216 
JOURNAL  OF  HORTICULTURE  AND  COTTAGE  GARDENER. 
September  5,  1901. 
their  lives  out.  Little  wonder  that  they  scon  died,  or  that  disappointed 
collectors  sent  home  accounts  of  the  beauty  of  these  plan  s  in  their 
native  places  that  were  not  believed  by  disappointed  cultivators  at  home. 
All  this  is  fortunately  changed  for  the  better.  Orchid  growers 
endeavour  to  find  out  what  the  conditions  are  that  the  plants  grow 
under  naturally,  and  to  imitate  these  as  far  as  possible  under  culti¬ 
vation,  with  advantage  to  their  pockets  and  the  plants.  And  this  I 
can  advise  readers  who  aTe  beginners  in  Orchid  culture  to  do.  High 
up  on  the  mountains  of  Peru  and  adjoining  countries,  the  temperature 
does  not  vary  so  much  winter  and  summer  as  in  lower  altitudes,  and 
the  day  and  night  are  more  nearly  equal.  Consequently,  while  in 
summer  in  this  country  they  are  likely  to  be  burnt  up  unless  heavily 
shaded,  in  the  winter  they  pine  for  light,  which  is  denied  them  by  cur 
sunless  ski<  s. 
Cool  moist  conditions,  then,  all  the  year  round  with  as  much  air  as 
possible,  according  to  the  season,  is  what  they  delight  in.  Some 
growers  prefer  a  house  with  a  north  aspect  for  them,  owing- to  the 
coolness  of  the  position  in  summer.  At  this  season  it  is  excellent,  but 
in  winter  such  places  are  often  unduly  shaded,  and  therefoie 
unsuitable.  Taking  all  points  into  consideration,  I  contend  that  a 
low  span-roofed  house  running  north  and  south,  or  as  nearly  as  possible, 
is  best  lor  them.  A  sunk  or  excavated  path  allows  headroom  without 
making  the  ridge  too  sharp,  and  is  an  advantage.  With  such  a  house 
as  this  ample  light  is  secured  in  winter,  and  being  small  and  low,  it  is 
easily  kept  shady  and  cool  in  summer. 
The  atmosphere  must  be  kept  constantly  moist  by  frequent 
damping  down  of  the  floor,  the  stages,  and  between  the  plants.  The 
plants  themselves  may  be  lightly  dewed  over  twice  daily  in  hot 
weather,  but  the  water  must  only  be  applied  in  the  form  of  spray  ;  a 
heavy  douche  is  quite  wrong,  as  it  soddens  the  compost,  and  makes  it1 
very  difficult  to  tell  whether  it  requires  water  or  not,  the  surface 
being  often  wet  while  the  lower  compost  is  quite  dry.  And  this  leads 
to  another  point  in  waterir  g  Odontoglossums.  If  the  water  is  poured 
on  the  surface  of  the  compost  with  an  ordinary  watering  can,  most  ot 
it  runs  off  to  waste.  A  far  better  plan  is  to  use  a  rose  syringe,  holdir  g 
this  upright  directly  over  the  plants,  and  forcing  the  water  through  it. 
Odontoglossums  do  not  need  a  large  body  of  compost  about  the 
roots  ;  it  is  injurious  to  than,  in  fact,  and  lor  all  small  and  medium 
sized  specimens  an  inch  margin  of  compoBt  between  the  pseudo-bulbs 
and  the  rim  of  the  pot  is  ample.  It  shculd  be  kept  thin,  too,  quite 
two-thirds  of  the  depth  of  the  pot  being  filled  with  clean  crocks,  and 
plenly  of  loose  pieces  of  this  material  being  mixed  with  the  peat  and 
moss,  fihe  compost  should  be  fhmly  bedded  in  with  a  blunt-pointed 
dibber,  and  a  few  green  growing  pointB  of  sphagnum  placed  in  at 
intervals.  The  constantly  moist  atmosphere  will  insure  this  keeping 
alive  and  growing,  forming  a  dense  cushion  under  the  bulbs,  and 
Inducing  the  free  production  of  rcots. 
These  remarks  apply  to  all  the  0.  crispum  and  similar  habited 
sorts,  but  the  looter  habited  species,  such  as  0.  Edwardi,  will,  of 
course,  need  more  reem — a  larger  pot,  with  rougher  and  more  open 
compost.  Even  0.  grande,  0.  Schlieperianum,  and  0.  Insleayi  and 
their  varieties  when  strong  can  do  with  a  little  more,  but  8aall  er 
weak  specimens  must  be  treated  as  advised  above.  All  are  subject  to 
the  same  class  of  insects,  black  and  yellow  thrips  being  the  most 
troublesome  to  deal  with.  Frequent  spongings  with  a  weak  solution 
of  nicotine  and  occasional  fumigation  are  the  most  ready  means  of 
destroying  the  pests,  and  plants  kept  healthy  and  growing  freely  are 
less  likely  to  be  attacked  tl  an  weak  or  stunted  ones.  The  time  lor 
repotting  varies,  as  in  a  collection  of  plants  all,  even  of  one  species, 
will  not  be  ready  at  once.  The  most  suitable  time  is  when  the  young 
growths  are  about  half  made  up,  and  before  they  commence  Tooting  on 
their  own  account.  From  the  beginning  of  September  to  the  middle  of 
October  is  a  good  time  lor  a  general  potting,  while  any  then  in  flower 
or  forming  the  spikes  may  with  advantage  be  left  until  the  early  spring. 
(To  be  continued.) 
Odontoglossum  Halil. 
Many  persons  seeing  a  poor  form  of  this  species  at  first,  have  come 
to  the  conclusion  that  it  is  a  very  second-rate  kind,  while  as  a  matter 
of  fact  in  its  best  forms  it  is  a  remaikably  fine  species.  I  have  on 
several  occasions  had  the  beautiful  yellow-lipped  variety  xantho- 
glossum,  with  spikes  a  yard  in  length,  well  furnished  with  the  hand 
some  blossoms.  I  would  strongly  advise  intending  cultivators  of  this 
species  to  obtain  newly  imported  plants  if  possible,  as  they  come  away 
inuch  more  strongly  than  otters  that  have  been  for  years  in  the 
Orchid  house.  When  obtained  they  should  be  placed  in  moderately 
large  pots  of  crocks  in  a  house  rather  warmer  than  the  Odontoglossum 
house  is  usually  kept.  Signs  of  growth  will  soon  be  apparent,  and  the 
crocks  should  be  watered  daily,  the  plants  also  lightly  dewed  overhead. 
When  they  commence  rooting  place  a  little  rough  peat  and  moss 
about  the  surface  of  the  crocks,  and  the  roots  will  run  in  this  and 
establish  the  plants.  Once  established,  0.  Halli  is  perhaps  the  easiest 
of  all  the  Odontoglots  to  grow,  and  no  trouble  will  be  found  in  getting 
it  to  flower  freely  if  the  usual  conditions  are  kept  up. — H.  E.  R. 
Book  Notices. 
Wall  and  Water  Gardens.* 
The  decorative  phase  of  gardening  is  yearly  becoming  a  subject  of 
greater  study,  more  variety,  and  of  improved  forms  of  beauty.  Gardening 
ought  to  have  something  of  the  decorative  element  in  every  one  of  it& 
departments,  but  that  cast,  purely  designed  to  produce  beautiful  effects 
from  plant,  tree,  and  shrub  combinations  has  many  more  devotees  than 
the  purely  profitable  sections  can  boast  of.  It  shows  how  great  a  field 
the  operator  or  garden  designer  can  embrace,  when  we  see  here  before 
us  a  handsome  volume  dedicated  entirely  to  a  discussion  and  considera¬ 
tion  of  wall  and  water  gardening,  which  is  but  a  minor  part  of  the  art 
in  its  completeness.  This  phase  of  decorative  endeavour  is  subdivided 
by  the  author  under  a  few  heads,  for  after  all  she  has  but  the  choice  of 
“  The  rock  garden,”  “  The  dry  wall  terrace  garden,”  ponds,  pools,  tanks, 
and  bogs.  Tfcese  parts  of  her  subject  have  been  further  treated 
according  as  the  pond  is  large  or  small,  or  has  other  incidental  and 
individual  characteristics.  ‘‘Tubs  in  small  water  or  bog  gardens” 
furnishes  matter  for  another  of  Miss  Jekyll’s  chapters,  as  do  “Water 
margins  ”  and  “  Water  Lilies.” 
The  first  one  hundred  pages  are  devoted  to  phases  of  “wall”  or 
rock  gardening,  and  treat  largely  on  the  cultural  aspect  demanded  for 
plant-clothed  walls,  situated  it,  may  be,  in  the  shade,  or,  on  the  other 
hand,  in  the  sun.  How  to  build  a  dry  wall  so  that  plants  may  be 
expected  to  grow  and  thrive  when  planted,  is  ably  explained,  and  the 
author’s  instructions  are  assisted  by  means  of  apt  illustrations.  Mies 
Jekyll  has  written  up  the  subjeot  from  every  point  of  view,  and  her 
endeavour  will  have  the  effect  of  drawing  to  wall  and  water  gardening 
that  attention  which  has  been  so  much  absorbed  by  other  decorative 
sections  of  horticulture  and  of  garden  designing.  Written  in  her  free 
and  lucid  style,  and  beautified  on  every  alternate  page  by  handsome 
illustrations,  which  the  author  thoroughly  describes,  this  book  will  be 
found  exceedingly  interesting  and  unquestionably  useful  to  both  gardeners 
and  their  employers.  A  complete  index  accompanies  the  pages,  which 
number  177.  It  is  unnecessary  to  praise  the  general  appearance  and 
quality  in  this  respect,  of  a  “  Country  Life  ”  publication. 
Pictorial  Practical  Fruit  Growing.1- 
Like  Mr.  Walter  P.  Wright’s  other  books  on  practical  gardening,, 
the  one  now  under  consideration  is  pregnant  with  important  details 
necessary  to  be  understood  for  successful  practice  in  the  cultivation  of 
fruit  trees,  fruit  bushes,  and  plants  of  an  edible  fruit.bearing  nature. 
Mr.  Wright  wastes  neither  the  space  in  his  pages  nor  the  time  at  the 
disposal  of  his  reader.  What  he  haB  to  say  he  says  clearly,  precisely, 
and  interestingly.  With  an  abundance  of  woodcuts  at  his  disposal,  he 
has  been  saved  the  need  of  furnishing  much  ambiguous  description. 
There  is  no  doubt  that  readers  of  books  on  practical  subjects^nowadays 
demand,  or  at  least  greatly  appreciate,  those  publications  wherein  the 
author’s  text  is  freely  assisted  by  simple  yet  comprehensive  illustrations. 
The  author  of  “  Pictorial  Practical  Fruit  Growing  ”  has  devoted  his 
opening  chapter,  most  wisely  as  we  think,  to  a  consideration  of  how  best 
to  utilise  space — that  is,  superficial  ground  space  and  wall  surface.  He 
then  proceeds  to  discuss  the  forms  of  fruit  trees,  and  makes  it  his 
object  to  emphasise  those  which  he  concludes  to  be  best  for  the  several 
purposes.  The  operations  of  pruning,  planting,  grafting,  manuring  are 
discussed  ;  and  selections  of  Apples,  Pears,  stone  fruits,  and  bush  fruits 
are  provided. 
Outdoor  fruits  are  not  alone  treated  of;  there  are  chapters 
exclusively  devoted  to  Grapes  and  Melons.  Again,  the  Medlar, 
Mulberry,  and  Blackberry  are  not  forgotten,  though,  of  course,  only 
a  very  few  lines  are  expended  on  either  the  Medlar  or  Mulberry.  The 
Blackberry  is  more  fortunate,  |and,  indeed,  here  Mr.  Wright  vents  a 
portion  of  his  satiric  humour.  The  remedies  against  insects  and  fungi 
are  numerous,  and  a  few  are  but  little  known.  Thus  we  have  here 
“  soaparite,”  a  coined  word  which  applies  to  paraffin  emulsion  ; 
“  sulpotide,”  sulphide  of  potassium  and  water,  besides  “carbarn”  and 
“  sulpharite.”  The  tone  of  freshness,  and  the  quaint  expressions 
running  through  the  book  adds  much  to  its  readableness  and  interest. 
We  find  no  reference  to  the  Japanese  Wineberry  nor  the  Loganberry, 
but  thu  author  warns  his  readers  against  troubling  about  the  so-called 
Strawberry -Raspberry.  There  is  a  rumour  of  another  novelty  in  hardy 
fruits,  to  wit,  the  MacDonald  berry,  and  about  all  of  these  we  may  bear 
when  “  Pictorial  Practical  Fruit  Growing  ”  reaches  a  seoond  edition. 
In  his  remarks  on  “  Large  Vines  and  Record  Bunches,”  the  author  omits 
to  mention  the  famous  Vine  of  Auchmore,  near  Killin,  which  surely 
has  been  often  enough  brought  to  notice.  The  number  of  pages 
embraces  152  (7^  inches  by  5  inches),  consisting  of  stout  paper,  smooth, 
but  not  too  glossy,  the  typography  being  clear  and  pleasant  to  read. 
We  prophesy  great  success  for  &  book  so  cheap  and  useful. 
*  Wall  and  Water  Gardens,  by  Gertrude  Jekyll.  “  Country  Life  ”  Library. 
Messrs.  Geo.  Newnes,  Ltd.,  12s.  6d.  nett. 
f  Pictorial  Practical  Fruit  Growing.  By  Walter  P.  Wright :  Cassell  and 
Company,  Ltd.  Price  Is. 
