May  6, 1897.  JOURNAL  OF  HORTICULTURE  AND  COTTAGE  GARDENER.  355 
io  prepare  a  small  hole  and  render  the  soil  immediately  surround¬ 
ing  the  roots  fertile  to  give  them  a  start.  Under  this  treatment 
the  plants  grow  well  for  a  few  years  only,  until  the  prepared  soil 
fail#  to  supply  them  with  the  requisite  amount  of  food.  They 
decrease  in  health  and  vigour  in  proportion  as  the  soil  beyond  the 
station  made  for  them  is  rich  or  poor.  In  naturally  fertile  soils 
they  flourish  without  further  trouble,  but  in  the  majority  they 
become  thin  and  bare,  while  in  others  they  linger  between  life  and 
death,  only  to  succumb  the  first  time  their  energies  are  severely 
taxed  by  a  long  spell  of  drought,  cutting  winds,  or  severe  frost. 
They  frequently  succeed  better  in  woods  when  left  to  Nature  for 
their  supply  of  food  than  they  do  in  borders  or  dre°sed  portions  of 
the  pleasure  grounds.  It  is  in  these  positions  that  Rhododendrons, 
instead  of  growing  luxuriantly,  become  bare  from  exhaustion. 
Every  particle  of  material  that  would  provide  them  with  food  is 
brushed  away  for  the  sake  of  appearance.  This  would  not  be 
objected  to  if  the  shrubs  were  supplied  with  sustenance  to  with¬ 
stand  the  adverse  circumstances  to  which  they  are  often  subjected. 
I  have  seen  these  shrubs  grow  with  wonderful  vigour  in  6  inche# 
depth  of  heavy  soil  resting  on  a  bed  of  clay,  and  equally  well  in 
light  sandy  soils,  also  on  peaty  grounds  when  left  to  Nature .  In 
each  instance,  as  is  natural  to  the  Rhododendron,  they  rooted 
closely  beneath  the  surface,  and  their  own  leaves,  and  those  that 
were  drifted  under  them,  soon  induced  a  mass  of  fibres,  and  the 
fallen  leaves  protected  the  fine  hair-like  roots  from  destruction  by 
drought.  In  gardens  their  food  is  removed,  and  annually  numbers 
of  the  surface  roots  are  cut  off  by  the  too  general  practice  of 
digging  amongst  them.  In  summer  they  suffer  by  drought,  and  with 
such  treatment  it  is  no  wonder  they  look  thin,  poor,  and  unsightly. 
To  insure  success  digging  must  never  be  done  about  the  roots ; 
it  is  only  to  give  a  neat  appearance,  and  to  prevent  leaves  that  have 
drifted  in  from  being  blown  out  and  carried  on  to  the  lawn  or 
surrounding  places.  This  is  to  save  labour,  which  can  be  accom¬ 
plished  by  another  method,  if  not  quite  so  quickly,  with  benefit  to 
the  shrubs.  The  loose  leaves  can  be  brushed  or  raked  out  unless 
the  necessary  material  is  at  hand  for  top-dressing  them  as  the  work 
of  cleaning  proceeds.  Refuse  from  the  garden,  such  as  leaves, 
the  mowings  of  lawns,  and  the  edgings  of  walks,  make  capital 
material  for  top-dressing.  The  refuse  from  the  potting  shed,  the 
surface  soil  removed  from  vi  aeries,  or  Peach  houses — in  fact,  all 
soils  after  they  are  useless  for  indoor  work — are  excellent  for  the 
purpose.  Often  old  hotbeds  are  available,  and  a  few  loads  of  soil 
after  the  most  fibry  portion  has  been  removed  for  potting  purposes 
can  be  purchased  in  the  neighbourhood  of  towns  for  covering  leave# 
or  material  that  might  blow  about. 
In  large  gardens  the  quantity  of  refuse  from  the  various  depart¬ 
ments  amounts  to  a  large  heap  in  twelve  months,  which  if  thrown 
together  and  turned  will  be  found  ample  for  top-dressing  many 
-clumps  and  single  specimens  of  Rhododendrons.  They  root  freely 
into  leaves  or  garden  refuse,  which  generally  consists  of  a  quantity 
of  rich  fertilising  material.  On  light  soils  I  prefer  a  dressing  of 
cow  manure  with  a  thin  sprinkling  of  soil  on  the  surface,  because 
it  retains  moisture  much  longer  than  other  refuse. 
The  best  time  for  top-dressing  is  during  the  winter  or  early 
spring,  while  the  roots  are  moist,  as  then  the  material  applied  will 
keep  them  in  that  condition  throughout  the  summer.  Instead  of 
the  shrubs  being  injured,  as  is  usual  during  dry  weather  by  the 
destruction  of  the  surface  roots,  it  will  be  found  on  examination 
that  the  old  top  layer  of  mould  i#  a  mass  of  white  fibres  that  are 
taking  possession  of  the  new  soil.  If  the  top-dressing  is  about 
4  inches  thick  it  will  last  at  least  three  years  before  it  need  be 
repeated. 
Not  only  do  Rhododendrons  grow  with  greater  vigour  and 
retain  a  fine,  dark,  glossy  appearance  by  top-dressing  periodically, 
but  they  brave  cutting  winds  in  exposed  situations  without  in  many 
eases  receiving  the  slightest  injury.  In  exceptional  cases  if  they 
are  browned  they  quickly  recover  before  the  season  is  over. 
Plants  in  poor  soil  subjected  to  the  evil  conditions  pointed  out  are 
certain  to  be  cut  very  much,  and  seldom  recover :  in  fact  they 
always  present  a  thin,  naked  appearance. 
It  is  not  wise  to  cut  back  Rhododendrons  that  are  in  an 
exhau#ted  condition.  They  should  be  allowed  to  grow  one  season 
after  top-dressing,  and  then  may  be  cut  back  during  the  early 
spring  months.  It  is  a  mistake  to  delay  pruning  them  until  they 
have  flowered,  for  they  are  then  late  before  they  start  their  growth, 
which  is  not  well  ripened  before  the  winter,  and  in  severe  weather 
the  shoots  are  often  killed.  With  plants  in  a  partially  exhausted 
condition  the  flowers  must  be  removed  directly  they  fade,  and  not 
be  allowed  to  remain  and  ripen  their  seeds.  This  is  necessary  in 
any  case,  both  for  appearance  and  the  well  being  of  the  shrubs. 
Planting  in  exposed  positions  should  be  done  during  September. 
In  sheltered  places  Rhododendrons  may  be  planted  at  almost  any 
season  of  the  year,  provided  the  soil  is  moist  ;  if  not,  considerable 
labour  is  occasioned  in  watering. — A.  N. 
OnONTOGLOSSUM  CEISPUM  LUCIANI. 
The  additions  to  this  beautiful  class  of  Orchids  continue  fairly 
numerous,  coming  from  all  source#,  and  there  are  now  scores  of 
varieties  to  which  distinctive  names  have  been  attached  that  have 
been  honoured  by  the  Royal  Horticultural  Society.  One  of  the 
latest  is  0.  c.  Luciani,  of  which  we  give  an  illustration  (fig.  78). 
This  wa«  shown  at  the  Drill  Hall  on  March  23rd  by  Mons.  Lucien 
Linden,  and  received  a  first-class  certificate.  The  form  of  the 
FIG.  78.— 0D0NT0GL0SSUM  CRISPUH  LUCIANI. 
flower  is  superb,  while  the  substance  is  splendid.  The  ground 
colour  is  white  suffused  with  rose,  with  abundance  of  large 
chocolate  blotches. 
INSECT  INVASION. 
“  I  WANT  to  know  what  really  will  kill  insects  ?  My  garden  i3 
invaded  every  year,  do  what  I  will.  Cm  you  give  a  good  article 
to  help  me  in  my  difficulty  ?  ”  Such  is  the  appeal  of  a  correspondent 
who  seems  to  write  almost  in  tones  of  despair.  The  invasion  we 
suspect  is  the  natural  cause  of  repressive  measures  not  being  taken 
soon  enough.  Let  our  friend  read  and  digest  the  following 
injunctions  : — 
Gardeners  and  cultivators  of  plants,  trees,  and  crops  generally 
have  many  enemies  to  combat.  Watch  must  ever  be  kept  to 
prevent  some  of  them  stealing  a  march  and  taking  a  firm  position 
from  which  they  cannot  be  dislodged  without  injury  to  the 
possessions  on  which  they  have  seized.  Insect#  of  various  forms 
start  into  life  with  the  same  regularity  that  leaves  unfold  in  the 
spring,  and  those  insect#  fight  for  existence  with  a  determination 
that  often  leaves  them  victors. 
The  increase  of  insects  leads  to  the  rain  of  plants  and  crops, 
disquietude  of  minds,  and  the  emptying  of  purses.  The  waste  is 
enormous,  and  if  it  were  possible  to  estimate  the  amount  of  damage 
done,  with  the  outlay  incurred  in  the  general  warfare  against  the 
enemy,  it  would  be  startling  in  its  immensity.  Undoubtedly  one 
of  the  most  important  duties  of  the  gardener  is  to  mitigate,  so  far 
as  it  lies  in  his  power  to  do  so,  the  great  evil  wrought  through 
insect  agency,  and  it  is  certainly  in  the  interest  of  owners  of 
gardens  to  give  all  the  assistance  they  can  in  the  furtherance  of 
that  object. 
There  is  no  greater  mistake  made  in  gardening,  and  unfortu¬ 
nately  few  more  common,  than  to  lightly  ignore  the  presence  of 
one  or  two  insects.  It  is  no  more  safe  or  prudent  to  do  so  than  to 
pay  small  regard  to  the  outbreak  of  a  fire  in  a  warehouse  of  valu¬ 
able  combustibles.  The  first  spark,  if  seen,  may  be  stamped  out 
