August 13, 1904, 
THE GARDENING WORLD . 
645 
well to pot culture. The strongest cuttings only should be 
taken, as these naturally produce the finest heads of flowers. 
Cyclamen persicum.— Fine plants carrying numerous flowers 
may be grown in eighteen months, and the seed should be 
sown in the course of the next few daysi for providing plants 
for flowering next spring twelve months. Prepare clean pans 
or pots, and drain them well, then fill to within, an inch of the 
run with finely-sifted light soil of an open character, press 
fairly firm, and sow the seed evenly, and cover with f in. of the 
soil. After watering with a fine-rosed can, cover with a sheet 
of glass and place on, a shelf in a pit or warm greenhouse to 
germinate. Subsequent cultural details will he dealt, with in 
a later calendar. K. M. 
Among the Orchids. 
Cool House Orchids. — From the middle of August until the 
end of September is generally considered the best season of 
the year to attend to the repotting requirements of most of the 
species included in this division. In hot and dry situations it 
is well not to> be in too great a hurry in commencing potting 
operations, but in the cooler and moister positions' noi harm 
can be done, providing the ordinary precautions are observed 
that usually follow in the attention of repotted plants. The 
sphagnum moss used should, be of the best quality procurable; 
the pale green, thin and long-growing kinds are not, at all 
suitable for the cool house plants. Take care to pick out all 
weeds, and if-not used immediately it is picked, it should be 
watered and turned frequently soi as to keep it in a growing 
state. The peat and leaves should be put ready, so that there 
may be no delay after commencing. A good supply of Bracken 
roots should also be chopped and put ready for 1 use. Care 
must, be taken to observe when chopping these roots that none 
are used that contain any fleishy or sappy matter in them. If 
the roots are not perfectly free of matter of this kind, fungus 
will most surely put, in an appearance. We take the precau¬ 
tion to thoroughly bake and dry the roots over one of the 
boilers before they are required' for use. If the leaves cam be 
thoroughly dried, it will do away with a, lot of small insects and 
worms that occasionally become troublesome. These items 
may appear trifling, but they often prevent serious trouble, and 
where valuable plants are being treated, too much care cannot 
be taken. 
Maedevallias of the large growing kinds, such as M. Veitchii, 
M. ignea, the numerous varieties of M. harryana, the -thick- 
foliage section of the M. leontoglossa class, and many of the 
hybrids should be now overhauled. It is not advisable to 
repot the plants if there is ample room in the pots and the 
compost in good condition, but all dead leaf-bracts and decay¬ 
ing material -should be removed. Where plants have become 
hollow through loss of leaves in the centre, the plants should 
be turned out of the pots, clear asi much of the old compost as 
is desirable from about the roots, and divide the plants to- such 
an extent as to render them suitable for placing together again 
in the centre of the pot. The pots used should be cleaned! and 
filled to about one-half their depth with the Bracken roots. 
Tlie most suitable compost we find is one-third each. of 
chopped sphagnum, peat, and partly decayed leaves, with 
sufficient rough sand added to- render the co-mpo-st open and 
porous. Pres® moderately firm and cover the surface of the 
compost- with a good layer of chopped sphagnum. Water 
sufficient to wet, the compost- through with ra-in water ; after 
only sufficient moisture will be necessary to 1 keep the- surface 
moss in a growing state. Odont-oglossum cri spurn has now be¬ 
come -so popular that the plants generally are much bettei 
cultivated than they were a few years ago. There aie cer¬ 
tainly no plants that, are so* tractable to cultivation when theii 
requirements are understood and provided. The remarks I 
have made above apply to the cultivation of the Odontoglos- 
sum, but care must, be observed! to use the material in a, coarser 
Oi’ larger -state in the repotting of large specimens. . Unless 
the material is made fairly firm about the roots a difficulty 
will be found in. getting the surface moss to grow in a sat-is- 
factory manner. The pots should be filled to at least onediall' 
their depth with Bracken Fern roots. II. J. 
Fruit Under Glass. 
Melons. —The last crop 1 for the year should have been 
planted ere this', and it depends largely on the -weather during 
the next ten or twelve weeks a-s to whether the crop will be a 
success or not. We already note the days are shortening, 
which means a less amount of sunshine, therefore give the 
plants- every encouragement to reach -their allotted space by 
husbanding the sun-heat a little earlier each da-y from now on¬ 
wards, and keep' thei syringe well amongst th-e foliage to ward 
off red spider. Secure the growths bo the trellis every other 
day to prevent the bine getting crippled, and pinch the lowest 
laterals so t-ha-t secondary ones may come into flower 
at the same time as those further up the Vine, a-nd 
-stop 'the leader a-bout nine inches from thei top. Attend 
to the pollination of the fl-owersi on succession plants as 
they expand, reducing the number when set to three or four 
fruits to a plant-, and from then until the fruit shows signs of 
ripening, ply the syringe once or twice daily according to the 
weather, and feed frequently with manurial waterings, keep¬ 
ing it away from thei base! of the plant, and maintaining a 
night temperature of 70 degrees. 
Orchard House. —Opinions differ as to the best time to repot 
the -early trees of Peaches, Nectarines, and Cherries, some 
doing it in early August, while others defer it until October, 
just before the leaves begin to' fall. In performing the work 
now much care is necessary, especially if much reduction of 
the ball is required, and the trees must be daily shaded for a 
few hours for a, week or more and kept in a cool place with 
plenty of overhead moisture until the trees get hold of the 
new soil; whilei potting at the later period less attention is 
required, and as far ais my experience goes, just, as satisfactory 
results follow. Trees carrying fruit will take plentiful supplies 
of manuria-l waterings, and as soon as the fruit is cleared plunge 
the pots outside and keep them well syringed morning and 
evening during dry weather, never allowing them to suffer for 
water at the root. 
Vineries that, are -emptied of fruit -should be syringed every 
evening and the borders kept uniformly moist, less sufficing 
now than when carrying a cro-p. Houses containing ripe grapes 
require to he kept coo-l and airy to maintain -the berries plump, 
but it is hardly safe to d- 0 ' away with fire heat unless the weather 
again sets, in 1 trop-ica-l; just a little circulation of warmth to 
dispel superfluous moisture is all -that is necessary. Give such 
structures a good damping about 12 o’clock, this sufficing for 
the day, and when water a,t -the root becomes necessary let it 
be done early mornings so that too much moisture is not about 
when the ventilation is reduced for the night- Wasps are 
already becoming a nuisance, and must be kept at bay by cover¬ 
ing the ventilators with wasp-proof hexagon, or the bunches 
will soon be disfigured. Even when -one destroys all the nest-s 
that can be found within -a mile radius still they come, which 
makes one think these -marauders must travel miles in search 
of good fruit. Houses containing Lady Downes will be fast 
colouring and 'should he given abundant ventilation during 
bright -days, leaving a chink top and bottom about closing 
time at 4 p.m. Keep Laterals restricted or they soon become 
a tangled mass and shade -the principal leaves and prevent the 
wood becoming well ripened. 
Pot Vines. —These should now be standing outside against 
a sunny wall, plunging the pots or covering them with litter 
to prevent them being parched at the root- Examine them two 
■or three time's bright days, and give water when lequired, 
syringing the foliage towards 5 p.m., and I’estiict all lateral 
growth so that the buds may plump up. Canes raised from 
eyes this season, and intended to- be cut back in winter and 
grown on another year before fruiting them, may, if growth 
