102 
JOURNAL  OF  HORTICULTURE  AUD  COTTAGE  GARDENER. 
July  29,  1897. 
Nanodes  Medus.e. 
Though  lacking  the  delicate  beauty  of  many  Orchids  this 
species  possesses  in  a  marked  degree  the  quaint  grotesque  character 
that  go  far  to  make  the  family  so  popular,  and  anyone  who  delights 
in  these  singular  and  marvellous  productions  of  Nature  could  not 
do  better  than  include  a  plant  or  two  in  his  collection.  Some 
botanists  have  ascribed  this  and  the  other  species  in  the  genus  to 
Epidendrum,  as  to  this  genus  the  structure  of  the  blossoms  bears  a 
great  resemblance.  The  habit  is,  however,  so  distinct  that  as  a 
garden  plant  it  will  doubtless  continue  to  be  known  by  the  name 
Dr.  Lindley  gave  it  from  the  typical  N.  discolor. 
It  is  by  no  means  a  rare  plant,  yet  not  so  frequently  seen  as  it 
deserves.  Its  culture  is  not  difficult  if  only  it  is  allowed  to  have 
its  own  way,  and  cultivators  do  not  try  to  force  it  into  a  resting 
and  growing  season  according  to  their  own  notions  of  how  it  should 
grow.  Watch  the  plants,  and  note  how  before  one  growth  is 
finished  another  starts  away,  and  bow  little  rest  it  requires  will 
soon  be  apparent.  Keep  it  in  a  moist  and  mild  temperature  the 
whole  season  through,  and  never  allow  the  roots  to  become 
absolutely  dry.  These  may  be  accommodated  in  pots,  pans,  or 
baskets,  but  are  best  in  every  case  suspended  from  the  roof. 
Tree  Fern  stems,  too,  form  a  capital  holding  for  the  roots,  the 
open  nature  of  this  material,  combined  with  its  power  of  retaining 
moisture  in  just  the  right  quantity,  rendering  it  perhaps  the  very 
best  material  that  could  be  used.  If  grown  in  pots  or  baskets  the 
plants  should  not  be  disturbed  more  than  is  absolutely  necessary, 
so  when  the  time  comes  for  a  renewal  of  compost  the  work  should 
be  thoroughly  done.  The  latter  may  consist  of  two  parts  of 
sphagnum  moss  to  one  each  of  the  best  peat  fibre  and  broken 
crocks,  this  making  a  medium  that  will  not  readily  lose  its  proper 
mechanical  condition  on  the  one  hand  yet  hold  plenty  of  moisture. 
The  flowers  occur  at  the  end  of  the  stiff  ungainly-looking 
shoots,  and  vary  a  little  in  colour.  The  usual  tint  is  a  brownish 
yellow  on  the  sepals  and  petals,  the  lips  roughly  heart-shaped, 
magenta  purple  in  front,  where  it  is  cut  into  deep  filaments,  as 
seen  in  Dendrobium  Brymerianum.  They  occur  at  different  times 
of  the  year,  sometimes  in  pairs,  but  more  often  singly,  and  last  a 
long  time  in  perfest  condition  if  not  wetted  with  the  syringe.  To 
Messrs.  Backhouse  of  York  the  credit  of  its  introduction  is  doe. 
this  firm  having  first  imported  it  from  Ecuador  as  far  back  as  18G7. 
Bollea  ccelestis. 
This  is  one  of  the  very  best  species  in  the  genus,  and  an 
unusual  colour  in  Orchids.  The  plant  has  no  pseudo-bulbs,  the 
growth  consisting  of  more  or  less  erect  stems  from  a  rather  tufted 
rootstock,  young  roots  being  annually  produced  from  the  base  of 
these.  The  flowers  occur  in  single-flowered  stems  over  a  foot  in 
height,  each  measuring  from  3  inches  to  4  inches  across.  The 
sepals  and  petals  are  a  pretty  light  blue  at  the  base,  becoming  nearly 
white  at  the  tips,  the  lip  large  and  deep  violet  purple. 
Many  growers  make  the  mistake  of  giving  this  and  similar 
Orchids  much  too  thick  a  compost,  the  roots  in  many  cases  perishing 
before  they  can  get  through  it.  About  an  inch  or  a  little  more  is 
ample  for  small  or  medium  specimens,  a  little  more  being  allowed 
for  large  plants.  Fine  specimens  have  also  been  reared  on  pieces 
of  Tree  Fern  stems,  a  capital  holding  for  them  if  these  can  be 
obtained.  But  whatever  is  chosen  for  their  recaption,  it  is 
imperative  that  they  be  very  firmly  fixed  in  position,  so  that 
they  cannot  possibly  ruck  about. 
The  compost  for  baskets  or  pots  may  consist  of  peat  and 
sphagnum— care  being  taken  to  have  the  latter  quite  fresh  and 
clean— with  plenty  of  rough  lumps  of  charcoal.  Remove  the  whole 
of  the  old  material  from  the  roots,  and  if  these  are  in  bad  condi¬ 
tion  let  them  dry  thoroughly  before  replanting,  and  cut  out  all 
dead  and  decaying  ones.  The  new  tiers  have  then  the  advantage 
of  new,  sweet  compost. 
There  is  no  need  to  elevate  the  plants  above  the  rims  if  potted, 
but  neither  should  they  be  much  below,  as  in  this  case  moisture  is 
apt  to  collect  about  the  rootstocks  to  an  injurious  extent.  Work 
the  new  compost  about  the  roots  with  a  fine-pointed  dibber,  and 
make  it  fairly  firm.  After  potting  place  the  plants  in  their  grow¬ 
ing  quarters  with  as  little  delay  as  possible,  and  water  very  care¬ 
fully  until  the  roots  are  again  active.  When  these  are  getting 
well  about  the  new  material  a  full  supply  will  be  needed  right 
through  the  growing  season. 
In  winter  of  course  less  will  be  required,  as  owing  to  the 
atmospheric  conditions  outside  the  roots  do  not  dry  so  rapidly. 
But  no  dry  rest  is  needed — simply  a  reduction  of  moisture  as  in  any 
ordinary  plant  to  meet  the  exigencies  of  the  weather.  These 
ebnlbons  kinds  are  not,  if  judiciously  managed,  very  subject  to 
insects,  but  on  the  other  band,  if  once  badly  attacked,  they  are 
more  easily  injured.  Hence  the  necessity  for  very  rigid  exclusion 
of  these  pests  as  scale  or  red  spider,  sponging  or  using  the  vapour¬ 
ising  fumigator  directly  the  first  insects  are  seen. — H.  R.  R. 
MUSTARD  AND  CRESS  FOR  MARKET. 
[The  following  article  was  written  some  years  ago  by  Mr.  Lewis 
Castle  and  published  in  the  Journal  of  Horticulture,  but  as  the  issue 
containing  it  is  out  of  print,  the  article  is  reproduced  by  desire  of  three 
correspondents  whose  letters  are  before  us,  and  it  will  doubtless  be 
acceptable  to  many  of  our  readers.] 
In  most  English  gardens  attention  is  given  to  providing  a  supply  of 
Mustard  and  Cress  for  salads,  and  being  easily  and  quickly  grown,  and 
further  possessing  very  wholesome  qualities,  they  are  within  the  reach 
of  all,  even  to  those  with  most  limited  means  or  accommodation  for 
plant  or  vegetable  growing.  Still,  very  few  residents  at  a  distance 
from  London  have  any  idea  of  the  extremely  large  quantities  of  this 
small  salading  grown  to  supply  the  demands  of  the  metropolitan 
markets.  It  is  only  by  visiting  the  gardens  where  its  culture  is  made  a 
speciality,  or  by  an  early  morning  journey  to  Covent  Garden  Market, 
that  anyone  unacquainted  with  the  facts  would  be  able  to  form  the 
slightest  conception  of  the  extent  of  the  trade  in  such  apparently 
insignificant  productions.  One  reason  for  this  is  that  Mustard  and 
Cress  require  to  be  quickly  grown,  quickly  sold,  and  quickly  conveyed  to 
the  consumer,  as  they  soon  become  tough  and  tasteless  after  cutting  ;  and 
the  consequence  is  that  outside  the  markets  large  quantities  are  seldom 
seen,  as  the  retailers  purchase  only  what  is  ordered,  or  as  much  as  they 
consider  will  meet  the  demand  for  the  day.  The  supply  is  thus  very 
generally  distributed,  and  though  few  shops  have  more  than  a  dozen 
punnets,  there  is  scarcely  one  in  a  respectable  neighbourhood  that  does 
not  require  some  daily.  But  for  this  fact  it  would  seem  almost  incredible 
that  so  large  a  quantity  as  some  growers  raise  could  be  consumed  while 
fresh. 
The  chief  season  for  Mustard  and  Cress  is  during  the  spring  months, 
at  which  time  a  thousand  dozen  punnets  are  brought  to  Covent  Garden 
Market  daily  by  the  chief  growers,  and  one  alone  sends  from  a  thousand 
to  fifteen  hundred  dozen  punnets  per  week.  The  supply  is  maintained 
in  a  varying  degree  throughout  the  year,  reaching  its  lowest  in  November, 
December,  and  January,  especially  in  severe  or  very  ,wet  seasons.  It  is, 
however,  a  constant  crop,  and  one  grower  informs  me  that  his  supply 
would  average  five  hundred  dozen  punnets  per  week  throughout  the 
year  ;  and  judging  by  the  space  he  devotes  to  its  culture  the  quantity 
does  not  seem  to  be  exaggerated,  though  the  results  are  somewhat 
astonishing  when  we  consider  the  money  value  that  is  realised. 
The  price  per  dozen  punnets  varies  from  Is.  to  2s.  ;  but  as  less  than 
the  first-named  price  has  sometimes  to  be  taken  the  average  might  be 
fairly  considered  to  be  Is.  the  dozen.  Thus  five  hundred  dozen  per  week 
would  give  a  total  annual  amount  of  £1300  ;  and  taking  the  profits  at 
the  very  low  estimate  of  10  per  cent,  we  have  a  yearly  income  of  £130 
for  Mustard  and  Cress  alone.  From  what  I  have  seen  and  can  judge  of 
the  labour  and  expense  incurred  in  the  production  1  should,  however, 
think  the  profits  would  be  nearer  20  than  10  per  cent.  The  result 
appears  almost  incredible,  and  considering  that  even  those  market 
gardeners  v/ho  grow  the  largest  quantity  of  small  salad  also  have  several 
other  crops,  especial  attention  being  paid  to  Mushrooms,  this  form  of 
market  gardening  seems  to  be  a  rather  satisfactory  one.  It  must  be 
remembered  that  these  particulars  only  refer  to  those  who  grow  the 
largest  quantities,  and  less  than  half  a  dozen  almost  entirely  supply  the 
demands  of  Covent  Garden.  In  small  quantities  it  would  probably  not 
pay  for  carriage,  and  most  of  those  mentioned  as  making  a  speciality  of 
small  salading  have  wagons  which  convey  that  land  other  produce  to 
London  and  return  laden  with  manure.  The  grower  must  also  be 
conveniently  situated  as  regards  distance  from  the  chief  markets,  or 
the  expense  would  be  considerably  increased  and  the  quality  of  the 
salad  greatly  deteriorated  if  it  remained  closely  packed  for  too  long 
a  time. 
It  maybe  of  interest  to  some  readers  to  know  the  methods  of  growing 
this  salad  adopted  by  market  gardeners  around  London,  and  as  I  have 
recently  had  an  opportunity  of  visiting  several  of  these  establishments  a 
few  observations  upon  the  subject  will  give  an  idea  to  those  who  are 
desirous  of  commencing  the  culture  on  a  large  scale.  It  may  be 
premised  that  though  some  of  the  best  gardening  in  the  kingdom  is  to 
be  seen  in  market  growers’  establishments,  yet  there  is  generally  so 
much  trade  rivalry  and  jealousy  that  a  reluctance  to  communicate  any 
details  of  culture  very  generally  prevails.  Some  who  have  been  suc¬ 
cessful  imagine  they  possess  a  secret  essential  to  the  satisfactory 
production  of  any  particular  crop  ;  yet  after  all  they  only  act  upon 
general  principles,  and  in  half-a-dozen  different  establishments  as  many 
different  systems  may  be  seen  in  operation,  with  results  that  vary  but 
very  slightly,  and  are  in  a  pecuniary  point  of  view  equally  satisfactory. 
So  it  is  with  the  crop  now  under  consideration.  One  man  who  has  been 
very  successful  in  the  culture  of  Mustard  and  Cress,  and  who  sends  a 
very  large  quantity  to  market,  considers  that  his  progress  is  due  to 
certain  cultural  details  which  he  would  not  communicate  on  any  con- 
