360 
JOURNAL  OF  HORTICULTURE  AND  COTTAGE  GARDENER, 
April  26,  1900. 
first  prize  was  awarded  to  Mr.  R.  Holding  for  specimens  of  Dean  Hole, 
Dr.  Dnrnford,  J.  J.  Keen,  and  a  seedling.  Mr.  J.  T.  Bennett-Poe  was 
second,  staging  Edith,  Dean  Hole,  and  two  seedlings.  Mr.  G.  H. 
Addey,  Waddon,  Surrey,  was  third,  and  Mr.  A.  Fisk,  Leyton,  fourth. 
For  a  single  plant  with  gold  centre  there  were  sixteen  entries.  Mr. 
Jas.  Douglas  was  first  with  Duke  of  York;  Messrs.  Phillips  &  Taylor 
were  second  with  Mrs.  Martin  Smith  ;  Mr.  P.  Purnell  third  with  Dean 
Hole  ;  and  Messrs.  Phillips  &  Taylor  fourth. 
There  were  only  two  entries  for  twelve  Auriculas,  Fancies,  the  first 
prize  being  taken  by  Mr.  Jas.  Douglas,  with  an  interesting  exhibit. 
The  varieties  were  Alexis,  Buttercup  (good),  Quakeress,  Rolfs  Green, 
Luoretia,  Lycidas,  Golden  Plover,  Belle,  Poppoja,  Urania,  Golden 
Oriole,  and  Comus.  Mrs.  Whitbourn  was  second  with  a  much  weaker 
display  ;  the  best  plants  were  Belle,  La  Reine,  and  Hebe.  There  were 
three  entries  for  twelve  Polyanthus,  distinct,  but  Mr.  Jas.  Douglas  was 
well  ahead  for  the  first  place.  The  plants  were  large,  with  plenty  of 
flower  trusses,  while  the  flowers  left  little  to  be  desired.  The  second 
prize  was  awarded  Colonel  Dixon,  Aske  Hall,  Chelford,  for  plants  that 
were  rather  drawn,  while  Mrs.  Whitbourn  was  third.  Mr.  Jas.  Douglas 
was  again  to  the  fore  for  twelve  Primroses  in  pots,  with  a  fine  variety 
of  colours.  Messrs.  I.  House  &  Son,  Westbury-on-Trym,  Bristol,  was 
third  with  smaller  plants. 
There  were  two  entries  for  twelve  Primulas,  distinct  species  or 
varieties.  Here  Mr.  P.  Purnell  was  the  victor,  with  a  capital  display. 
The  species  employed  were  Primula  obconica,  P.  denticulata, 
P.  rosea,  P.  floribunda,  P.  Sieboldi,  P.  frondosa,  P.  variabilis, 
P.  pedemontana,  and  P.  verticillata,  a  very  pretty  exhibit;  Mrs. 
Whitbourn  followed  with  good  plants  of  P.  obconica,  P.  Auricula,  and 
P.  hybrida.  The  baskets  of  Primroses  were  bright  and  well  arranged, 
Mr.  J.  T.  Bennet  Poe  was  plac(>d  first  with  a  basket  of  well  developed 
flowers  in  which  yellow  was  the  predominating  colour.  Mr.  Jas.  Douglas 
was  second  with  an  attractive  collection,  and  Messrs.  I.  House  &  Son 
were  third  with  a  good  variety.  Mr.  Jas.  Douglas  was  awarded  the 
premier  prize  for  Alpines  with  Lieska,  a  very  fine  variety.  Messrs. 
Phillips  &  Taylor  staged  the  premier  Show  Auricula  with  Mrs.  Henwood, 
a  grand  specimen.  The  Guildford  Hardy  Plant  Nursery,  Guildford, 
had  a  fine  exhibit  of  Primroses,  Auriculae,  in  all  sections,  and  a  few 
rock  plants,  the  whole  constituting  a  fine  display,  artistically  arranged. 
Tlie  Young  Gardeners’  Doiriain. 
Calantl|es. 
The  deciduous  Calanthes  are  most  valuable  for  winter  flowering ; 
their  graceful  spikes  of  flowers  are  excellent  for  vases  in  the  drawing 
room  or  for  dinner  table  decoration,  and  the  plants  look  very  effective 
if  dotted  about  in  the  conservatory.  Calanthes  should  be  potted  about  the 
end  of  March,  when  they  are  just  commencing  to  grow,  in  a  compost  of 
equal  parts  of  peat  and  fibrous  loam,  with  half  the  quantity  of  leaf  soil 
and  dried  cow  manure,  adding  some  small  pieces  of  charcoal  and  plenty 
of  silver  sand.  Clean  5  or  6-inch  pots  should  be  used,  half  filling  them 
with  crocks,  and  placing  a  layer  of  moss  over  them.  The  inert  soil 
ought  to  be  removed  from  the  plants,  and  the  old  roots  should  be  cut 
back  to  about  2  inches  of  the  base  of  the  pseudo-bulbs,  as  these,  with 
a  short  bamboo  placed  in  the  centre  of  the  pot,  to  which  the  pseudo, 
bulbs  should  be  tied,  will  keep  them  steady  until'  new  roots  have 
entered  the  soil.  The  base  of  the  pseudo-bulbs  must  be  level  with  the 
top  of  the  soil,  which  should  be  half  an  inch  below  the  rim  of  the  pot, 
and  not  raised  to  a  cone  like  the  majority  of  Orchids. 
When  potted  the  plants  should  be  placed  in  a  warm  Orchid  house  or 
stove  on  inverted  pots,  and  be  very  sparingly  watered  at  first,  gradually 
increasing  tlie  supply.  The  sjringe  should  be  freely  used  to  keep 
moisture  between  the  pots,  but  care  must  be  taken  not  to  wet  the 
foliage  too  nii;ch.  Calanthes  enjoy  plenty  of  light,  but  they  should  be 
shaded  from  the  direct  rays  of  tlie  sun.  The  temperature  of  the  house 
ought  to  be  65°  by  night,  and  70°  to  80°  by  day,  ventilating  carefully 
on  all  favourable  occasions.  When  in  full  growth  Calanthes  should  be 
fed  about  twice  a  week  with  weak  diluted  cow  manure  and  clear  soot 
water  alternately;  a  little  Clay’s  manure  diluted  with  water  is  also 
beneficial  to  them.  If  attacked  b.y  scale,  it  should  be  carefully 
removed  with  a  brusn  and  sponge  ;  thrips  must  be  looked  for,  and  if  it 
makes  its  appearance  the  house  should  be  fumigated  with  XL  All. 
At  the  end  of  the  autumn  the  plants  will  gradually  lose  their  leaves. ' 
They  should  be  gone  over  often,  and  the  decayed  portions  removed 
with  a  pair  of  scissors.  Water  must  be  given  more  cautiously, 
gradually  reducing  the  supply  until  the  flower  spikes  have  been  cut, 
which  is  usually  in  November  or  December,  when  it  ought  to  be  entirely 
withheld,  and  the  plants  should  be  placed  on  a  shelf  in  a  house  where 
a  temperature  of  58°  to  65°  is  maintained,  and  where  they  will  get  a 
complete  rest. 
Some  gardeners  prefer  to  start  their  Calanthes  into  growth  on  a 
layer  of  moist  sphagnum  just  before  potting  them,  but  this  is  not 
necessary  if  watering  is  very  carefully  done.  The  following  are  good 
forms  of  Calanthes  : — C.  Veitchi,  C.  vestita  luteo-oculata,  0.  vestita 
rubro-oculata,  C.  Turneri,  C.  Byran,  C.  bella.,  C.  nivalis,  C.  Sedeni,  and 
C.  William  Murray. — F.  W.  P. 
Hardy  Fruit  Garden. 
Disbudding. ^ — Apricots. — The  growths  on  Apricot  trees  should  be 
regulated,  and  eventually  trained  in  a  systematic  manner,  but  without 
crowding.  When  the  growths  first  push  on  the  trees  shoots  are  present 
in  suitable  and  unsuitable  positions,  and,  as  a  rule,  are  too  numerous. 
A  system  of  gradual  disbudding  will  rectify  this,  commencing  when 
the  shoots  can  be  rubbed  off  with  finger  ^nd  thumb.  First  deal  with 
growths  that  have  pushed  in  positions  where  they  will  clearly  be  of  no 
use.  These  shoots  are  those  below  and  behind  branches.  In  the  case 
of  Apricot  trees  a  good  proportion  of  shoots  which  would,  if  allowed  to 
extend,  form  foreright  shoots,  may  be  shortened  back  when  they  have 
developed  three  full-sized  leaves.  These  shoots  will  then  form  artificial 
spurs.  Some  restrictions  must,  however,  be  made  on  the  number 
retained,  reducing  them  by  early  disbudding.  In  addition  to  artificial 
spurs  Apricots  produce  natural  spurs,  and  these  are  preferable  to  the 
others.  In  the  case  of  laying-in  young  shoots  the  best  placed  are  to 
be  selected,  the  chief  growths  being  those  at  the  base  of  the  present 
year’s  fruiting'  shoots,  one  on  each  being  sufficient  to  retain  for 
succession.  There  must,  however,  be  a  growth  left  at  the  extremity, 
in  order  that  sap  may  be  attracted  to  the  fruit.  Growths  of  opposite 
character,  such  as  the  very  weakly  and  the  unusually  strong,  may  be 
rubbed  or  cut  out  early. 
Peaches  and  Nectarines. — Although  the  disbudding  of  growths  may 
be  commenced  as  soon  as  they  form,  it  is  not  imperative  or  desirable 
that  the  operation  be  completed  immediately.  Gradual  removals  are 
invariably  better,  especially  when  the  temperature  is  low  and  growth 
does  not  proceed  very  rapidly.  Remove  first  ill-placed  growths,  wher¬ 
ever  situated,  then  reduce  the  number  of  the  desirably  situated,  these 
being  the  growths  on  the  upper  sides  of  branches.  Foreright  shoots 
are,  as  a  rule,  not  required,  though  a  few  may  be  retained,  shortening 
them  to  the  third  or  fourth  good  leaf,  which  will  enable  them  to  form 
spurs.  Peaches  and  Nectarines  bear  best  on  the  previous  year’s 
growths,  hence  the  main  object  of  disbudding  is  to  secure  the  best 
successional  growths,  and  a  fair  proportion  of  others  for  furnishing  the 
trees,  also  to  prevent  overcrowding.  Growth  is  made  earliest  and 
strongest  on  the  upper  parts  of  trees,  therefore  disbudding  should 
commence  there  first,  dealing  with  the  weaker  and  lower  positions  last. 
The  best  placed  shoot  must  be  retained  for  succession  at  the  base  of 
the  fruiting  shoots,  and  another,  forming  a  leader  at  the  extremity,  to 
attract  a  circulation  of  sap  to  the  fruit.  Vigorous  trees  frequently 
produce  strong  growths  from  latent  buds  in  the  old  wood.  These  are 
termed  robbers,  because,  being  of  such  strong  growth,  they  appropriate 
the  sap  to  an  undue  extent,  and  do  not  form  fruitful  wood. 
Plums  and  Chem-ies. — When  trees  are  young  and  in  a  state  of 
formation,  disbudding  as  a  means  of  reducing  the  number  of  growths 
is  of  great  practical  utility  in  insuring  the  proper  distribution  of  suit¬ 
able  growths.  Afterwards,  when  the  shoots  on  permanent  branches  are 
too  numerous,  their  early  reduction  by  disbudding  saves  much  sub¬ 
sequent  time  and  trouble,  and  prevents  overcrowding.  Not  only  are 
joung  growths  liable  to  be  too  rank,  but  clumps  of  spurs  in  a  fruiting 
condition  may  prove  to  be  more  numerous  than  desirable.  Morello 
Cherries  require  treating  similarly  to  Peaches  and  Nectarines,  but  the 
growths  retained  may  be  more  numerous. 
Apples  and  Pears. — Disbudding  is  practised  on  these  as  a  means  of 
thinning  out  and  removing  superfl'ious  growths.  Established  trees 
trained  in  restricted  form,  on  walls,  and  in  the  open,  are  furnished 
with  clumps  of  spurs,  among  which  an  unusually  large  number  of 
growths  start.  These,  if  allowed  to  remain,  spoil  one  another,  and  it 
is  therefore  best  to  remove  a  portion.  If,  owing  to  their  elongated 
shape,  the  spurs  have  been  shortened  back,  there  will  still  be  dis¬ 
budding  to  be  done,  growths  pushing  from  the  hard  wood.  These 
must  be  rigidly  thinned  and  carefully  regulated  in  number,  so  that 
the  sun  can  shine  to  their  base  and  promote  a  firm,  short-jointed, 
growth.  Young  trees  may  be  largely  shaped  and  trained  by  judicious 
disbudding  in  the  early  stages  of  growth. 
Newly  Planted  Wall  Trees. — Now  that  these  have  started  freely 
into  growth,  and  the  soil  about  the  roots  has  become  settled,  the 
branches  can  be  trained  in  position.  Water  may  be  needed  by  the 
roots,  giving  them,  if  the  soil  is  at  all  dry,  a  copious  supply,  and  after¬ 
wards  afford  a  good  mulching  of  manure,  which  will  greatly  assist  in 
retaining  the  moisture  in  the  soil  instead  of  allowing  it  to  escape  by 
evaporation. 
Syringing  Wall  Trees.— Fruit  trees  on  walls,  especially  stone  fruits, 
are  subject  to  attacks  from  insects  sooner  than  in  the  open.  One 
means  of  averting  attacks  from  green  and  black  fly  is  to  employ  the 
garden  engine  upon  them  in  the  early  stages  of  growth,  and  thus  wash 
off  the  pests  before  they  become  numerous.  If  insects  are  allowed  to 
