202 
March 21, 1908. 
THE GARDENING WORLD. 
purple displayed among these make them 
most attractive, and b . ..g of a size suitable 
for decorative arrangements as cut flowers, 
they are worthy of every consideration, and 
I have no hesitation in recommending them 
as suitable subjects to be grown in private 
gardens where there is a demand for cut 
flowers at the end of February and the be¬ 
ginning of March. They possess good con¬ 
stitutions, and will grow freely under the 
same conditions as those usually provided 
for the successful culture of C. Trianae, or 
in an ordinary stove they succeed well. 
Mexican, Laalias, which include L. an- 
ceps in its varied forms, L. autumnalis, L. 
albida and the natural hybrids of this class, 
should, where the flower scapes have been re¬ 
moved, be placed at the dryest end of the 
Cattleya house and resting conditions should 
now be afforded. There are no plants I know 
of that take a more prolonged season of abso¬ 
lute rest during the dormant season; only 
sufficient root moisture is necessary to retain 
the pseudo-bulbs and leaves in a normal 
plump state. They should have the advan¬ 
tage of all the available light that can be 
provided with safety without actually 
scorching the foliage. I thank the better 
the plants are ripened the more likely they 
will be to produce satisfactory flowering 
conditions the following season. At the pre¬ 
sent season some of the plants will be 
actively rooting. It is advisable to keep such 
plants under close observation, as they are 
subject to the attack of cockroaches and 
woodLice; these pests are terribly destruc¬ 
tive and difficult even to keep under. We 
find a good plan is to hollow out some 
potatos and place them about the stages and 
with the aid of a light we find them feed¬ 
ing in the hollowed out space, when they 
may be caught and destroyed. Chase’s 
Beetle Poison is one of the most destructive 
remedies I have found. The cockroaches not 
only die that have eaten the poison,' but 
being of a carnivorous nature, those remain¬ 
ing feed on the dead, and are thus also 
destroyed. 
Potting Requirements. 
Some of the recently-flowered^ Cattleyas 
will be emitting new roots from the base of 
the last-made pseudo-bulb. Plants that are 
observed in this condition should have any 
re-potting requirements attended to without 
delay. It is not advisable to annually re¬ 
pot, if the potting compost is in good condi¬ 
tion and there is ample room in the pot, but 
any dead or decaying material on the sur¬ 
face should be removed and replaced with 
fresh com-post. In re-potting care must be 
observed in turning the plants out of their 
pots, avoiding .as far as possible any in¬ 
jury to the living roots. If the roots have 
become attached to the sides of the pots, it 
is better to break the pot and carefully re¬ 
move it in this way. After picking away all 
the old potting compost, the dead roots 
should be removed, and where there is a 
quantity of leafless back bulbs all but three 
from the lead may be cut. away. Back 
bulbs taken off in this way that have dor¬ 
mant eyes may be laid out on the stage or 
loosely patted in small pots, where they will 
in all probability start into growth. Drain 
to about two-thirds of the depth of the pots, 
and after placing the plant in position fill 
in with a compost consisting of two parts of 
peat to one of chopped sphagnum moss, with 
sufficient sand added to render the compost 
porous. Press the compost moderately firm 
and mound slightly to the centre of the pot. 
H. J. Chapman. 
- ¥+4 - 
Lenten Roses. 
In spite of the relatively cold nature of 
winter and early spring, the Lenten Roses 
or coloured species of Hellebore have kept 
their appointed time. 
The Amateur’s Greenhouse. 
Malmaison Carnations. 
Where these are kept in a fairly warm 
greenhouse during winter, the flower buds 
will now be advancing. If very large 
blooms are desired, it will be necessary 
to remove all but the terminal one on 
each stem, but if the grower is not ambi¬ 
tious in this respect, two or three blooms 
may be left according to the strength 
of the stem. Care should be exercised in 
picking out the buds not to injure those 
left or the tender young stems. 
Rearing Smilax. 
Plants of this useful, decorative subject 
are easily raised from seeds, and may be 
grown in a variety of ways, either planted 
out or put in boxes or grown in pots, 
entirely according to convenience. Get 
ready some 3-inch pots and fill them with 
some good soil with plenty of sand to 
make it porous. Plant two seeds in each 
pot to offer as many chances of at least 
one plant. If both seeds germinate, re¬ 
move the weaker one. Keep the young 
plants staked when thev get some size, 
but when they are fit to place in a size 
larger, the pots could be stood in a situa¬ 
tion where strings could be fastened to 
some object above, so that the young 
Smilax stems can twine upon this as they 
grow. Then, when required for decora¬ 
tive purposes, string and all may be cut. 
In that case, it would be well to use 
green string, so as to be as little notice¬ 
able as possible. 
Rooting Cuttings. 
In some instances considerable diffi¬ 
culty is experienced in getting cuttings 
to root in a greenhouse where the tem¬ 
perature is only moderately high. The 
difficult)' can be greatly overcome by 
using a 60-size pot for inserting the cut¬ 
tings, then a larger pot should be drained 
and the little one stood inside it. The 
space between the two may be filled with 
cocoanut fibre. The object in this is to 
secure greater uniformity of temperature 
and to avoid extremes of drought by 
preventing the sun and air from playing 
on the sides of the small pot. If such 
were to happen, the cutting itself may 
get partly dried up, or the young roots 
would be injured if they have already 
commenced to push out. Cuttings that 
take some time to root are most likely to 
require this sort of treatment in a green¬ 
house. 
Chrysanthemums for Decorative Pur¬ 
poses. 
The present is a good time for insert¬ 
ing cuttings of Chrysanthemums intended 
for pot culture and to give a display in 
the greenhouse or conservatory in 
autumn. Young shoots 4 in. or 5 in. 
long will root readily, and soon make 
strong plants if inserted singly in 3-inch 
pots. A quantity of the latter should be 
prepared, and the operator can then pro¬ 
ceed to dibble the cuttings into the pots, 
one in the centre of each. Cover the top 
of the soil with clean, sharp sand, so 
that some will fall into each hole made 
for a cutting. Syringe the cuttings once 
or twice a day to prevent them flagging' 
in bright weather, and when rooted, trans¬ 
fer the pots to a cold frame, which may 
be kept closed for a time until the plants 
have got inured to the change. 
Aspidistras. 
Now is the time to do any repot <7 
that may be necessary. It is nei ° 
necessary nor desirable to repot v; 2 . 
gated Aspidistras until they absolu v 
require it by the crowding of the pot • i 
roots or if the soil is in a bad condit 1. 
Too much root room causes the leave 0 
lose their variegation. On the 0 :r 
hand, if a number of small plants - 
wanted, rhe soil may be shaken away fn 
the roots and the pieces separated >y 
means of a sharp knife. A piece of ,’e 
underground stem should be retainer 
each crown, and if some roots are ;o 
attached, so much the better. A 4-: h 
pot will be quite sufficient for sii.e 
crowns, and until they are thoroughh;- 
tablished, it will be safe to put a s' :e 
to the leaf or leaves in case they ,y 
prove top heavy. 
Bedding Plants. 
The greenhouse will now be crow d 
for some time with the young stuff beg 
raised for bedding out. Lobelias ,d 
Marguerites may be increased as fa; is 
possible to meet the requirements. ie 
present is highly imjoortant, however, ir 
the raising of half-hardy annuals, sue is 
Stocks, Asters, Zinnias, French and i- 
can Marigolds, Chinese Pinks, varieg -d 
Maize and other subjects of that els. 
As soon as the seedlings are fit to hare' 
they should be pricked off into boxes d 
established in the same house for a w 
days before putting the boxes in d 
frames. 
Begonias. 
Those who have plenty of heat can 1; 
cuttings of fibrous-rooted Begonias n 
lime for planting out about the middbi 
June. Cuttings about q in. long mays 
employed. A temperature of 60 degsiy 
night will be necessary with a rise duig 
the day by means of sun heat. Tur- 
ous-rooted Begonias may be potted ip 
singly in small pots so as to give t m 
plenty of time to come along slowly nr 
planting out about the beginning of J e. 
They should not be put under the s ie 
warm conditions as advised for the M- 
ing of the fibrous-rooted Begonias. 
Geraniums for Winter Flowering. 
Cuttings may now be necessary to r- 
nish plants for winter flowering wit- 
convenience permits such being d e. 
The cuttings.can be taken from old si 
plants or else from the more unsha ly 
young plants in pots. By rooting t m 
now and growing them on fine :iu 
should be obtained to bloom from !p- 
tember onwards in a greenhouse wri¬ 
the temperature is kept at 50 degs. orot 
much under it by night. D. I 
- 4+4 - 
in 
Far-lying leas where grows the wild nbt 
wind. 
Dun, sodden earth beneath a stai> ; 
sky. 
Chill gusts of rain that drown rest¬ 
lessly 
The few dim lights along the disnt 
town ; 
And then the sunless, dreary day c - 
down, 
And oh, the long night waste that p 
behind! 
Albert Bigelow Pain 
