January 19, 1895. 
THE GARDENING WORLD 
327 
or fungoid growths, which are present usually in a 
greater or a less degree. Many of the ills which are 
said to result from the use of leaf soil arise from its 
employment in a careless manner, neglecting to free 
it from foreign substances such as described. Before 
using, it is very necessary to see that the compost is 
in a suitable condition with regard to moisture, a 
happy medium between wet and dry being aimed at. 
Crocking. —A word or two on this extremely simple, 
yet often neglected .operation may be necessary. When 
we take into consideration the large quantities of 
water that stove plants need, it is obvious that the 
drainage should at all times be as efficient as it can 
be made, and not scamped or insufficiently looked 
after, as is often the case. 
Greenhouse and Cool Conservatory. 
Although the majority of greenhouse plants mani¬ 
fest a dislike to fire heat, its employment at periods 
like the present is unavoidable. On sunny days, 
however, the fires should be checked as much as 
possible, air being admitted whenever it is practicable 
to do so. The temperature should range between 
40° and 45S Fahr. by night, but may rise from 5 0 to 
io° higher than this by day with the assistance of 
the sun. A great part of the work here will consist 
in the removal of old blossoms and unsightly leaves. 
Azaleas and Camellias, although exceedingly showy 
and useful plants, make a deal of litter when they 
commence to drop their flowers. 
As soon as any of the forced subjects go out of 
bloom, or become shabby, they should be removed 
to the shelter of cold frames, others being brought 
in to take their places. It must, however, be borne 
in mind that it is better to keep fewer plants in the 
show house and to have them in good condition than 
it is to have a larger quantity, the bad and good 
being mixed up together in a way that is not calcu¬ 
lated to increase the attractive appearance of the 
house. 
Freesias. —There are very few places, indeed, in 
which a few of these beautiful plants are not grown, 
and their delicately scented white flowers are always 
in great request. Weak solutions of manure may be 
given at alternate waterings as soon as the plants 
commence to throw up their flowers The growths 
should be neatly staked out, and the plants kept as 
close to the glass as possible. 
Agapanthus umbellatus. —Upon the approach 
of winter these fine old plants are usually placed 
beneath the greenhouse stage out of harm's way, any 
place being thought good enough to winter them in; 
but out of sight should not mean out of mind here, 
especially with regard to the water supply, for 
although they will grow and flower under almost any 
circumstances, this should not be a sufficient reason 
for wilfully neglecting them. 
Pits and Frames. 
The warm pits will still be filled with Azaleas, 
Spiraeas, Deutzias, Roses, -etc., which are being 
forced into bloom. Where the plants can only be 
got at through lifting up the lights, great care must 
be exercised in uncovering them for purposes of 
watering. The water used must always be chilled, 
and should be applied in the middle of the day when 
the thermometer outside is at its highest, The lights 
too must not be left open a moment longer than is 
necessary or the plants will sustain injury. 
Fuchsias. —W'here it is desired to increase the 
stock of new or valuable varieties the old plants 
must be looked over and pruned. A few of those 
which it is purposed to propagate from should be 
introduced into a gentle growing atmosphere (such 
as that in an early vinery) to induce them to break 
into growth. The cuttings may be taken with a 
small heel when about a couple of inches long, 
inserted four or five in a thumb pot in light sandy 
soil, and placed in a warm propagating frame. 
Bedding Stuff.— Preparations must also be 
made for woiking up a sufficient stock of bedding 
plants, which are likely to be in request during the 
coming season. Verbenas, Alternantheras, Mesem- 
bryanthemums, etc., may therefore be placed in heat, 
taking care to keep them as near the glass as possible, 
in order to stimulate the plants to make the necessary 
growths. Where much spring propagation of bedding 
plants has to be conducted it is a good plan to con¬ 
struct a hot-bed in a corner of the frame yard, a 
frame being placed upon it together with a few 
inches of Cocoanut fibre refuse or other suitable 
plunging material. Here the cutting pots may be 
plunged, the moist heat of a hot-bed especially 
favouring a good “strike.” It is very important 
that the strong and injurious gases generated by a 
hot bed should not be kept pent up within the frame, 
a chink of air must therefore be left on to allow of 
their escape. 
Polyanthuses, Auriculas, etc , which are passing 
the winter in cold frames should have as much air 
given them as practicable, although this should not 
be given in such a way as to admit the entry of the 
rain. The watering-can must be very judiciously 
used and the plants kept rather on the dry side. 
Late flowering bulbs of Tulips and Hyacinths that 
have been removed from the ashes to frames and are 
there waiting their turn to be forced must also be 
kept quite cool, air being admitted to them pretty 
freely.— A. S.G. 
Potting Material.— Although it is early days to 
talk of repotting Orchids, the work will come much 
easier when a start is made if advantage is taken of 
the dull time to get a good quantity of crocks, pots, 
pans, etc., washed and stacked in a dry place, also 
to make new stakes and labels, the stakes to be 
painted green, as they harmonise better with the 
plants than do vhite ones. A good quantity of peat 
too may be pulled ready for use. This should be 
stored where it will not get too dry. Sphagnum 
moss as soon as it can be procured may be got ready. 
At this time of the year it is generally long and lanky, 
in this case we only use the live points, which are 
sure to grow. The great thing is to use the peat and 
moss neither too wet nor too dry. 
Laelja anceps.— I notice that those plants of the 
white forms which are not flowering have already 
began to push out new roots. Last year they were 
the first to show signs of activity, and as 1 am a 
great advocate for catching them before the roots get 
very far advanced they will be attended too as soon 
as possible. They do not mind being shifted in the 
least, if done carefully and at the proper time. 
Basket culture seems to suit them best, they are 
much more at home and flower more freely than 
when grown in pots, in fact, most of the Mexican 
Orchids do best when suspended near the glass 
where they get more light and a drier atmosphere, 
which is more natural to them. 
Cattleya gigas. —This fine species will soon be 
starting into growth, and should be placed at the 
warmest end of the division. Although ours have 
not been allowed to shrivel to any noticeable extent 
they have received but very little water for the past 
few months, neither will they until the growths are 
well advanced, for if kept wet at the roots during the 
early stages of their growth the dreaded black spot 
is almost sure to make its appearance. Especially 
so will this be the case if the compost is in any way 
sour, but if potted after flowering as advised they 
will not suffer on this account. 
Cattleya Trianae. —This fine Cattleya will be 
all the better if afforded a few more degrees of 
warmth to open its flowers in. A low temperature 
causes the spikes to go off in the sheaths. An importa¬ 
tion of this Cattleya ought to sell well again now. 
A few years ago a big plant in bloom could be had 
almost for the asking, for the supply was greater 
than the demand, but now a medium variety fetches 
a fair price. 
Angraecum sesquipedale, coming into flower if 
in the Cattleya house, must be placed at the warm 
end, or the blooms will turn yellow and drop off, 
which is very disappointing after watching them 
develop to almost the expanding stage; the leaves 
will also become spotted if kept too wet and cold. 
—C. 
--' 
O&lqanings fnont fb$ JDuilii 
uf Sk’umtc 
Bulb Mites. —There are two very closely allied 
mites and several forms or different stages of the 
same found on various bulbs and sometimes in too 
great abundance, either separately or in company. 
That most familiar to gardeners, at least by name, 
is the Eucharis mite (Rhizoglyphus Robini), dis¬ 
tinguished by the great clumsiness of its third pair 
of legs, which have the effect of throwing the fourth 
or hinder pair farther back than usual. This 
inveterate enemy may be found beneath the outer 
scales of the bulbs of Eucharis, Amaryllis, Hippeas- 
trum, Vallota, and many other allied subjects. The 
other bulb mite is Rhizoglyphus echinopus, which 
is more typical of the genus of mites that infest, as 
a rule, the roots of plants or that portion usually 
covered by the soil. It lives beneath the scales of 
Liliaceous plants, particularly Hyacinths, but may 
also be found on Potatos, Dahlias, and occasionally 
on vine roots. So abundant is it on the bulbs of 
Hjacinths during some seasons that it causes a 
disagreeable itching and irritation to the hands of 
those who handle many bulbs during the autumn 
months, when they are out of the ground and in the 
dry state ready for distribution. These mites can¬ 
not be particularly harmful to the bulbs, otherwise 
there would have been a great outcry long before 
now, seeing that they must be co-extensive with 
bulb cultivation, at least as far as Hyacinths are 
concerned. The great mischief effected upon the 
Eucharis bulbs is doubtless due to the destruction 
of the roots by a fungus whose presence is readily 
recognisable by the bright red colour of patches of 
roots, both old and young. 
Insects and Pear Blossom. —Mueller, in his 
work on “ The Fertilisation of Flowers,” gives a list 
of thirty European species of insects that visit the 
Pear, and doubtless the number would be greater 
were the tree to flower at a more propitious and 
favourable season for insects. The latter are more 
numerous in the United States of America, as 
recorded in the Bulletin sent out from the Smith¬ 
sonian Institution at Washington. The names of 
the insects are not recorded, as they will be given 
in a future publication, but the variety is exceed¬ 
ingly great considering that fifty of them are already 
recognised, while an equal number yet remain to be 
identified. The open character of the flowers 
exposes the nectary to mostly all classes of 
insects, and this accounts for the variety of insect 
visitors. That hive bees and humble bees are 
amongst the number, few will be inclined to doubt, 
but there are still some people who are ready to cry 
“ cui bono? ” without taking the trouble to investi¬ 
gate the matter on a scientific basis, that can 
recommend itself to thinking people and prove con¬ 
vincing. Wasps are also amongst the visitors, 
though that fact will hardly redeem their character 
with gardeners who have been incensed by their 
depredations upon fruit of various kinds later in the 
season when the colonies of wasps had multiplied 
and become too strong to be desirable. Ladybirds, 
also amongst the visitors, are harmless at any season, 
and therefore to be encouraged. Flies of all sorts, 
including the bluebottle, resort to the flowers; but 
those insects are most beneficial whose bodies are 
clothed with hair or a close down like the bees, and 
can therefore convey pollen from one flower to 
another. Smooth-cased beetles, even if harmless, 
would confer but a small amount of benefit on the 
trees. 
Object of the Visits and Results.— That 
visitors should be numerous is not surprising when 
we consider the quantity of nectar produced and the 
facilities which are offered even to short-tongued 
insects to collect it. The quantity of nectar varies 
according to the character of the weather prevalent 
at the time the flowers are fully expanded. When 
the conditions are favourable it collects till it drops 
from the flowers when the trees are slightly shaken. 
Rough winds and cold weather keep the insects 
inactive, while rainy weather is directly inimicable 
to all the insect tribe, bees, perhaps, being most 
sensitive to unfavourable conditions. When insect 
visitors have been delayed beyond a certain length 
of time, very few fruits will set, and those chiefly on 
the few varieties that are capable of fertilisation by 
their own pollen. Those fruits which are produced 
as the result of cross-fertilisation by insects or other 
agency are larger, finer in appearance, and wider 
near the apex than those resulting from self-pollina¬ 
tion. The seeds of the latter are usually small and 
imperfect, and in fact do not contain an embryo. 
On the contrary, the seeds resulting from cross- 
pollinated flowers are full-sized, plump, darker in 
colour, and capable of germination. Most fruit 
growers would doubless regard this as an altogether 
unimportant matter; but when it is recognised that 
the largest and best formed fruits are associated 
with good seeds, the importance of cross-fertilisation 
by Insects cannot be ignored. Ihe chief question 
to be solved in the absence of insects through un¬ 
favourable conditions is how cross-pollination can 
be expeditiously and artifically effected to ensure a 
paying crop. 
