November 3, 1894. 
THE GARDENING WORLD. 
151 
Cattleya Bowringiana — Though the flowers of 
this species are small compared with those of many 
others occupying a high place in popular estimation, 
they are produced in much greater numbers and at 
a time when they afford variety by contrast with C. 
labiata, also in the height of its season. Numerous 
flowering plants may now be seen in the nursery of 
Messrs. J. Veitch & Sons, Chelsea ; but on the central 
stage of the Cattleya house are some very large 
pieces, one of which has ten flowering bulbs and 
dark flowers, but particularly the lip. We were 
much taken, however, with a pale-flowered specimen, 
having stems about 18 in. high, six of them being 
flowering ones. The stems are covered with about 
eight leafless sheaths terminated by a pair of leathery, 
dark green leaves. The spathe is double, and each 
flower scape bears eight to thirteen flowers of large 
size and warm rosy-purple almost uniform, the lip 
being unusually pale in this case. 
Oncidium Gravesianum,—At present this is 
graceful and gay with its long panicles of bloom in 
the nursery of Messrs. J. Veitch & Sons, Chelsea. 
The scapes vary from 2 ft. to 3 ft. in height, and are 
much branched. The flowers resemble those of O. 
praetextum in size, but are brighter and richer in 
colour, and altogether superior in ornamental effect. 
They are of a deep cinnamon-brown and glossy, with a 
central yellow blotch upon the lip and reddish- 
brown around the crest. This and its allies may be 
grown upon blocks or in baskets, but the latter 
method is the more easily managed, as the roots are 
not so liable to get dried up quickly, nor to be 
affected by sudden changes of temperature. 
-- 
THE KITCHEN GARDEN. 
French Beans. 
These are now getting somewhat scarce in most 
places, and unless precautions were taken to have a 
batch sown about the end of August in pits that 
could be heated, there will soon be a blank; those 
sown about that time will now be turning in. To keep 
up a supply through the winter it will be necessary 
to make frequent sowings, for during the dull months 
the flowers do not set very freely, so that a greater 
number will be required to keep up a supply. For 
winter use we have found none better than Ne Plus 
Ultra and Osborn's Forcing. When grown in pits 
without front ventilation great care is needed, for if 
the lights are only tilted at the back the plants in front 
do not get sufficient air. Where practicable, sliding 
ventilators should be fixed in front opposite the hot- 
water pipes ; if these are opened a little way in addi¬ 
tion to the top lights being tilted a little at the back, 
there will be a circulation without a cold draught. 
Beans will not succeed well unless a proper degree of 
warmth be maintained, for if the pods are too long 
growing they will be tough and of but little worth, 
whereas if grown quickly they will be juicy and 
tender. 
Seakale. 
The most forward of this will soon be losing its 
leaves, particularly if we should have a sharp frost 
or two. So soon as this happens the roots may be 
taken up for forcing. There are various modes 
adopted for this, but all gardeners have not the same 
convenience. Where a Mushroom house is at com¬ 
mand there is little difficulty in keeping up a good 
supply through the winter ; but where other contriv¬ 
ances have to be resorted to, it sometimes happens 
in severe weather the necessary heat cannot be 
maintained, so the amount runs short. Too much 
care cannot be taken to prevent the heat from 
getting too violent when the roots are forced on a 
hotbed ; better allow the plants a few days extra to 
make their growth than try to rush them on, as the 
growth then made would be tough and stringy, for 
Seakale dislikes a too high temperature. When 
grown in the Mushroom house the roots must be 
kept moist, and the plants should be sprinkled with 
the syringe to induce tender growth. It is absolutely 
necessary that growth be made in perfect darkness, 
otherwise it will not be of such a good colour. Lily 
White is the best kind, as this is not so subject to be¬ 
come discoloured should a little light get to the plants 
when growing. When lifting, be careful to save all 
the roots, for these will make good sets to plant 
another season. We find that if made at once and 
covered with decayed leaves or litter, they will have 
formed a callous by the time the ground is in a fit 
condition for planting them. Sufficient material, 
however, must be put over them to ward off the 
frost, otherwise they will be useless. When forced 
in the open ground, care must be exercised with 
covering, for if the material should get too hot the 
crowns will be burnt, so that growth will be 
spoiled. 
Salads. 
These will soon be in request as dressed dishes, 
therefore preparations must be made for getting 
them properly blanched. Endive will now be good, 
but on account of so much wet it will not blanch so 
well in the open, and should be removed to the Mush¬ 
room house or dark cellar. It should be lifted when 
the foliage is dry, and need not be watered 
overhead after being introduced into heat ; but 
water must be given to the roots, otherwise a 
quick growth will not take place. Chicory can also 
be lifted, and after removing the leaves the roots may 
be taken to the forcing house. It is very essential 
that the growth of this be made in the dark, other¬ 
wise it will be bitter. A too high temperature should 
be avoided, for the more crisp and juicy the foliage 
the better will be the flavour. Celery will now be 
good and will blanch, so that there need be no lack 
of material for saladings .—Kitchen Gardener. 
■» »- 
We have this year enjoyed for a much longer period 
than usual the presence of the tenderer section of sum¬ 
mer and autumn flowering plants. In many localities 
large quantities of cut blooms have been obtained 
from Chrysanthemums grown in the open air, and 
which have received no protection whatever. This 
is a matter of very infrequent occurrence, and is of 
course due to the exceptionally mild weather we 
have experienced during the past month. The 
autumn of 1894 has nearly established a record for 
freedom from frosts, at least during the last few 
years. All things must, however, have an ending, 
and the end of the flovering period of the tender 
summer subjects has at last come. 
On all hands we see signs that Nature is once 
again preparing to take its annual sleep. The 
beautifully-tinted leaves have pretty well all fallen, 
much to the joy of the lovers of tidiness, and the 
grass has well-nigh ceased to grow. Little furtheruse 
for the scythe and the mowing machine will be needed. 
Before these are laid by for the season, however, 
they should be overhauled, and any necessary repairs 
made. A thorough cleaning and oiling must after¬ 
wards be given them, for nothing spoils a mowing 
machine so much as to leave it rusting throughout 
the winter in a damp shed, and it may be taken for 
granted that all unheated places will be more or less 
damp throughout the winter. 
The planting of deciduous trees may be proceeded 
with as soon as the leaves have fallen, and as we may 
expect a certain number of heavy gales and winds 
at this season of the year, it is very necessary that 
all newly-planted trees should be afforded some 
support, otherwise they will be sure to sustain 
considerable damage. A stout stake should be 
driven well into the ground at a sufficient distance 
from the tree so as not to injure the large and 
important roots, and to this the tree should be 
securely tied. A neatly-twisted wisp of hay should 
be passed around the stem to prevent the ligature 
from cutting the tender bark. 
Continue the planting of Roses if the weather still 
keeps mild and open. It is not advisable to plant 
too late in the season, or the plants will receive 
considerable damage in the event of a spell of hard, 
frosty weather taking place immediately after plant¬ 
ing. It will be much better to defer planting until 
spring rather than to take the risks of shifting too 
late in the autumn. 
Beds or borders that have been planted with bulbs 
for spring flowering should be neatly raked over ; 
whilst ground that it is proposed to let remain empty 
until the next year should be roughly dug over and 
left for the frosts of winter to pulverize and sweeten. 
Herbaceous borders, from which all dead and 
useless plants have been cleared, should receive 
a light forking over if occasion permit. This 
is, however, an operation that requires a great deal 
of care or the roots and bulbs left in the ground will 
sustain serious injury, as from the lack of arrange¬ 
ment that obtains in so many borders of this class 
we never know exactly where the bulbs lie, with the 
result that we come across them in positions where 
perhaps they are least expected. 
Attention should be paid to the ventilation of the 
fruit room, and occasionally, the fruit must be looked 
over, and the bad ones removed. This may be 
performed upon wet days when outside work is 
impossible. 
As soon as the leaves have dropped from the trees, 
planting and removing may be proceeded with upon 
light soils. Where the soil is of a heavy and retentive 
character, it is advisable to defer planting until 
next month. In all cases it is necessary to wait 
until the trees to be operated on are quite destitute 
of foliage, for, from the check occasiored by the 
shifting, the roots will not be able to supply 
sufficient nutriment to keep pace with the evapora¬ 
tion going on in the leaves, as long as they have 
any connection with the tree. Trees that have 
hitherto refused to fruit may often be coaxed into 
bearing if carefully removed from their present 
situation, and replanted. This is quite the best time 
of the year to perform this operation, and, if 
sufficient care is taken, they will sustain no material 
injury and good-sized trees may be shifted in this 
manner without fear of harm. 
The pruning of gooseberries and currants may be 
proceeded with as soon as desirable. In gardens 
where a great deal of hardy fruit is grown, and 
where, as a consequence, the pruning knife and saw 
have to be busily employed during the coming season, 
these humble, but none the less useful, subjects often 
receive scant attention, from lack of time. Indeed 
in one or two cases we have known the so-called 
pruning of gooseberry bushes to have been performed 
with a common reaping-hook, with the result that 
the centre of the tree becomes a mass of twiggy and 
useless growths that render it a most uncomfortable 
proceeding to gather any fruit the tree may bear. 
In pruning gooseberry bushes it should be borne 
in mind that it is only the strong, healthy, young 
wood upon which we have to depend to furnish us 
with fruit of good quality. The aim should be, 
therefore, to keep up a moderate and continual supply 
of such wood. By all means overcrowding must be 
religiously avoided. Any long branches should be 
shortened back to keep the tree within proper bounds, 
for straggling overgrown trees are an abomination, 
making it, as they do, a matter of extreme difficulty 
to %vork anywhere near them. 
From the saturated condition of the air during the 
coming month, as well as from the low mean tem¬ 
perature that usually holds, fire heat will be 
necessary at intervals to expel the damp from all the 
houses which contain any ripe fruit. Care should 
be taken, however, that a sufficient quantity of air 
is given at the same time, otherwise moisture will be 
deposited upon the fruit, to its no small detriment. 
A sharp look-out should be kept upon Grapes, for at 
the present season it does not take long for the 
berries to damp. All bad berries should, therefore, 
be consistently removed. 
Steps must now be made for the cleaning of 
the early vinery, preparatory to shutting it 
up for forcing. The canes should be pruned, 
washed twice or thrice with a fairly strong solution 
of Gishurst compound, and afterwards painted with 
a mixture of Gishurst and clay, with a little dash 
of petroleum, the whole being stirred up to the consis¬ 
tency of thick paint. The glass and woodwork 
should receive a thorough washing. All the loose 
surface soil should be raked off the inside borders 
and taken away, a top-dressing of rich loam or good 
stable manure being afterwards given When first 
shut up the night temperature should not be allowed 
to fall below 45 0 Fahr., and should rise to 6o° by 
day. A moist atmosphere should be maintained 
throughout, and the vines should be syringed twice 
a day to encourage the swelling of the buds. 
The later houses must be ventilated as freely as 
possible on all favourable occasions, and unless filled 
with plants the exclusion of frost will be all that is 
necessary. A little fire heat upon damp, dull days 
will materially assist in the ripening of the wood. 
