310 
THE GARDENING WORLD . 
April 11, 1903. 
WORK OF THE WEEK. 
The Kitchen Garden. 
Though the rainfall since the commencement of the year lias 
not been excessive, especially when one considers that there 
is a good deal to make up for the past few seasons, here, on 
April 1st, we register 6‘95 in., but the continuous showery 
weather and the absence of drying winds, generally so prevalent 
during March, have considerably delayed kitchen garden opera¬ 
tions so far as outside work is. concerned. Consequently, the 
present month will be more than a. busy one, as every endeavour 
should be made to bring the arrears up to date. The value of 
raising many vegetables- under glass, and planting them out 
during the present month will prove to be invaluable, for by 
so doing these will not only be earlier than those sown in the 
open, but the results will be better, providing they are tho¬ 
roughly hardened and carefully planted. 
French Beans. —Those which are bearing under glass should 
be kept well supplied with liquid manure at the roots. The 
foliage should be thoroughly syringed with tepid water twice 
daily, and the conditions in which these succeed best are a light, 
house, with a temperature ranging from 55 deg. to 65 deg., 
according to the state of the weather outside. The paths and 
stages should be damped down often in bright weather, also 
last thing during the evening, as a. hot dry heat is conducive 
to attacks of red spider. 
Now is a. capital time to plant out any which have been 
raised in small pots, either in pits or frames, but. preference 
should be given to brick pits, which can be heated at will, but 
very little tire heat will be necessary, except in cold weather, if 
the lights are closed early and well covered at night. Make 
one more sowing in cold frames, which will keep up an un¬ 
broken supply till those sown a. little, later on in the open, on 
a warm border are ready for picking. Sow thinly, and the 
compost should be of a moderately light texture. 
Cucumbers. —Little difficulty will be found now in obtaining 
a plentiful supply of fruit in light, well-heated houses, but the 
plants will require constant attention in thinning out and 
regulating the growths. Prune out as much of the old wood 
as possible, and replace with young healthy growth. A small 
surface dressing should be applied often, using finely-chopped 
loam, with a third of well-decayed manure and a little artificial 
well mixed. A warm, moist, humid atmosphere should be kept 
up day and night. Shut up early in the afternoon, and damp 
in early evening with good farmyard manure-water. 
Plants growing in pits and on hotbeds will now be coming 
into bearing. Renew the linings of those on hotbeds as they 
require it, and choose the middle of warm days for attending 
to them, such as pruning and pegging out the growths, and 
apply a little sweet surface dressing as they need it. 
Thoroughly cover at night, ventilate early but cautiously, early 
when the mornings are bright, and syringe and shut up soon in 
the afternoon, thus conserving as much sun-heat as possible. 
Tomatos. —Early plants, which are fruiting in pots after a 
good crop is ensured, will need plenty of feeding by way of top 
dressing with well-decayed cow manure and fibrous loam, and 
at every other watering give weak doses of farmyard liquid. 
Fruits which have nearly finished colouring should be cut to 
prevent them cracking and distressing the plant. Place them 
in shallow boxes on soft material, such as wood-wool, and 
expose to the light, and sun to finish their ripening. Avoid a 
close, stagnant atmosphere, or, in all probability, disease will 
attack them. Tomatos often become infested with a small 
white fly, which, if allowed to go unchecked, increases with 
great rapidity and does much harm to- the plants, as well as 
leaving the foliage in a very dirty condition. At the first 
appearance of these fumigate for four successive evenings, as 
the first one or two applications only stupefy them, and they 
quickly recover. 
Pot on successional plants as they require it, and make 
another good sowing in heat. 
Chicory. —Make the first sowing of this useful winter raiad 
on deep and well-prepared ground in drills 1 ft. apart. 
Parsley.—That which has been raised in boxes ought now i 
be ready for planting in the open, and make another sowino- c 
a south or west border. 
Sow also Sweet Basil, Knotted Marjoram, Chervil a r 
Fennel. Take advantage of all dtying days to stir up the so 
frequently among all growing crops, using both draw aE 
Dutch hoes for the purpose. E. Beckett. 
Aldenham House Gardens, Elstree. 
Among the Orchids. 
Cypripediums. —The summer-flowering kinds of Uyprip 
diums, such as C. barbatam, C. lawrenceanum, C. callosur 
C. Curtisli, and the numerous hybrids that have been derm 
from the influence of some of the above-mentioned species, wi 
now be fast pushing up their flower-scapes ; the plants mu 
therefore have every encouragement to enable them U deveh 
and expand their flowers, to the best advantage. I would n. 
advise the use of too. much fire-heat for any of the tesselan 
foliage section of Cypripediums at the present time. It 
far more desirable to use the advantages to be derm 
from sun-heat than to have to resort to excessive artifici 
heat. to. maintain the desired degree of temperature ar 
atmospheric conditions which are the principal facto, 
that enable us to successfully cultivate the plants und 
artificial conditions in such a manner that we can procure no: 
robust and stronger growths to the species than is obsTved c 
imported plants.; and it is also well to note that the vigoi 
thus procured has the effect of producing twin flowers on tl 
scapes of the normally one-flowered species:. 
Closing the Houses. —No one advocates ventilation and 
pure atmosphere more than I, but I have never been able t 
see the force, of keeping the ventilators open when the outsic 
conditions are unfavourable. I am unable to see how the insic 
conditions are to be made more pure by ventilation when 
becomes necessary on the other hand to resort to the use of 
greater amount of fire-heat to enable us to. maintain th« norm: 
conditions of temperature, inside. I would therefore advi 
that the vent ilators should not be opened in the warm divisioi 
of our Orchid house®, and especially the wanner Cypnpediu: 
divisions, before the temperature rises a. few degrees anove tl 
normal conditions maintained in the house. I would advi- 
that the ventilators should be closed not later than two' o’cloc 
in the afternoon, thoroughly damping the floors, staging, eh 
and allow the temperature to rise 10 or more degrees fro; 
sun-heat. The blinds should also, be removed as soon ts Ihei 
is no danger of the foliage becoming scorched. This will col 
sidera.bly help to distil the moisture in the atmosphere ar 
afford drier conditions by the time the cool outside eonditioi 
cause a fall of temperature inside, and will also dispense wi* 
a good amount of artificial heat that would be otherwise nec-e 
sary during the evening. 
Plants Developing Flowers. —The. aforementioned Oyprip 
diums that are throwing up their flower-scapes should 1 
placed within a reasonable distance of the roof glass. Whe; 
placed at a. distance from the glass there is always a lendeiu 
to draw', and the scapes present a weakly appearance, resultii 
in unsatisfactory expansion of flow'ers. This will be found pa 
ticularly the case where lath blinds are used. 
The small-growing Cypripediums, C. niveum, C. boilatulu 
and the natural hybrid, C. Godefroyae, are now pushii 
up their flower-scapes. I find that, this section of Cypripediun 
is best accommodated when grown in baskets or shallow par 
so that they may either be suspended or raised to a positic 
near the roof glass. Here, in the warm intermediate Oypi'ip 
dium house, we find the plants thrive admirably. Most of tl 
plants had to cany seed vessels last season. Notwithstaadii 
this, they have made satisfactory strong growths, and a 
flowering freely. It is advisable to dip the plants rather tin 
water when requiring root moisture, as in a suspended posita 
they dry more quickly at the base, and therefore need tl 
greater amount of moisture. H. J 
