734 
THE GARDENING WORLD. 
November 16, 1907. 
sess a plane stove have the necessary require¬ 
ment for the successful cultivation of prac¬ 
tically the whole of this class of plants. 
They are in many cases by no means diffi¬ 
cult to deal with, and, being evergreen and 
generally attractive when not in flower, they 
are worthy of every consideration. 
The winter season is perhaps the most 
difficult period of the year with the East 
Indian, section of Orchids. From the time 
the green points of the roots become scaled 
over, with their winter protecting coat in 
the late autumn, until the plants show signs 
of renewed vitality in the early spring very 
lititle moisture is required about ‘the roots, 
only sufficient being really necessary to 
retain the foliage in a normal plump state. 
The temperature may be lowered to 60 de¬ 
grees normal, night temperature, permitting 
a rise of 5 degrees or even more with the 
aid of sun heat in the daytime; or, on the 
other hand, with unfavourable outside con¬ 
ditions, such as severe frosts, the tempera¬ 
ture may be allowed to drop 5 degrees, and 
it will be far better to do this than to use 
excessive artificial heat, which can only 
tend to abstract the moisture and detri¬ 
mentally affect the plants. 
The great danger to be avoided in the 
case of Aerides, and the robust growing 
Vandas, is the loss of the lower leaves. In 
unsuitable conditions one sees these plants 
with a foot or two of bare stem, with a tuft 
of a few pairs of leaves at the top 1 , often en¬ 
tirely without roots, between the rim of the 
pot and the leaves. I have always found 
this to be the case, where insufficiently moist 
conditions of 'the atmosphere have been pro¬ 
vided during the growing season. The 
plants are practically epiphytes, and there¬ 
fore gain their sustenance from the atmo¬ 
sphere, so that a 'dry atmosphere at any sea¬ 
son of the year must be avoided. 
The spring season is the best period to 
attend to repotting requirements. I hope to 
deal with this item at the proper season. 
Sacoolabiums and ‘their allied genera 
Rhynchostylis, have in most cases foliage of 
thick substance, and large fleshy roots, 
facilities undoubtedly provided by nature to 
enable the plants .to withstand a considerable 
period of drought. Where these have to be 
cultivated under the same conditions as those 
provided and suitable for the Vandas and 
Aerides the cultivator has to be particu¬ 
larly careful how moisture is applied at the 
roots, when the .plants are not in an active 
state of growth. In an ordinary stove very 
little root moisture is necessary. I have 
found it desirable, where .the atmospheric 
moisture has been ample, to remove all the 
potting compost in the pots and baskets, 
leaving only the crooks and drainage. This 
gives one a better opportunity, because any 
moisture then afforded is quickly disposed 
of, and there is no possibility of stagnation 
about the roots. The thick leaved Vandas 
of the V. Parish ii type may also be treated 
in this manner. The small growing sec¬ 
tions of this class of plants should be sus¬ 
pended near the roof glass, where they may 
obtain the full benefit of the available light 
during the coming three or four months of 
the winter season. 
H. J. Chapman. 
- +++ - 
The Aster derives its name from the 
Greek word aster, signifying star, the 
Aster attikos of the Greeks being now 
known as Aster Amellus. 
New Potato Disease. 
“ The black scab,” a new Potato disease 
imported into Ireland about five years 
ago with foreign seed, has now extended, 
it is reported, into five counties of Eng¬ 
land and Wales. 
The Amateur’s Greenhouse. 
Storing; Loam for Potting;. 
Soil left out of doors during the winter 
gets so wet as to become an abomination, 
and a lot of trouble is involved to get it into 
proper condition for use. Therefore it is 
always wise to have a few bar.r.ow-loads 
under cover, in readiness for when, it is 
wanted. I find an open shed .by far the 
best storage place, that is a shed 'having a 
good roof, but open in front. In such a 
structure ‘the soil keeps nicely moist with¬ 
out getting either too wet or too d.ry. Soil 
in a dry and warm shed gets far too dry to 
be handled properly. I remember helping an 
amateur gardener to do some potting once, 
and the soil from his' shed was so dry thai 
it had to be wetted. Indeed, so dry was it 
that waiter ran off it as though it were oil, 
and we simply could not use it that day 
owing to its. getting too wet when it got wet 
at all. Fresh out turves should not be 
placed under cover at all, but stored, grass 
side downwards, in the open. 
Arums for Christmas. 
A few nice Arum Lillies at Christmas are 
sure to be appreciated, whether the blooms 
are cut or used on the plants. In order to 
get flowers at that season a few plants 
should be selected which have filled their 
pots with roots, or which have flowers per¬ 
ceptible to the touch in the stalks of their 
leaves. The presence of these immature 
flowers is easi!}' detected by pinching a few 
of the fattest leaf stalks near their base and 
noting the firmest ones. All such plants 
should be given a temperature of 55 degs. 
to 60 degs. straightway, and kept there until 
the flowers begin to open. They should be 
.given an abundance of water, and should 
receive a good dose of liquid manure twice 
a week. It is almost impossible to over- 
water well rooted Arums, and the plants are 
perfect gluttons_for liquid manure. Keep 
the atmosphere round them nicely moist. 
Chrysanthemums. 
Old plants which have finished flowering 
are a menace to others in 'the greenhouse, 
and should go outside as. isoon as the flowers 
are shabby. As a general .rule they should 
be cut down to within a few inches of the 
pots, but new and scarce varieties may have 
about a foot of stem deft. All will be quite 
safe in a cold frame, covered with a mat or 
two on very cold nights. Plants for giving 
the latest flowers should be kept as cool as 
possible, and where only a few are grown 
and the grower is always at home, .they may 
be 'Stood outside the greenhouse on all mild 
days. This* gives a bit of trouble, but I have 
always found Ithe late flowers, worth it. 
Mildew is almost sure to be troublesome 
after the wet of October, and a tin of flowers 
of sulphur should 'be kept handy to rub info 
the fungus spots as they show. 
Tulips in Boxes. 
Those who placed a nice lot of Tulips in 
boxes, early in the autumn now have it in 
their power to make up pots of flowers as 
their ifency dictates. The great advantage 
of the box system is that the grower can 
select flowers all in the same stage of de¬ 
velopment when filling the pots, and thus 
ensure a good and spontaneous display. In 
potting, place a handful of dead leaves or 
wet moss over the drainage bole, stand in 
the bulbs in the positions fancied—either 
four round the sides, or four round the 
sides and one in the middle—and fill -in 
with any fine soil .from the potting shed. 
When the flowers are showing colour at this 
potting up stage and .the pots are wanted 
for room or table adornment, it is an excel¬ 
lent plan to use wet moss instead of soil for 
filling up, .reserving a nice, fresh green tuft 
for finishing "off the top. 
Paper White Narcissi. 
These are very different from the majority 
of Narcissi, in that they do not resent a fair 
amount of fire heat. Advantage should be 
taken of this fact to push along a few well 
rooted potfuls now if early flowers are 
wanted. In a high temperature they must 
have plenty of water, and will also benefu 
from liquid manure. Keep, the plants as 
close to the glass as possible, arid stake and 
tie the flowers before they fall about. As 
a .rule a central stake in a 6in. pot and a 
few strands of raffia 'tape will be all the 
staking and tying necessary. Raffia tape is 
splendid stuff for bulb tying, as one piece 
will split into quite a number of fine 
strands. 
Heaths or Ericas. 
Where these lovely plants are grown they 
should have a place near the door or a ven¬ 
tilator; somewhere where they can get 
plenty of fresh air at all times without 
being exposed to cold, cutting draughts. 
Amateurs are generally so much afraid of 
over-‘watering these plants that many hun¬ 
dreds die every year of drought. As they 
are potted .in peat, they do not need nearly 
such frequent watering as plants grown in 
loam and leafmould, but it is a very great 
mistake to imagine that ithey like dry soil; 
the reverse is the case. 
Clean Glass and Wood. 
If .not already done the house should have 
a thorough cleaning 'inside, from top to bot¬ 
tom. Move the plants to one end of the 
house, and then thoroughly syringe and wet 
the other end with hot water and paraffin, a 
wine glassful of oil to a pailful of water. 
When well wetted, scrub both glass and 
wood with, a stiff brush, working well into 
corners. A house cleaned in this way 
should be little troubled by insect pests. 
“ Sunnyside.” 
-- 
Burning Garden Refuse. 
\ A Letter 
To the Editor. 
The burning of garden refuse can be 
done at any time, providing there is a 
supply of fine slack at hand. We burn 
cartloads annually, also clay taken from 
the bottom of the trenches in the vege¬ 
table garden. The fire is started with 
the prunings of trees, which are laid on 
one side and as much dead wood from 
various trees as will give a good start. 
Then the driest of the refuse is laid on, 
and before putting any wet stuff on a 
sprinkling of slack is applied. Then the 
driest of the refuse is piled up, and so on 
till the whole is partly consumed and the 
fire breaks out in sundry places. Then 
we give a sprinkling of slack and cover 
this over with the soil that has unavoid¬ 
ably come with the refuse; then another 
layer of slack is given, and on that clay, 
and the burning of the clay is continued 
for weeks. This has been a wet season, 
but in spite of that we have burnt four 
cartloads and the next burning will take 
place in frosty weather. 
W. P. R. 
-- 
Laeliocattleya Epicasta The Premier. 
The sepals and petals are blush, shaded 
with violet. The lip is of a dark violet- 
purple and yellow in the 'throat. It is a 
very handsome hybrid variety. Award of 
Merit by the R. H.S. when shown by 
Jeremiah Colman, Esq. (gardener, Mr. 
W. P. Bound), Gatton Park, Reigate. 
