928 
THE GARDENERS’ MAGAZINE. 
December 6, 1913. 
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t WORK FOR THE WEEK. t 
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THE ORCHID HOUSES. 
SEASONABLE NOTES.—In the cool divi- 
sions many orchids are completing^ their 
pseudo-bulbs, and the bulk of the plants 
are in an active state. It is only during- the 
last few years that writers on cool house 
orchids have advocated an advance on the 
winter temperature of 45 degrees, formerly 
regarded as suitable conditions for odonto- 
glossums. Under the old treatment the 
plants produced poor growths, and pseudo¬ 
bulbs generally much smaller than th^ im¬ 
ported ones. Latterly^ cultivators have 
realised the same rule may be applied to 
the cultivation of odontoglossums as to all 
other classes of plants—that is, the period 
when they require the most encouragement 
is when they are most active—and the now 
general practice of keeping the temperature 
at night at about 53 to 55 degrees has 
proved in every way satisfactory. Not only 
have we stronger plants capable of carrying 
larger spikes of flowers, but, what is more 
important, we have been able to produce 
seedlings of both generic and bigeneric 
hybrids, which, until a few years ago, were 
considered almost impossible. With the 
warmer conditions at night, and with favour¬ 
able outside conditions, more fresh air can 
be admitted to the houses, thus providing 
an atmoisphere which will allow the potting 
compost to become dry in a reasonable time, 
and so do away with stagnation, which was 
a great bugbear under the older and cooler 
conditions. 
CARE OF THE FLOWER SPIKES.— 
hen the flower spikes make their appear¬ 
ance, slugs, snails, and woodlice will become 
busy. Small pieces of cotton wool wrapped 
round the base of the flower spike, form an 
obstacle difficult to surmount, and while 
it may not altogether prevent harm, it cer¬ 
tainly helps to keep the pests away. Let¬ 
tuce leaves spread about the stages and on 
the surface of the potting composd, and small 
portions of bran or brewers^ grains laid on 
piece.s of glass or broken crocks, make good 
feeding grounds, and, with the aid of a 
light during the evening and early morning, 
many slugs, etc., may be caught and de¬ 
stroyed on them. Where young plants are 
flowering for the first time at this season 
of the year the spikes may become drawn 
and weakly, especially in lofty structures; 
it is therefore a good plan to suspend such 
plants near the roof, or raise them up nearer 
the lig’ht. 
THE ODONTIODAS are now a fine fea¬ 
ture, and with a good selection of kinds it 
is possible to have their attractive colour- 
ing at all seasons; we find they are more 
vigorous than the odontoglossums, and they 
are grown under similar conditions. Thrips 
are the only insect pests that trouble the 
flower scapes, but fumigation or vaporising 
effectually keeps these pests in check during 
the winter season.—H. J. Chapman, Oak- 
wood Gardens. 
STOVE PLANTS. 
BEGONIA GLOIRE DE LORRAINE.— 
^e main batch of this most useful begonia 
is now at its best, (and, with the object of 
keeping the plants as long as possible, the 
temperature should be somewhat reduced • 
65 or 57 degrees on mild nights, and a little 
lower when the weather is cold,'as sufficient. 
Damping down will be quite unnecessary, 
and (U little, air should be given hy means of 
the roof ventilators in the day time, so long 
as the temperature is at 60 degrees. The latest 
batch should be allowed to flower, and will 
provide useful material well into the new 
year. Of the early batches, now past their 
best, the cleanest and healthiest may be 
lightly trimmed over, and given a month or 
six weeks’ rest by keeping them rather dry 
in an intermediate house, after which they 
may be placed in the stove to provide the 
earliest cuttings. 
THYRSACANTHUS RUTILANS is now 
fast elongating its pendulous racemes, and 
until tile flowers show colour may continue 
to receive 'cccasional applications of ferti¬ 
liser. Water should be applied with care, and 
too close an atmosphere must be avoidedi, 
otherwise many of the leaves will fall. Brown 
scale lis iparticularly partial to this plant. 
ALLAMANDAS, where planted out and 
grown on rafters or trellising, may now be 
pruned to within an eye or two cf the old 
wood; and until they are again commencing 
growth should be kept dry at the rcots. Spe¬ 
cimen plants in pots may also le pruned, ard 
should be kept in a cooler house, and dry, 
until requii’ed for starting in the spring. 
MARANTAS AND BERTOLONIAS, both 
remarkable for their beautifully marked foli¬ 
age, and alike at home through the warm 
seasons in a close, moist atmosfiDhere, should, 
tlmoaigh the winter, be kept at the warm end 
of the stove. Until the growing iseason ar¬ 
rives a judicious use of the water-oot will 
be essential.—H. Prime, Hatfield Gardens. 
FRUITS UNDER CLASS. 
GENERAL WORK.—During this month a 
quantity of leaves and stable litter should be 
collected in readiness for forming beds for 
the earliest melons and cucumbers. If com¬ 
posed largely of leaves so much the better, 
as the heat will then remain more steady 
and lasting. Have the melon and cucumber 
houses thoroughly cleansed, and every sur¬ 
face well washed with hot limewash, into 
which a handful of flowers of sulphur has 
beeni stirred. As soon as the chrysanthe¬ 
mums have been cleared from the general 
orchard house, no further time must be lost 
in making them ready for the trees. The 
weather has been too mild of late, therefore 
those who value their crop must be prepared, 
on the eve of a change, to house the orchard 
house trees. The most important point in 
tile management of the latest trees is com¬ 
plete rest, not only before, but for some 
time after they are housed. Even with this 
careful management the buds are sure to be 
in advance of those in the open air, and 
when this stage is reached retarding is at 
an end, and a suitable temperature must be 
maintained. Continue to wash, prune, and 
otherwise cleanse the fruit house® as they 
become ready, and this work should always 
be pushed forward .as much as possible be¬ 
fore the end of the year, as pressure of work 
gradually increases after this date. 
THE GRAPE ROOM.—If the grape room 
has not been cleansed, and freely ventilated 
afterward® to expel any moisture, the work 
should be done at once. Thin-skinned 
grape® may be cut, as not only will they 
keep better in bottles but the vines will 
have a, longer rest. The same rule holds 
good in regard to Lady Downes and other 
late grapes. A dry, calm day should be 
chosen for cutting the bunches with all the 
w'ood that can be spared, to ensure the stem 
passing well down into the water. A close 
watch must be kept at first, as the bunches 
will absorb water freely, and faulty berries 
can be easily overlooked in a badly-lighted 
room. 
STRAWBERRIES.—If the first batch has 
not been placed in position, no further time 
should be lost. Up to now it has been dif¬ 
ficult to keep tile temperature down to the 
proper level, and liberal ventilation has been 
necessary night and day, but as fresh air 
from the time the plants are introduced until 
the fruits begin to swell is important, no 
harni will have been done. Maintain a 
genial atmosphere by damping the paths and 
other available spaces, and keep the roots 
moist, but not wet. When the plants are 
lightly plunged in a bed of leaves (and this 
is an ideal way to start them) they will 
soon begin to grow, and as soon as the flower 
spikes are discernible, remove the plants to 
a shelf close to the glass, and give them a 
temperature of 50 to 55’degrees. Do not 
exceed the latter figure until the plants are 
out of bloom and the fruits set. Introduce 
fresh batches from the open every fortnight 
or so, according to demand. If" pit accom¬ 
modation is not available, shelves in peach 
houses and similar positions may be made 
use of for starting strawberries. Examine 
each plant, wash the pots, pick off dead 
leaves, and see that the drainage is clear. 
Syringe well underneath the foliage, and 
fumigate the plants at least once or twice 
before the flowers open.—F. Jordan, Warter 
Priory Gardens. 
THE FLOWER CARDEN. 
SHRUBBERIES.—With but few excep¬ 
tions deciduous trees and shrubs are now 
completely devoid of foliage, and the outer 
portions of the pleasure grounds and shrub¬ 
beries, where it is not found necessary to 
clear away leaves until all are fallen, should 
now^ be receiving attention. It is very im¬ 
portant that sites containing bulbs be taken 
ill hand first, before the bulbs have made 
sufficient growth to handicap the workers, 
through fear of damage. It is a well-known 
fact that clearing away leaves deprives 
shrubs of much natural food, and altfioug;h 
the practice of placing collected leaves in 
the leaf yard to form leaf-mould is excellent, 
it is not often that any quantity of the leaf- 
mould finds its way back to the shrubbery 
borders, so unless some recompense is made 
an unsatisfactory condition will result in 
course of time. This may be overcome by 
applying a dressing of soil from the refuse 
heap, or rotten manure, afterwards forking 
it in. It is not necessary that all borders 
should be so treated each season, and the work 
can be determined by the nature of the occu¬ 
pant®, the choicer and less vigorous kinds 
receiving most encouragement. Moving the 
surface soil by forking amongst the shrubs 
keeps down weeds, and where only a slight ac¬ 
cumulation of leaves occurs these are easily 
turned under as this work proceeds. 
PLANTING.—During open, mild weather 
planting of all hardy deciduous trees and 
shrubs and herbaceous plants should be pr^ 
ceeded with, for, although such work is 
carried out with a certain amount of success 
until the early spring, no effort should be 
spared to complete as much as possible of 
it before the end of the year. Some ever¬ 
greens, such as rhododendrons, move satis¬ 
factorily in the autumn, but it is not advis¬ 
able, if it can be avoided, to disturb them 
during the next few weeks, as should a 
prolonged frost set in they would probably 
suffer. For several seasons the winters here 
have been exceptionally mild, and it has 
been possible to move most ev'ergreen shrubs 
and trees all the winter through. Neverthe¬ 
less, it is unwise to take undue risks in this 
respect, as we may not be far removed from 
a season of sufficient severity to cut down 
established evergreens, and in that case re¬ 
cently moved ones would be certain to suc¬ 
cumb. Tlie practice of mulching newly- 
planted subject® with some ligrht, rotten 
manure should be followed. 
COLD FRAMES.—Yarious subjects con¬ 
nected with the flower garden are occupying 
cold pits or frames, and require close ^ 
tention. Generally, these have made good 
progress this autumn, owing to the favour¬ 
able weather. It will be necessary when ad¬ 
mitting air to act cautiously, avoiding col 
draught®. Frames containing the more 
tender subjects should he well covered up 
at the least suggestion, of frost, as 
perature falls rapidly at this season.—^T. 
Field, Wych Cross Place Gardens. 
