.July 9, 1904. 
THE GARDENING WORLD, 
555 
The Flower Garden. 
The continuous dry weather of late necessitates the constant 
, e , of the hoe in the flower garden. In many cases so thickly 
:e the beds furnished that it is a matter of some difficulty to 
it between the plants without doing damage; in such cases, 
owever, the plants themselves prevent the surface soil from 
^coming dry and cracked. Watering is too often resorted to 
hen the) soil 2 in. or 3 in. below the surface is by no means 
; -y. Generally, it is far better to ply the hoe frequently, 
doping the surface soil loose, thus filling up the cracks, and 
j conserving the moisture below. 
Calceolarias which were planted out early in the season are 
or iii; full flower, and owing to the weight of the inflorescence® 
e inclined to fall over and hide their beauty. Golden Gem 
a cac?e in point, but this fault may be easily remedied by 
serting a. few twiggy pieces of Birch or similar material 
noog the plants, thus affording a slight support to the 
>wers. 
The propagation of dwarf early-flowering Phloxes may be 
ken in hand now or as; soon as flowering is; over. Such sorts 
; P. ovata, P. divarieata, etc., are decidedly pretty, and should 
i grown wherever an early summer display is 1 required. Care- 
illy prepared cuttings of rather firm young shoots will root 
a cold frame if kept close and shaded for some time after 
sertion; division of the old plants may also; be resorted to 
hen the stock'is plentiful. 
Phlox ovata is a pretty pink-flowered species often seen in 
>ck gardens, and the variety Carolina is an equally handsome 
lant; both grow about 1 ft. high, and make a pretty show 
l early summer. 
Phlox divarieata has lilac-coloured flowers, which have a 
easing effect when in bloom. 
P. amoenum, a very dwarf sort, bears abundance of pretty 
nk flowers, while P. subulata, another dwarf grower, pro- 
icesi any amount of rose-coloured flowers. 
Many of the dwarf mossy Saxifrages may be utilised in the 
jwer-garden either as edgings or for carpeting beds of taller 
ants, such as late-flowering Tulips, etc. In this way, S. 
uscoides may be used, while S. muscoides Rhei is even 
kter than the type, and bears any amount of small pink 
>wers. S. Wallacei, a larger grower, producing correspomd- 
gly larger white flowers, is a really fine plant of a free habit 
' growth. The propagation of these Saxifrages is similar to 
lat suggested for Phloxes, division of the old plants being 
uy generally done after’ flowering. B. W. J. 
Among the Orchids. 
Cattleyas. —The autumn-flowering Cattleyas, such as C. 
biata autumnalis, C. dowiana, -and C. Eldorado', will be de- 
loping their growths, and will need every encouragement to 
duee them to produce satisfactory results, when in due course 
;eir flowers expand. I find it best to use considerable dis- 
■etdon in watering until this class have developed their 
"owths so far as to be unfolding their leaves. It is 
om this time until the pseudo-bulbs reach maturity that 
serai treatment is necessary. This not only applies to root 
oisture, hut the plants should be placed in such a, position 
iati they may obtain the maximum amount of bright light, 
lading only sufficiently to prevent the direct rays of the sun 
coi scorching the foliage. They should have ample atmo- 
iheric moisture, produced by frequent damping of the floors 
id stages between the pots. Close the house not later than 
iree o’clock in the afternoon in bright weather, and allow 
ie temperature to rise to a fairly high degree. This enables 
3 to dispense with a considerable amount of fire heat, which 
: this time of year, with favourable outside conditions, should 
fly necessitate the slightest circulation of heat the last thing 
t night. In the use of wafer some discretion is necessary at 
ns season of the year, when heavy thunderstorms: are preva- 
‘ n t-_ The sudden floodings of the tanks will have the effect of 
msiderably lowering the temperature of the water. It is 
well to see in such cases the difference between the tempera¬ 
ture of the house and that of the water used for watering pur¬ 
poses. The temperature of the water should always be at 
least 2 deg. above that of the mean temperature of the house 
for established plants, and for seedlings in a young stage it 
should be equal to the temperature of the house at the time 
the water is given. Watering and the water used is the most 
essential item in the successful cultivation of Orchids, and I 
know of several cases indiscretion has led to the most un¬ 
desirable results. 
Cattleya dowiana and C. dowiana aurea are two quite dis¬ 
tinct plants in habit and in the nature of their requirements. 
In the case of the latter variety it may be said to he one 
of the least difficult of the Cattleya, species to deal with. Pro¬ 
viding they are potted with the least possible amount of 
compost about their roots, suspended from a position near 
the roof-glass and watered with discretion, they rarely fail 
to thrive and flower satisfactorily annually. In the case of 
the Costa Rica C. dowiana there are very few cultivators who 
retain it in vigorous health for many years after importing' it. 
Nothing does more satisfactorily for the first year or two after 
importing, after which it commences decline, often brought 
about by the plants producing secondary growth after 1 flower¬ 
ing, which are so green and full of sap that they fail to de¬ 
velop satisfactorily during the winter months. One of the 
principal things, therefore, is to see that the plants are placed 
under such conditions that will retard them from commencing 
secondary growth, and by exposing them to a liberal amount 
of sunlight it will enable; them to: properly ripen the exces¬ 
sively sappy leaves and growths, and thus render them the 
more capable of producing desirable results in successive years. 
This is the only means I have found to enable us to retain 
this plant in satisfactory health for any length of time after 
importing it. ' ' jj j 
On the Editor’s Table. 
Strawberry the Laxton. 
A box of the; above Strawberry reached us about a fortnight 
ago' from Messrs. Laxton Bros., Bedford, arriving in fine con¬ 
dition. The fruit is of large size, conical, or sometimes a 
little flattened in the larger fruits, and of a bright crimson 
red. It is a firm fruit, combining the good qualities of Royal 
Sovereign x Sir Joseph Paxton (which were its parents), so 
that it make® a good market berry on account of its °ood 
shape, rich colour, piquant, flavour, and capabilities for travel¬ 
ling without being crushed. Tins choice early variety was 
new three years ago, and received a First-class Certificate from 
t.he Royal Horticultural Society when exhibited at the meeting 
of June 18th, 1901. It is now plentiful, and finding its way 
into private gardens all over the country. A plantation of it 
is a fine sight in the beginning of the Strawberry season, as 
the large and luscious berries are produced in great abundance 
on plants of vigorous habit. It was raised eleven years ago>, 
and was well tested before being put into commerce. 
Violas and Pansies from Rothesay. 
A box, containing choice varieties of the above', lias reached 
us from Messrs. Dobbie and Co., the Royal Scottish Seed Estab¬ 
lishment, Rothesay. Both types include: very handsome varie¬ 
ties of their kind, and something to please the taste and fancy 
of different people. We have our own special predilection®, 
and at once singled out the Violas which pleased us best, in¬ 
cluding both the self and edged kinds. 
A very handsome pure white Viola with a golden eye was 
Mrs. J. McCrae, which, though not very firm in texture, was 
cf handsome shape and large size. The texture of Isolde 
leaves nothing to he desired. The flower is perfectly circular, 
golden-yellow, deepening almost to orange upon the lip. A 
beautiful light blue: variety was Maggie Smott, fading to a 
lighter shade on the lower petal. Very handsome edged 
varieties were W. P. A. Smith and Minnie J. Ollar, these re>- 
