September 25, 1897. 
THE GARDENING WORLD 
55 
12 Id. high, erect, branching, and bearing small, 
extremely neat, and quilled heads of great beauty. 
The heads are white round the circumference, 
followed inwardly by a bright rosy zone, surrounding 
a yellowish centre. They are about the size of a 
Daisy, and amongst Asters a real " Daisy." XXX. 
China Aster Ball or Jewell Scarlet. —The 
florets of this variety are of a dusky yet glossy rose 
colour, and so compactly incurved that they might 
be taken for an incurved or Chinese Chrysanthemum 
if shown in the cut state apart from the plant. XXX. 
Messrs. Dobbie & Co. 
It will be seen from the above Chrysanthemums 
in perfection, on the 17th inst., that there is neither 
lack of colour nor variety generally amongst early- 
flowering Chrysanthemums. Some plants of the 
earliest sorts were indeed past their best, but later 
planted ones of the same variety were in their prime. 
* 
The maturation of root and other crops at this 
season will give occasion for reflection on future 
operations. It is very important to settle the rota¬ 
tion of cropping at the present time, so that land, as 
soon as vacant, can be dealt with in a manner suit¬ 
able for the crop intended to be put on it. Where 
land is foul, either with weeds or insect pests, the 
present time should not be allowed to pass without 
making an effort to rid it of both. Perseverance with 
the fork will be needed to get rid of rhizomatous 
weeds ; and for slugs, grubs, and insects of all kinds 
nothing equals moderate dressings of gas-lime. 
This should be broken fine, distributed equally 
over the surface, and be allowed to remain exposed 
for a few weeks before digging it into the land. In 
addition to being obnoxious and destructive to insect 
life, it is an excellent manure, being rich in ammonia, 
and when used in moderation is very valuable for all 
garden crops. Where clubbing” his existed, an 
extra dressing may be given, as it is a safe and sure 
cure for the disease. 
Lettuce. —With the prospect of an early change 
to lower temperatures and rougher weather, it will 
be necessary to make preparation for the protection 
of several crops ; and frames should be in readiness 
for Lettuces in various stages of growth. Full- 
grown plants of the Cos kinds will be better lifted 
with a ball of earth and placed under glass. Get 
the roots well covered with light soil and give a 
watering round the base of the plants as the work 
proceeds ; at the same time remove decaying leaves. 
Abundance of air will be required to prevent decay, 
and no moisture overhead, or rain should be allowed 
to fall on the plants. Succession or half-grown crops 
of the Cos kinds may also be planted into frames in 
soil composed of half leaf mould and loam. In this 
they will make quick root action and acquire a 
succulency equal to a summer crop. Specially pre¬ 
pared beds in a sunny and sheltered position should 
be planted to stand over the winter. Hick’s Hardy 
and Bath Cos are the best for this planting, and All 
the Year Round is a good Cabbage kind for the same 
purpose. Another sowing may te made in a cool 
house or frame to produce plants fur frame planting 
early in the new year. A last sowing should be made 
early next month in a specially prepared frame filled 
with light sandy compost. These will prove useful 
for planting in warm positions in February next. 
Parsley.— Provision for sheltering a well-grown 
bed should now be made. A few skeleton frames 
made of a size to suit any old lights will answer well 
for keeping off snow and breaking the force of rough 
winds. Some of the strongest plants may be potted 
up in 32-sized pots, and stood under a north wall for 
a fortnight until root action commences, when a 
more open position will be better. These may be 
placed under cover as convenience occurs, and also 
into gentle warmth should it be desirable to do so. 
Spinach.— Slugs are often troublesome with this 
crop, and where this is the case, no time should be 
lost in making up deficiencies by transplanting or 
fresh sowings, in freshly dug positions. A dressing of 
soot and lime will help to keep down slugs, and this 
with frequent hoeing among the crop will soon 
hasten the plants into a safer stage of growth. 
Potatos. —The latest of these ought to be lifted 
on favourable occasions, and a selection made for 
planting next season. None but the best shaped 
tubers and typical of the variety should be saved. 
These, after greening, should be stored away in a 
cool dry place ready for future planting. Any seed 
previously stored and intended for early frame plant¬ 
ing should be examined occasionally to detect 
diseased roots. After selecting seed the main crops 
may be stored in any position under cover free from 
frost,and where the light must be excluded from them 
by straw or other material.— J. R. 
■ - 
THE PUNT HOUSES. 
The Stove. 
Now that the end of September is practically here 
there will be little need to fear the effects of bright 
sun upon the plants. The blinds, therefore, maybe 
taken down within the course of the next week or ten 
days, unless it is intended to employ them during 
the winter months for covering up the house. Before 
storing them away they should be carefully dried and 
folded up, so that they may be in good condition for 
next year. The upright sashes, angles in the roof, 
and other places over which the blinds cannot be 
worked are generally shaded by painting the glass 
with “ Summer Cloud Shading ” or whitening. The 
rains of the latter part of August and September 
have well-nigh washed the glass clean, but it will be 
advisable to finish the work of the rain, and give the 
glass a good washirg, for the time of the year is fast 
approaching when all the light that it is possible to 
get will be needed. 
During the daytime the outdoor temperature is 
fairly high, and,therefore, it will be possible to give air 
for a little while yet with some amount of freedom. 
The morning and afternoon syringings are also of 
moment, for within a few weeks the syringe will have 
to be given a holiday, as far as its general application 
is concerned. The nights are cool, and a considerable 
amount of fire-heat is necessary to keep the tempera¬ 
ture up. For the next fortnight the thermometer in 
the larger stove should not he‘allowed to drop below 
70° Fahr. by night, and this temperature should be 
kept up without much trouble. 
Caladiums. —As most of the plants are now in a 
decidedly shabby condition, it will be well to take 
them out of the large stove and give them a place to 
themselves in a warm pit, where they may be allowed 
to ripen off gradually without any notice being taken 
of their shabbiness. The water supply may be 
gradually curtailed as the process of maturation 
goes on. 
Edgings to the Plant Shelves.— The plan of 
planting Panicum vaiiegatum, Tradescantia zebrina, 
and other trailing subjects on the edges of the plant 
stages is a good one, and is pretty commonly 
followed. The plants have made a great deal of 
growth during the summer, but although they will 
preserve their appearance for a month or six weeks 
yet, they will look straggly and untidy as the autumn 
wears on. Cuttings should, therefore, be rooted in 
small sixty-pots, ready to take the places of the old 
plants when it is found needful in the interests of 
tidiness to cut them away. 
Cool Conservatory. 
The lapse of time has made itself felt upon the 
occupants of the cool conservatory. The summer¬ 
flowering things have had their turn for the year, 
and a rare clearance of them, or rather their remains, 
must soon be made. All plants that are past their 
best should be cleared out without delay, some to be 
thrown away, others to be cared for in other depart¬ 
ments. A washing and cleansing, as far as can be 
conducted without unduly disturbing the permanent 
subjects, should be carried out, and then the heavy 
plants, such as Acacias, Azaleas, Came.lias, and 
Oranges that have been out-of-doors for the latter 
part of the summer, may be set led into their 
places. 
Azaleas, particularly, should not be left out any 
longer in case of frost, Thrips are almost sure to be 
upon them to some extent, and therefore a good 
washing with a reliable insecticide by means of the 
syringe is to be recommended. The plants should 
be laid on their sides on the grass to effect thP, 
otherwise harm may result to their root systems. 
Fuchsias. — The few that remain are only carrying 
two or three straggling flowers, and they may as 
well be turned out along with the rest of the 
relatives in a sheltered corner of the frameyard to 
ripen off for the present. Of course they will require 
to be housed bef .re the advent of hard and con¬ 
tinuous frost. 
Tuberous Begonias,— The best thing for these is 
to transfer them to a cold frame where they may 
finish in peace. Do not dry them off too rapidly or 
the tubers will suffer. In cases where the stakes 
render the plants too tall for the frame, they (the 
stakes) may be taken out, for the plants, standing 
close together, will mutually support each other. 
Eupatoriums and Salvias may as well be 
housed without delay, since after the expiration of 
September they are never safe for two days to¬ 
gether. 
Early Flowering Chrysanthemums have been 
and are still doing well, and they come in admirably 
at a time when, if the early autumn is cold and 
cheerless as it has be^n this year, there is apt to be a 
rather awkward break. In addition to those plants 
which have been grown in pots expressly for conser¬ 
vatory decoration, a good supplement may be 
effected by lifting some of the plants from the open, 
before their flowers have been too much weather 
beaten. 
Clerodendron fallax.— Although this requires 
an intermediate house to grow it on properly it may 
be turned to capital account for the decoration of the 
cool conservatory when it is in flower. As soon as 
the blooms are expanded the plants should be shifted 
into their cooler quarters, where they will last 
longer than they would in the warmer house. The 
temperature, however, should not be too low, nor 
the atmosphere too heavily charged with moisture or 
the flowers will be liable to damp.— A. S. G. 
— —“S—-- 
tub Drcljid Growers calendar. 
Manuring Orchids.— This is a subject that is en¬ 
gaging the attention of scientists and practical 
gardeners all over the country, and in giving my ex¬ 
perience with the use of manures I cannot be accused 
of imitations since the j udicious use of stimulants has 
been advocated in the calendars from time to time 
for the past four years over the initial C. 
Not so many years ago it would have been almost 
a criminal offence to have even thought of mixing 
cow manure with the compost for Calanthes; but 
who, I should like to know, grows them at the present 
time without its use or its equivalent ? Then again, 
take Cymbidium lowianum, Cypripedium insigne, 
C. villosum, Lycastes, &c.,allof which are very much 
benefited by a little help in this respect. Most of 
these I have enumerated are what are called terres¬ 
trial Orchids, and are naturally stronger growers, 
and being found growing on or near the ground get 
more nourishment than those growing high up the 
trees. I do not mean but that the Dendrobiums, 
Cattleyas, and the like, which grow high up, must 
get supplied with a certain amount of ammonia, by 
the heavy dews at night, as we are told they do get 
in their native habitats. 
We know here at home how beneficial this is to 
plant life ; but our Orchids under glass get no such 
health restorer or invigorator from the hot water 
pipes, so we have to supply this deficiency by means 
of stimulants, either supplied direct or in the 
atmosphere, if we are to keep our plants in rude 
health from year to year. 
We are, I think, all agreed that there is a some¬ 
thing that they want, but are as yet not quite 
unanimous as to what it is, or when to apply it. 
As this is not a patent medicine advertisement, I 
must come to the point at once ; here it is. Im 
ported plants are treated in the ordinary way until 
established and well furnished with roots, after 
which they are treated to a weak dose of guano water 
once a week during the growing season. This is 
given to Cattleyas, Laelias, Vandas, Oncidiums, 
Lycastes, Dendrobiums, Odontoglossums, &c. 
We use the best Peruvian Guano for the purpose. 
A pinch taken between the thumb and finger, to about 
two gallons of water, is all we give them. Such a 
small quantity cannot possibly do any harm to 
healthy plants, and is much better than to keep on 
watering with dear water, which in time washes out 
what little nutriment there is in such hungry stuff as 
peat and moss. For strong-growing kinds a double 
dose may be afforded. 
Damping down with Manure. —Those who are 
opposed to the use of stimulants direct would do 
well to use a little farmyard liquid with the water 
when damping the walls and stages. A half pint to 
two gallons of water just colours it.— C. 
