JOURNAL  Of  BORTICULTURg  AND  COTTAGS  GAJLDBNSR. 
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5iay  26,  183?. 
amongst,  the  most  useful  annuals  that  can  be  grown  wherever 
flowers  for  cutting  are  in  demand.  They  last  well  when  cat,  are 
produced  over  a  good  portion  of  the  summer  months,  can  be*  used 
for  vases,  bouquets,  or  bunches,  and  their  fragrance  is  of  that 
delicate  and  agreeable  nature  that  does  not  overpower  or  satiate. 
Sweet  Peas  prefer  a  moderately  light,  rich  soil,  but  no  better 
aid  can  be  afforded  them  than  superphosphate,  in  small  dressings. 
If  the  seeds  are  sown  in  the  autumn  in  favourable  situations  strong 
plants  will  be  making  progress  at  the  present  time ;  but  seeds  can  be 
sown  out  of  doors  now,  and  in  some  cases  with  much  better  results, 
at  least  for  the  bulk  of  our  plants  we  rely  upon  sowing  in  April 
and  early  May.  If  grown  simply  for  cutting  purposes  a  few  rows 
may  be  sown  like  garden  Peas  and  duly  staked,  but  they  are  seen 
to  much  better  advantage  if  they  can  be  allowed  to  trail  over  old 
tree  stems  or  roots,  up  trellises  or  round  summer  houses.  The 
habit  of  the  plant  is  naturally  so  graceful  that  it  seems  almost 
deplorable  to  see  it  confined  to  rigid  limits  or  formal  stakes. — 
A  Countryman. 
ANCIENT  AND  MODERN  CUCUMBER  CULTURE. 
It  is  a  far  cry  to  1837,  a  date  upon  which  for  so  many  reasons 
our  thoughts  are  now  often  directed,  but  in  ordinary  garden 
practice  there  are  few  things  in  which  more  change  in  cultural 
methods  has  been  effected  than  in  growing  Cucumbers  under  glass. 
Even  half  a  century  since  Cucumbers  were  almost  exclusively 
grown  in  frames  or  pits  on  masses  of  fermenting  manure,  and  in 
such  soil  areas  as  would  make  present-day  growers  marvel  how  the 
plants  became  productive. 
The  labour  involved  in  the  preparation  of  the  manure,  getting 
enough  to  either  constitute  a  good-sized  hotbed  or  to  fill  pits  and 
supply  effective  linings,  was  great,  and  added  to  all  this  labour 
was  that  of  having,  especially  early  in  the  season,  to  keep  up 
thick  linings,  so  that  the  heat  generated  in  the  original  bed*  might 
be  both  conserved  and  assisted  as  long  as  possible.  It  still  remains 
in  lively  remembrance  the  difficulty  of  maintaining  the  desired 
warmth,  and  the  disastrous  suddenness  with  which  it  would  collapse 
under  co'd,  heavy  rain  or  snowstorms,  or  sudden  and  severe  falls 
in  the  temperature. 
Then  the  big  heaps  of  soil  put  into  the  frames  or  pits, 
usually  at  the  first  a  good  wheel-barrowful  to  a  mound  for 
each  pair  of  plants,  and  as  the  roots  showed  themselves  on  the 
surface  other  two  barrowfuls,  or  perhaps  more  of  soil  was  added, 
until  the  plants  had  enough  of  root  area  for  a  dozen,  while  beneath 
the  soil  was  a  mas*  of  rich  manure,  into  which  the  roots  running 
soon  bred  gumming,  yellows,  disease,  and  death.  What  wonder  if 
the  growth  in  stem  and  leafage  was  excessively  luxuriant,  render¬ 
ing  severe  thinning  absolutely  essential,  and  making  the  production 
of  fruit  difficult.  Still  farther,  the  varieties  then  grown  were,  if 
long,  rather  coarse  in  appearance  and  poor  setters  ;  or  if  free 
•etters  then  were  short,  and  of  no  appreciable  market  value. 
Altogether,  having  regard  to  conditions  under  which  grown  and 
the  great  amount  of  attention  constantly  needed,  Cucumber  culture, 
whilst  severely  testing  a  grower’s  capacity,  was  far  from  being 
pleasant  or  profitable  employment. 
How  different  are  things  now.  We  must  not  forget,  however, 
that  for  the  change,  apart  from  better  knowledge,  we  owe  an 
immense  deal  to  the  removal  of  the  tax  on  glass,  once  so  oppreisive, 
and  to  the  introduction  of  heating  by  hot  water  ;  still  the  very  best, 
and  indeed  the  only  reliable  method  of  heating  glass  houses.  By 
this  help  we  can  now  not  only  erect  glass  structures  of  every  descrip¬ 
tion  easily  and  cheaply,  but  we  can  with  the  aid  of  a  little  ordinary 
skill  set  up  our  own  heating  apparatus.  My  thoughts  were  in 
this  way  directed  the  other  day  when  in  one  of  Mr.  Mortimers 
Cucumber  houses  at  Farnham,  Surrey,  I  saw  the  extreme  simplicity 
of  his  method,  with  the  splendid  results  obtained.  Low  span 
houses  amply  supplied  with  hot-water  piping  and  furnace  power  ; 
over  the  pipes  placed  on  each  'side  of  the  houses  are  erected  wooden 
troughs,  the  farther  ends  of  the  bearers  resting  on  a  stout  piece 
of  quartering  fixed  to  the  side  walls,  the  inner  ends  on  uprights. 
Oq  these  bearers  are  laid  stout  wooden  trellises  in  long  lengths, 
and  to  each  side  is  fastened  a  clean  planed  strip  of  wood  in  long 
lengths,  and  7  inches  deep.  The  troughs  thus  formed  are  of  any 
length,  according  to  the  house,  18  to  20  inches  wide,  and  6  inches 
deep  inside.  The  compost  is  far  from  being  the  Cucumber  grower’s 
ideal.  Needing  so  much,  and  finding  good  turfy  loam  difficult  to  get, 
recourse  has  to  be  had  to  roadside  turf  and  trimmings,  which  is 
carted  in  as  obtainable  and  heaped  to  decay.  This  contains  con¬ 
siderable  grit  as  well  as  fibre,  and  to  it  is  added  some  well  decayed 
manure,  though  not  excessively,  and  a  moderate  quantity  of 
“  Thomson.” 
The  coarser  or  turfy  portions  are  first  laid  in  the  bottom  of  the 
trough  covering  the  trellis,  and  over  that  the  soil  just  as  it  is, 
rounding  it  up  in  the  centre,  so  that  the  depth  about  7  inches. 
The  plants  are  put  out  about  18  inches  apart  ;  hence,  as  will  be 
understood,  root  room  is  very  reitricted,  and  there  can  be  no  top¬ 
dressing  with  soil.  When  the  plants  get  well  into  bearing,  which 
they  soon  do,  carrying  great  crops  of  splendid  fruit,  all  the  other 
assistance  given  is  in  the  form  of  artificial  manure  dre*sings,  or 
applications  of  liquid  manure.  No  sooner  is  a  big  crop  of  seed 
fruits  gathered  than  out  the  plants  go,  also  the  soil  and  the  troughs. 
These  latter  are  whitewashed  with  hot  lime,  then  returned  to  the 
house.  New  soil  is  furnished,  fresh  young  plants  inserted,  and  a 
second  crop  of  fruit  is  soon  obtained.  In  this  way  eelworm  and 
fungoid  attacks  are  avoided  by  Mr.  Mortimer. — A.  Dean. 
Cattleya  Lawrenceana. 
This  superb  Cattleya  is  one  of  the  most  brilliant  of  Orchids 
flowering  just  now,  plants  with  three  or  four  of  the  fine  spikes 
having  a  very  bright  and  effective  appearance.  It  has  been  known 
to  botanists  since  about  1840,  when  it  was  first  discovered  in 
British  Guiana  by  Sir  Robert  Schomburgk.  But  to  Messrs.  Sander 
and  Co.  the  credit  of  its  introduction  to  cultivation  is  due,  a  col¬ 
lector  in  the  interest  of  this  firm  having  sent  it  home  in  quantity 
about  1884.  The  flowers  are  5  or  6  inches  across,  the  sepals  and 
petals  rosy  purplish,  the  lip  similar  in  ground  colour,  blotched  with 
purple  crimson.  The  habit  is  like  a  strong  C.  Mossise,  but  both 
bulbs  and  leaves  have  a  reddish  bronzy  tint. 
C.  Lawrenceana  is  as  easy  to  grow  and  free  blooming  as 
C.  Mossiae  or  any  of  the  labiata  section,  but  requires  more  heat 
and  almost  full  exposure  to  the  sun.  The  pots  need  not  be  large, 
but  must  be  thoroughly  drained,  the  crocks  coming  about  three 
parts  of  the  way  up,  and  being  covered  with  a  layer  of  rough 
sphagnum.  For  compost  moss  and  peat  may  be  used  in  equal 
proportions,  plenty  of  rough  bits  of  charcoal  or  crocks  being  added 
to  it  or  introduced  as  the  work  of  potting  proceeds.  The  less  the 
plants  are  disturbed  the  better,  once  in  three  years  being  quite 
often  enough  for  repotting,  a  little  top-dressing  being  allowed  in 
the  intervening  seasons. 
Great  care  is  necessary  in  turning  the  plants  out  of  their  pots, 
as  the  roots  are  much  smaller  than  those  of  some  Cattleyas,  and 
cling  to  these  with  great  tenacity.  It  is  much  better  to  break  the 
pots  with  a  hammer,  and  introduce  the  pieces  with  roots  attached 
in  the  new  ones,  than  to  risk  injuring  the  plants  by  laceration  of 
the  roots.  In  fixing  them  in  the  new  pots  let  the  principal  lead 
be  kept  as  near  the  centre  as  possible  ;  this  will  prevent  their 
“  growing  out  of  the  pots  ”  before  another  renewal  is  necessary . 
Keep  them  up,  and  finish  the  line  of  compost  so  that  the  leading 
bulbs  just  rest  on  this. 
Care  is  necessary  after  repotting,  just  enough  moisture  being 
allowed  to  keep  the  roots  alive  and  prevent  shrivelling.  From  the 
time  growth  starts  until  the  sheaths  are  formed  and  the  pseudo 
bulbs  finished,  the  plants  must  be  kept  in  a  hot  and  moist 
atmosphere,  such  as  the  evergreen  section  of  Dendrobiums  delight 
in.  This  is,  in  fact,  the  principal  point  in  its  culture,  and  no  other 
Cattleya  except  C.  superba,  a  species  found  growing  naturally  in 
proximity  to  it,  requires  so  much  heat.  Keep  it  free  of  insects 
and  to  its  proper  annual  routine  of  growth,  and  it  will,  if  suit¬ 
ably  treated  in  other  ways,  produce  a  large  quantity  of  its  lovely 
blooms  in  due  season. — H.  R.  R. 
Flowers  at  Waterlow  Park, — Inhabitants  of  North  London 
dwelling  in  proximity  to  the  above  public  resort  have  now  facilities  for 
viewing  and  appreciating  many  seasonable  flowers  of  more  than  ordinary 
merit.  Mr.  Pallett,  the  able  superintendent,  has  made  the  most  of  the 
means  at  his  command,  the  result  being  that  Waterlow  Park  now 
presents  a  floral  picture  both  attractive  and  interesting.  At  one  point 
huge  clumps  of  Alyssum  saxatile  compactum  are  conspicuous,  being 
masses  of  golden  yellow  blossoms,  and  dotted  here  and  there  are  Aubrie- 
tias,  Silenes,  Myosotises,  and  other  seasonable  flowers.  Wallflowers  form 
another  picture  of  more  than  passing  interest,  as  some  half  a  dozen 
distinct  varieties  are  grown.  Amongst  these  Blood  Red  and  Belvoir 
Castle  strains  are  prominently  conspicuous,  and  contrast  pleasingly  with 
the  varying  vegetation  all  round.  Grass  everywhere  looks  green  and 
refreshing,  and  the  well  kept  appearance  of  turf  and  gravel  walks  reflects 
credit  on  the  superintendent  and  his  staff.— F. 
