988 
THE QARDEN/NO WORLD. November 28. 1903. 
Readers' Competition—continued. 
only produce such magnificent and massive examples as the 
professional gardener. His opportunities are before him, his 
chances are as good as those of the professional man. One 
advantage which the professional man lias over him is his pos¬ 
sessing the superior knowledge of the requirements of the plants 
to produce those sensational samples. This knowledge, be it 
noted, can only be acquired by practice, careful study, and 
assiduous attention to the requirements of the plants- For years 
back the gardening journals have been pouring forth a wealth 
of knowledge on the subject, but somehow it is apparent that it 
is only by the intelligent practical man that this teaching is 
properly understood. 
The class of amateur to whom I refer are bankers, solicitors, 
and retired business people, who have a greenhouse in their own 
garden, and which they practically manage themselves. Then 
to that class of people I would suggest that stopping and timing 
the plants plays a far moire important part in the cultivation of 
the Chrysanthemum than many seem to suppose, and if this 
particular point was more carefully and systematically attended 
to, the size and substance of their blooms at flowering time would 
simply astonish them, A host of the high-class up-to-date 
varieties now in commerce require a mid-April stopping to ensure 
an early first break for the production of the “ second ” crown 
hud, this in itself being a deviation from the general rule of 
just even half-a-dozen years ago. 
As the stopping and timing of the plants is a point on which 
we Seldom hear anything from growers north of the Tweed, I 
shall therefore relate my experience with them during the past 
two or three, seasons. The time that the cuttings are put in must 
be taken into consideration, as a few dozen strong, healtihy 
cuttings put in during the last week of November can easily be 
bad in, full bloom by the middle of October, whereas cuttings 
of the same varieties, put in during the first week of January may 
not come into bloom until well on towards the end of November 
or even beginning of December. Cuttings of such varieties as 
Elsie Fulton, Edwin Molyneux, Mrs. Greenfield, Calva-t’s Sun, 
Sir H. Kitchener, and others, put in during November and 
stopped June 2nd, were all easily had in bloom by October. 
Them, again, I will give the dates of stopping and flowering 
of the same varieties from cuttings put in during the first week 
of January. Calvat’s Sun, Madame Carnot, Elsie Fulton, 
Edwin Molyneux, and Mrs. Greenfield, June 3rd, gave their 
crown buds August 24th, and were in full bloom on Novem¬ 
ber 10th. General Hutton and Master Seymour, stopped 
June 4tli, gave their buds September 7th, and are in full 
bloom now. F. S. Vallis, stopped June 6th, gave the buds Sep¬ 
tember 26th, and will not he in flower till December. A great 
many more varieties a v e also grown, such as Mafeking Hero, 
H. J. Jones, Louis Remv, Lady Hanham, etc., and these were all 
stopped on June 4th, and are developing their buds fast, anl 
will continue flowering on till Christmas. 
I may here mention that no mid-April stopping was resorted 
to with these plants, and that it was the “ first ” crown buds that 
were taken. The production of the “ second ” crown was not 
waited upon, as it occurred to me during the months of August 
and September, when the first crowns were forming, that to 
remove the first and wait om the second would throw the plants 
out of season entirely; so, therefore, the idea was discarded. 
November 16th. J. C. Peem.es. 
% 
Treatment of Imported Orchids. 
When imported Orchids are bought from any reliable nursery¬ 
man, or by auction at the sale rooms, where many thousands are 
sold annually, they all require a thorough overhauling and 
cleaning. 
In the first place, all decayed parts, must be removed by the 
use of a sharp knife, and not merely torn off. There are many 
insects imported with the plants, which of late have increased 
in numbers. I have had charge of large hatches of imported 
Orchids, and always found it advisable to- give them a thorough 
washing, plunging the whole plant in a solution of carbolic or 
soft soap, at the rate of one ounce to- the gallon of soft water, 
in a tepid condition, well working the solution into all parts of 
the plant, with the aid of a soft brush ; this will clean the foliage 
and pseudo-bulbs of any deposit collected on the plants in their 
native haunts, at the same time destroying any insect eggs, such 
as the cockroach or beetle. After the plants are thoroughly 
Washed they should be dipped ill dear soft water and hung 
head downwards to drain, in which position some prefer to start 
them into growth. 
The better plan to start them is in pots nearly full of broken 
potsherds and charcoal, in which condition they will soon begin 
to grow and push out new roots. The porous state of potsherds 
and charcoal will allow the water to pass away freely, without 
fear of rotting the pseudo-bulbs. By this method they plump 
up much sooner, and break into new growth more freely, as no 
stagnant water will be allowed to remain about the plants. On 
signs of the plants starting well into growth a few of the pots¬ 
herds may be removed, refilling the vacancy with rough peat 
an l sphagnum moss, mixed with charcoal, to keep the soil sweet 
and open ; in addition, the roots will cling tightly to it. Always 
avoid drip, and keep a sharp look-out for yellow thrips, which 
secretes itself in the axils of the leaves, doing considerable 
damage to the young growth. 
Newly imported plants ,should be started into growth in the 
various houses according to the section to which they belong— 
namely, Odontoglossum ini the cool house, and so on. 
There are two insects of more recent introduction I have had 
to deal with;—namely the Dendrobium beetle and Cattleya fly, 
the former, I believe, introduced from New Guinea. It feeds 
on the interior of the pseudo-bulbs, plays sad havoc, and will 
soon destroy a batch of plants if steps are not taken to prevent 
it. The only means I have found to exterminate this pest is 
to cut the infested parts off and burn them. Prevention is 
better than cure, and where a house could be set apart for im¬ 
ported plants -much damage may be avoided, as it would allow 
a careful examination of the plants, and if found free from this 
pest they may he transferred to the Orchid house. 
The Cattleya fly the grower h-as to battle with in much the 
same way. It attacks the young growth of Laelia and Cattleya 
alike, piercing the young growth at the base, and depositing its 
eggs, which in turn form a maggot, causing the growth io swell 
twice its natural size. Where the maggot is feeding the only 
cure is to break the growth out and burn it; there is then a 
Chance of getting another growth free from it. I have often 
found five, six, and seven maggots in_an affected growth, which, 
if allowed to remain, would do extensive damage. If, on examina¬ 
tion., the fly is found to have made good its- escape, no time 
should he lost in fumigating with XL All vapourising com¬ 
pound, which should cause destruction to the fly, and set the 
grower’s mind at rest, 
Wm. Jas. Penton. 
Studley Castle Gardens, November 16th, 1903. 
Turning a Mammoth Cabbage to Account.— Mr. Chappell, 
butcher, of Swanley, Kent, recently gathered from his own 
garden a red Cabbage weighing 29g lb- It was taken to Dart- 
ford, where it was exhibited by Mr. Ambrose at the New Inn, 
and was eventually handed over to Mr. Best, of Lowfield Street, 
who decided to have it drawn for in the cause of philanthropy. 
Although the contributions were limited to Id., no less than 
21s. was realised. The proceeds were equally divided between 
the Livingstone Cottage Hospital and the Convalescent Home 
for Working Men at Pegwell Ba.v. 
Plant Problems. —At New Brompton, on November 10th, a 
lecture was delivered by Mr. J. Hepworth on “ Plant Problems.” 
The - following are some of the problems which were dealt with 
during the evening :—(1) How is it possible for Lichens, which 
are plants, and must, therefore, be supplied with moisture, to 
thrive on dry walls, etc. ? (2) Why does one part of a plant (the 
root) grow downwards, while another part (the stem) always 
grows upwards? (3),Where is the power necessary to force the 
root into the ground obtained from? (4) How does the plant 
provide against the wearing away of the end of the root as it is 
forced into the ground ? (5) What arrangements are made for 
scattering the pollen in plants which are fertilised by the wind ? 
(6) The arrangement, of the leaves on a plant was shown to be 
according to certain fixed laws; why? These problems and 
their solutions were clearly expounded, with the aid of many 
original diagrams. 
*** The prize last week in the Readers’ Competition was 
awarded to “A. H,” for his,article on "Rhododendrons” 
page 976, 
