December  10,  1896. 
JOURNAL  OF  HORTICULTURE  AND  COTTAGE  GARDENER, 
557 
skilled  to  grow  Orchids  at  all  need  be  afraid  of  trying  to  raise 
seedlings  ;  but  without  these  it  is  perfectly  useless  to  attempt  it, 
and  the  amateur  who  is  to-day  pottering  about  among  his  Orchids, 
and  to-morrow  leaving  them  to  the  tender  mercies  of  a  hired  man 
or  boy,  will  never,  in  all  probability,  see  more  than  the  tiny  germ 
of  the  Orchid  he  wishes  to  raise. 
They  are  so  small,  so  sensitive,  and  have  so  many  enemies, 
even  in  a  well-considered  atmosphere  and  carefully  managed  house, 
that  it  is  no  wonder  they  go  off  by  scores  when  the  opposite  con¬ 
ditions  prevail.  This  will  discourage  some  growers,  no  doubt ;  but 
others  it  will  stimulate  to  further  exertion«i,  and  I  need  not  say 
which  of  the  two  classes  of  cultivators  is  most  likely  to  succeed  in 
this  most  interesting  of  all  phases  of  gardening. — H.  R.  R. 
APPLE  ST.  MARTIN’S. 
We  give  an  illastration  of  a  typical  fruit  of  this  Apple,  for  which  an 
award  of  merit  was  granted  by  the  Frait  Committee  of  the  Royal 
Horticultural  Society  on  November  24th.  It  was  exhibited  by  Messrs. 
Rivers  &  Son,  and  was  described  as  follows  in  our  report :  — ■  Fruit 
somewhat  medium  sized,  conical,  3.^  inches  high,  and  about  3  inches 
wide,  higher  on  one  side  than  the  other  ;  skin  dark  shining  bronzy 
crimson,  marked  with  numerous  broken  purplish  crimson  streaks  on  the 
sun  side,  yellowish  in  the  shade  ;  eye  rather  small,  with  reflexed  leafy 
B  ^  gments  set  in  a  shallow  slightly  puckered  basin  ;  stalk  half  an  inch 
long,  nearly  its  whole  length  inserted  in  a  slightly  russety  cavity  ;  flesh 
yellowish,  tender,  and  sugary.  A  good  table  Apple,  having  a  general 
resemblance  to  American  Mother,  but  quite  distinct. 
UTILISING  WASTE  PRODUCTS  IN  GARDENS. 
The  materials  which  accumulate  in  gardens  may  always  be  utilised 
in  a  practical  useful  way,  thus  adding  to  the  fertility  of  the  soiL  All 
are  aware  of  the  value  of  leaves  for  various  purposes.  They  are  chiefly 
collected  and  made  into  leaf  mould,  packing  them  in  a  heap  in  some 
odd  corner  where  they  gradually  decompose  through  the  agency  of 
fermentation,  usually  taking  twelve  months  to  become  snfHciently 
reduced  to  humic  matter  as  to  be  available  for  mixing  with  soils. 
Wherever  possible  the  cleanest  leaves  should  be  collected  in  a  place 
distinct  from  that  selected  for  those  brought  together  in  a  rougher  and 
readier  manner,  and  which  contain  probably  refuse  material  from  walks 
and  roads,  with  decaying  sticks,  fruits  and  seeds  of  tree  shrubs,  and 
various  plants.  It  is  best  to  keep  such  separate,  as  they  contain  more  or 
less  of  fungoid  germs. 
The  cleanest  leaves  are  those  swept  from  lawns,  or  the  top  layers  of  a 
bulky  downfall  in  autumn  when  they  can  be  collected  without  extra¬ 
neous  materials  being  mixed  with  them.  Pack  these  in  shallow  heaps 
where  fermentation  will  not  proceed  rapidly,  if  at  all,  copying  as  far  as 
possible  the  mode  of  deposition  adopted  by  Nature  in  woods  and  forests, 
where  the  fallen  leaves  steadily  decompose,  forming  rich  layers  of  sweet 
leaf  soil.  This  is  what  gardeners  like  for  potting  purposes,  and  is  far 
preferable  to  the  sour  matter  often  employed. 
A  certain  quantity  of  leaves  should  be  kept  moderately  dry  and 
loose,  choosing  Oak  or  Beech  leaves,  if  obtainable,  for  mixing  with  fresh 
horse  manure  in  early  spring  to  form  hotbeds.  Leaves  are  valuable  for 
this  purpose,  because  they  so  tone  down  the  active  fermentation  which 
stable  manure  is  liable  to  that  a  steady  production  of  heat  is  secured 
affording  a  regular  and  lasting  temperature. 
Of  course  leaves  are  frequently  dug  into  the  soil  as  they  lie  upon  the 
ground  in  shrubberies  and  vacant  quarters  of  land .  This  is  one  way  of 
disposing  of  them,  but  it  is  not  a  wise  plan  to  mutilate  or  destroy  fibrous 
roots  of  trees  or  shrubs  simply  to  bury  the  leaves.  If  the  burying  of 
them  under  the  soil  cannot  easily  be  effected  rake  them  off  entirely,  or 
place  in  trenches  in  convenient  spots. 
Weeds  of  all  kinds  accumulate  in  large  quantities  along  with  the 
discarded  plants  from  flower  beds,  borders,  and  the  kitchen  garden. 
M  aterial  of  this  character  and  any  rubbish  not  suitable  for  rotting  in  the 
ordinary  manure  heap,  but  composed  of  fairly  succulent  stems,  may  be 
packed  in  a  heap,  treating,  when  doing  so,  either  with  gas  lime,  quick¬ 
lime,  kainit,  or  caustic  liquid  manure.  A  layer  of  any  of  these  materials 
alternating  with  the  rubbish,  or  soakings  with  strong  liquid  manure, 
promotes  decomposition,  and  destroys  insect  pests. 
The  materials  which  cannot  be  reduced  to  fertilising  substances  by 
this  method  must  be  subjected  to  burning  or  charring.  Hedge  clippings, 
tree  and  shrub  prunings,  old  Pea  sticks,  Pea,  Bean,  and  Potato  haulm, 
and  woody  plants  should  be  placed  in  a  heap  to  burn,  thus  reducing 
them  to  ashes  and  charcoal.  If  combustion  of  the  materials  is  thoroughly 
complete,  wood  ashes  alone  will  be  the  result ;  but  by  preventing  air 
reaching  the  interior  of  the  heap  to  a  large  extent,  charring  will  simply 
take  place,  and  there  will  be  more  charcoal  than  otherwise.  The  weeds 
and  rubbish  previously  referred  to  and  recommended  for  separate  treat¬ 
ment,  might  be  used  for  covering  round  the  burning  heap,  modifying  its 
action,  and  causing  it  to  burn  slowly,  the  whole  contents  being  ultimately 
reduced  to  aehes  and  charred  material. 
Another  method  of  disposing  of  succulent  organic  substances  is  con¬ 
venient.  It  consists  of  forming  a  good-sized  trench  in  the  kitchen  garden, 
into  which  waste  leaves  from  the  root  crops  and  others  may  be  consigned. 
As  the  trench  becomes  filled,  it  is  easy  to  cover  with  soil  from  adjoining 
ground,  thus  forming  another  opening  ready  for  receiving  more.  By 
this  means  a  plot  of  ground  may  be  enriched  and  trenched  in  a  thorough 
manner,  only  requiring  a  minimum  expenditure  of  time  and  trouble,— 
A  Kentish  Gakdener. 
CULTURE  OF  ANTHURIUMS. 
Anthitriums  are  so  well  known  for  their  extreme  beauty  that  it  is 
quite  unnecessary  to  occupy  space  in  extolling  their  merits,  so  I  will 
proceed  at  once  with  a  few  cultural  details,  which  I  trust  may  be  of 
interest  to  some  readers  of  the  Journal  of  Hortioulture, 
All  the  species  at  present  in  cultivation  require  stove  treatment. 
During  the  growing  season  the  temperature  should  range  from  65°  to  76°, 
with  a  rise  of  10°  by  sunheat  and  an  atmosphere  highly  charged  with 
humidity  ;  while  for  the  winter  months,  when  the  stock  will  be  at  rest, 
a  much  lower  temperature  will  suffice,  at  which  time  the  atmospheric 
moisture  must  be  partially  withheld,  though  at  no  time  must  they  be 
allowed  to  become  dry.  When  the  plants  are  growing  freely  they  must 
receive  copious  supplies  of  clear  soft  water  (which  should  be  of  the  same 
temperature  as  that  in  which  the  plants  are  growing)  both  at  the  roots 
FIG.  95.— APPLE  ST.  martin’s. 
and  by  syringing,  which  latter  ought  to  be  performed  twice  a  day  ;  also 
water  the  paths  and  stages  at  frequent  intervals  throughout  the  day. 
The  end  of  the  month  of  February  is  the  best  time  of  the  year  for 
repotting,  as  Anthuriums  commence  making  their  new  growth  about 
that  time.  Rather  deep  pans  are  preferable  to  pots,  as  the  roots  of  all 
the  species  run  along  either  on  or  just  below  the  surface.  Whatever  the 
receptacles  they  must  be  quite  clean,  and  be  filled  to  within  3  inches  of 
the  rim  with  potsherds,  placing  over  these  a  few  pieces  of  charcoal,  after 
that  a  good  layer  of  the  roughest  of  the  compost,  which  should  be  of 
equal  parts  of  fibrous  peat  and  loam,  with  a  liberal  addition  of 
broken  charcoal  and  silver  sand  This  mixture  will  be  found  to  suit 
them  admirably.  Then  take  the  old  ball  of  soil  and  carefully  remove 
a  portion  of  the  exhausted  soil,  separating  and  spreading  out  the  roots 
in  the  new  soil,  and  place  the  remaining  compost  about  them  in  a  convex 
form.  Those  plants  not  requiring  a  shift  may  be  top-dressed  with  fresh 
soil. 
The  stock  may  be  readily  increased  either  by  offsets  taken  from  the 
old  plants,  or  from  seeds.  The  latter  mode  of  propagation  is  simpler  and  at 
the  same  time  more  interesting.  The  pans  in  which  it  is  intended  the 
seed  shall' be  sown  should  be  well  crocked,  and  filled  with  finely  sifted 
peat  and  silver  sand,  on  which  the  seed  should  be  sown  as  soon  as 
gathered  from  the  plant,  covering  with  a  sheet  of  glass.  When  the 
seedlings  make  their  appearance  carefully  place  them  in  very  small  pots, 
to  be  kept  on  a  shelf  near  the  roof  glass  of  the  stove,  afterwards  growing 
them  as  advised  for  the  specimens. 
I  cannot  close  these  few  cultural  notes  without  referring  to  the 
extreme  beauty  of  the  now  well-known  species  A.  Andreanum,  which  is 
of  easy  growth,  and  produces  its  magnificent  heart-shaped  scarlet  spathes 
in  great  profusion.  These  last  for  a  considerable  time,  either  on  the 
plant  or  when  cut,  and  placed  in  water  for  house  decoration.  A.  Scher- 
zerianum  in  its  many  forms  are  indispensable  in  a  collection,  A.  S.  Wardi 
being  one  of  the  best,  and  A.  8.  Williamsi  forms  a  fine  contrast  to  it,  with 
its  pure  white  spathes.  Other  good  varieties  are  A.  ferrierense,  A.  Idndeni- 
anum,  A.  ornatum,  and  A.  floribundum.  Of  varieties  grown  for  the  beauty 
of  their  foliage  alone  I  would  include  A.  crystallinum,  A.  Warocque- 
anum,  and  A.  Yeitchi. — H.  T.  M. 
