May 23, 1903. 
THE GARDENING WORLD. 
439 
bright days, beds, walks, and even walls, should be frequently 
damped down with the syringe in preference to the can and 
rose. ' James Mayne. 
Bicton, Devonshire. 
The Kitchen Garden. 
There is no branch of gardening mo-re interesting at this 
season of the year than that which is set apart for the cultiva¬ 
tion of vegetable®, especially when care and forethought have 
been exercised in arranging the various crops to the best 
possible advantage, and with a view to creating a pleasing 
effect. For some reason or another, vegetable culture is 
simply looked upon as a necessity in many cases, and the- space 
set apart for their production is regarded as such. This, in 
my opinion, is owing, to- a great extent, to the little interest 
taken at the present day by our young men engaged in the 
profession. 
It is indeed, rare to find one who is anxious to acquire a 
thorough knowledge in this department, and yet many of these 
expect tO' fill important positions as head gardeners later on. 
in life, and the- result is- they then have to depend on someone 
else, rather than on their own store of knowledge. Conse¬ 
quently, the kitchen garden is often not what it should be, and 
far from inviting, either to the employer or visitor. There- is 
no vegetable, when produced at its best, which can fail to be 
attractive, and this should be the aim of every gardener, either 
in large or small places. My advice to young men is, take 
every advantage possible to- become thoroughly efficient in this 
important part of the garden ; there is much more to learn than 
many suppose. 
Eveiy piece of ground should now be cropped or prepared 
ready for successional planting or sowing, and much attention, 
will have to be devoted to the tending and thinning of the 
various subjects. Overcrowding is a fatal mistake often made 
in the cultivation of vegetables', and it is always wise to make 
at least two : runnings, and the first should be performed when 
the seedlings are quite small ; especially does this apply tO' 
Onions, Carrots, Parsnips, Turnips, Beet, Lettuce, and the- like, 
each of which is liable to- fail from many causes when in a 
young state. 
Hoeing- —The constant moving of the surface soil is of far 
more reaching importance than many imagine, not only for the 
sake of keeping down weeds, but for promoting a quick, healthy 
growth. Both the draw and Dutch hoe are invaluable imple¬ 
ments, and can hardly be used too much at this time of the 
year. 
Celery .—The second sowing ought now to be ready for plant¬ 
ing in well-prepared trenches. The earliest plants have had ai 
good start ; dust weekly with fresh soot, move the soil about 
them, and damp over the foliage on fine afternoons. On the 
first appearance of maggots- in the leaf take measures to- de¬ 
stroy them, which is easily done by pinching with the thumb 
and finger, and give- occasional dustings of tobacco powder to 
prevent green aphis doing damage, which is often veiy trouble¬ 
some at this season. 
Lettuce .—Tie up the forwardest of the plants which were 
planted early ; though small, these will quickly branch and 
become fit for use at this season. Make several small planta¬ 
tions in various parts of the garden from those sown in the 
open to ensure an unbroken supply, and make further sowings 
both of Cabbage and Cos varieties on the Celery ridges, an 
ideal place for growing good Lettuce. 
Endive ought nc-w to be sown in small quantities eveiy ten 
days, both the curled and plain-leaved kinds, where salads are 
much in demand. 
Beetroot .—The larger kinds, such as Pragnell s Exhibition, 
should be sown at once o-n deeply-worked and finely-prepaied 
soil, which will make roots amply large enough for the autumn. 
The house sparrow often does much damage to the young seed¬ 
lings, and when this is so, means must at once be taken to 
protect them. The safest and best plan is to- stretch garden 
netting over them. Turnip-rooted or Globe Beet, which have 
been brought on under glass, should now- have the lights 
entirely removed. This should be pulled and used quite young. 
French Beans. —A good breadth of these should now be put 
in on a south border, and those which were sown at an earlier 
date- should be watched for, and as they make their appearance 
above ground, protection should be- given them when frost is 
likely to- occur. Also- take means to prevent slugs devouring 
them ; these are causing much trouble this spring. 
Runner Beans which are being raised in boxes should be 
kept as sturdy as- possible, and thoroughly harden before plant¬ 
ing out at the end of the month. A ro-w or two- should also 
be sown to succeed the earlier crops. Place the seed at equal 
distances apart, and just as thick again as required, drawing 
out the surplus ones- after the crop is assured. 
Turnips. —The young plant® are- now starting away freely, 
and the- fly, fortunately, so far isi little in evidence. Constant- 
hoeing should be resorted to, and dust the plants in shower} 7 
weather with soot and wood ashes-. Make good sowings of 
Snowball, Red Globe, and Golden Ball every ten days or a 
fortnight on finely-prepared ground. 
Cauliflowers. —Continue to- put out the plants which have 
been pricked out as- so-on a® strong enough, and carefully look 
over the earlier plantations, removing any which are blind or 
eaten, and make good, so that the breadths do- not present a 
patchy appearance. E. Beckett. 
Aldenham House Gardens, Elstree-. 
Among the Orchids. 
Imported Cattleyas. —For several years past the Orchid 
collections have not been replenished by the spring-flowering 
Cattleya Trianaei. The recent importation of this desirable 
species wiil therefore be ■welcomed, and, as the plants- will have 
become generally distributed, a, few notes as to the treatment 
of the newly-imported plants may be of interest. Coming at 
the present season, they are not nearly so difficult to- deal with 
as they are when the plants arrive at- an earlier season. The 
present being the season at which the plants commence to 
make t-he-h new growth in their native forests, with ordinary 
care they will quickly break away and emit new roots. As 
soon as the plants are received they should be carefully cleaned, 
sponging the leaves and pse-udo-bulbs in a, weak solution of 
soft soap and rain-water. Cut away all de-ad bulbs and 
decaying root matter. 
A sharp look-out is- necessary also- to- observe any perforation 
at the base of the bulbs or roots-. Where there are- indications: 
of this sort, it will generally be taken for granted that the 
plants have been, or are, infested -with the Cattleya, fly. These 
pests are very troublesome -when, once they have been intro¬ 
duced into- a- house of Cattleyas, and therefore great care 
should be taken to- place the plants in another division for the 
first year at least, so that they may be altogether isolated from 
any other members of the Cattleya or Laelia family. Plant® 
infested should be- dipped overhead in a- bath of XL All wash 
or some other safe insecticide as soon as they have been 
cleaned and are ready for potting. 
Where free from insects, I would advise the plants being 
hung up or placed under the st-age of the Cattleya house, or 
in some other position where- they may at first be shaded 
somewhat from too much light-. The foliage will so-o-n regain 
its normal conditions, and the plants will be ready for potting 
in a short time. The pots used should only be sufficient!} 
large to cont-air the plants- comfortably. The pots should be 
filled to one-half their depth with chopped Bracken roots or 
broken crocks, the plant then being placed in position so that, 
the leading eyes- are about the level of the- rim of the pot. 
Sticks sufficiently strong to- secure the plants should be fixed 
where necessary to secure the plant, or add to- its shapely 
appearance. When this- has- been done, the potting compost, 
consisting of fibrous- peat, leaf-soil, sphagnum mo-ss,. and a 
liberal' sprinkling of broken crocks and rough silver-sand 
should be added. Press the netting compost moderately firm, 
and cover the surface with a layer of chopped sphagnum moss. 
Water the plants' as soon as repotted, a-fte-r winch very little 
