384 
June 6, 1908. 
THE GARDENING WORLD. 
enough, diiscilos© the presence of the red 
spider, which even the continued syringings 
have tailed to dislodge. Pot plants, too, 
may be aftected, and where it is not con¬ 
sidered desirable to fumigate the greenhouse, 
these may be treated by “dipping. 51 Pre¬ 
pare in a pail of solution ot one of the 
many advertised insecticides, and, placing 
the nand over the top of the pot to prevent 
dislodgement of the soil, plunge the plant 
(not the pot) boldly into the mixture. A 
gentle shaking will thoroughly rinse the 
foliage, and the plant when withdrawn 
should be laid upon its side to drain, thus 
preventing the liquid from saturating the 
pot soil. A thorough syringing will then 
remove all traces and render the plant clean 
and healthy. 
Cobaea scandens. 
There are few better climbers for the cool 
greenhouse than this rapid grower, which 
will now require constant training and tying 
to keep within bounds, and one has only to 
grow it both indoors and out to observe the 
advantages of greenlhouseoultivation. Young 
plants raised from seed sown in the early 
■part of the year in gentle heat will now 
be ready for planting out into the border, 
or transferring into large pots (the former 
being the better method). They delight in a 
rich soil, and if treated liberally in this 
respect will produce their purple bell-shaped 
blossoms profusely the same year. Olid 
plants pruned back last year are now send¬ 
ing out vigorous new growths, and a judi¬ 
cious thinning is necessary to prevent over¬ 
crowding. There is a handsome variegaited 
variety, which, although it does not come 
true from seed, may be propagated by means 
of cuttings of the young wood taken now, 
and inserted in pots of sand and leaf mould 
placed in gentle bottom heat. 
Increasing Myrtles. 
The Myrtle (Myrtus communis) with its 
highly-scented leaves and flowers makes a 
grand pot plant for the amateur’s green¬ 
house, and will now require abundance of 
water and frequent syringings to bring its 
beautiful flowers to perfection. If it is de¬ 
sired to increase the number of plants, cut 
off close to a joint any strong-growing half 
ripened shoots about four inches long, and 
remove the bottom-mosit leaves. Take a clean 
flower pot, well crocked, and fill the same 
with a mixture of leaf-mould and silver sand 
in equal parts. Make several holes with a 
lead pencil or stick, and after inserting the 
cuttings, fill the remaining space with pure 
sand, which will greatly assist the forma¬ 
tion of young rootlets. Moisten lightly, 
and after pressing the soil firmly round the 
slips, place the pots under a bell-glass, or 
failing this, a tumbler inverted over each 
cutting, with the edges pressed into the soil 
to exclude all air, will answer the same 
purpose, but in either case the glass must be 
removed occasionally, and the superfluous 
moisture wiped off. 
Ferns for the Greenhouse. 
Many 'beautiful Ferns which are gener¬ 
ally treated as stove subjects will do well, 
although perhaps they will not make such 
rapid growth, in the ordinary greenhouse, 
and when placed amongst the flowering 
plants add greatly to the general effect. Of 
course partial shade and moisture is essen¬ 
tial to their welfare, and frequent light 
syringings are beneficial in keeping the 
fronds fresh and green, excepting, of course, 
in the case of the Adiantums or Maidenhairs, 
which should upon no account be watered 
overhead. Two 'that I should particularly 
recommend is that grand hanging Fern, 
N iephrolepis exaltata, and Asplenium longis 
simum, which latter may be readily in¬ 
creased by simply removing the small bul¬ 
bils or growths that appear at the tips of 
the ripened fronds, and placing them in 
pans or pots of very light soil. It is also 
very interesting and easy for amateurs to 
grow Ferns from seed, or more correctly 
speaking spores, which germinate better if 
sown soon after they become ripened. 
Winter-Flowering Begonias. 
The two most popular winter-flowering Be¬ 
gonias are undoubtedly Gloire de Sceaux 
and Gloire de Lorraine, and these may be 
readily propagated at the present time by 
cuttings taken and inserted singly into small 
thuimib-ipots or sixties, an a compost of leal 
mould and silver sand in equal quantities. 
Place tire pots in brisk, bottom heat, and it 
is a good plan if several are required, to 
place a propagating frame containing a bed 
of cocoanut fibre over the pipes in a warm 
house, and plunge the pots for a few days, 
keeping them fairly close till roots have 
formed and active growth commences. 
G. A. F. 
Orchids for Amateurs. 
Summer-Flowering Cypripediums. 
There are many well-known and beautiful 
species among the summer-flowering section 
of the so-called slipper plants that are 
worthy of every attention by amateurs. In 
most cases they come into flower in May 
or June, and when expanded last a long time 
in perfection. They are particularly suit¬ 
able for exhibition; they come into flower at 
the season of local flower shows in the pro¬ 
vinces, and as amateur exhibitors are an¬ 
nually becoming more prominent, the plants 
included m this class will be found suitable 
for show purposes. 
I do not regard the summer-flowering 
Cypripediums in the same light that I would 
those that flower in the autumn and winter,, 
because I consider the latter to be “every¬ 
body’s OTdhids ” from the fact that they are 
more easily grown and accommodated than 
are the summer-flowering kinds. To be suc¬ 
cessful in the cultivation of such species 
and their varieties as C. barbatum, C. cal¬ 
losum, C. c. Sanderae, C. cilialare,, C. law- 
renceanum, C. 1 . hyeanum, C. Curtisii, C. 
Stonei, C. Lowii, C. haynaldianum, C. 
Rothsohildianum, and the host of hybrids of 
this section,, that have one or both parents’ 
included in the above. A stove or warm 
intermediate house temperature and treat¬ 
ment is necessary. To these .may be added 
G. niveum, C. bellatulum, C. concolor, and 
C. Godefroyae. The hybrids also of this 
class, although not always the easiest culti¬ 
vated, should also be included. Such cul¬ 
tural conditions, I generally consider, are 
not usually afforded in amateurs’ green¬ 
houses, but those who have the facilities I 
would advise that they should select for 
themselves the kinds they might think suit¬ 
able for their purpose,.and this may easily 
be done by paying a visit to the prominent 
shows, or some amateur’s or trade establish¬ 
ment where Orchids are extensively grown. 
I regard this .latter course as desirable for 
all Orchid amateurs. It is surprising the 
information which may be derived from ob¬ 
ject-lessons of this kind. It will also be 
found that prominent Ordhid cultivators are 
generally ready to give advice, where asked, 
on the cultivation of plants’, and such ad¬ 
vice cannot well be over-estimated. One can 
generally gauge the enthusiasm of amateurs 
from the questions they ask, and a visit 
from enthusiastic gardeners becomes a plea¬ 
sure. 
As stated above, these plants want a warm 
house treatment. The potting requirements 
are practically the same as those recom¬ 
mended for the winter-flowering section, 
with the exception that turfy loam should 
not be included in the compost, for the kinds 
that possess tessellated leaves, with the ex¬ 
ception of the C. niveum and C. bellatum 
section. About two parts peat to one of 
sphagnum moss, with plenty of sand and 
broken crocks added to keep the compost 
porous, will suit admirably. This should 
be made moderately firm about the roots and 
■base of the plants. Tihe pots should be 
clean and filled to about one-half their 
depth with clean crocks. The best season to 
repot is when the new roots make their ap¬ 
pearance from the base of the developing or 
recently-developed growth, but care should 
be taken that the flower scape is not advanc¬ 
ing at this period. Should this be the case, 
it is advisable to delay potting operations 
■until the flowering season is passed. Ample 
root moisture is necessary at all seasons of 
the year and a humid atmosphere is essen¬ 
tial. Shade from bright sunshine, but at the 
same time be careful that sufficient light is 
.given to prevent drawn and sappy foliage. 
Thrips are the worst'insect pest to be con¬ 
tended with, but by spraying at regular 
intervals as .previously advised insect pests 
may be kept in check. 
H. J. Chapman. 
-f+4- 
A Use for Yew Trees. 
In “ the garden that I love ” stand three 
ancient Yew trees, interesting and pic 
turesque enough, but also useful in a 
way that has perhaps not occurred to some 
people. 
There are, doubtless, many flower- 
lovers who, like myself, have no green¬ 
house, and not enough room in their cold 
frames to shelter many a delicate plant 
through a spell of severe weather. I have 
found it possible to keep half-hardy 
plants, such as Pentstemons, alive through 
the winter by sticking closely round them 
small branches of Yew. Then, in May, 
when seedlings of various kinds are put 
out of the frames, and when, alas! sharp 
frosts and bitter winds are all too com¬ 
mon, no better protection can be had 
than these same Yew twigs, stuck round 
and through each little plantation. I 
have often saved Mignonette from turn¬ 
ing brown in this simple manner. The 
thick foliage breaks the force of cold 
winds, while at the same time it does not 
prevent the plants getting rain and air. 
Primroses and Polyanthuses, too, often 
suffer from spring frosts, and the young 
shoots of my Delphiniums have been sur¬ 
rounded since their first appearance by 
these sturdy dark green sentinels. 
Winter and spring are, however, not the 
only seasons when plantsrequire pro¬ 
tection. Cuttings put down in summer 
need shelter from a hot sun ; and here, 
again, the Yew proves useful and can be 
arranged to form a kind of canopy over 
them. This plan has the advantage-of 
being extremely easy to carry out, and 
it is equally easy to pull up the branches 
when there is no further need for them. 
Lastly, Yew twigs will keep green for 
a long time, and look far from unsightly 
in the flower borders. 
Margaret Dunlop. 
-- 
Sir Thomas Dewar says the Gardeners' 
Company are about to apply to the Court 
of Aldermen “to allow their livery to be 
enlarged.” Hadn’t they better begin by 
letting out a button or two, suggests the 
facetious “Star.” 
