5.26 
JOURNAL  OF  HORTICULTURE  AND  COTTAGE  GARDENER. 
December  5,  1895, 
of  Holly  raising  seem  to  have  been  devoted  to  the  rearing  of  fine- 
growing  decorative  shrubs,  and  the  production  of  miniature  forms 
for  early  berrying  appears  to  have  been  ignored.  It  may  be,  indeed, 
impossible  ;  but  has  it  ever  been  attempted  ?  If,  too,  we  can  have 
Mistletoe  worked  to  form  standard  heads  on  Apple  stocks,  why  not 
as  dwarf  clusters,  on  the  same  stock,  for  pot  culture  ?  That  may 
be  found  possible  if  tried. 
Pernettyas,  we  know,  can  be  had  in  abundance  as  dwarf  pot 
plants.  Probably  were  these  better  known  they  would  sell  freely 
for  Christmas  or  general  winter  decoration.  Skimmias,  too,  can 
be  obtained  very  finely  berried  as  small  plants,  why  not  also  Cotone- 
asters,  as  these  are  habitually  dwarf,  and  even  creeping  ?  and  what 
a  telling  berried  plant,  too,  for  pot  work  would  be  the  Cratregus 
pyracantha,  could  it  be  induced  to  berry  in  such  fashion  as  it  fruits 
on  walls  and  houses.  These  are  far  from  being  all  the  hardy 
berrying  plants  that  may  be  utilised  in  this  way,  and  therefore  we 
have  ample  material  on  which  anyone  desirous  of  striking  out  a 
distinct  line  in  nursery  work  for  the  gratification  of  popular 
tastes. 
And  so  of  tender  plants.  None  excels  the  Solanums  for  ordinary 
greenhouse  or  domestic  uses.  Somehow  we  do  not  seem  to  make 
so  much  use  of  these  remarkably  effective  plants  as  they  deserve, 
yet  they  are  readily  obtained,  heavily  set  with  fine  scarlet  berries. 
Those  we  can  have  from  seed  or  cuttings,  though  the  latter 
furnish  the  most  even  and  compact  plants  ;  but  raising  even 
hundreds  of  thousands  in  this  way  is  to  a  market  grower  but  a 
common-place  affair.  Small  golden  and  red  Capsicums  and  Chilies 
are  pretty,  but  these  will  not  long  endure  a  low  temperature,  such 
as  a  dwelling  house  affords.  For  the  same  reason  we  cannot  have 
small  plants  of  the  Currant  Tomato  in  the  winter,  or  of  that 
pretty  berried  plant  Rivina  humilis,  because  these  need  heat. 
Therefore,  apart  from  the  fairly  hardy  Solanum,  the  chief 
direction  in  which  to  look  for  berried  plants  in  pots  is  amongst 
hardy  shrubs,  and  in  that  direction  we  ought  not  to  look  in  vain, 
as  there  is  much  of  material  apparently  that  only  needs  developing 
to  enable  it  to  be  more  widely  utilised. — A.  D. 
GROWING  SEAKALE. 
ArrER  the  severe  frosts  experienced  last  winter,  when  nearly  all 
green  crops  were  killed,  no  doubt  many  a  gardener  wished  he  had 
had  more  Seakale  and  other  root  crops  to  help  him  over  the  time 
until  other  vegetables  could  be  grown,  and  as  Seakale  is  very 
highly  appreciated  it  behoves  every  gardener  to  have  a  good  supply 
of  it,  considering  it  is  one  of  the  easiest  vegetables  to  grow,  and  can 
be  had  without  half  the  labour  some  people  imagine.  One  can  still 
occasionally  see  the  old  system  of  covering  up  with  pots  with 
fermenting  material,  which  entails  a  great  waste  of  time,  as  it  is 
quite  unnecessary.  To  anyone  who  could  procure  seaweed  I  would 
recommend  them  to  cover  some  crowns  over  with  about  a  foot  of 
it,  as  I  find  it  will  retard  growth  longer  than  any  other  method 
(except  freezing  the  crowns),  thereby  considerably  prolonging  the 
season. 
Now  that  the  forcing  of  Seakale  has  commenced  a  few  words 
on  the  subject  of  preparing  and  growing  for  another  year  may  not 
be  out  of  place,  as  by  following  the  directions  given  below  anyone 
having  a  few  roots  may  considerably  increase  their  stock  for  another 
season. 
After  the  first  frost,  or  as  soon  as  the  leaves  part  readily  from 
the  crowns,  lift  them  and  cut  off  the  roots  to  within  half  an  inch 
of  the  main  stem.  These  should  be  made  into  cuttings  6  inches 
long,  cut  square  one  end,  slanting  at  the  other.  They  should  then  be 
laid  in  ashes  outside,  with  the  square  end  uppermost,  and  covered 
with  3  inches  of  the  same  material,  where  they  remain  till  towards  the 
end  of  March.  By  this  time  they  will  be  showing  signs  of  growth, 
when  they  must  be  planted  1  foot  apart  in  rows  15  inches  asunder, 
and  about  half  inch  of  ashes  be  placed  on  the  top.  When  they  have 
grown  about  8  inches  they  are  gone  over  and  all  the  shoots  removed 
except  the  strongest  one,  which  is  to  make  the  crown  for  next 
season’s  forcing,  and  if  they  receive  one  or  two  slight  dressings  of 
salt  between  the  rows  before  the  leaves  meet  it  is  the  only  attention 
they  require. 
In  November,  after  they  have  been  frozen  once  or  twice,  when 
the  leaves  part  readily  from  the  crowns,  lift,  cut  off  the  roots  as 
previously  directed  for  another  year’s  supply,  and  lay  the  crowns 
in  ashes  until  wanted  for  forcing.  They  may  be  placed  in  large 
pots  and  have  another  pot  put  over  the  top  of  them,  when  they  can 
be  stood  under  the  stages  of  a  warm  house  as  may  be  required. 
They  must  be  covered  to  exclude  the  light.  Anyone  having  a 
Mushroom  house  would  not  require  to  pot  the  crowns,  as  they  ] 
could  be  packed  in  a  little  soil,  the  result  being  perfectly  blanched 
Kale  with  very  little  labour. — G.  H.  • 
S 
Cypripedidji  Marchioness  of  Salisbury. 
Staged  at  a  meeting  of  the  Royal  Horticultural  Society  held  at 
the  Drill  Hall  on  November  12t:h,  this  beautiful  Cypripedium 
attracted  much  attention  and  admiration.  It  is  a  hybrid  resulting 
from  a  cros#  between  C.  bellatulum  and  C.  barbatum  superbum, 
evidences  of  both  parents  being  readily  discernible,  though  the 
bellatulum  type  preponderates.  The  pouch  is  not  large,  but  is  of 
handsome  appearance,  and  is  rosy  brown  in  colour.  The  dorsal 
sepal  has  a  ground  hue  of  cream  shading  towards  the  edges  to  a 
pure  rose.  The  petals,  which  are  drooping,  are  profusely  spotted 
with  maroon  on  a  white  base.  The  plant  was  exhibited  by  Messrs. 
F.  Sander  »&:  Co.,  St.  Albans,  and  received  from  the  Orchid 
Committee  a  first-class  certificate.  The  woodcut  (fig.  79)  will 
convey  to  readers  a  good  idea  of  the  form  and  markings  of  this 
flower. 
Gongora  atro-purpurea. 
This  singular  Orchid  is  nearly  always  in  flower,  and  the  sweetly 
scented  peculiarly  shaped  blossoms  usually  excite  interest.  The 
genus  to  which  it  belongs  is  by  no  means  popular,  the  gorgeous 
beauties  of  Cattleyas  and  other  favourite  genera  putting  them 
entirely  in  the  shade.  Still,  where  there  is  room  a  few  plants 
should  be  grown,  as  they  give  very  little  trouble,  and  the  flowering 
return  is  ample.  G.  atro-purpurea  has  deeply  furrowed  light 
green  pseudo-bulbs,  and  broad  lanceolate  leaves  of  the  same  colour. 
From  the  base  of  the  bulbs  the  elegant  arching  racemes  of  flower 
are  produced,  and  these  bear  from  a  dozen  to  twenty  blossoms, 
according  to  the  strength  of  the  plant.  These  are  reddish-brown, 
varying  in  colour,  and  usually  spotted  with  purple. 
The  plants  are  vigorous  rooters,  and  enjoy  a  copious  supply  of 
water  during  the  growing  season  ;  when  the  growth  is  complete 
less  will  suffice,  though  they  must  not  be  allowed  to  shrivel.  It 
thrives  in  a  compost  consisting  of  equal  parts  of  peat,  loam,  fibre, 
and  sphagnum  moss,  with  a  few  lumps  of  charcoal  to  insure 
porosity.  It  may  be  grown  successfully  either  in  the  Cattleya 
or  East  Indian  house,  and  must  be  shaded  from  the  brightest  sun¬ 
shine  only. 
CiRRHOPETALUM  ORXATI33IMUM . 
In  many  places  where  Orchids  are  well  grown  these  pretty 
little  plants  are  entirely  unknown,  and  a  well  flowered  plant  of 
this  variety  came  recently  as  a  pleasant  surprise  when  visiting  a 
small  collection  in  the  neighbourhood.  It  is  only  a  small-growing 
plant  with  roundish  pseudo-bulbs  and  leaves  not  exceeding  half  a 
foot  in  height.  The  spikes  are  the  same  height  as  the  leaves,  and 
each  bears  a  whorl  of  flowers  of  a  deep  vinous  purple  flaked  with 
reddish  brown,  the  sepals  and  petals  hairy  on  the  edges  and  about 
the  base  of  the  lip.  This  species  requires  the  heat  of  the  East 
Indian  house  to  grow  it  well,  and  while  it  should  be  accorded 
a  position  in  a  good  clear  light,  it  must  not  be  exposed  to  direct 
sunlight  under  glass. 
The  compost  must  be  sweet  and  open,  the  best  peat  fibre, 
sphagnum  moss,  and  finely  broken  crocks  being] used.  The  plants 
have  a  creeping  habit  of  growth,  and  some  growers  on  this  account 
favour  the  use  of  dressed  blocks  for  them,  but  if  fairly  wide  and 
shallow  pans  are  used  less  trouble  is  needed  in  watering.  This 
must  ba  carefully  attended  to  in  winter,  as  the  pseudo-bulbs  are 
apt  to  decay  at  the  base  if  too  liberally  supplied,  but  during  the  hot 
months  of  the  summer  the  plants  require  abundant  supplies  of 
water  at  the  roots. 
Pleione  lagexaria. 
This  is  the  first  of  the  Pleiones  to  flower,  and  one  of  the  best  in 
cultivation.  The  blossoms  are  large  and  very  lively  in  colouring,  a 
few  pots  having  a  bright  and  telling  effect  among  other  Orchids. 
The  sepals,  petals,  and  lip  are  bright  rose,  the  latter  being  rather 
the  lightest  in  colour  and  prettily  spotted  with  crimson.  The 
plants  must  be  repotted  directly  the  flowers  are  past,  using  a 
substantial  compost  for  them,  or  one  in  which  loam  predominates. 
Two  parts  of  this  to  one  of  peat  with  a  plentiful  sprinkling  of  pot¬ 
sherds  and  a  little  chopped  sphagnum  will  make  an  ideal  rooting 
medium. 
In  potting,  the  old  pseudo-bulbs  must  be  pulled  apart, reserving 
a  few  of  the  roots  to  steady  them  in  the  new  soil,  and  having  pots 
of  suitable  sizes  ready  to  hand  and  well  drained  ;  plant  them  at 
regular  intervals  all  over  the  surface,  keeping  the  bases  just  on  a 
level  with  this.  The  compost  should  rise  a  little  in  the  centre,  as 
