268 
THE GARDENING WORLD 
April 18, 1908. 
The Amateur’s Greenhouse. 
Starting Caladiums. 
Tubers of these lovely plants which have 
been lying dormant should be started at once 
in gentle heat, a liberal syringing greatly 
assisting the operation. Should any be un¬ 
duly large they may be divided, and as soon 
as active g-rowth commences, potted up ; n 
soil consisting of loam, leaf-mould, and 
broken turf in equal quantities, with the ad¬ 
dition of some well-rotted manure and suffi¬ 
cient sand to keep the compost open. ‘Good 
drainage is essential, as they require a 
liberal supply of moisture when once the 
leaves have expanded and the plants are in 
full growth. The smaller and better pro¬ 
portioned specimens make splendid table 
decorations; but ere removing them to the 
house, it as advisable to harden them off 
gradually, and even then they cannot with¬ 
stand a draughty situation. 
Propagation by Leaves. 
The beautiful Begonia Rex, in addition to 
the Gloxinias and several other greenhouse 
favourites, may be increased by this means 
if due care is taken. The leaves to select 
are those having just reached a state of ma¬ 
turity, very old or young ones are useless 
for the purpose. With a sharp knife make 
clean incisions across the mid-rib or princi¬ 
pal veins which project on the underside of 
the leaves, or even the petiole or leaf-stalk 
will answer the purpose. This should then 
be placed (with the mutilated side down¬ 
wards) on a previously prepared pot of sand 
or fibre and lightly pegged down, or kept in 
position by means of pebbles or broken 
crocks. Place under a bell-glass, and keep 
fairly dry to prevent the leaf rotting, and 
soon bulbil-like growths will appear, which, 
when large enough, may be removed and 
placed in small pots, where they will soon 
develop into perfect plants. 
Auriculas in the Greenhouse. 
The lovely stage or show Auriculas, as 
well as the alpine varieties, can be grown to 
perfection in any cool greenhouse, and per¬ 
haps are more deserving of the protection 
afforded than the hardier sort. They are 
classed according to the colour of the edges 
of the .petals, there being grey, .green, and 
white-edged varieties, whilst those consisting 
of the ground-colour only are termed 
“ seifs. n The pans in which seed was sown 
in late February or early March will even 
yet be producing seedlings, for Auriculas a’e 
notoriously slow of germination, and severil 
- weeks may yet elapse ere if .is safe to throw 
the soil away, for it often proves that the 
latest comers are the finest varieties. If 
sown thinly, the seedlings may he kept in the 
pans until they have made three or four 
leaves, when they should be transplanted into 
small pots in a compost of loam and sand 
with the addition of some finely pulverised 
cow manure. Old plants may be increased 
either by division of roots or by means of the 
lateral offsets, which, if placed three or four 
round the sides of a small pot in sandy soil, 
will readily strike. 
Tomatos From Seed. 
Tomatos may be easily raised from seed 
in any greenhouse in a temperature of 
about 60 to 65 degrees. If they are in¬ 
tended for outdoor culture, the seed should 
have 'been sown early last month. This be¬ 
ing so, they will now be ready for potting 
on from three to five or six-inch pots, and 
if cramped for room in the house, the latter 
size should be chosen and two plants in¬ 
serted, one 'in each side of the pot. When 
planting out at the end of next month, they 
should be divided with as little disturbance 
as possible to the ball of earth. Some of 
the plants, of course, should be retained for 
the greenhouse, as those reared there pro¬ 
vide flhe choicest and earliest fruit, and 
moreover, do not run the risk of failure that 
those grown in, the open do. 
Pretty Basket Plants. 
A few tasitefully-arranged hanging baskets 
add greatly to the charm of any greenhouse, 
and .there is .a lengthy list of suitable plants 
to select from, but few are more effective 
than the two here mentioned. Panicum 
v.ariegatum 'is an elegant little greenhouse 
perennial, and pips or cuttings will strike 
readily taken now and inserted six or-eight 
together in pots of sandy soil. A good plan 
is to place a layer of sand over .the .soil, then 
when making the holes to receive the cut¬ 
tings, some will fall in and greatly assist 
in the formation of new rootlets. It looks 
exceedingly pretty if grown in baskets in 
company wiifh some of the graceful varie¬ 
gated Tradescantias, T. zebrina, for instance, 
which, by the way, thrives well under like 
treatment and may be readily propagated in 
the same .manner. 
Shapely Fuchsias. 
These are favourites with all, and a well- 
grown and shapely Fuchsia takes a lot of 
beating. But to obtain plants of perfect 
symmetry, they must be taken in hand and 
trimmed to the desired foftn. Sometimes 
they are of naturally perfect growth, but 
should they not be full enough, the extremi¬ 
ties of the main shoots must be pinched off 
to induce the lateral growths to fill up all 
blank spaces. Constant syringing is also 
beneficial to induce new growth and keep 
down insect pests. 
G. A. F. 
Orchids for Amateurs. 
Cool House Orchids. 
Odontoglostsum jRossiii and O.R. mlajus' 
that have recently .passed out of flower will 
now be emitting new roofs, and the young 
growth will also be appearing. At this 
stage any repotting requirements necessary 
may be attended to without delay. I would 
not advocate the annual repotting of 0. 
Rossii, providing the potting compost is in 
a good state of preservation and there is 
ample room in the pots ; all that is necessary 
is to remove the surface moss and any decay¬ 
ing material and replace it with chopped 
sphagnum moss and fibrous peat. Where 
repotting is necessary, carefully turn the 
plants out of the receptacles, arid remember 
that there is always the possibility of some 
of the roots having attached themselves to 
the sides of the pots or pans, and it is well 
not to damage these more than can" he 
avoided. It is a good plan to wet the com¬ 
post by dipping, for the roots will be found 
to detach themselves more .readily when they 
are in a wet state than when they are dry. 
When the old compost has been removed, cut 
away any dead roots and decaying pseudo¬ 
bulbs and be careful to observe that no scale 
or other insect pests are being concealed near 
the base of the pseudo-bulbs. I prefer shal¬ 
low pans in which to grow Odontoglossum 
Rossii, as they are of dwarf structure, and 
when in flower the plants may he suspended 
in such a manner that they display their 
flowers to the best advantage, but at the 
same time there is no objection to the use 
of pots. Whichever receptacle is chosen, 
they should be clean and filled to two-thirds 
their depth with clean crocks or chopped 
bracken roots. If the latter are used, I 
might mention that i.t is desirable to have 
them thoroughly dry, for jf any woody or 
sappy substance remains it usually produces 
fungoid growth, which spreads into the pot¬ 
ting compost and frequently causes it to 
rapidly decompose. I prefer their use to 
crocks for all classes of Orchids. 
The potting compost suitable should con¬ 
sist of equal portions of fibrous peai 
chopped sphagnum moss, and broken Oa 
or Beech leaves, with suffioieat silver-san 
and finely broken crocks added to rende 
the whole porous. The compost should t 
made moderately firm, and the. plant raise 
slightly on a mound in the centre of tb 
pot. After repotting water with rain watei 
wetting the compost through. The plani 
should be placed in, a moist position an 
protected from strong light until the ne- 
roots become established. Watering c 
spraying overhead in bright warm weathe 
will be found beneficial;. 
O. Cervantesii is another species allie 
to 0 . Rossii, and will succeed under tb 
same treatment. Both of these Orchids ai 
particularly worthy of the attention of am; 
feurs, and should be found in every Orchi 
collection. Importations of these arri\ 
about this season of the year, and can t 
procured at the Orchid sales or from ntr 
serymen who import them direct for a mode, 
outlay, wdll with ini 'the reach of the mo. 
humble amateur. Imported plants, after b 
ing cleaned of any decayed matter, may t 
potted up as soon as received, as advise 
above. 
H. J. Chapman. 
-f+4- 
“Alphol.” 
A Manure and Insecticide. 
Certain ingredients supply valuab 
food elements to plants, but at the san 
time may be injurious to the lower orde 
of insects and other vermin that infest 1 
even destroy plants. This, then, is tl 
character and use to which “Alphol ” m; 
be put. It consists of a dry powde 
which is used as a light sprinkling on tl 
surface of the ground for such enemies . 
slugs, ants and woodlice. Some of the 
it may merely drive away, but that is a 
really that a gardener requires. If i 
sects would keep from his plants it wou 
save a deal of labour and disappolntmen 
Wireworm, millipeds, eelworm, ai 
other creatures of that sort which li' 
under the soil require harsher treatmer 
and for these the sprinkling has to 1 
given and then lightly dug into the so 
It very often happens that enemies a 
brought into the garden in the soil f 
potting purposes. Turf to be valuab 
must contain plenty of fibre, and wherey 
there is plenty of this and other decayii 
vegetable matter garden enemies find it 
suitable place of abode. To guard again 
this the heaps of compost that are ma< 
up to pot plants should have a sufficie 
sprinkling to furnish a small quantity a 
through the soil. By this means tl 
ground gets clean and compost heaps a 
rendered innoxious by the destruction 
the enemies which they contain. Tb 
should save the tedious process of bakii 
or steaming to which some cultivators ha 
to resort. 
It is used at the rate of 5 cwts. per acr 
but in rather greater quantity where tl 
soil is light and sandy. In the case 
compost and heaps of manure which a 
suspected or known to contain garden en 
mies “Alphol ” may be used at the ra 
of 7 lbs. to 14 lbs. per ton. Besides clea 
ing the soil of these enemies it also ac 
as a manure. “Alphol” is sold by T 1 
Boundary Chemical Co., Cranmer Strey 
Liverpool. 
