November 3, 1900. 
THE GARDENING WORLD 
I5i 
A GREENHOUSE IN NOVEMBER. 
During this month Chrysanthemums will be in full 
beauty, and if proper varieties have been selected a 
grand display should be made. The Japanese are 
the prettiest and most effective. Plants that have 
been grown as bushes are the best for greenhouse 
decoration, being dwarfer in habit, and the flowers 
more light and feathery than large blooms grown for 
show purposes. Among the varieties most suitable 
for bushes are Annie Clibran, C. Davis, Florence 
Percy, Mrs. C. E. Shea, Souvenir de P. Amie, Source 
d’Or, and V. Morel. Single varieties and pompons 
are also very pretty as bush plants. Plants which 
have been cut back in May, and allowed to carry a 
dozen blooms each, are indispensable for grouping 
purposes. Cuttings struck in March and April, and 
grown in 32’s, one bloom on a plant, are exceedingly 
useful for dotting among other plants in the green¬ 
house. Winter flowering Pelargoniums, Solanums, 
and a few plants of Salvia splendens grandiflora will 
add much to the brightness of the house. Bouvar- 
dias now coming to their best and grown as bushes 
are very effective. A batch of Roman Hyacinths, 
Lilies of the Valley, Azalea indica, Deutsche Perle, 
&c., should be ready towards the middle of the 
month to come in from the forcing house or pit. 
Plants intended for forcing, such as Azalea mollis, 
A. indica, Prunus sinensis flore pleno, and Deutzias, 
with a few Imantophyllums (Jlivias) should now be 
introduced to the forcing house for use later on.— 
John Botley, Blythewood Gardens, Maidenhead. 
---- 
AUTUMN FOLIAGE. 
A fine autumn with its many tints of lovely colour 
is to my mind the most beautiful season of the 
year ; and to those who may not be well acquainted 
with the best varieties of trees and shrubs*to produce 
the much admired and effective foliage, I will 
endeavour to mention some ol the best. One would 
»ot expect to see those splendid shrubs, the Japanese 
Maples, colouring in the autumn, but they do, and 
may be placed among the first. It would be difficult 
to imagine a more beautiful sight at present than 
Acer japonicum filicifolium, 'and many of the 
others follow closely behind. Populus canadensis 
aurea is a mass of gold, and should be planted 
sparingly. Amelanchiers are red and gold ; Liquid- 
ambar, crimson and gold ; and Berberis Thunbergii, 
red. The various kinds of Cornus are more re¬ 
markable for their coloured bark. Cornus florida 
rubra develsps deep purplish brown foliage. Rhus 
Toxicodendron is hard to excel, and so are R. coral- 
lina and R. typhina, the Stag's-horn Sumach. 
Euonymus alatus americanus and Euonymus atro- 
purpureus are fine just now. Quercus coccinea, 
" Waterer’s Variety,” is not surpassed in colour by 
any shrub that I know. Very fine also are Q. 
americana aurea, americana coccinea, Ribes 
floridum, Rosa alpina, R. rugosa, Stephanandra 
flexuosa, Stuartia grandiflora, Vaccinium corym- 
bosum, and Phitinia villosa. The most brightly 
coloured should not be planted in too close proximity. 
— A. E. Thatcher, Aldenham, Elstree. 
- »l» 
PERMANENT BEDDING. 
It might safely be said of the majority of gardens in 
the country that the extent of" bedding out ” carried 
on is often done under difficulties, more or less, and 
to some extent in many cases to the great loss in 
other departments, especially the fruit tree section. 
From April until the middle of June the labour of 
attending to pricking out, hardening off, planting 
out, and watering bedding plants fills up the most of 
he time of the assistance given. More attention 
could be given to wall trees in the way of mulching 
and watering at a time they very much require it, 
besides other needful work, if a proportion of the 
beds was filled with hardy plants and bulbs such as 
Hydrangea paniculata, Liliums of sorts, some of the 
perennials such as Agrostemma Coronaria, Lobelia 
cardinalis, Geum coccineum, Malva moschata alba, 
Pentstemons, dwarf early Chrysanthemums, 
Duchess of Fife and Raby Castle Carnations, &c. 
With a little skill and taste in the way of harmony 
and colour, the beds could be made bright in a per¬ 
manent manner, instead of filling them with things 
that are generally planted, which make a blaze for a 
few weeks, but come to grief with the first appearance 
of John Frost. Those latter also require much care 
and attention to keep them throughout the winter. 
■—John C. Dick, Champfleurie, Linlithgow. 
TREE PRUNER AND FRUIT GATHERER. 
I would like to call the attention of those of my 
fellow amateur gardeners who have not yet noticed 
it, to the handiness of the long tree pruner over the 
old method of knife or short shears with a ladder, 
and the probability of the amateur being turned out. 
It is well suited for all sorts of tall tree pruning, 
either shrubs or fruit, with far less labour than any 
other method I know of. The appearance after is 
much more symmetrical than is possible when a 
ladder is used, and it really makes a somewhat diffi¬ 
cult job very easy. 
I have this year added yet another use to the 
pruner without the knife. I made a very simple 
arrangement with the help of a stout piece of wire 
and a small net with which I was able to gather 
Apples, [&c., off tall and UDgetatable trees without a 
ladder, and without either bruising the fruit or 
breaking branches. I think others would find it as 
handy as I have, and I have seen nothing of the sort 
on sale. This must be my apology for troubling you 
in so small a matter.— P. C. M. 
MISTLETO. 
There is a peculiar attraction about parasitic plants 
in general, and it is surprising how seldom we see in 
respectable gardens the charming example, Mistleto, 
the culture of which is extremely simple. Ripe or 
mature berries in a fresh state are essential, but un¬ 
obtainable until April or May. These are taken 
singly between the tips of the thumb and first two 
fingers of the right hand, the detached portion being 
outward, which portion should be rubbed gently on 
that branch or stem where desired. It is important 
to leave the exposed skin of the berry unbroken and 
uninjured by finger pressure. The Mistleto takes 
freely to the following trees as hosts :—Apple, Pear,' 
Thorn, Lime, and Sycamore. I have failed after 
many attempts on the Oak, but shall try again as I 
have lots of berries annually from self-grown plants. 
Apart from its mystic and romantic history the 
Mistleto is very interesting and beautiful at all 
seasons. Nature has endowed it with many charms 
which are displayed in its little clusters of yellowish 
flowers from June to August, after which time the 
tiny berries appear and seem to love to flourish 
when others fall or die. Its uses for Christmas 
decoration are well knowD, after which season its 
berries grow larger and clearer among its own pretty 
foliage, while the plant on which it lives stands 
naked. I should have said where thrushes are 
numerous the berries when planted should be protected 
with stout muslin or gauze.— Henry H. Gibson, The 
Gardens, Glencairn, Belfast. 
SALVIA SPLENDENS GRANDIFLORA. 
For brilliancy of effect when in flower few plants 
can equal this charming Sage for the autumn decora¬ 
tion of the conservatory. The plant is easily culti¬ 
vated, and is increased from seeds and cuttings. If 
from seed, sow in light, sandy soil in pans in March. 
Plunge in gentle bottom heat, and when the seed¬ 
lings are large enough to handle conveniently plant 
them separately in 2£-in. pots. Keep close to the 
light in a growing atmosphere, pinch and re pot as 
they require it until the beginning of June, when 
they should be finally shifted into 8-in. pots in a 
compost of loam, leaf soil, and sand. Place them 
in a cold frame until they become established, when 
they may thereafter be put in a sunny position out of 
doors. Here the plants will remain during the 
summer, and until the approach of cold weather 
necessitates their removal to an airy light position 
under glass. Dwarf, compact little plants can be 
obtained by taking cuttings of the leading shoots of 
the large plants in the beginning of August. Put 
three cuttings each in 3-in. pots, and place in a close 
frame until well rooted, when they may be shifted 
into 5-in. pots, in which they bloom simultaneously 
with the larger plants, and will be found most useful 
for intermixing with Primulas, &c., on the side 
stages of the conservatory. Maintain a warm, 
buoyant atmosphere when in flower, and give 
occasional applications of liquid manure.— Maharg. 
- •t— 
New Names for an old Friend.—It is strange 
how names get shifted from one plant to another. 
We recently had specimens of Pentstemon barbatus 
given or sent us under different names, and asking 
us what ws considered it to be. In one case it was 
named Tecoma, and in the other Zauschneria cali- 
fornica. The resemblance of either to any other 
seems a little far fetched. 
--9-- 
GARDENERS’ GRIEVANCES. 
A spirited discussion has taken place recently in 
the columns of a contemporary, The People's Journal, 
on the above. A short summing up of it may interest 
readers of The Gardening World. One of the 
points on which nearly everyone seemed to agree, 
was the very low wages paid to thoroughly qualified 
men. It seems to be clearly proved that a large 
number of really skilled gardeaers are paid the 
magnificent sura of £1 weekly. I think I am safe 
in saying that 50 per cent, receive do better re¬ 
muneration than that. This is surely a scandalous 
business, and ought to be remedied. Another com¬ 
plaint attested by practically everyone, is that, for 
the sake of cheapness, the employers engage men 
who have never served a regular apprenticeship, 
who have in fact only laboured in a garden fora few 
years. This it must be admitted is very unfair t a the 
real gardener, but the difficulty is to find a remedy 
for this crying evil. One other of the points raised 
is perhaps more annoying than almost any other. I 
refer to the growing inclination of many employers to 
make the gardener jack-of-ill-trades. In too many 
places a gardener is expected to be ready to turn bis 
hand to anything, from cutting down timber to feed- 
ing pigs. I am not exaggerating in the least. This 
is where the labourer-gardener comes in handy to 
the employer, and thus undersells the duly qualified 
practical gardener. —Black Watch. 
-- 
Tlie OrcHifl Growers’ Calendar. 
Cattleya bowringiana. —-The individual flowers of 
this lovely autumn-flowering Cattleya being small do 
not compare very favourably with the C. labiata 
section, but they make up for any deficiency in 
this respect by producing a large quantity of flowers 
to a spike. These mike up well into buttonhole 
bouquets and are on that account very acceptable 
as the colour shows up well. The flowers very 
closely resemble those of Cattleya Skinnerii, but 
the plant is more robust, making pseudobulbs from 
2 ft. to 3 ft. high and having as many as seventeen 
or eighteen flowers on a scape. The bulbs being 
soft and luscous they-require careful watering in the 
early stages of their growth or they are liable to 
damp off but when they are well up they must be 
kept well supplied. They seem to enjoy plenty of 
rooting room, and a larger proportion of peat than 
moss. 
Miltonia spectabilis moreliana.— This does 
well suspended near the glass on the shady side of 
the Cattleya house and produces a charming effect 
when the scapes are allowed to hang naturally. 
Shallow pans are best suite! to their requirements, 
affording plenty of drainage, as they require plenty of 
moisture at the roots when growing. The compost 
should be the usual fibrous peat and sphagnum moss 
in about equal parts, it being a plant that has small 
roots. The material should be pressed rather firmly 
about them. This should be a fine thing for the 
hybridist to work upon. What price a cross between 
this and O. crispum ? if it could be effected. I am 
afraid they are too far apart although their construc¬ 
tion is similar. 
Work in the Houses.—W e are taking advan¬ 
tage of the wet weather by going through the houses, 
cleaning down the stages, washing green pots, 
elevating plants so that they get all the light pos¬ 
sible during the dull winter months, putting neat 
stakes to the spikes of Laelia anceps so that when 
the flowers open they will all face one wav, standing 
those down that are up too near the glass, &c. 
Fire Heat. —Autumn like spring is a time when 
the heating apparatus requires careful handling. 
Some days it is quite mild requiring but very little 
fire heat, whilst in a few hours the temperature will 
fall many degrees. We like to get the fires on 
soon after mid-day, for it is much easier and safer 
to steady them should the night prove mild than 
to leave the damper out and the fire going. 
Temperatures. —We shall gradually lower the 
night temperatures as the weather becomes colder, 
but at present we maintain the following :—Warm 
division, 65° to 68°; Cattleya, 6o e ; Cool house, 50-', 
—S. C. 
