THE GARDENING WORLD. 
March 26. 1904. 
234 
As: regards shading these structures, it should not be clone 
too early; rather air them more freely, and it will be found 
better for the majority of the occupants; at the some time 
extra care will be required in airing judiciously. Where blinds 
are utilised they may now be put up and drawn down asi 
thought necessary. 
Crotons. —These plants are indispensable for the embellish¬ 
ment. of stoves and for the dwelling. So much has been 
written anent these in the pages of The Gardening World of 
late that but little remains to be said, except that the required 
number of plants should be worked up as: soon as; possible by 
inserting cuttings, or by what is known by the craft as ringing. 
Excellent plants 2 ft. in height and of elegant contour may be 
grown in one season by good cultivation, and these may be 
kept healthy and of good colour if retained in pots 7 in. in 
diameter. The beauty of Crotons lies chiefly in their rich 
coloration, and to achieve this the plants should be kept grow¬ 
ing freely in a, strong heat and plenty of moisture, with a fair 
amount of sunlight playing about them. 
Bouvardias.Propagate the required number of plants by 
inserting cuttings as they are produced on the old plants. 
These will have been potted up 1 ere this in a compost consisting 
of two parts good friable loam to one each of peat and leaf-soil, 
with sand added. If the soil is .sweet, and the drainage good, 
the plants may be carried on for the season if top-dressed with 
a. similar compost, incorporating a little artificial manure in it. 
Decorative Asparagus.—These are of inestimable value to 
the gardener in providing graceful foliage for arranging with 
flowers, and as pot plants for the stove and for basket culture. 
The plants should be potted in a compost of equal parts loam, 
leaf-soil, and decomposed cow or horse manure, adding plenty 
of road grit or sand. In the culture of such specie® a® A. Spren- 
gerii and A. deflexus, in. basket®, for which purpose they are 
admirably adapted, the plants should be raised from seeds or 
by division and grown on in pots for a. time; when well estab¬ 
lished, transfer them to the basket®. These may he of wire or 
- teak wood. Line the inside of the basket with moss from 
the woods, and after placing a, layer of soil at the bottom, 
insert the plants .and-fill up. making all quite firm as the work 
proceeds. The best way to apply water to these is to immerse 
them in a vessel of tepid water in order to well moisten the 
whole mass. K. M. 
Among the Orchids. 
Cattleyas.— r Plants.of C. Trianaei that have recently passed 
out of flower will be emitting new roots from the base cf last 
season’s pseudo-bulbs. This will be found the; most suitable 
time to attend to any repotting requirements that may be 1 
necessary, as the new root® soon get hold of the potting com¬ 
post, and they are not so likely to suffer any ill effects from 
repotting. It is a great mistake to disturb thoroughly estab¬ 
lished large specimen plants more frequently than their re¬ 
quirements really demand. Unless a. plant has outgrown its 
pot or basket., or the potting compost has become so far decayed 
as to> become detrimental to the root® of the plant, it should 
not be repotted. I would prefer to; remove as much of the 
compost as can be conveniently got at, and see that the 
drainage is free, and replace the compost removed with new 
material. 
I find the most, suitable compost to suit the labiata. section of 
Cattleyas to' consist, of good fibrous peat, chopped sphagnum 
moss, and leaf-soil riddled between; a |-in. and a, J-in. sieve (the; 
rough compost and the very fine decayed leaves being thus 
removed). Mix the compost in equal quantities and add suffi¬ 
cient rough silver sand to render it porous. The> drainage, in 
repotting, should be made up to one-third the 1 depth of the pot. 
Press: the compost firmly about the roots and base of the plant.; 
unless it is made firm, the surfacing moss rarely ever grows 
where leaf-soil is used in the; compost. As soon, as potting has 
been done, water the plant with chilled rainwater, thoroughlv 
wetting the compost through. 
The success of cultivation of Orchids, in leaf composts, de¬ 
pends more or less on the discretion of those who have charge 
of the plant®. The man who attempts the use of this material 
must know how to provide the moisture requirements at the 
roots of the plants. It, is useless for a, slap-dash waterer, and 
unless a man knows how to water, no Orchid potted in leaf- 
soil should be entrusted to his charge. When once the plant 
has been wetted through after repotting, all that is necessarv 
afterwards is to' spray the surface of the moss sufficiently often 
to keep it in a growing and good condition. To water heavily 
would retain the compost, in a saturated state, causing the 
roots to decay and the ultimate destruction of the plant. I 
have no hesitation to' thoroughly recommend leaf-soil for the 
cultivation, of almost all epiphytic Orchids in the proportions 
above mentioned. Its successful use or failure, depends to ? 
great extent, on the: treatment afforded by the operator attend¬ 
ing to the plants. 
Divisions. —When looking over the Cattleya, plants for re¬ 
potting purposes many plants which do not, require repotting or 
even top-dressing will be found to have continuous successions 
of pseudo-bulbs along the rhizome, with perhaps only the one 
leading growth. In. many instances these old pseudo-bulbs, 
having no living roots to- sustain them, abstract their sus¬ 
tenance from the leading growths', causing so much strain that 
the structure of the succeeding pseudo-bulbs becomes consider¬ 
ably diminished. If these older growths are examined, it will 
be found that many of them have eyes at the base capable of 
producing new growths. Now, if the rhizome is cut. asunder 
at, suitable intervals, with a sharp: knife, at the present sea,son 
many of these dormant eyes will start, into growth, which, when 
developed, not only relieves the leading growth, but helps to 
form the plant into a larger and affords the groundwork for 
a, better flowering specimen plant, which may be easily brought 
into the desired shape and position at the first time repotting 
is afterwords required. II. J. 
Parsley. 
A bed of good Parsley in. a. kitchen garden is; a thing, apart 
from its usefulness, pleasant to the eye, and to have it so it is 
well to sow the seed in a box and place in, beat, a 'hotbed for 
preference; and as soon, as ready prick off in a frame or boxes 
and grow on, and gradually harden off for planting out about 
the end of April. 
The bed should have been, previously well prepared by deep 
working and manuring, and should be a piece where tap-root¬ 
ing crops were not the preceding one, for two, reasons. Parsley 
is a, tap-rooted plant, and if preceded by a similar crop, would 
he robbed of sufficient nourishment; and beside®, should 
Carrots have preceded it and been attacked by the Carrot-fly, it 
is quite likely soi would the Parsley. It is better in gardens 
vdiere the Carrots are attacked by the fly to keep the Parsley 
plot w^ell apart from it. In putting out the plants, place them 
1 ft. apart and give a good watering (they must never suffer 1 
for want of it). The after-culture is to; keep 1 the surface free 
from weeds and wrnll loosened and an occasional watering with 
farm manure and soot in a, liquid state. 
Some people are averse to transplanting Parsley owing to 
their .superstition, but the oftener it is planted in reason the 
better and more curly it turn®. 
Besides its being used for flavouring and garnishing, it 
makes a splendid jelly. J. R. B. 
Mr. Vyvyan Kemi*.— Nine years ago the above florist, of 
Dover, became bankrupt, and was only able to pay Is. lid. in 
the pound. Having received a legacy of £1,500, be has now 
announced to his creditors that they will be paid in full with 
4 per cent, interest up to date. 
