518 
THE GARDEN IN a WORLD. 
| June 25, 1204. 
Hardy Fruit. 
Strawberries are carrying very heavy crops of fruit, and fine 
weather is required for a. few 1 weeks:, as Strawberries: quickly 
decay if many weit- days ensue while the fruitsi are ripe. Early 
morning is the best time to gather fruit for dessert, while for 
jam-making it must be thoroughly dry, and carefully gathered. 
Plants growing ouT north borders for a late supply should be 
netted betimes:, as birds sample them long'before they begin to 
colour. Keep 1 all flowers and strings packed off St. Joseph for 
another 1 five or six weeks if fruits are required in September and 
October, and continue to set out. the latest batch of forced 
plants until the required number are planted. Do n,ot. allow 
former plantations of these to cany flower-trusses or runners 
unless the latter are necessary for 1 increase of stock, and work 
the flat hoe between the plants every favourable opportunity. 
Currants.—These look most promising and will require net¬ 
ting, first, hoeing the quarters, as with the frequent shows weeds 
are growing apace, and soon go to .seed thisi tune of year if 
left long without disturbance. Fay’s 1 Prolifio among reds are 
carrying. fine long bunches', and should make an excellent 
variety for exhibition. In gathering these bush fruits, those 
nearest the ground should be. the first to. come off, as they are 
liable to get dirty in showery weather. 
Gooseberries. —The earliest ripening varieties! will soon re¬ 
quire protection from thei birds if the fruit, must be kept to 
ripen for dessert, and some means should be devised to keep 
the nets clear of the. bushes, or good nets will soon be spoilt 
when they come to be taken off two or three times, daily while 
gathering, and it. is here where permanent, wire netting proves 
a valuable outlay. Look out for the .caterpillar still; a few 
left behind quickly increase and strip bush after bush of it.si 
entire foliage if ,not detected ini good time', which means a very 
poor, if any crop a.t all nest year. 
Grafted trees will require seeing to, removing the clay or 
grafting wax if.growing away nicely; otherwise it. should be 
left on a bit longer. Secure the graft from winds and birds 
by tying a. narrow piece of lath on to the stock first, then 
secure the young growth with a. straw or raffia, or 1 other' -soft) 
material. Where it is seen, the tying material i's cutting into 
the graft or stock, loosen it at once, slo that, both may swell 
away together, and rub off all growths below the union. 
American blight is showing itself on many of our trees; these 
have been gone over with a little paraffin and methylated 
spirit mixed together, touching all infected spots with a. small 
soft painter’® brush, working it well in the crevice®, especially 
on old trees having rugged bark, and search for caterpillars, 
which, with us, are numerous and are ribboning the foliage on 
a few late-planted standard trees in the orchard. 
Thinning Fruits.—It repays, going over wall, espalier, bush 
and pyramid trees where a heavy set has taken place, and 
taking off the smaller and any deformed fruits first. Some 
varieties of Plums, notably The Czar, Monarch and Victoria, 
often set twioei a® many or more than ought to. be left for a 
crop, and this early removal of fruit give® those remaining a 
better chance to finish up. Many varieties of Apples are 
crowded with fruit, and will have to be considerably lessened if 
fine specimens! are* looked for. Pears 1 , on tlie> other hand, \\ ith 
the exception of one or two. trees, will not require this, but 
Fisrs are receiving attention just now, these showing well for 
full crops. Sweet and Morelia Cherries are loaded, but. as a 
great many fruits are apt. to fall during the stoning, veiy little 
if any thinning is practised with these, while, the Peach and 
Nectarine should have their final thinning done ere now, the 
fruits of which are looking most promising, and will be at a 
standstill for a. few weeks while stoning. James Mayne. 
Bieton, Devonshire. 
Among the Orchids. 
Cypripediums —The specie® of the Slipper Orchids that 
comprise the summer-flowering section are not so popular .in 
gardens as the. winter-flowering kinds, but they are most useful 
subjects for exhibition, purposes when grown, info large speci¬ 
mens:, and as. they are practically all free flowering and possess 
robust constitution®, and above all, are plants which may be 
purchased for a modest outlay, they should be more exten¬ 
sively cultivated than is the case at the present time. They 
are best accommodated in the: plant stove, and, subjected to the 
general conditions of this division, they will be found to succeed 
admirably. T'herei is ho doubt in my mind that there still 
exists, not only in. the mindsi of .amateurs and those desirous, 
of cultivating in. their gardens, but. in the minds of a. great 
many gardeners, who, notwithstanding the assertion that is 
made from time to time by so many writers! on Orchid culture 
in the gardening Press, still hold to the erroneous contention 
that toi grow Orchids, special conditions and appliances are 
absolutely essential to meet, their requirements. Let me once 
more, Mr. Editor, point out the ridiculousness of the necessity 
of any such childish arguments. 
Plants of various genera and species are brought together 
from all parts of the world, and are successfully cultivated in 
the various divisions of the glasshouses of all gardens of note. 
It i® often the successful grower of these plants who will say 
we have not proper accommodation for Orchids. They over¬ 
look the fact that Orchids, too, are (after all) plants, many of 
them coming from the same, countries fro.ni which the best of 
their ordinary" cultivated plants have originated, and if these 
are found growing together under the same conditions in their 
native habitat, why need different, treatment be given under 
artificial conditions provided in our glasshouse®? 
Now, as most of the summer-flowering varieties are natives 
of the East, and they comprise chiefly what is known, as the 
tesselated foliage section of Cypripediums, comprising sucb 
species as. C. barbatum, C. lawremceanum, C. callosum, C. 
ciliolarei, C. Curtisii, and C. isuperbens (Veitchii) inhabiting 
various portions of the Malay Peninsula. The warm house is 
where their requirements are provided, and often with less 
attention, by far than that given to many other subjects in this 
division the most satisfactory results are obtained. When 
the. plants have grown, into: fair-sized specimens they will not 
need even annual repotting; overhauling the plants and re¬ 
moving the dea 4 d matter and giving a little top-dressing of fresh 
sphagnum moss sometimes came® the plants for two or three 
year® without disturbing their roots. Peat and moss' in about 
equal proportion® and broken crocks or rough sand to render 
it porous is. the best for thisi class of Cypripediums. 
I find the best, time'to attend to repotting is immediately 
after flowering. Most of the above-mentioned kinds will con¬ 
tinue on a successive growth for many years, and although 
retaining their leaves the older growths seldom make any 
attempt to produce new growths, and thus, while we. may have 
a fairly large specimen, we have only the one flowering growth. 
If we take a sharp, knife and cut. asunder the rhizomes of these 
older' growths, it is not as a rule long , before new growths 
are produced from the base of each. I would advise that such 
division, of growth should be made some weeks before repotting 
is: done. The separate growths will thus have the assistance of 
.any roots that may be attached to them, which will be cf 
o-reater advantage to them established in their old pots than 
would be the case were divisions made after the plants have 
been turned out of the pot. Stock can. be made of such divi¬ 
sion® when, potting takes place, or larger specimens are pro¬ 
curable through the increase of leading growth. The plants, 
should be shaded from bright sunlight after repotting, and 
occasional spraying overhead in hot weather will he found 
beneficial. 
Readers’ Competition.—P articulars of weekly prize see 
centre page. 
