Poinsettia, per doz. 12 0 15 0 
Solanums ...perdoz, 9 o 12 0 
Cut Flowers.—Average Wholesale Prices. 
s. d. $. d. 
Arum Lilies, i2blms. 30 60 
Azalea, dozen sprays 10 16 
Bcuvardias, per bun. 0 6 
Camellia doz. blooms i 0 
Carnations...per doz. i o 
Chrysanthemums 
doz. bunches .2 o 
doz. blooms.0 6 
Eucharis ...per doz. 3 0 
Gardenias 12 blooms 20 40 
Heliotropes,12 sprays 06 09 
Lilium Harrisii, 
doz. blooms 60 90 
Lily of the Valley, doz. 
sprays.2 650 
Lilac,French,perbch. 4 060 
MaidennairFern,i2bs.4 060 
Margueiites, 12 bun. 2040 
Narciss, French,white 
doz. bchs. 16 26 
Narciss, French, 
yellow, doz. bchs. 16 30 
Orchid Bloom in var. 
per bloom, from 03 10 
Mignonette... 12 bun. 2 
Mimosa, French. 
per bch. 0 
Pelargoniums, 12 sps. 0 
— scarlet.12 bchs. 4 
Poinsettia, doz. bloom 6 
Pyrethrum doz. bun. i 
Primula, double, bun. 0 
Roses, (French) 
doz. blooms 0 
— . per box 2 
Roses, yellow, dozen 2 
— Red.doz. blms. i 
— Sa£frano...per doz. 2 
— Tea.per dozen 0 
Tuberoses, per doz 0 
Violets, Parme, French 
per bch. 3 
Violets, Czar, French 
per bch. 2 
Violets,English 
doz. bchs. I 
Violets, French, 
doz. bchs. 
s. d. 
4 0 
I o 
I 0 
6 0 
o 12 o 
640 
6 10 
I 6 
4 0 
4 0 
1 6 
3 0 
2 0 
0 6 
040 
026 
620 
10 2 6 
OOiTTEinTTS. 
PAGE 
Aechmea Devansayana 
Weilbachii.244 
Bermuda Lilies .240 
Chrysanthemums in Decem¬ 
ber .239 
Chrysanthemums, new.246 
Cocoa-nut in Ceylon .240 
Codlin Moth, the.243 
Cypripedium,twin-flowered243 
Ferns, some British .245 
Gardeners’ Calendar.249 
Gardening Charities .246 
Garden refuse .246 
Judges and Judging.239 
Lapageria rosea .242 
London Parks, the .241 
Lycaste cinnabarina .243 
Maxillaria picta .243 
PAGE 
Mignonette.246 
National Chrysanthemum 
Society.241 
National Rose Society .241 
Odontoglossam crispum ...242 
Odontoglossum grande.243 
Orchid Growers' Calendar 243 
Pelargoniums in Winter ...239 
Plant food .242 
Salt in the Garden.244 
Science Gleanings .243 
Season, the open.240 
Shrubs, two handsome.244 
Size V. Quality .244 
Societies.248 
Spring Gardening .247 
Zygopetalum grandiflorum 243 
