THE GARDENING WORLD 
509 
May 8, 1897 . 
The position you mention would suit the Irises to 
perfection. If planted by the side of the stream in 
good soil they will be sure to do well. Iris laevigata 
and its varieties like plenty of water during the 
growing and flowering season. 
Tree Carnations.— Will you please tell me if 
these require any pruning? My plahts are rather 
straggling, and I want to have them in good condi¬ 
tion for next year.— J. 
If your plants have plenty of shoots on, you might 
thin them out a little. Take away the weakest and 
topmost shoots, and train strong ones up from near 
the bottom of the central stem to take their places 
Temperature for Vinery. —Will Grapes ripen 
their fruit well in an unheated glass house ? T. L. 
You do not mention what variety of Grape. This 
makes all the difference. Thus the Muscat varieties 
would not; but Black Hamburgh would. Naturally 
enough, the fruit would be late ; but in anything like 
an ordinary summer, it would be of pretty good 
quality. 
Green Fly on Chrysanthemums —This pest often 
makes its appearance among the Mums at this 
stage, A. Charles, Do not fumigate the plants, for 
this would be likely to do damage. A better plan is 
to dust the affected points with Fowler's Tobacco 
Powder. Leave this on for about an hour, and then 
syringe it off with clear water. The powder would 
not hurt the older leaves much, but we have seen the 
young ones at the points of the stems sadly disfigured 
by it. Hence you will do well to attend carefully to 
the after syringing. 
«- c fl.-- 
NARCISSUS VICTORIA. 
In the accompanying illustration we give a very 
large and distinct Bicolor Daffodil, introduced and 
exhibited at the London spring flower shows this 
year for the first time by Messrs. Barr & Sons, of 
King Street, Covent Garden, and which has 
attracted our attention and interest in so far as it is 
so much larger and finer than the well-known trio— 
viz. Empress, Horsfieldii, and Grandee. Although 
it would take a great hit to eclipse the three above- 
mentioned, we honestly believe Messrs. Barr have 
introduced a variety both distinct and in all points 
superior to them in "Victoria.” It is very 
vigorous, free flowering, and intermediate between 
Horsfieldii and Grandee, and has a strong constitu¬ 
tion. The perianth segments are very large, imbri¬ 
cated and nearly white, while the trumpet is long, 
well expanded, beautifully flanged at the mouth, and 
of a delicate soft yellow. This variety frequently 
gives from two to three flowers on stout stalks 15 in. 
to 18 in. high. 
- « 1 >-- 
APPLE CARDROSS GREEN. 
This Scotch Apple is not nearly so well known as it 
ought to be, considering its good qualities. It is an 
excellent, sound keeping, kitchen Apple, in season 
from November to March, and will keep in very 
good condition well into April (samples sent as 
proof), loosing very little of its brisk juiciness even 
then. The tree is very hardy, and comes into bear¬ 
ing soon on either Crab or Paradise stock; and these 
qualities combined with its fruitfulness,mark it as one 
that should be in every collection of kitchen Apples. 
There are many Scotch varieties of Apples, not in 
commerce, really deserving of better cultivation, 
because they, as a rule, are hardy, and well suited to 
our ever-changing climate. The variety under 
notice was brought into commerce by Messrs. 
Drummond, of Stirling (if my memory serves me 
right), and is quite distinct, from Stirling Castle, 
although some growers class them as one, and the 
same Apple. Stirling Castle, another good Scotch 
Apple, will not keep so long without losing its brisk¬ 
ness.— W. Ogg. 
[Our correspondent might have said that this 
Apple keeps till well into May, at least in the north 
(where ripening takes place more slowly), for the 
samples sent us are still in fine condition. The 
flesh is white, firm, but very crisp and juicy, with a 
slight acidity which should make it useful for culi¬ 
nary purposes. Those who like the flavour of a brisk 
Apple will find it very toothsome in the spring 
months when it has lost sufficient of its acidity to 
make it agreeable eating. We consider it quite 
distinct from Stirling Castle, because, though pre¬ 
serving the same general shape, it is often more or 
less angled. The nearly closed eye is also set in a 
smaller and more shallow cavity that is slightly 
wiinkled or rough. Stirling Castle has a wide, 
deep, and generally very regular cavity at the apex. 
The longer keeping qualities of Cardross Green should 
also tell strongly in its favour. The skin is now yellow¬ 
ish-green, but several of the samples have a bright red 
cheek on the exposed or sunny side. The " Laich ” 
of Murray should be very favourable to hardy fruit 
culture. Ed ] 
OUR ORCHID HOUSES AND WHAT MAY 
BE DONE WITH THEM.* 
With the advance of horticulture and the desire to 
excel in whatever we take in hand in connection 
therewith, it is necessary that we should have the 
"best means to obtain the best results,” 
though it may be admitted that Orchids can be 
grown in any kind of house—in a rough and ready 
kind of a way — and that house not used exclusively 
for their benefit. We know of some especially good 
results under such conditions ; but all the same that 
would not justify me in recommending to you such 
houses and treatment if we want to make bur Orchid 
* A paper read by Mr. A. Wright at a meeting of the Chis¬ 
wick Gardeners’ Mutual Improvement Association, on March 
18th 
houses beautiful and enjoyable ; nor to continue 
that practice if we could obtain equally good results 
under more enjojable conditions. I will then 
assume for my purpose this evening that we are to 
have houses constructed and devoted to the culture 
and exhibition of Orchids. It becomes necessary to 
have more than one house if we are to grow all the 
sections, and for this purpose we generally have the 
houses divided into three sections, viz. the cool 
Orchid house, the Cattleya house, and the East 
Indian house. Do not let this somewhat alarmiog 
statement cause these who may be able to gro v their 
entire collection in one house to despair ; because if 
a proper selection is made very much can be done 
by those who have oply one house to grow their 
Victoria. 
entire collection to make that house more enjoyable 
than we generally find it. 
In the paper I had the pleasure of reading before 
your association last year I dealt with ” the arrange¬ 
ment of plants in their growing houses,” so as to 
make their home as attractive and interesting as 
possible. To-Dight I desire to follow up that paper 
and show what may be done in our Orchid houses to 
make them more attractive than we generally find 
them. Although some of your members admit 
Orchids are easily grown—in fact, nothing so easy 
to grow as Orchids—yet it is not always we find 
them in that healthy condition in which we like to 
see them, and which makes the Orchid house so 
attractive to the grower and owner. The appearance 
of the plants themselves, unless when in a healthy 
condition, is not ornamental in the majority of 
Narcissus 
