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JOURNAL  OF  HORTICULTURE  AND  COTTAGE  GARDENER. 
April  7,  1898. 
directly  the  pseudo-bulbs  show  the  least  sign  of  distress.  If  these 
points  are  not  attended  to  the  greatest  care  and  attention  in  other 
ways  will  be  futile,  for  one  season  of  overflowering  will  take  years  of 
careful  growing  to  make  it  up,  if,  indeed,  the  plant  ever  recover.  It 
has  been  the  cause  of  the  death  of  hundreds  of  good  plants. 
The  atmosphere  of  tlie  house  wherein  these  plants  are  grown  is  an 
important  point,  and  though  when  many  flowers  are  open  one  is 
tempted  to  use  very  little  water  about  the  floor  for  fear  of  spotting, 
this  must  not  be  carried  too  far.  The  whole  of  the  Peruvian  and 
New  Grenada  Odontoglots  hke  a  moisture-laden  air,  always  kept 
moving  by  free  ventilation.  Shade,  too,  is  necessary  now  for  the  sake 
of  the  flowers  as  much  as  the  plants  themselves,  but  it  is  not  wise  to 
allow  the  blinds  to  remain  down  too  long.  If  a  suitable  amount  of  air 
is  put  on  the  first  thing  in  the  morning  this  will  prevent  the  house 
getting  hot  all  at  once  when  the  sun  shines. 
.  Keep  increasing  the  air,  so  that  the  temperature  rises  slowly,  and 
at  the  same  time  damp  freely  every  part  of  the  house.  Thus  the 
foliage  will  be  kept  cool,  and  until  the  temperature  has  risen  to  60°  or 
therSibouts,  the  shading  is  best  off  the  roof.  This,  of  course,  refers 
to  the  present  time ;  later,  in  the  summer,  it  is  better  to  shade  much 
earlier,  the  whole  trouble  then  being  to  keep  the  temperature  low 
enough  night  or  day.  Recourse  is  had  to  wet  mats  and  other  things  in 
addition  to  the  usual  shading  material,  but  when  the  sun  is  pouring 
down  on  the  glass  at  midsummer  it  is  impossible  to  keep  the  house 
as  cool  as  the  plants  require. 
With  regard  to  compost  it  is  quite  a  mistake  to  be  always  loading 
the  roots  with  compressible  material,  as  peat  and  moss.  If,  when  top¬ 
dressing  is  in  progress,  a  few  pieces  of  crocks  and  charcoal  were 
provided  the  evil  is  not  so  pronounced,  but  instances  are  repeatedly 
coming  under  my  notice  of  plants  with  their  roots  embedded  in 
sodden  material,  simply  owing  to  neglect  of  this  matter.  It  is  not,  in 
fact,  a  good  time  now  to  be  pulling  cool  Orchids  about  at  the  roots  at 
all.  If  I  had  a  number  of  plants  in  bad  order,  so  bad  that  the  roots 
were  not  thriving,  I  should  certainly  shift  them  at  any  time  of  the 
year,  but  for  a  general  repotting  there  is  no  time  like  the  early 
autumn. 
Insects  at  this  time  of  the  year  seem  especially  voracious,  and 
many  a  grand  spike  has  been  ruined  by  slugs  eating  it  at  the  bottom. 
If  there  is  an  Odontoglossum  coming  into  flower  these  pests  are 
bound  to  find  it  if  they  are  in  the  house,  and  a  continual  watchfulness 
must  be  kept  up  by  day  among  the  bases  of  the  bulbs,  and  in  the 
compost  at  night  when  the  insects  are  feeding,  this  by  the  aid  of  a 
light.  Traps  made  from  hollowed-out  Potatoes  are  as  good  as  any¬ 
thing  for  woodlice  and  small  snails,  while  cockroaches  are  destroyed 
by  poisoning  with  arsenic  in  the  form  of  beetle  paste. — H.  R.  R. 
THE  AMARYLLIS. 
The  present  Amaryllis,  or  Hippeastrums  as  they  are  now  commonly 
called,  are  descendants'of  vittatum,  reticulatum,  aulicum,  psittacinum,  and 
other  species,  mostly  natives  of  South  America,  where,  I  am  informed,  they 
grow  naturally  in  shady  copses,  woodlands,  and  on  the  banks  of  rivers, 
and  when  in  flower  they  form  a  gorgeous  display.  By  constant  and 
careful  hybridising,  however,  the  flowers  of  the  original  species  have  been 
vastly  improved  upon,  both  in  size,  brightness  of  coloration,  and  the 
general  quality  of  the  flowers,  so  at  the  present  time  it  would  indeed  be  a 
retrograde  step  for  any  cultivator  to  go  back  to  the  original  species. 
In  dealing  with  the  cultivation  of  these  handsome  and  gorgeous  bulbous 
plants,  this  paper  will  be  divided  into  the  following  different  headings  : — 
Raising  of  Seedlings,  Treatment  of  Tlowering  Bulbs,  Hybridising,  Insect 
Pests,  and  General  Remarks. 
Raising  Seedlings. 
Amaryllis  are  very  easily  raised  from  seeds,  which  in  all  cases  should 
be  sown  as  soon  as  ripe,  and  presuming  the  plants  flower  in  March  and 
April,  the  seed  will  be  ripe  before  the  end  of  May.  The  most  suitable  soil 
is  composed  of  an  equal  mixture  of  light  fibrous  loam  and  leaf  mould,  with 
the  addition  of  a  good  portion  of  silver  sand,  and  a  sprinkling  of  wood 
ashes.  Drain  the  pots  or  pans  thoroughly,  and  cover  the  crocks  with  moss 
to  prevent  the  soil  being  washed  into  the  drainage.  The  seeds  may  be 
covered  about  J  of  an  inch  with  fine  sandy  soil,  then  watered  with  tepid 
water.  Plunge  the  receptacles  in  bottom  heat  of  about  75°  to  80°,  place 
a  sheet  of  glass  over  each,  and  shade  from  bright  sunshine.  In  about 
three  weeks  the  seedlings  will  appear,  when  the  glass  may  be  gradually 
removed,  and  by  the  time  the  young  plants  are  producing  their 
second  leaves  they  may  be  pricked  off  an  inch  asunder  in  either  shallow 
boxes  or  pans,  using  a  little  more  loam  in  the  compost.  They  should 
again  be  plunged  into  bottom  heat  until  fairly  growing,  when  they  may  be 
placed  on  the  stages  of  an  ordinary  stove,  where  they  can  be  conveniently 
shaded  during  very  bright  sunshine,  always  keeping  them  where  a  genial, 
moist  atmosphere  is  maintained. 
By  the  autumn  the  plants  will  be  fairly  established,  and  must  be 
encouraged  to  make  strong,  sturdy  growth,  and  when  the  days  begin  to 
shorten  place  them  in  the  lightest  part  of  the  plant  stove  for  wintering. 
Keep  them  growing  all  through  the  winter,  using  care  with  the  water- 
pot,  as  if  over-watered  many  roots  will  perish,  and  the  foliage  will  be 
lost  at  a  time  when  it  is  most  required.  The  winter  temperature  for 
the  young  plants  may  range  from  60°  to  65°  by  night,  with  a  rise  of  5° 
or  so  by  day,  always  taking  advantage  of  a  sunny  day  to  dew  them 
slightly. 
As  soon  as  the  days  begin  to  lengthen  in  spring  increase  the  tempe¬ 
rature,  when  growth  will  be  more  rapid,  and  a  further  shift  will  be 
required.  If  only  a  few  plants  are  grown  they  may  be  potted,  using 
well  drained  pots  according  to  the  size  of  the  bul))s  and  roots.  A  little 
more  substantial  soil  may  be  used.  We  find  light  fibrous  loam,  three  parts 
to  one  part  leaf  mould,  with  a  fair  amount  of  sand,  wood  ashes,  and  a 
sprinkling  of  soot,  to  produce  satisfactory  results,  although  where  the  soil 
is  of  a  heavy  or  retentive  nature  the  admixture  of  fibrous  peat  and  powdered 
charcoal  would  doubtless  be  beneficial.  EflBcient  drainage  is  always 
essential,  and  after  potting  it  is  advisable  to  replunge  in  bottom  heat 
of  about  70°.  Should  the  soil  be  fairly  moist  at  potting  time  no  water 
will  be  required  until  the  roots  begin  to  take  hold  of  the  new  compost ; 
but  a  moist  atmosphere  must  be  maintained  by  syringing  on  all  favour¬ 
able  occasions  and  damping  the  floors  and  walls.  At  this  potting  the 
leaves  of  the  plants  are  tender,  so  in  order  to  prevent  their  being  broken 
it  is  better  to  stake  them. 
Where  many  plants  are  raised  it  is  better  to  have  a  bed  in  one  of  the 
houses,  preferably  over  the  hot-water  pipes,  making  up  the  soil  about  4  to 
5  inches  in  depth,  and  plant  out  the  young  bulbs  3  or  4  inches  apart,  and 
otherwise  treat  in  the  same  way  as  the  potted  plants.  Shade  during  very 
bright  weather,  and  when  the  bed  is  well  filled  with  roots  commence 
feeding  by  giving  soot  water,  liquid  manure  made  from  sheep’s  droppings 
(always  in  a  weak  state),  and  occasionally  a  slight  dressing  of  Clay’s, 
Standen’s,  or  any  other  quick  acting,  stimulating  manure.  By  keeping 
the  plants  in  a  constantly  growing  condition  for  about  sixteen  months 
they  will  have  made  fine  bulbs,  and  as  autumn  comes  on  they  may  be 
gradually  brought  to  rest  by  inuring  to  sunlight,  withholding  water,  and 
reducing  the  temperature.  These  points  must  be  carried  out  gradually, 
it  often  being  three  months  before  the  foliage  all  dies  down.  Those  that 
are  in  pots  may  then  be  placed  in  their  winter  quarters  on  shelves  in  the 
greenhouse,  and  those  planted  out  will  be  a  regular  network  of  roots, 
which  may  be  torn  into  convenient  sized  clumps  and  wintered  on  the 
border  of  a  vinery  which  is  at  rest. 
Flowering  Bulbs. 
A  few  of  the  seedlings  will  now  have  attained  flowering  size,  and  all 
may  be  treated  as  flowering  plants.  We  will  assume  that  when  the  bulbs 
are  placed  in  their  winter  quarters  they  are  devoid  of  all  foliage,  and 
unless  they  get  quite  dust  dry  receive  no  water  at  all  through  the  winter 
months,  any  greenhouse  where  frost  is  excluded  being  suitable  for 
wintering  them.  Early  in  the  new  year  signs  of  activity  begin  to  show 
themselves,  flower  spikes  generally  being  the  harbingers  of  growth.  The 
bulbs  should  be  firm  and  hard,  and  it  sometimes  seems  impossible  for  the 
spikes  to  push  their  way  through. 
Presuming  we  have  a  stock  of  flowering  bulbs,  which  the  previous 
season  were  established  in  6-inch  pots,  it  is  unnecessary  to  repot  them  ; 
simply  turn  them  out,  rectify  the  drainage,  and  place  them  back  again, 
shaking  off  any  loose  soil,  and  top-dress  with  fairly  good  rich  soil. 
Previously  prepare  a  place  for  them  in  an  intermediate  house,  where  a 
bottom  heat  of  about  60°  can  be  maintained.  This  may  be  done  either  by 
means  of  hot-water  pipes  or  a  bed  of  prepared  leaves  and  stable  litter. 
If  the  latter  course  is  preferred,  the  materials  should  have  been  mixed 
some  time  previously  out  of  doors,  and  occasionally  turned  in  order  to  get 
off  the  rank  ammonia.  We  find  it  simpler  to  utilise  the  beds  in  a  Melon 
house,  where  hot  water  is  used  for  supplying  the  bottom  heat,  the  pit’s 
refuse  being  filled  up  with  cocoa-nut  fibre  refuse,  and  the  pots  plunged 
therein. 
The  temperature  of  the  house  should  be  kept  about  50°  to  55°  at  night, 
with  a  slight  rise  by  day.  Do  not  water  the  plants  until  growth  has 
fairly  commenced,  but  keep  the  house  moist  by  syringing  and  damping. 
Give  air  on  all  favourable  occasions,  and  as  the  plants  grow  afford  water 
at  the  roots  as  they  require  it,  and  occasionally  a  little  weak  manure 
water,  as  before  advised. 
Now  let  us  turn  back  to  the  seedling  bulbs  that  have  rested.  They 
will  require  potting,  with  any  flowering  bulbs  that  have  not  been  repotted 
for  a  couple  of  years.  The  same  soil  as  used  at  the  previous  potting  will 
be  suitable,  and  pots  6  inches  in  diameter  are  generally  large  enough  for 
the  biggest  bulbs.  Shake  all  the  old  soil  from  the  roots,  and  pot 
firmly,  then  plunge  them  in  the  same  place  as  recommended  for  the 
plants  that  were  top-dressed.  Newly  potted  plants  require  no  water  at 
the  roots  for  some  time,  as  the  damping  and  syringing  is  sufficient  for 
them.  While  in  flower  the  house  is  kept  fairly  cool,  say  about  50°,  plenty 
of  air  admitted,  and  always  shaded  during  sunshine. 
After  blooming  the  house  is  required  for  the  cultivation  of  Melons, 
when  all  the  plants  are  placed  in  a  heated  ]fit,  shaded  during  sunshine, 
and  kept  at  a  moist  growing  temperature  of  65°  to  75°  until  about  the 
end  of  August.  Water  is  afforded  as  required,  and  an  occasional 
sprinkling  of  any  quick-acting  plant  food,  also  a  little  soot  and  liquid 
manure  in  a  weak  state.  Towards  the  end  of  August  they  are  gradually 
brought  to  rest  as  before  advised  for  the  young  plants,  and  when  the 
foliage  has  died  down  are  placed  in  their  winter  quarters  until  required 
for  starting  again. 
Hybridising. 
This  is  probably  the  most  important  feature  in  the  cultivation  of  the 
Amaryllis.  Not  that  there  is  the  slightest  difficulty  in  raising  any 
