690 
THE GARDENING WORLD. September a, 190S. 
cially fine. Should the weather continue di’y, 
give a thorough soaking of farmyard liquid 
to the roots, which will much assist the cobs 
to swell and finish. 
Herbs, —On a fine day cut such kinds as 
Mint, Sage, and Marjoram, also pull up the 
annual kinds, such as Sweet Basil and 
Knotted Marjoram. Lay out thinly to dry 
under glass if possible, turning them over 
every day, when they should be tied up in 
small bunohes and hung up in an open shed 
for use as required. 
Beetroot. —Most of the varieties have made 
exceptional growth this season, and when 
sufficiently large for use—and it is well to re¬ 
member that large roots are of little value, 
as they become coarse and stringy—lift, and 
store in sand or finely-sifted cinder ashes 
under a north wall or some other cool posi¬ 
tion. If it is not bruised, and the tap-root un¬ 
broken, this will keep in splendid condition 
for six or eight months. 
Capsicums and Chillies. —Continue to give 
manure-water liberally to the roots of these; 
syringe overhead twice daily, and those that 
are gi’owing in pots in the open or in cold 
frames should in about a fortnight be removed 
to a slightly warmer place, such as a heated 
pit or greenhouse. E. Beckett. 
Aldenham House Gardens, Elstree. 
—- £ 
Orchids for Amateurs. 
Odontoglossums —It is difficult to fix any 
hard and fast lines as to when or at what par¬ 
ticular season of the year is the best time to 
repot individual plants, for the simple reason 
that so much depends on the condition of 
growth, and, as is often the case with species 
such as O. crispum, which make their growths 
and produce their flowers practically at all 
seasons of the year, the repotting require¬ 
ments must have attention in such cases when 
the plants are in the most suitable stage of 
growth for the purpose. For those who have 
suitable conditions to meet the requirements 
of the plants, I would advise deferring the 
potting season until the plants are in the 
proper condition to benefit immediately by 
the change of compost. Undoubtedly the 
best time to repot any Orchid is when the new 
roots are just being emitted from the base of 
the last-made pseudo-bulb or developing 
growths. Some Orchids do not commence root 
action until the growths are matured. 
I have instances of this with some of the 
choice kinds of O. crispum, but if we refer to 
the general rule with this species we find that 
the principal root action commences at the 
season when the new pseudo-bulb commences 
to form, after leaf growth is practically de¬ 
veloped. This being the case, and as the 
majority of the plants of 0. crispum flower 
about the same time, in the spring of the 
year, what is termed annual repotting can 
be attended to at or about the same time, as 
the growth will be practically in the same 
stage of development. The season for repot¬ 
ting, excepting in individual cases as men¬ 
tioned above, will be found about the end of 
August and through September. I would 
advise this season in preference to spring pot¬ 
ting. Where one has only a few plants, and 
can give them attention at leisure, by all 
means wait until the new roots can be seen 
at the base of the plant before commencing 
repotting operations, care being taken to see 
that the new roots do not become too far ad¬ 
vanced before doing them, or there is then 
greater danger of their becoming damaged 
and broken. 
We use a potting compost of about one-third 
each of chopped living sphagnum moss, 
fibrous peat, and leaf soil, not too far ad¬ 
vanced in decay ; dry leaves rubbed through 
a sieve are the most suitable. I would ad¬ 
vise amateurs to stick to the orthodox compost 
of equal portions of peat and moss unless 
some experience has previously been ac¬ 
quired in the use of leaf soil as a suitable pot¬ 
ting medium. When we speak of annual re¬ 
potting, I would not convey that I consider 
it necessary to annually repot every plant. 
It is useless to disturb a plant if the compost 
is in good condition and there is still ample 
room in the receptacle, or even if only the 
surface has become decayed. What is termed 
top dressing—that is, removing the decayed 
and replacing with good material—is all that 
is required in such cases. Where the soil has 
become sour or the plants require more room, 
The Kitchen Garden. 
Mid-season Peas are exceptionally fine 
this year ; in fact, I never saw heavier crops. 
The table quality, too, is of a very high order, 
and, seeing, so many really fine kinds of re ¬ 
cent introduction more than hold their own 
in every respect, it is really foolish of anyone 
continuing to grow the old poorly-flavoured 
sorts. For three successive seasons I have 
grown that new Irish-raised main-crop Pea 
Royal Salute. It grows about 4 ft. high in 
good soil, and the haulm is fairly covered with 
large pods of a fine dai-k green colour. Wlieir 
cooked the colour is well retained, and the 
flavour is first-rate. The Gladstone, sent out 
by the same firm, is in every way different, 
and although with us it hardly carries so 
many pods, yet the pods are so long and well 
filled that the yield is very large. Glory of 
Devon is ef quite a different stamp to the 
two above mentioned, but for quantity anil 
quality combined is little, if any, inferior. 
In colour it is paler, but of quite marrowfat 
flavour. Taken all in all, I could not wish 
for anything better than these three distinct 
Peas. They are in every way superior to the 
straggling Telegraph and Telephone types, 
and each of them by later sowing succeed well 
for late crops. 
Brassicas going Blind. — Unlike Mr. 
Beckett, I have to report an almost entire 
absence of this annoying deformity in this 
locality. In fact, I never in all my expe¬ 
rience saw fewer blind Autumn Giant Cauli¬ 
flowers. Among Savoys I fail to notice even, 
one so deformed, and, speaking generally, all 
the Cabbage tribe are looking well over the 
average. 
Tidiness —Fruit-picking is always respon¬ 
sible, even in well-staffed gardens, for a cer¬ 
tain amount of untidiness at this season. 
Weeds will grow, and exhausted crops that 
the stress of fruit-gathering compels us to 
leave give our gardens a sort of slip-shod 
look that we must now get cleared off with 
all possible dispatch. 
Cabbage. —Get these planted out as soon as 
large enough. The border from which early 
they should be carefully turned out of the 
old pots, and the old compost about the roots 
removed. 
Select pots of suitable sizes. After put¬ 
ting a piece of broken crock to cover the drain¬ 
age hole at the bottom, fill the pot to one- 
half its depth with chopped, thoroughly dried 
Bracken Fern roots, lay a little moss or rough 
potting compost over this, and, after placing 
the plant in position, fill in the remaining 
space with the potting compost, pressing it 
moderately firm, the surface being finished 
with a layer of chopped living sphagnum. 
Water as soon as potting is completed, and 
shade from sun or glaring light for a time 
until the new roots get hold of the fresh com¬ 
post. The atmosphere should also be kept 
well charged with moisture. 
Potatos have been lifted is the best possible 
place for them. Do not dig, but make level 
with a Dutch hoe, and you then have just 
what the Cabbage requires. Eighteen inches 
between the rows and 15 in. from plant to 
plant in the rows is about the proper dis¬ 
tance. C. Blair. 
Preston, Linlithgow. 
Hardy Fruit. 
Strawberries for forcing will now require to 
be put in their forcing pots at once, to give 
them all the time to get their pots well filled 
with roots and time to form good, firm crowns, 
which is the secret of success at the fruiting 
season. 
See that a good friable loam is used in pre¬ 
paration for potting, with a little leaf mould 
and a dash of sharp sand to keep all from 
getting too close. Add to every barrow-load 
of the mixture a 6-in. potful of some good 
artificial fertiliser, with a spadeful or two of 
soot well mixed throughout the whole, and 
turned once or twice before being used. See 
that the pots are carefully crocked and per¬ 
fectly clean. Use a little moss over the 
crocks, and a small handful of rough, well- 
decayed bones thrown over the moss ; they 
assist very much at the last swelling of the 
fruit, when pots are getting matted with 
roots. 
In preparing, the pots which I recommend 
are 6 in., and 7 in. for the later batch. I use 
for each pot one of Porter’s crocks, which 
most effectually keeps out worms while stand¬ 
ing outside during the autumn. I prefer 
them standing on a gravel walk or bed of 
ashes where they will get well exposed, to the 
sun. . See that they are carefully watered 
after potting to settle the soil, and then a 
damp overhead will be sufficient for a time, 
and when pots get well filled with roots add 
a little weak liquid manure, and once or twice 
during the autumn a pinch of artificial manure 
over the surface will be taken in with the 
watering, and help to plump up the crowns, 
on which depends the next season’s crop. 
Cullen. J. Fraser Smith. 
H. J. Chapman. 
OUR ... 
Northern Gardens. 
