58 THE GARDENING WORLD. January 26, 1907. 
pagating may be noticed in case anyone 
would like to put in a few cuttings for early 
flowers. This consists of breaking away the 
side shoots gently, and allowing them to 
hang by the bark for a fortnight, to calus. 
They may then be placed in pots, when 
roots will be emitted without fear of damp¬ 
ing off. 
Iresines and Lobelias. 
Where stock is short, both of these useful 
bedding plants may be propagated now. 
Do not, however, cut the plants about while 
they are in a semi-dormant state, but give 
them a little extra warmth and moisture to 
induce growth to commence. Such growth 
will quickly emit roots in a sandy compost. 
Lobelias may be pulled into pieces and the 
divisions potted up if much increase is 
needed, the divisions .following the removal 
of the points as cuttings. 
Gloxinias. 
A few of the earliest plants may now be 
started, to produce flowers about June. If 
the tubers are still dormant, shake them out 
of their pots, and place them in a cutting 
box containing a 2 inch layer of cocoanut 
fibre refuse. This should be nicely moist, 
and kept so by the use of the syringe. The 
box should "be stood in a warm, moist 
corner, and it may also be dark, provided 
the tubers are brought to the light as soon 
as growth is inch long. When the new 
shoots have reached a length of inch, 
the tubers may be potted. I prefer to put 
them straight into 4J/2 inch pots, the flower¬ 
ing size, but an intermediate potting may 
be given if desired. For soil, use two parts 
of the best fibrous loam, and one part each 
of peat and le.afmould, with a good, dash of 
coarse sand. A little artificial manure may 
be added if the soil is poor. 
Leeks and Onions. 
Here I am trespassing on “ Horti’s ” 
domain, but these plants are certainly green¬ 
house plants at this season, hence my note. 
Both should be sown now to give exhibition 
bulbs, and both should have a light and 
airy place as soon as the young seedlings 
show. A day temperature of 55 degrees 
and a night one of 45 degrees will soon 
cause the seeds to germinate. Transplant¬ 
ing to boxes takes place when the seedlings 
are large enough to handle, followed by 
hardening off in a cold frame and planting 
out in April. For further particulars, 
please see the Kitchen Garden calendar. 
Pelargoniums. 
If Show and Fancy Pelargoniums are 
pushing tco many growths, rub off the 
weakest and worst placed. If, on the other 
hand, young plants from autumn struck 
cuttings are running up tall and spindly, 
pinch out their tops to originate back breaks 
—break is a gardener’s term for the emis¬ 
sion of shoots,, i.e., a straight stem pinched 
pushes growths from buds lower down, or 
breaks into growth. If any of the old 
plants begin to wear a dejected look and 
carry yellow leaves, it may be taken for 
granted that they want more food. This 
should either be given in the form of top- 
dressings with artificial manure, or water¬ 
ings with liquid manure, or the plants 
should be re-potted. Starvation brings 
greenfly', and vaporisation should follow 
the first appearance of this pest, practically 
the only enemy the Pelargonium has got. 
Fuchsias. 
Old plants may now be brought from 
their winter quarters and pruned and 
cleaned. Pruning should take the form of 
hard cutting back, say, to the extent of re¬ 
moving two-thirds of the growth made last 
year. In doing this, have an eye to the 
symmetry of the plant, and so cut that a well- 
balanced specimen is the result. After 
pruning, the plants may be cleaned with an 
old brush and some soapy water, and then 
stood in a corner where they can be veil 
syringed twice or thrice daily. 
Chamaepeuce or Fishbone Thistle. 
This is a plant of which I am often asked 
the name when.its curious spring growth 
attracts attention in the bedding arrange¬ 
ments. I call attention to it now and ad¬ 
vise that seeds be sown without delay, for 
it is a plant that requires a long growing 
season. A little more sand than usual 
should be used in the sowing compost, 
otherwise there is nothing particular to men¬ 
tion in regard to its rearing. The young 
plants should be pricked off into small pots 
singly, and fingers are pricked oft in the 
process, unless care is exercised. 
Lilium auratum. 
The Golden Rayed Lily of Japan is such 
a prime favourite that no greenhouse can 
afford to be without it. It is well to give 
a good price for the bulbs for growing 
singly in 5 and 6 inch pots, but cheaper 
ones "may be used for planting several in a 
pot. Some half-a-dozen bulbs in a 9 inch 
pot make a glorious pot plant when in 
bloom. The bulbs should be washed be¬ 
fore potting, and all diseased scales cut 
away with a sharp knife. W hile still 
damp, but not wet, dust the bulbs with 
flowers of sulphur, and pot them in good 
loam to which a little dried, decayed 
manure and some coarse sand have been 
added. “ Sunnyside.” 
Orchids for Amateurs. 
Intermediate House Orchids. 
The temperature of what is generally 
termed intermediate is that which can be 
maintained at about 60 degrees at all sea¬ 
sons of the year. There are many more 
Orchids that can be grown- under these con¬ 
ditions than is generally supposed. Several 
of the East Indian Orchids are among this 
number, such as the Cymbidium, Vanda 
caerulea, and several of the fleshy leaved 
Aerides; also the Cypripediums of the tes- 
selated foliage section, such as C. Curtisii, 
C. lawrenoeanum, C. callosum, C. Bel- 
tatulum, C. spicerianum, and the numerous 
hybrids, belonging to this section that have 
been derived from the influence of inter¬ 
crossing other species of the warm and 
tool house section, with one or the other of 
the above-mentioned. Others are the East 
Indian Phaius and the species which .are 
derived from Madagascar, P. simulans and 
P Humiblotii, and with these naturally the 
beautiful hybrids P. Cooksoni.i, P. Norman, 
P. Clive, P. Phoebe, P. Oakwoodiense, P. 
Chapmanii, and others of this useful class 
of plants. Several of the Dendrobiuims, 
both of the deciduous and evergreen sections, 
may also be included. 
The South American classes include many 
of the gaudy and most easily cultivated 
Oncidiums, including the beautiful free 
flowering Odontoglossum grande and its near 
allies, O. Insleayi, O. coronarium, O. raa- 
culatum, and many others. Cattleyas and 
Laelias can nearly all be grown in a tem¬ 
perature of this description. New that these 
are procurable for a modest outlay, amateurs 
possessing facilities for their cultivation 
should mot hesitate to try them. I have pre¬ 
viously pointed out in these pages that the 
Cattleya tribe are not the easiest kinds to 
deal with, and unless proper facilities for 
their cultivation are obtainable, amateurs 
should not be allured by their gaudy tints 
into purchasing plants which may give them 
so great a disappointment that they will 
quickly come to the unsatisfactory conclu¬ 
sion that Orchids are difficult plants to grow. 
I am constantly pointing out that there are 
no igreater difficulties in their culture than 
is found to be the case with other plants. 
Suitable conditions are a principal factor 
in the successful growth of any plants. 
One must therefore become somewhat ac¬ 
quainted with their requirements before sue- i 
cessful results are- obtainable. This rule 
applies as much to the cultivation of Orchids 
as to any member of the vegetable kingdom. 
To refer back to the Cattleya family, there 
can be'no question but that the general ex¬ 
perience is that the home-raised hybrid 
Cattleyas, Laelias, Laelio cattleyas, etc., are 
much more easily provided for than is 
found to be the case with the species. These 1 
have now been raised in such quantities 1 
that'they are in many instances procurable 
at a p-rice well within the means of amateur 
gardeners who have an intermediate house • 
or stove in which to grow them. There are 
some kinds that are perhaps more fashion¬ 
able than others, and these are not so reason- 1 
ably procured. Among the easiest to culti¬ 
vate are the sections that have been pro¬ 
duced by the influence of Laelia flava and 
L. cinnabarina. They vary considerably in 
the shades of colour produced, many dis¬ 
tinct shades of yellow and- orange red being 
found among them. They produce long 
scapes each with several flowers, are exceed¬ 
ingly useful for cut flowers, where required 
for decorative purposes, and should be ex¬ 
tensively grown in private gardens for this 
purpose. They have not the strong, some¬ 
times offensive, odour of the larger flowering 
kinds, and can thus be more readily used. 
The autumn flowering kinds, in which 
Laelia, Perrinii, and Cattleya bowringiana 
have influenced the production of off¬ 
spring, should also have consideration j 
from amateurs, as they will afford a display , 
of ibloom during the closing months of the 
year, that is always useful and most ac- ] 
ceptable. H. J. Chapman. 
-f+4- 
Onion Mildew.— In Leaflet No. 178 j 
the Board of Agriculture and Fisheries j 
have been discussing the subject of Onion 
mildew, by no means a new enemy in gar¬ 
dens, and in our experience more preva¬ 
lent in wet districts, and in bad seasons 
rather than in districts with a dry climate. 
The preventive measures advised are the 
removal of the first plants that show traces 
of the disease and burning them. The 
rest of the crop should be dredged or 
dusted over with a mixture of powdered 
quicklime and sulphur at the rate of one i 
of the former to two of the latter. The 
mixture may be put in a muslin bag and 
the latter shaken over the plants when wet 
with dew. 
Gardeners’ Royal Benevolent In¬ 
stitution. — The sixty-seventh annual 
general meeting of the members, and sub¬ 
scribers of this Institution will be held at 
“Simpsons,” 101, Strand, London, on 
January 24th. 1907, at 2.45 p.m., for the 
purpose of receiving the report of t:-^ 
committee and' the accounts of tiio 
Institution for the rear igo6; elect¬ 
ing officers for the year 1907; and 
for the election of eighteen pen¬ 
sioners on the fund. The chair will be 
taken by Mr. Harry J. Veitch, F.L.S., 
V.M.H:, treasurer and chairman of com¬ 
mittee. The poll will open at three 
o’clock and close at four o’clock precisely, 
after which hour no voting papers can be 
received. The voting papers have been 
issued, and any subscribers not having 
received a copy should communicate with 
the secretary, Mr. Geo-. J. Ingram, 175, 
Victoria Street, Westminster. The 
annual friendly supper of friends of the 
Institution will’ take place after the 
general annual meeting on the evening of 
the same day, also at “Simpsons,” when 
the chair will be taken by Mr. Edward 
White, a member of the committee. 
