June 9, 1894. 
the gardening world. 
643 
^imes the sky is like steel and the soil like dust, 
when all is parched and void of moisture, when fly 
and other pests attack them before they are well 
through the ground, and when all the care possible 
fails to induce them to make a robust start, it is no 
wonder that so few well.filled pods are to be seen 
during the latest months. Now if those intending 
to secure a crop would take the precaution to sow 
thinly on a piece of ground that has not been too 
recently dug, or if turned over since we had any 
heavy rain, it should be well moistened and made 
firm previous to sowing. 
The seed should be dibbed in so as to form a 
double row, the same as is done for Broad or Runner 
Beans, allowing a space of 4 in. or 5 in. between 
each seed. It is the better plan to prevent failure to 
put two seeds together, and when the plants are 2 in. 
high draw one out so as to give the other more 
room. They should be staked in the same way as 
those sown thicker, but the haulm ought to be so 
regulated that half of it may go to one row of stakes 
and half to another ; in this way there will be more 
light and air circulating amongst them, therefore 
less fear of mildew. 
The three finest varieties that I have grown for 
this purpose are Autocrat, Latest of All, and Chelsea 
Gem. The two former should not be sown later 
than the end of June, as they are quite a fortnight 
longer in making their growth than the latter, and as 
they continue in bearing for some time much of the 
crop would be lost if sowing was deferred till a later 
period. These usually grow to the height of 4 ft., 
but if the season be moist they may grow taller. 
Chelsea Gem treated in the same way will usually go 
to the height of 2 ft., which in some respects is far 
better, as the rows of these can be more readily 
covered in case of frost. Where temporary cold 
frames can be had for protection, the dwarf kinds 
are certainly preferable, as they will not be so likely 
to touch the glass when covered with the lights. 
When sowing Peas to be protected by temporary 
frames, it is far the better plan to dibble the seed in 
single rows. If these are put a foot apart the seeds 
may be inserted 4 in. from each other in the rows ; 
in this way they will get more light and air than 
when sown thicker, and the rows put a greater dis¬ 
tance apart. The haulm should always be kept from 
falling on to the soil, so that it wilt be necessary to 
put small sticks to them for this purpose, for though 
the summer crops do not suffer through not having 
sticks, those in the autumn will do so on account of 
both soil and air being more moist. The flowers, 
too, will set better if held up so that they may soon 
dry after a shower. There is little difference as re¬ 
gards hardiness between some of the wrinkled sorts 
and the rounded, kinds after they have once made a 
start to grow, it is in the germination that the former 
are more tender on account of their taking up more 
water before they commence to grow .—Kitchen 
Gardener. 
— -- 
ORCHID NOTES AND GLEANINGS. 
By John Fraser, F.L.S., Kew. 
Cattleya Mendellii Quorn House var. 
This magnificent variety is now in bloom in the 
collection of F. Hardy, Esq., at Tyntesfield, Ashton- 
on-Mersey, and we understand that either Mr. 
Hardy or his gardener, Mr. T. Stafford, will be 
happy to show it during the ensuing week to any 
orchid lover who may call at Tyntesfield. 
Phalaenopsis tetraspis. 
The leaves of this species are cbovate and bright 
green. The flowers are about the size of those of P. 
violacea, and have oblong-oval, pure white sepals and 
petals, the latter being the smaller. The three-lobed 
lip has a ridged, fleshy terminal white segment, 
covered with a heavy beard of hairs of the same hue ; 
the side lobes are small, oblong, erect and orange 
with white tips. The column is also white. The 
species was originally introduced in 1881 from the 
Andaman Islands. Award of Merit, R.H.S. Exhibited 
on April 24th by the Director, Royal Gardens, Kew. 
Oncidium sessile. 
The flowers of this Oncidium are of medium size 
with imbricated segments. The oblorg sepals are 
golden yellow, spotted with pale brown at the base; 
while the petals are narrower but otherwise similar. 
The lip has a transversely oblong, emarginate lamina, 
auricled at the base, and golden ye How, spotted with 
brown around the triangular toothed crest. Award 
of Merit, R.H.S. Exhibited on April 24th by 
Messrs. W. L. Lewis & Co., Southgate. 
Dendrobium nobile Smee’s var, Nov. var. 
The flowers of this variety are large and light in 
colour, and a well flowered piece was exhibited by 
A. H. Smee, Esq. (gardener, Mr. G. W. Cummins), 
The Grange, Wallington, at the R.H.S., on 
April 24th. The oblong sepals are blush white. 
The ovate petals are white with a purple 
tip. The lip is large, creamy white, with a small 
purple tip and an intense purple blotch in the 
throat. On the whole it is a showy variety. Award 
of Merit. 
Orchid Growers’ Calendar. 
East India House.— During the past few days the 
weather has been favourable to the admission of 
plenty of fresh air without fear of the plants 
becoming dry too quickly, as the outside temperature 
has been high and the atmosphere charged with 
moisture. 
Calanthes. —These winter-flowering Orchids are 
making good progress, and must be kept going by 
affording them some stimulant. Guano, perhaps, is 
the safest manure to use, but failing this Clay’s 
Fertiliser, or drainings from the cowsheds or farm¬ 
yard will suit them well, being careful to well 
dilute it. 
Cattleya House.— Look out for the little fly 
that causes the rootgalls on the Cattleyas. I am 
pleased to say that they are not nearly so trouble¬ 
some with us as in previous years, but we have given 
them no quarter. By cutting away the roots so 
affected when repotting the plants and by keeping a 
sharp look out for them we have nearly got rid of 
them. 
Aphis. —These are, as usual, making their appear¬ 
ance. The young growths of Laelia anceps seem to 
attract them most, but although troublesome they 
are not the worst of the gardener’s enemies, as they 
are easily dislodged with a sponge from the large 
plants. It is different, however, with the little 
seedlings growing in the same baskets, as they are 
not large enough to sponge, but a little tobacco 
powder will keep them free from these pests. 
Epidendrum prismatocarpum, which has been 
resting, is now pushing up strong spikes, and will 
receive every encouragement to properly develop 
their flowers by being liberally supplied with water. 
They are subject to spot in the leaf and bulb, due, I 
think, to being kept too moist during winter and to 
imperfect drainage; we find they do best when grown 
in peat alone. 
Cool House : Oncidium tigrinum.— Our plants 
are rather late in starting into growth this season, 
which is to be accounted for by their being allowed 
to carry their spikes' a long time last autumn. They 
are, however, breaking strongly and rooting freely, 
and will be potted forthwith, using as a compost 
good peat and live sphagnum moss with bits of 
crocks interspersed to keep everything sweet. 
Potting firmly and using as small pots as possible is 
a practice we adopt with good results. They do 
well grown with the Odontoglossum crispums, but 
should be so placed that they will get plenty of light. 
The end of the division that gets the sun on it most 
is a good place for them. Water sparingly until the 
roots get hold of the new material, when they should 
be liberally treated, as their season of growth is not 
of the longest. 
Fire Heat.— Up to within a few days we have 
found it necessary to warm the pipes during the 
night, so cold has it been, but with the agreeable 
change in the temperature it will be discontinued in 
this division.— C. 
- •»- - 
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Df Sctenc^. 
The Thirst of Plants.—A contemporary quotes 
the calculations of Haberlandt concerning the 
quantity of water given off into the air by an acre 
of certain cereals. For instance. Oats absorb 570 
tons of water from an acre of ground. Wheat takes 
489 tons, and Rye 334 tons. In such a season of 
drought as 1S93 the question arises whence the 
plants could obtain the necessary supply. A great 
deal of the rain which fell in the early part of 
winter was carried away by drainage, and very little 
fell during the succeeding six months. The super¬ 
fluous water only drains away, for every particle of 
soil and stones retain a thin film of water by the 
force of cohesion. The roots of plants absorb this 
water contrary to this force. As the soil in contact 
with the roots becomes dry, it draws upon the re¬ 
sources of the moister material beneath it. By the 
power of capillary attraction moisture also arises 
from considerable depths, so as to supply the de¬ 
ficiency in the upper strata of soil. This, then, is 
the means by which plants obtain their moisture in 
periods of drought, and it is an argument for deep 
cultivation, particularly in soils of a hard or adhesive 
nature. When loosened up and broken to a con¬ 
siderable depth, the roots of plants are enabled to 
penetrate deeper in quest of moisture and food, 
while capillary attraction is also rendered more active. 
When the top six or eight inches only is turned 
over, the subsoil, particularly of ploughed land, gets 
so hardened and encrusted that roots can neither 
penetrate it nor can moisture ascend from below in 
the necessary quantity. Vegetation under those 
conditions, inevitably suffers even in seasons with an 
average rainfall. 
Plants of the Desert.—The same wur’ter quotes 
Deherain’s observations that the roots of Wheat 
sometimes penetrate the soil to a greater depth than 
6 ft. He also says that the botanist Wolkens 
corroborates the fact that plants, when left to their 
own resources in a dry climate, send down long taper¬ 
ing roots to great depths in the soil as a last resource 
to find the required moisture. The last mentioned 
botanist made his observations during the course of 
his voyage in Egypt and Arabia. All this may 
apply to plants in those countries, because the 
plants themselves are different. It is stated that 
plants which never exceed a hand’s length above the 
soil, have a root as thick as the thumb near the sur¬ 
face, but taper to the thickness of a finger at the 
depth of two yards. Plants of the desert have be¬ 
come adapted to their surroundings through cen¬ 
turies of development; and neither the wild nor 
cultivated plants in this country would act in the 
same way in a droughty season, nor perhaps in a 
hundred of them. The probabilities are that the 
greater number of them would get killed outright. 
The Wheat is naturally a deep rooting plant, and 
more adapted for a dry climate than either Oats or 
Barley which are shallow-rooted. Even our forest 
trees suffered greatly in the south of England last 
year, and the Limes in many cases were almost 
leafless before midsummer. Onions and Leeks are 
deep rooting plants, and when the soil is deeply 
cultivated it can be seen to be permeated to a great 
depth with the roots of those plants, but particularly 
in the case of Leeks when trenching in the autumn. 
The same may be said of Carrots and Parsnips. All 
these plants are naturally adapted to exist in dry 
soil in a wild state, and under cultivation only show 
off their natural characteristics in a more marked 
degree. The Narras Plant (Acanthosicyos horrida) 
is so adapted to live in the sandy desert of Dammara 
Land, that it cannot be induced to thrive with any 
degree of satisfaction under cultivation in this 
country. The roots in a wild state travel enormous 
distances in quest of moisture, but horizontally 
rather than perpendicularly. 
Other Plants of the Desert.—Paradoxical as 
it may seem, certain classes of plants almost adopt 
the other extreme in their methods of counteracting 
drought. The Cacti, Mesembryanthemums, 
Crassulas, Cotyledons, and various other fleshy- 
stemmed or fleshy-leaved subjects have poorly de¬ 
veloped root systems. As a rule a moderately stout 
top root with a few branches to hold them in the 
soil is the most they possess. When rain does fall 
they greedily absorb the moisture till their tissues are 
gorged. They have the faculty of retaining this water 
so that they can pass through protracted periods of 
drought unharmed. The water in their tissues serves 
as asupply of moisture always at hand ; and though 
some of the plants have smooth, fleshy leaves, 
others are leafless and consist of a greatly thickened 
fleshy stem which serves the same purpose. Some 
of these are densely covered with spines or coarse, 
wooly hairs, which serve to break the force of the 
powerful rays of the sun, and in fact keep the 
plants cooler than if entirely devoid of these 
appendages. All this is adaptation to surroundings, 
and neither of the plants can change their habit 
and characters even when taken in hand by the 
cultivator, who must imitate the conditions the 
plants enjoy in a wild state to a greater or less ex¬ 
tent according to the plants he has taken under his 
care. 
