464 
THE GARDENING WORLD 
March 17, 1894. 
growth from stored up sap without their aid. I 
wonder how he reconciles the two statements. 
I am afraid that already I have trespassed too far 
on your valuable space, but with your kind per¬ 
mission would like to ask Mr. Lees one or two ques¬ 
tions. That deciduous trees do store up sap in their 
trunks in winter there can be do doubt; that this 
sap becomes so congealed as to cause the bark to 
be of extra thickness can be easily proved if anyone 
will take the trouble as I have to ascertain. When 
felling Oaks in the spring the bark is of greater 
substance if taken off before the buds push than it 
is after. If cold weather sets in after tree felling 
has commenced the men have to cease work, for the 
sap will not run. When the sap is driven suddenly 
out of the branches in the autumn it does not at 
once become consolidated as I showed by cutting off 
the roots; this may be the work of two or three 
weeks, or even longer, but to the roots the sap is 
forced there can be no doubt till it is transformed 
into a more solid matter. That this action is going 
on more or less all winter none who have taken the 
trouble to ascertain will deny, that it is more active 
with some trees than others but few will doubt; and 
that large leaved evergreen trees require more 
nourishment in winter than those with denser and 
finer foliage, that if such be cut off when they are 
frozen and taken to a room for decorating they will 
not keep fresh for so long a period as if cut during 
mild weather—all these things lead us to believe 
that the sap to some extent is driven out of them. 
We know that the common Laurel, which is one 
of the most susceptible of this class, is so easily 
excited that the first mild weather after Christmas 
will cause it to flower. If this be so, then where 
does your correspondent get his idea from that all 
plants are asleep during the long winter months. 
Those who have watched the life of insects know 
full well that though the chrysalis may seem lifeless 
for a time, there is that sure though slow change 
taking place which will enable it to come forth in 
all its glory at no distant date. So it is with trees, 
the transformation is slow, but there is that wonder¬ 
ful development going on which will ere long come 
forth in all its glory. Pardon my intrusion for 
replying at such a length, but this being such an 
interesting subject, I could not refrain.— H. C. 
Princep. 
--*•- 
BORDER POLYANTHUSES 
Whilst there is usually a very pretty show of these 
charming hardy spring flowers at the Westminster 
Drill Hall on the occasion of the holding of the 
Auricula show, yet it is rare that any true concep¬ 
tion of the wonderful variety in colours and beauty 
they possess can be formed from such small 
evidence. To see Polyanthuses of this nature in 
their real beauty it is needful to visit the Bedfont 
Seed Grounds, or, perhaps, Waterer’s Bagshot 
Nursery, in the month of April, where many 
hundreds of plants, even some thousands, may be 
seen blooming at once and in wondrous variety. 
In the Royal Gardens, at Hampton Court, there are 
several thousands of plants all very strong soon to 
be flowering. Huge beds are filled with them and 
long borders also, and if the quality be fair the 
effect will be excellent. So far, however, the variety 
is too restricted to white and yellow hues. 
One of the most promising of private collections 
will be a beautiful feature at Claremont, Esher, 
where Mr. Burrell, who raised from seed last spring, 
has put out about 6oo on to a north border, and just 
now the plants are not only very large, but many 
are in bloom, indeed, there are ample indications 
that the show will be one of the most charming as 
well as varied in colour we have yet seen. Mr. 
Burrell purposes marking the bulk of his plants in 
colours, then next autumn lifting them and blocking 
them into flower beds for the production of special 
effects. To be enabled to keep up a succession, 
however, a good batch should be raised from seed 
every year, and then the two year old plants when 
lifted from the beds after blooming might always be 
dispensed with. Practically in all cases it is best to 
treat the border Polyanthus in this way, as then a 
fine batch of strong blooming plants is always 
secured.— A. 
Hardy Ornamental Flowering Trees and Shrubs, by 
A. D. Webster. A valuable guide to planters of beautiful 
trees and shrubs for the adornment of parks and gardens. 
Price, 3s.; post free, 3s. 3d. Publisher, Gardening World, 
I, Clement’s Inn, Strand, London, W.C. 
AMATEURS’ GUIDE BOOK 
ON ORCHIDS.- 
There are several valuable books on the cultivation 
of Orchids, but they are mostly addressed to the 
gardener or experienced Orchid grower, but none 
that are of much value to the inexperienced amateur. 
There has indeed long been a want for a book 
that would tell the would-be amateur Orchid grower, 
in a plain and simple manner, not only how to set 
about acquiring a collection, but what to get and 
how to grow them, and this, in the little work before 
us, Mr. Burberry has done in a very able and 
practical manner, and in language that the mere 
beginner cannot fail to understand. Continental 
authors, when dealing with the subject and address¬ 
ing amateurs, aim at letting their readers into the 
secrets of the technicalities of Orchid lore, or the 
botanical science of the subject, but Mr. Burberry 
avoids everything of that nature, and gives details 
or acquiring a collection of the most suitable and 
ornamental kinds, in an economical way both as to 
price and quality, and advocates the cultivation of 
Orchids for their great beauty and the pure love of 
the thing. This is the most genuine argument that 
could be offered the amateur, for no one derives 
more real pleasure from Orchids or any other class 
of flowers than those who grow them solely for the 
beauty, the instruction, the recreation, and the last¬ 
ing pleasure which they afford. This pleasure is, of 
course, the more lasting in proportion to the measure 
of success achieved, and those who take a real 
interest in them seldom fail to succeed, as they soon 
acquire that perseverance which enables them to 
surmount all difficulties. 
Mr. Burberry possesses that experience through 
eighteen years of practice which enables him to put 
the inexperienced in possession of many valuable 
hints in relation to everything pertaining to his 
favourite hobby. By way of introduction to his 
book he deals with the subject in general, and 
explains the purpose of the cool, intermediate, and 
warm houses, how they should be constructed, the 
aspects which they should enjoy with regard to sun¬ 
shine and shade ; and in other parts of the book he 
explains what to grow in those houses. Short 
chapters deal with a great variety of subjects, 
including heating, atmospheric conditions, shading, 
stoking the fires, temperatures, ventilation, diseases 
of Orchids, insect life, cleanliness and remedies, 
manurial aid to Orchids, watering and resting, 
fertilisation of the flowers, and the raising of plants 
from seeds as well as propagation by division. The 
potting and basketing of Cattleyas, Odontoglossums, 
Oncidiums, Cypripediums, and Dendrobiums receive 
special attention, and what Mr. Burberry has to say 
cannot fail to render the intelligent amateur great 
service. The special periods of the year at which 
these operations are performed must relieve the 
amateur cf a great deal of anxiety and uncertainty 
on those points, while the monthly calendar cannot 
fail to prove serviceable to beginners, as it calls 
attention to the temperatures which must be main¬ 
tained throughout the year according to the season, 
and the progressive stage of the plants or otherwise ; 
cool, intermediate, and warm houses are separately 
discussed or dealt with. Cultural details and hints 
relating to the same are interwoven with other 
instructions in most of the chapters throughout the 
book. 
Select lists of Orchids for amateurs who desire 
to grow only a small collection, will put them in the 
right track as to what should be obtained and placed 
under the proper conditions. It will doubtless be 
matter for surprise to some that Vanda Kimballiana 
and Dendrobium Jamesianum can be grown in, the 
cool house. Cattleya citrina is one of the twenty- 
four kinds recommended for amateurs to grow in 
the intermediate house—a fact that may elicit some 
surprise, seeing that the author describes it as 
deteriorating after the third year. 
We have no desire to be rigidly pedantic in the 
matter of names, but we are surprised that Odonto- 
glossum Alexandrae should have been adopted by 
the author, and the true name, O. crispum, given as 
a synonym. Similarly, Cattleya aurea is preferred 
to C. labiata Dowiana aurea; the typical C. labiata 
is named C. labiata vera; C. 1 . Warscewiczii is 
given as a synonym of C. 1 . gigas, whereas it is the 
true name ; and C. Trianae is given as a species, 
whereas it is only a variety of C. labiata. A typo- 
jrXHE Amateur Orchid Cultivators' Guide Book.— By 
H. A. Burberry, F.R.H.S. Liverpool: Blake & Mackenzie. 
graphical error in the spelling of Trianae is no 
doubt a printers’ mistake, but it is several times 
repeated. From the amateur’s point of view these 
botanical slips are of secondary importance to 
cultural matters. 
-- 
MORE STINGING PLANTS. 
The common Nettle (Urtica dioica), and its lesser 
congener U. urens, are well known to most people in 
this country. Fewer people, however, are acquainted 
with the stinging propensities of the species of 
Loasa and their allies, which are occasionally grown 
as annuals for the purpose of ornament. The 
Laporteas are known to a fe.v as Nettle-trees, and 
some gardeners have experienced the extremely 
irritable and painful nature of the poison communi¬ 
cated to arms, hands and other bare parts of the 
body coming in contact with them. More recently, 
complaints have been made of the poisonous nature 
of the hairs or glands with which Primula obconica 
is plentifully furnished. As the plant does not 
incommode every one, there is still a great deal of 
doubt and scepticism on the matter whether the 
plant is really poisonous or not, or whether the 
blame should not be attributed to something else 
altogether. Mucuna pruriens, Malpighia urens and 
others may be included in the list. 
Now it is stated by some observers and recorded 
by the Revue de 1 ’Hoi'ficulture Beige that the dense 
array of hairs on Cypripedium spectabile and C. 
pubescens are irritating to the skin. It is Professor 
D. T. MacDougal who reveals the existence of hairs 
such as those which occur on the plants named. 
Professor H. G. Jesup had described his personal 
experiences in the Bulletin of the Torrey Club, 
stating that having rubbed his arm with the leaves 
of Cypripedium spectabile, he felt at first a slight 
sensation of burning. Soon after, all the arm swelled 
up, and the part which had been in immediate 
contact with the leaf was inflamed and covered with 
spots accompanied [with the usual symptoms of 
inflammations of the skin. Mr. MacDougal pub¬ 
lishes in the Minnesota Botanical Studies a section of 
these microscopical hairs; they are of two forms, 
pointed or rounded. The terminal cell of the hair 
is filled with a slightly brownish substance, giving a 
sufiiciently pronounced acid reaction. The question 
arises as to what cause is to be attributed the 
irritation produced by the hairs upon the human 
skin. Is it the action of the acid penetrating under 
the skin pierced by the pointed hairs, or crushed 
upon the skin by the rubbing of the glandular hairs, 
or by the development of a filamentous and micro¬ 
scopic fungus, which lives in those cells and ramifies 
in the terminal part of the same ? It is not known, 
but the fact remains that the species of Cypripedium 
above mentioned are to be ranked in the category of 
poisonous plants. 
-- 
ON PRUNING ROSES. 
This I generally leave until well on into March, my 
object in so doing being to avoid having the young 
growths,’ destined to produce flowers, cut back by 
late spring frosts. Just now it seems a pity to see 
so much of the stored up energy of the plants being 
apparently wasted in premature growth, owing to 
the mild weather, and I would fain be among them, 
but know full well what the result would most 
likely be, so will withhold the knife for a time.. When 
pruning for general purposes, it is best not to lay too 
severe a hand on them, as quantity is generally more 
to our purpose than a few exceptionally large 
flowers. 
Roses vary very considerably in their require¬ 
ments, as to the amount of pruning it is desirable to 
give them. As a rule those of stronger growth 
should not be cut back so hard as those of weaker 
habit, as obviously the strong robust plants are 
capable of bearing larger quantities of flowers than 
the weakly ones. In all cases it is best to cut out 
the weak sappy wood, and so concentrate the energies 
of the plant on that which is well ripened. Roses of 
weakly growth must be pruned back to fewer eyes 
than the stronger ones, for if too many buds are left 
the sap will be directed to the growth of a larger 
number of shoots than the plant is capable of 
supporting and bringing into a flowering condition, 
and failure is certain. 
Much caution is required in the pruning of Tea 
Roses. Thin out the weakly growths and shorten 
back the stronger ones somewhat sparingly. This 
is a safe general rule, but there are among the great 
number of Roses now cultivated many which 
require special treatment which it is not easy to 
describe ia a short note.— W.B.G. - ‘ 
