68 
THE GARDENING WORLD. 
January 23, 1904. 
Among the Orchids. 
Seedling Orchids.—Where seedlings were pricked off into 
store pots in the autumn they will have made considerable leaf 
progress, and will at the present season in many eases be 
commencing to emit their roots. I find it advisable to make 
as early a commencement as possible with these. Our grow¬ 
ing seasons of late years have unfortunately been too short, 
and it is well to have the plants in a, condition that they may 
obtain all the advantages procurable from the sun’s assistance 
during the summer season. If plants are commencing to emit 
their new roots at the present season, and they are potted into 
separate pots without further delay, the advancing roots soon 
get hold of the fresh material, and they are practically estab¬ 
lished in, a few week®, and are thusi enabled to obtain the 
greater advantages from the more favourable conditions ob¬ 
tainable in the advancing season. 
Laelias, Cattleyas, Dendrobiums, Phaius, and Cypripediums 
will be found in. many cases emitting their roots as above in¬ 
dicated. The less advanced .seedlings which have been win¬ 
tered in their seed beds* soon find the benefits 1 of the lengthen¬ 
ing days. It is from plants of this kind, where they have 
laid practically dormant since October, that one obtains the 
most satisfaction at the end of the season, where an early start 
is made to assist, them into renewed vitality by the shift. Ini 
several cases last season the plants quickly advanced and made 
up their seed bulb, and by the end of September had com¬ 
pleted their second growth ; they are at the present time pro¬ 
ducing growths with us with remarkable vigour. It, is: useless 
to talk of resting small seedlings. Certainly, when growth is 
completed, discretion must be used in affording root moisture, 
but any attempt to dry, in hopes of retarding growth, is a, prac¬ 
tice I for one cannot advocate. 
The retarding of growth by resting on the drying system has 
the effect of delaying the flowering of such plants to almost 
one-half. For instance, it is now possible to flower Cattleyas 
in about three to four years from the time of sowing seed where 
the plants are kept under favourable conditions ; but. where 
resting is attempted, six to seven years: would be necessary to 
induce the plants to flower. Where plants are kept going right, 
up to the flowering stage the advancement is: most marked in 
each successive growth ; but, on the other hand, resting has the 
effect of producing very slight advancement, which naturally 
delays the flowering of the plants. The plants will partake 
of the natural characteristics as soon a® the flowering stage is 
reached, and the active and dormant seasons will be a® neces¬ 
sary for the matured seedling as for the parents used in its 
production. I have previously advocated in the columns! of 
The Gardening World the desirability of giving the plants 
• a separate existence by pricking singly into pots at as early a 
stage as possible. The sooner they become established in their 
own pots the more easily are their requirements afforded. Ea-oh 
can be treated on its own basis, whereas when accommodated 
with others in a store bed the individual requirements cannot 
■be so well attended to. 
The compost I find most serviceable for seedlings in a small 
state consists: of fibrous brown, peat, chopped fine, one part, the 
remaining compost consisting of chopped living sphagnum 
moss, leaf-soil (Oak or Beech), with the finest portions removed, 
and a liberal sprinkling of rough silver sand. The pots should 
be watered with chilled rain-water before the plants 1 are trans¬ 
ferred to them. The compost should be pressed moderately 
firm, and a layer of chopped sphagnum be placed as a surface 
covering. Water sufficient to keep the moss growing will he 
found sufficient. H. J. 
Mu. William Trttelove.— We are sorry to leam that Mr. 
Ti-uelove, foreman in Messrs. Wm. Bull and Sons’ nursery, has 
been laid up for some two months or more with rheumatic fever 
and its effects. He is now regaining health, though the progress 
he is making is hut slow, 
Hardy Herbaceous Border. 
Aster Seedlings. —Propagating the Michaelmas Daisy from 
seed is a. method seldom adopted, though one of absorbing 
interest, andjf it. were more frequently resorted to it is quite 
probable that more good and sterling varieties would come 
before the public. Many years have now elapsed since the 
.Michaelmas Daisy was grown in quantity in several gardens, 
but it is only during the last few years that any attempt has 
been: made to' improve: the older varieties and make them 
more adaptable: for border decoration and also for use in a cut 
state. The result® have been most gratifying, and a. more 
beautiful selection than we now have it would be difficult to 
imagine. It is now possible to discard all, or nearly all, of 
the older upright, sparsely-flowered sorts, and one will lie little 
the worse off' by so doing-, as the newer varieties contain suit¬ 
able sort® for any purpose. 
W hen raising seedling Asters, the two. chief points to keep 
in vieiw are florifenmisnessi and adaptability for decoration in 
any form. One should, therefore, hear this in mind when 
saving the, seed. It is not, of course, always necessary to 
try and obtain improved 'forms of the ericoides or vim incus, 
type®, though these are among the best for cutting, but the 
improved forms of Novi-Belgii Pleiad are very valuable for 
bedding or massing together in'quantity. Assuming that the 
seed was saved last autumn and placed away to become tho¬ 
roughly ripe, it. should now be sown without delay, and for 
this purpose good-sized pots or shallow wooden, boxes can be 
used, the latter for preference, if one is sowing in quantity. 
Supposing that, boxes are used, these should be well drained, 
and a layer of decayed leaves placed over the crocks will suit 
admirably. A suitable compost for sowing in will consist of 
loam, leaf-soil and sand in, equal proportions passed through 
a fine-mesh sieve. When we are fortunate enough to, expe¬ 
rience a warm autumn and the seed ripens abundantly, it is 
advisable to sow thinly, but in a, season, like the past the 
weather was unfavourable for ripening, consequently the seed 
can be sown a, little thicker now. It, should he just covered 
with a little fine soil, lightly damped over, and placed in, a 
gentle heat, to, germinate. A warm pit or early vinery will 
answer this purpose. When the young plant® are well above the 
soil and sufficiently large to handle, they should he pricked off 
into, other boxes, using the same kind of compost, but a. little 
coarser, placing them about 2 in. or 3 in. apart each way, and 
stand in a cold frame. Thoroughly harden off before planting 
out, which should be done about, the first week in, April. If 
this is done in rows about 1 ft. between each and 6 in,, to 
9 in. between the plants, keeping the varieties, together, one 
will he able to easily determine which sort a, seedling of any 
merit was saved from. These will probably all flower the 
first autumn, when one can select all the promising and discard 
the remainder; this should be carefully done, so that no con¬ 
fusion can, occur. It. is. always advisable, should there he any 
doubt about the worth of a seedling, to flower it a second year 
before throwing away, as I have known seedlings prove first- 
class which when they flowered for the first, time were appar¬ 
ently of little value. 
Asters from Cuttings. —When it is desired to increase any 
particular variety the quickest method is to do, so by cuttings 
or rooted offsets which will he appearing in quantity now. 
Take them off and pot up singly in, small 60-s,ized pots, using 
a similar compost, to that advised for seedlings. If these are 
planted out about April they will make charming single- 
stemmed plants the first year. These are very useful for filling 
up any bare places which may occur on the front, of the Aster 
border, and are also, of great value for dotting about singly ini 
the herbaceous borders. Such varieties a® 1 the Hon. E. Gibbs 
and Enchantress, when, grown on, one stem, will make a, plant 
about 4 ft. in height, and have a pleasing effect when standing 
above the front occupants of the border the majority of which 
are past. A. E. Thatcher. 
Aldenham House Gardens, El street. 
