April 27, 1901. 
THE GARDENING WORLD 
555 
the pith. The oDly effective means of destroying 
this seems to be by cutting off the parts attacked and 
burning them. 
Another very destructive pest is the caterpillar of 
the Winter-moth (Hybernia brumata). The female 
moths are wingless so must crawl up the trunk to 
lay their eggs; they may consequently be caught by 
a band of canvas covered with bird lime in the 
autumn.— F. J. 
THE PLANT HOUSES. 
At this time of the year there is always a great rush 
of work, and the gardener does not know which way 
to go first. In the spring everything seems to 
require attention at once, for with the lengthening 
days and increasing power of the sun, everything is 
moving rapidly. In establishments where large 
amounts of Grapes are grown, the services of the 
men from the plant houses are required to help in 
the thinning, and things are apt to get in a bad state 
in the houses thus left, for at this time of the year 
not only are the long dormant plants stimulated into 
growth, but also green fly, mealy bug and other 
familiar pests ; and it is not an uncommon sight in 
the best kept establishments at this time of the year 
to see the young shoots of plants suffering from the 
attacks of green fly or being sapp d y whole 
colonies of mealy bug. Young gardeners having a 
pride in their charge may generally be found at this 
time of the year working hard in their own time as 
long as daylight lasts to try and keep matters going 
straight, working from the early morning, often just 
after four, until dark, and what is his reward for all 
this ? Nothing, only seeing his plants in a belter 
condition, for there are not many establishments in 
the United Kingdom that pay their gardeners for 
overtime, or supply them with a respectable bothy 
in which to live. 
The Greenhouse. —The forced hard-wooded 
plants should have their old flowers removed as soon 
as they are over, especially Azaleas, or they will cause 
obstruction to the new growths. The plants that 
have finished flowering should receive a thorough 
syringing whenever the weather permits to insure a 
clean growth, well spraying the underside of the 
foliage, especially of Azaleas, which are very sus¬ 
ceptible to the attacks of red spider owing to the 
woolly nature of their leaves affording good pro¬ 
tection. These plants should not be coddled when 
making their growth or it will not be sturdy ; but on 
the other hand, do not allow them to be subjected to 
extremes of temperature or cold draughts, which 
very often cut through the houses if the ventilators 
are not properly regulated. All hard wooded plants 
that are making their growth and have not been 
potted should be helped by occasional applications 
of weak liquid manure, cow, or sheep dung being 
preferable, as the soil gets exhausted after a year's 
growth and it is not advisable to disturb their roots 
any more than is absolutely necessary; for no 
matter how careful the potter may be, many of the 
best feeding roots are bound to be injured and a 
check is inevitable. Great care must be taken when 
watering those plants that have been freshly potted 
for they do not root very quickly and the soil is very 
liable to get sour before it has been in the pot many 
weeks if water is given too freely, and as when 
once potted, the plants are expected not to require 
potting again for two or three years, this is very un¬ 
desirable. Any pruning that they may require to 
maintain their shape should be done at once before 
too much growth is made or the nutriment taken by 
it will be wasted. If any cuttings are required they 
should be taken at once and inserted round the sides 
of small pots containing a light porous compost, and 
placed in a cold frame. 
Shading.— Many of the occupants of the green¬ 
house will require shading now, but too much shade 
should be avoided as it only encourages a weak, 
straggling growth. 
Richardias.— These are perhaps better known 
under their old name cf Calla. They are gross 
feeders and their masses of thick fleshy roots soon 
exhaust the small amount of soil in their pots, so 
that it becomes necessary to supply them with 
fertilisers. A good watering with liquid manure 
twice a week made from fresh sheep dung, will be 
found to give as good results as anything, but care 
must be taken that it is clear, or the soil will soon 
get clogged and sour. 
Cyclamen. —If late batches are assisted with 
a little manure their flowering period may be extended 
for some time yet. 
Coleus thyrsoideus.— Cuttings of this handsome 
free flowering plant should be taken and grown od 
into large plants to brighten the greenhouse in the 
winter. 
Calceolarias. —A sharp eye must be kept on 
these now for green fly which seem to have a weak¬ 
ness for this particular plant, and if not kept dowD 
by frequently fumigating they soon spoil them. 
Roses. —These are very liable to be attacked by 
mildew. This should be prevented if possible by 
keeping a free circulation of air about them, and not 
to allow crowding. If it does make its appearance 
either syringe immediately with soapy water and 
sulphur; or if this is not desirable, with a good fungi¬ 
cide. Many growers are recommending that they 
should be grown as standards, even those recognised 
as climbers, such as Climbing Kaiserin, Madame 
Morceau, Marechal Niel, Climbing Niphetos, and the 
like. 
Clematis indivisa.— Of all the spring flowering 
plants in the greenhouse there are cone to surpass 
this easily cultivated climbsr for the profusion and 
beauty of its white flowers. It strikes readily from 
cuttings, but the best way to propagate it is by graft¬ 
ing small pieces on to the root of som other strong 
growing kind. It is well adapted for training along 
the roof and hanging down in festoons. For covering 
a large area of bare wall nothing is better than this 
Clematis, as it grows so quickly, and is not troubled 
with insect pests except red spider, which troubles 
everything. 
The Stove.— Things that were potted last month 
are now in full growth, and must be carefully watched 
to see that this Is made even, as often one shoot will 
become rampant and grow away and leave the others, 
thus spoiling the symmetry of the plant. 
Airing.— During the hottest part of the day a 
little ventilation is now required to keep the growth 
sturdy. If possible it should be supplied by the 
bottom ventilators, as the atmosphere in the house is 
not then dried so much. When air is given, plenty of 
water should be kept on the paths, and the stages 
kept well damped to counteract its drying influence, 
for if the air is dry and parched it not only en¬ 
courages red spider, &c., but is very injurious to the 
young growth. 
Shading.— Many of the plants will now require a 
little protection from the direct rays of the sun. This 
should be afforded by some light, and easily re¬ 
moved material, which should only be on during the 
brightest part of the day. Many people paint green 
or white matter on the glass to keep off the sun. 
This may be suitable fora fernery, but to paint the 
glass of a stove is one of the greatest mistakes that is 
made, as in dull weather it cannot b removed. It 
excludes a great amount of light which the plants 
then require. Stove plants should not be subjected 
to more shade than what is absolutely necessary to 
prevent them from scorching.— C. 
<® leanings ftpmt tf}e UDuttfii 
of Science 
The following subjects were discussed at a meeting 
of the Scientific Committee of the Royal Horti¬ 
cultural Society on the 9th inst. 
Pseudo-fasciation of Ash.—A specimen was 
exhibited of a diseased Ash bough by Mr. Odell, who 
described it as follows:—"This is a diseased con¬ 
dition of the inflorescence resulting in the fusion of 
the pedicels into a thick and shapeless mass, which 
hardens into quite a woody structure. These sub- 
fasciated clusters are said by Professor Kerner, and 
also by Mr. A. Murray, F.L.S., to be due to the 
attacks of a minute Phytoptus. The accompanying 
specimens were obtained from trees growing by the 
river Ouse at Olney in North Bucks, where I 
recently observed that this diseased condition was 
common to the Ash trees growing along the valley of 
the Ouse; in some cases only slightly, in others 
the trees were thickly covered with the 
" fasciated ” clusters. It did not appear that the 
trees were in any way stunted or affected by the 
disease; but as the result is to prevent the develop¬ 
ment of seed, it may be that the vegetative processes 
are stimulated by the partial and abnormal suppress¬ 
ion of the reproductive functions." 
Masdevallia, sp.—Mr. Chapman brought the 
following species, upon which Mr. Rendle reports as 
follows :—Masdevallia Lowi, Rolfe, in Gardeners’ 
Chronicle, 1890, i. 416, is said by Miss Woodward, in 
her monograph of the genus, on Consul Lehmann's 
authority—" who has had the advantage of examin¬ 
ing Prof. Reichenbach's dried specimens ”—to be the 
same as M. trinema, Reicheub. /, in " Flora," 18S6, 
538. As M. Lowi was not described till after Prof. 
Reichenbach's death, when his dried specimens were 
no longer to be consulted, Consul Lehmann’s opinion 
would seemed to be based on memory. A comparison 
of the flower of M. Lowi with the description of 
M. trinema suggests that Mr. Rolfe was justified in 
regarding his plant as a distinct species. The 
sepal tails of M. trinema are said to be much longer 
than the triangular bodies, whereas in Lowi they 
seem to be always markedly shorter. The bidentate 
tip of the column marks another discrepancy, that 
of Lowi bearing several fimbriations. Moreover, 
Reichenbach's statement that the dimensions of M. 
trinema are those of his M. gaskelliana points to a 
smaller flower than that of M. Lowi. 
Cypripedium with two lips.—He also showed 
this not uncommon phenomenon. As the flower had 
three sepals and two petals beside the lips, the result 
had occurred in consequence of, or in correlation 
with, a bifurcation of the axial cord belonging to the 
lip. This was borne out by a dissection of the 
flower. 
Poterium speciosum —Mr. Saunders exhibited 
a plant of this species covered with spiny branches 
and minute leaves with inrolled margins. These 
features are very characteristic of many plants 
growing in deserts and other excessively dry local¬ 
ities. It is native of Palestine, &c. 
Epidendrum hybrids—Mr. Veitch exhibited, 
and described the following new hybrids:—E. 
Wallisi x E. Endresi = E. Endresio-Wallisi. This 
hybrid x E. Wallisi = E. elegantulum, £. Wallisi 
X E. elegantulum = E. Clarissa. E. Wallisi grows 
to a height of 5 ft. or 6 ft., whereas E. Endresi is 
not more than about 1 ft. in height. Tne first 
hybrid was about. 2 ft. in height; the second, E. 
elegantulum, grows 3 ft. to 4 ft. There are many 
varieties among the Clarissa progeny, one being very 
much finer than all the rest, called C. superbum. E. 
Endresi is a native of Costa Rica, and E. Wallisi, 
of New Granada. The hybrids partook more of the 
flower of E. Endresi than of E. Wallisi, which was 
a much larger blossom than the former. 
Peduncles of Grapes becoming tendrils — 
Mr. Hudson exhibited some specimens from a vinery 
in which the whole crop had degenerated into quasi 
tendrils, but bearing small groups of buds upon 
them. It is well known that peduncles and tendrils 
are homologous in the Vine, and therefore inter¬ 
changeable. The cause was presumably an arrested 
growth by excessive chill, as the roots were said to 
be healihy. 
Fasciated stems.—Mr. Burbidge sent a series of 
examples of this peculiarity, remarking upon a 
branch of Cotoneaster microphylla, which had the 
buds continually rubbing on a roof, that this irrita¬ 
tion possibly caused the fasciation, adding —" I am 
led, after considerable observaiion, to believe that 
irritation of, or injury to the normal terminal or 
lateral buds, whether by friction, insects, or other 
causes, is at the bottom of the phenomenon.” He 
adds, " That besides being hereditary by seeds in the 
Cockscomb, the ' Stag's-horn ' Ash—a fasciated con¬ 
dition—can be perpetuated by grafting." Mr. 
O'Brien referred to his experience that Ferns stand¬ 
ing near an entrance of a conservatory, and con¬ 
tinually "brushed" by passers, become more or 
less fasciated and crested. Mr. Druery mentioned 
how Ferns if tripinDate became crested in each 
degree. Mr. Hudson observed, that of some Water 
Lilies which produced fasciated stems, portions of 
the rhizomes were transferred toKew; they also 
produced them there, showing that fasciation may 
be an acquired habit, and transmitted either by the 
vegetative or reproductive organs. 
Fasciation and allied phenomena. — Mr. 
Henslow explained how fasciation arose from a cor- 
tinual bifurcation of the fibro-vascular bundles of 
the stem without forming cyclinders for axillary 
buds. A similar cause gave rise to " multifold " 
flowers as distinct from " synanthic." It also 
applied to fimbriated and crested flowers, as we'l as 
multifold axes in Pears and carpels in Tomatos, 
Being an " affection " it would be hereditary, as in 
the Tomato and the campanulate terminal flowers of 
Foxgloves. (Further details will appear in the 
paper to ba published in full in the Journal 
R.H.S.). 
