14 
JOURNAL  or  HORTIGULTUnr  ANT)  COTTAGE  GARDENER. 
July  2,  !89fl. 
AngtiBcum  .^esquipedale  is  an  Orchid  that  has  often  been  sent 
home  in  bad  condition,  and  the  state  of  the  plants  when  received  is 
no  criterion  of  what  they  are  going  to  do.  The  leaves  on  the  stems 
may  look  in  capital  oidsr  when  they  arrive,  but  presently  a  yellow 
insect  appears  in  the  leaf  axil,  and  they  drop  off  one  by  one  until 
the  stems  are  quite  bare  and  useless.  Occasionally  a  plant  turns  up 
that  has  apparently  lost  half  its  leaves  on  the  journey,  and  has  only 
a  tuft  of  about  eight  or  nine  on  the  top  of  the  stem.  This  class  of 
plant  frequently  does  better  than  the  last,  simply  because  it  has 
been  found  in  a  more  exposed  position,  and  therefore  more 
thoroughly  hardened  than  the  other  referred  to  above.  The 
smaller  habited  kinds,  such  as  A.  modestum,  A  articulatum,  and 
others  are  often  imported  on  the  native  wood,  and  such  plants  are 
as  a  matter  of  fact  already  established,  only  a  little  out  of  health 
owing  to  confinemeni  in  the  cases  on  the  journey  home.  Aerides, 
Vandas,  and  Saccolabiums  may  be  included  as  one  for  the  purpose 
of  this  note,  the  treatment  required  for  one  suiting  them  all. 
The  plants  when  received  should  be  cleaned  thoroughly,  all 
decayed  leaves  removed,  and  then  suspended  with  their  heads 
downwards  from  the  roof  of  a  warm  house,  there  to  gradually 
recover,  if  not  too  far  gone,  or  to  die  if  they  are.  One  great 
mistake  often  committed  is  to  cut  the  stems  back  when  seen  to  be 
bare  of  leaves.  This  thoroughly  weakens  them,  and  unless  the 
plants  are  large  and  much  more  vigorous  than  the  ordinary  run 
i.he  cutting  will  be  a  severe  check  to  them.  It  is  done,  of  course, 
for  the  sake  of  appearance,  but  if  left  until  they  are  producing  a 
few  roots  from  the  bare  part  of  the  stems  they  may  then  be 
shortened  back  with  safety,  even  with  advantage  to  the  plant’s 
health,  as  the  roots,  instead  of  rambling  about  in  the  atmosphere, 
enter  the  compost  and  assist  the  plant  by  collecting  moisture. 
Some  species  get  over  their  journey  much  better  than  others, 
and  the  vigorous-growing  Aerides  odoratum  or  virens  is  much  easier 
brought  round  than  the  natives  of  the  hilly  regions  that  have  to 
be  brought  a  long  distance  to  the  coast  line,  such  as  A.  affine  for 
instance.  Saccolabium  giganteum,  although  not  an  easy  plant  to 
grow,  is  one  of  the  most  readily  established,  while  the  Blumei 
guttatum  or  even  retusum  type  are  far  more  difficult,  notwith¬ 
standing  they  grow  much  more  freely  when  established.  Nothing 
is  gained  by  keeping  the  plants  out  of  their  pots  after  signs  of  root 
are  apparent ;  in  fact,  the  sooner  they  are  placed  in  them  the  better. 
No  compost  should  be  used  at  first,  simply  filling  up  around 
the  roots  with  clean  crocks  or  ballast,  a  little  sphagnum  moss  being 
put  on  when  the  roots  begin  to  be  active.  Masdevallias  are 
difficult  to  bring  round  if  in  bad  condition,  and  the  long  distance 
between  their  native  hills  and  the  hot  sweltering  coast  of  Weatern 
America  make  it  no  light  matter  to  bring  a  consignment  of  plants 
safely  through.  These  should  be  potted  at  once  in  clean  crocks,  as 
the  tufted  habit  renders  it  difficult  to  keep  them  together  if  handled 
much.  A  slight  surfacing  of  moss  may  be  given  as  soon  as  the  roots 
are  again  on  the  move,  and  this  or  very  similar  treatment  may  be 
accorded  to  Cypripediums  and  Phalsenopsis,  different  temperatures, 
of  course,  being  necessary  to  suit  their  several  requirements. 
The  South  American  Bolleas,  Pescatoreas,  and  Waracewiczellas 
are  peculiar  plants  to  establish,  there  being  so  little  of  them  to 
come  and  go  upon,  as  it  is  termed.  The  rootstock*  should  be  laid 
out  on  a  moist  bottom  of  spar,  clinker,  or  some  such  material,  until 
signs  of  life  are  apparent,  when  they  may  be  potted  in  a  com¬ 
post  consisting  largely  of  sphagnum  and  crocks.  All  through  this 
time  they  should  be  closely  shaded,  few  Orchids  requiring  more 
shade  than  these  three  interesting  and  peculiar  genera. — H.  R.  R. 
STRAWBERRY  NOTES. 
EAKLY  Sl'KAW'BEEEIES. 
It  is  indeed  amusing  to  note  the  apparently  intense  desire  shown  by 
Various  growers  of  Strawberries  to  indicate  that  records  have  in  their 
case  been  beaten.  Really  this  feverishness  to  out-Herod  Herod 
seems  to  have  been  carried,  possibly  by  sympathetic  spores,  from  the 
field  of  sport  into  the  garden.  If  one  grower  had  fruit  of  some  variety 
ripe  on  a  given  date,  someone  else  rushes  in  to  tell  readers  that  he  had 
the  same  or  some  other  variety  giving  ripe  fruit  a  day  earlier. 
Apart  from  the  fact  that  views  differ  so  much  as  to  when  fruits  are 
held  to  be  ripe,  there  are  always  matters  of  soil,  of  position,  shelter,  and 
age  of  plants,  to  be  regarded,  and  with  respect  to  which  it  is  not  possible 
for  readers  generally  or  even  one  person  to  draw  exact  conclusions.  One 
grower,  so  soon  as  he  has  a  fruit  coloured  on  the  upper  side,  let  the  under 
side  be  never  so  colourless,  exclaims,  "  I  had  fruits  ripe  on  such  a  date.” 
Another,  more  conscientious,  holds  that  Strawberries  may  be  regarded  as 
ripe  only  when  a  good  dish  for  the  table  may  be  gathered.  But  whether 
the  early  plants  be  found  on  a  warm  south  border  or  in  the  open  quarters, 
or  whether  the  plants  be  of  strong  early  runners  of  the  previous  year,  or 
two  or  three  years  old,  little  or  nothing  is  heard. 
In  the  Chiswick  trial  mentioned  on  page  555  of  the  Journal,  as  many 
as  twenty  varieties  ripened  fruits  within  seven  days,  John  Buskin  being 
first  and  Royal  Sovereign  second  ;  yet  had  a  similar  trial  have  been  con¬ 
ducted  in  some  other  place  we  might  have  seen  these  positions  reversed, 
or  even  Noble  or  some  other  early  variety  placed  first.  It  is  of  little 
consequence  whether  one  variety  be  a  day  earlier  than  another.  It  is  far 
more  important  that  the  variety  grown  should  give  fine,  handsome,  good 
flavoured,  firm  fruits  in  great  abundance.  So  far  it  does  seem  from 
general  experience  that  Royal  Sovereign  comes  nearer  than  any  other  to 
those  requirements. — A.  D.  _ 
Having  read  with  great  interest  the  correspondence  on  early  Straw¬ 
berries,  I  have  sent  you  the  dates  on  which  I  have  picked  Strawberries 
for  tbe  last  three  years — not  a  few  fruits  only,  but  enough  to  keep  up  a 
regular  supplj' ;  and,  as  will  be  seen,  this  year  we  picked  earlier  than 
any  previous  years,  due,  1  consider,  to  the  mild  winter.  But  I  think  we 
should  have  been  able  to  pick  quite  a  week  earlier  than  we  did  had  it 
not  been  for  a  couple  of  sharp  frosts  in  the  latter  part  of  April, 
In  1894  we  picked  Noble  on  June  4th,  in  1895  May  26tb,  and  this 
year  1  picked  Royal  Sovereign  on  tbe  20th  of  May.  This  is  the  first 
year  that  I  have  grown,  this  variety,  but  I  think  it  a  decided  acquisition 
as  an  early  Strawberry,  as  growing  side  by  side  with  Noble  it  was  ripe 
four  days  earlier,  besides  being  superior  in  flavour.  This  year  I  think  is 
an  exceptionally  early  one,  and  should  not  be  taken  as  a  criterion, 
especially  with  any  early  varieties  to  be  sent  out  for  the  first  time.  As 
showing  the  earliness  of  the  season,  I  might  say  I  have  been  picking 
Waterloo  and  Latest  of  All  since  the  18th  ult. 
Having  given  the  dates  of  picking,  perhaps  it  may  not  be  out  of 
place  to  give  a  few  cultural  details.  I  am  a  great  believer  in  treating 
the  Strawberry  as  an  annual  for  getting  early  and  fine  fruits,  and  on  no 
account  do  I  leave  a  bed  after  the  second  year  o!  fruiting  ;  and  I  only 
leave  a  bed  for  two  years  on  account  of  the  quantity  of  smaller  sized 
fruit  required  for  kitchen  use,  where  large  fruits  would  be  of  no  use. 
For  getting  early  and  large  fruits  runners  should  be  layered  as  soon  as 
possible,  and  a  piece  of  ground  that  has  had  a  crop  of  early  Potatoes  or 
Lettuce  ought  to  be  trenched,  well  manured  (cow  manure  preferred), 
and  allowed  to  settle  down,  so  as  to  be  ready  for  planting  as  soon  as  the 
runners  are  well  rooted.  They  are  placed  a  foot  apart  in  rows  18  inches 
asunder,  treading  the  ground  firmly  between  them.  Towards  the  end 
of  September  they  receive  a  good  top-dressing  of  manure,  to  be  washed 
in  by  the  autumn  and  winter  rains.  At  the  beginning  of  April  the  beds 
are  w'ell  mulched  with  long  litter  from  the  stables,  which  by  being  put 
on  early  gets  well  cleaned  before  the  fruits  are  ripe,  besides  keeping  the 
roots  moist  should  a  drought  set  in.  If  any  of  the  beds  are  required  to 
stand  the  second  year  they  are  gone  over  as  soon  as  they  have  done 
fruiting,  and  every  other  plant  hoed  out.  The  most  important  points  I 
consider  in  Strawberry  culture  are  firm  ground,  plenty  of  manure,  and 
young  plants. — G.  FiAet,  Sussea-. 
In  answer  to  your  correspondent  on  page  658,  re  the  ripening  of 
Royal  Sovereign  in  comparison  with  Noble,  I  may  say  we  picked  the 
first  fruits  from  each  variety  here  on  the  6th  of  June,  from  both  two- 
year-old  and  maiden  plants  grown  Ride  by  side.  This  was  much  earlier 
than  usual.  I  have  mislaid  the  date  of  the  first  picking  for  1895,  but 
for  the  season  1894  the  first  picking  was  on  July  12th, — \V.  M Abbott, 
Doiolais. 
Royal  Soveeeign  versus  Noble  Steawbeeeies. 
In  reply  to  "P.  0.”  (page  568),  I  may  state  that  there  is  no  per¬ 
ceptible  difference  in  the  date  of  the  ripening  of  the  above  varieties. 
Last  autumn  I  planted  a  south  border  with  Royal  Sovereign,  Noble,  and 
John  Ruskin.  The  first  fruit  of  the  last  named  was  coloured  on  the 
29th  May,  The  next  day  several  fruits  of  the  two  former  had  commenced 
to  colour,  and  were  both  ready  to  gather  at  the  same  time.  Royal 
Sovereign  is  light  in  colour,  very  similar  to  British  Queen,  but  is  not  so 
heavy  a  cropper  as  Noble.  There  is,  however,  no  comparison  between  the 
two  for  flavour,  as  Sovereigns  are  far  superior  in  that  respect.  But  as  an 
early  market  variety  I  consider  Noble  will  still  hold  its  own,  as  its  large 
showy  fruit  will  always  fiud  a  ready  market,  and  as  it  will  average  a 
greater  weight  of  fruit  per  plant,  should  not  be  readily  disposed  of  in 
favour  of  the  former.  But  for  supplying  a  private  family,  where  size 
and  quality  are  taken  into  consideration,  I  consider  Royal  Sovereign 
shoula  be  grown  in  preference  to  any  other  early  variety.  It  succeeds 
much  better  treated  as  an  annual  than  when  grown  for  two  or  three 
years.  Early  runners  should  be  obtained  as  soon  as  possible,  and 
planted  in  a  warm  border  in  August. 
G  UNTON  Paek  Steavvbeeey. 
A  correspondent  (page  582)  asks  the  opinion  of  other  growers  of 
this  variety.  My  experience  of  it  this  season  is  very  much  in  its  favour. 
At  the  present  date  (26th  June),  and  for  a  week  past,  I  have  been 
gathering  from  the  open  quarter  some  of  the  largest  and  best  coloured 
fruit  of  this  variety  that  I  have  ever  grown,  and  being  of  good  flavour 
I  can  strongly  recommend  it.  It  is  not  a  heavy  cropper  w’hen  compared 
with  President  or  Vicomtesse  Hericart  de  Thury,  but  its  grand  appear¬ 
ance  will  commend  it  to  those  who  prefer  a  large  showy  Strawberry  of 
good  flavour,  1  have  no  other  variety  this  season  any  way  approaching  it. 
Some  of  the  best  fruits  of  Royal  Sovereign  were  probably  as  large,  but 
it  is  much  lighter  in  colour,  and  a  fortnight  earlier.  The  variety  under 
notice,  I  find,  is  the  best  of  Mr.  Allan’s  seedlings,  as  Empress  of  India 
absolutely  refused  to  grow  here,  and  Lord  Suffield  is  much  smaller,,  but 
of  good  flavour.  These  have  been  discarded  in  favour  of  Gunton  Park. 
Those  who  have  not  given  it  a  trial  should  do  so,  though  it  may  not  do 
so  well  on  all  soils.  The  plants  are  growing  here  on  the  magnesian 
limestone,  which  suits  them  admirablv. — S.  York-t. 
