2U0 
THE QARDENINU WORLD. 
March 7, 1903. 
WORK OF THE WEEK. 
Hardy Fruit. 
Figs.— This is the month to- plant out the Fig against walls 
or fences, early or late, according to the state of the weather. 
If grown in pots so much the better, as little or no check is 
given in transplanting, though where this fruit thrives a sucker, 
if lifted carefully with a. few roots attached, will grow away 
kindly ,enough ; but such a j>lan should be discouraged, as they 
continually throw up other suckers, the majority of which have 
to be cut away at pruning time, and the less knife the Fig gets 
the better for the tree, which, to a great extent, can be dis¬ 
pensed with if only disbudding be practised during the summer. 
A warm, sheltered nook as near south as can be is the best 
aspect for a Fig tree, and if the soil is not well drained 
naturally, it should be artificially made so by taking out the 
soil to a, depth of about 30 in., and the width of the border 
may be 4 ft. Then place in the bottom 10 in. to 12 in. of 
broken brickbats, clinkers, etc., and over this a layer of grassy 
turves. The remaining soil should not be rich, or the trees 
grow far too strong. A calcareous loam with a good percentage 
of lime, rubble or chalk, with wood ashes intermixed, made 
very firm, will form a good compost for the Fig. In planting, 
disentangle the roots and remove any suckers or buds that can 
be seen, and shorten any extra strong roots, working down, the 
soil carefully among the roots, covering these about 3 in., and 
apply water if considered necessary, and mulch with strawy 
litter as soon as hot weather sets in. 
Standards do well away from wall or fence in the western 
counties, and the variety Brown Turkey is hard to beat for out¬ 
door culture, as well as under glass, come to that. Brunswick 
and Castle Kennedy are also good for open-air culture' when 
the roots are well under control. Established trees should have 
the protection removed during such mild weather as we are 
having, and the necessary pruning required should be done 
by cutting out ill-ripened growths or exhausted branches; and 
when the trees are re-trained see that sufficient space is allowed 
between each branch for this year’s growth to be trained in 
during summer; 9 in. to 12 in. asunder is far better than half 
that distance, as the latter means crowded foliage, unripened 
growths, and no fruit. 
Blossom Protection. —The Apricot is the earliest stone fruit 
to expand its blossoms, and due precaution must be taken that 
these are protected from heavy hail storms, so frequent during 
March, sharp frosts generally following these storms. We are 
favoured with a movable glass coping for Peaches and Apricots, 
and this is already in place for the latter trees, and from the iron 
framework that holds the glass in position runs: a small iron 
rod to tie on the net, which is of double thickness. This is 
tied at the bottom to upright stakes driven in about 6 ft. apart, 
2 ft, from the base of the wall, and remains until the fruits are 
-,et. Where hexagonal rollers can be fixed and pulled up on fine 
days so much the better, but this is costly, though with care 
such blinds would last several years. Similar remarks apply 
to the Peach, but do not afford protection until the buds begin 
to unfold their petals. 
The Grape Vine. — Although autumn is the best time to plant, 
such work can be carried out. in spring, which should be done 
just before the sap rises. In our fickle summers a' southern 
aspect must be chosen where plenty of light and air can reach 
them. Good fibrous loam, fairly rich, should form the rooting 
material, and, above all, perfect drainage must be ensured, 
concreting the bottom first, if considered necessary, which ought, 
to have been mentioned in the case of the Fig, putting 10 in. 
or 12 in. of drainage on this ; the top 3 in. should be smaller 
than that placed below. The planting of the canes is the same 
as advocated for the Fig. As regards training, the grower 
must adapt himself to circumstances as to the amount of wall 
space to be covered ; training a rod right and left at the base, 
and carrying upright a fruiting cane 2 ft. apart, is a good 
idea, or the canes may be treated as they usually are under 
glass. Black Cluster, Miller’s Burgundy, and Sweet Water are 
suitable varieties. 
Strawberries. — Plants standing in nursery lines since the 
autumn should, as soon as the ground is in good working order 
be put out I ft. apart in rows 2 ft. asunder, carefully lifting 
the plants with as many roots as possible, and planting quite 
firm on ground that has been well manured and deeply dug 
applying a strawy mulch afterwards. Alpines are more profit¬ 
able if treated as an annual, and the seed may be sown now in 
a box, placing in gentle heat until germinated, and then giving 
quite cool treatment., but. safe from frost, or the seed may be 
sown outdoors early in April, duly pricking out the seedling; 
in either case eventually planting them out 1 ft. apart each wav. 
James Matxe. 
Bicton, Devonshire. 
The Orchid Houses. 
Cattleya Fly.— The insect known as the Cattleya fly infests 
imported Orchids of the Cattleya family, which are usually im¬ 
ported annually in large quantities from South America during 
the- spring months of the year. Every care must be taken to 
prevent this: pest being introduced to the Cattleya house at the 
time of securing newly imported plants. The indication of the 
plants being or having been affected will be best detected by 
careful observation of the pseudo-bulbs ; if there are indications 
of small borings or perforations it will be sufficient to denote 
the presence of the pest, and every care must be observed to 
isolate the newcomers. I do not consider it safe to put Cat- 
tleyas infested with Cattleya, fly among the occupants of a 
Cattleya house until they have been imported at least three 
years, and during that period all available means having been 
used to destroy the insect. 
The germs are laid by the fly in the crevices of the un¬ 
developed eyes at the base of the pseudo-bulb. Their presence 
cannot be asserted in the live state until the new growth has 
got well away. They may then be detected by the growth 
becoming unduly swollen and presenting a knotty appearance, 
causing a, considerable delay in growth development. The best 
step to take where this is observed is to cut the new growth 
short off at the base. If the growth is then split, longitudinally 
a cell formation containing several small maggots will be found. 
When the maggots reach maturity a passage is made through 
the outer coverings of the bulb, through which the matured 
fly escapes to lay the eggs of another generation. It is by this 
means other plants are liable to become affected which belong 
to the same or allied genera that occupy the same house. Fre¬ 
quent fumigation with X L All vaporiser is the best means 
of destroying the matured insects. When the plants are first 
procured means should be taken to thoroughly cleanse the 
leaves, bulbs, and rhizomes with a, strong solution of soft, soap 
water or a desirable insecticide. The old roots may be cut 
away, as well as any dead or decaying material. There is a 
smaller kind of fly which only appears to infest the roots of 
Cattleyas. These may be detected by the knotted appearance 
at intervals along the roots. The best means of removal is to 
open with a needle the portions indicated, and abstract the 
insects and destroy them. 
Odontoglossums. —There are no species of Orchids more 
popular or highly prized than Odontoglossum crisp-urn at the 
present time. The elegance of their racemous flower-scapes 
when expanded renders the species so attractive that, there are 
perhaps none more desirable for utility and decorative purposes 
in the whole Orchid family. At the present season of the year, 
when so many plants are emitting their flower-scapes, it is 
necessary to be on the alert for attacks from small slugs and 
snails,. These get imported with the moss used in repotting 
operations, and, having little, to feed on, the tender flower-scapes 
and new roots are almost sure to be infested. As the damage 
to the flower-scape is generally done while advancing through 
the axils of the leaves, it requires careful attention to supply as 
much protection a,s possible at the earliest possible moment,. I 
find it a good plan to wrap a piece of cotton wool around the 
pseudo-bulb below where the scape is advancing, and as soon as 
the scape gets large enough wind some wool around the spike. 
