February  21,  1901. 
JOURNAL  OF  HORTICULTURE  AND  COTTAGE  GARDENER . 
149 
Coelogyne  cristata. 
Coelogyne  cristata  is  a  very  easily  cultivated  Orchid,  free-flowering 
and  of  great  beauty.  It  should  be  'placed  in  pans  of  peat  fibre  and 
sphagnum,  with  a  third  of  good  leaf  mould  if  this  is  at  hand. 
Frequent  disturbance  tends  to  make  the  plants  weak  and  unhealthy, 
consequently  let  the  work  be  well  done  at  first,  and  thorough  drainage 
provided,  so  that  for  a  few  years  at  any  rate  surface  dressings  may 
take  the  place  of  repotting.  0.  cristata  likes  a  cool,  moist  house,  and 
must  be  grown  in  a  shady  position. 
Growth  usually  commences  about  February  or  March,  and  goes 
on  until  the  pseudo-bulbs  are  completed.  It  should  always  have 
plenty  of  moisture,  and  it  is  the  greatest  mistake  to  allow  the 
pseudo-bulbs  to  shrivel  in  winter,  this  weakening  the  plants  with  no 
corresponding  benefit.  It  rests  during  the  winter  months,  the  season 
varying  a  little  according  as  the  variety 
is  a  late  or  an  early  flowering 
one.  The  worst  insect  pest  is  a 
small  brown  scale,  and  this  should 
be  kept  under  from  the  first,  for  if  the 
plants  are  once  overrun  with  it  their 
continued  health  is  out  of  the  question. 
Frequent  dewings  of  tepid  water  are 
an  advantage  in  hot  weather.  A 
splendidly  grown  specimen  of  Coelogyne 
cristata  is  shown  in  the  illustration  on 
page  151. 
Odontoglossum  Loochristiense 
Rocbfordianum. 
The  number  of  varieties  of  Odonto. 
glossum  Loochristiense  is  ircre  sing 
apace,  and  each  season  brings  forward 
fresh  and  frequently  improvtd  forms. 
One  of  the  finest  is  0.  L.  Rochfordianum, 
of  which  we  give  an  illustration.  It 
was  exhibited  at  the  meeting  of  the 
Royal  Horticultural  Society  held  on  the 
12th  inst.,  and  was  so  much  approved  by 
the  experts  of  the  Orchid  Committee 
that  they  recommended  a  first-class 
certificate.  The  flower  is  of  perfect  shape 
and  substance,  while  the  markings  are  superb.  The  sepals  and  petals  are 
rich  yellow  with  a  central  patch  of  white  ;  the  spots  and  blotches  are 
choco  ate  brown.  The  lip  is  of  similar  shade,  with  a  large  maroon 
crimson  patch.  Tne  fortunate  [owner  is  Mr.  Thosd  Rochford, 
Broxbourne,  Herts. 
St&nhopea  graudiflora. 
Stanhopea  grandiflora,  should  be  cultivated  in  rather  ' large  but 
•shallow  wire  or  wood  baskets,  the  reason  for  keeping  them  sh  dlow 
being  that  the  spikes  of  flower  are  in  all  cases  nushed  downwards,  not 
upwards,  as  is  usual.  For  compost  use  three  parts  of  sphagnum  moss 
to  ono  of  good  fibrous  loam,  and  mix  with  this  plenty  of  rough  crooks 
and  charcoal.  This  species  is  rather  erratic  in  its  seasons  of  growth 
and  rest,  but  as  a  rule  the  summer  is  the  most  active  time.  During 
this  time  if  the  plants  are  well  established  and  rooting  freely  a  very 
free  water  supply  is  necessary. 
After  the  growth  is  complete  less  is  necessary,  but  no  drying  off 
should  be  practised  At  all  times  a  liberal  amount  of  heat  is  required, 
but  this  must  be  tempered  with  plenty  of  atmospheric  moisture, 
otherwise  the  plant  will  become  overrun  with  red  spider.  Frequent 
washings  with  tepid  water  from  the  syringe  is  also  of  great  assistance 
in  keeping  down  this  pest  and  the  plant  in  health,  but  of  course  it 
must  not  be  practised  in  dull  or  wet  weather,  or  when  very  cold.  The 
best  position  for  the  plants  is  suspended  from  the  roof  in  the  East 
Indian  house. 
Odontoglossum  Loocheistiense  Rochfordianum. 
spring 
space 
width. 
Planting  Peaches  and  Nectarines. 
The  best  stock  on  which  to  cultivate  the  Peach  and  Nectarine  is 
undoubtedly  the  Plum  stock.  The  great  majority  of  trees  grown  both 
in  the  open  garden,  on  walls,  and  on  trellises  under  glass,  are  established 
on  this  well  proved  stock,  which  possesses  the  great  advantage  over 
many  other  stocks  of  being  surface  rooting.  Roots  produced  near  the 
surface  are  more  likely  to  be  of  a  fibrous  character,  and  to  continue  so, 
thus  insuring  a  sufficiently  vigorous  yet  fruitful  condition,  provided 
the  soil  is  good  and  fertile.  The  compost  for  Peaches  and  Nectarines 
should  be  an  open  calcareous  loam,  and  ought  to  contain  a  due 
proportion  of  mineral  elements,  these  consisting  of  lime,  potash, 
magnesia,  and  phosphoric  acid.  Very  light  loam  is  usually  deficient 
in  potash,  therefore  in  selecting  the  loam  that  of  an  adhesive  character 
s  best.  The  top  6  inches  of  an  old  pasture  may  be  brought  together 
and  mixed  with  charred  refuse  and  wood  ashes,  adding  thereto  some 
crushed  bones,  which  will  provide  phosphoric  acid.  The  gritty  matter 
in  the  soil,  consisting  of  small  stones,  may  be  retained,  as  they  have 
an  excellent  mechanical  effect  in  maintaining  the  porosity  of  the 
soil.  To  a  properly  fertile  soil  the  addition  of  manure  is  not  desirable, 
for  soil  enriched  in  this  way  promotes  so  t,  long,  vigorous  ill-ripened 
growths.  Light  soil,  such  as  sandy  loam,  may  have  the  addition  of 
dried  and  pounded  clay  to  improve  it. 
The  size  of  border  for  outdoor  Peaches  and  Nectarines  should  be 
6  feet  in  front  of  a  wall  12  feet  high. 
Where  the  wall  may  be  lower  or 
higher  give  half  the  width  for  the 
border  that  the  wall  is  high.  Excavate 
the  soil  to  the  depth  of  3  feet,  inclining 
the  base  to  the  front,  where  a  trench 
6  inches  deeper  than  the  base  of  the 
border  may  be  taken  out  for  the  purpose 
of  laying  a  3-inch  tile  drain,  which: 
must  have  an  outlet  at  some  suitable 
position,  giving  the  drain  a  proper  fall 
to  that  point.  The  drainage  of  the 
base  of  border  should  next  be  attended 
to.  Place  on  this  9  inches  of  rubble, 
consisting  of  stones  of  various  sizes, 
finishing  with  smaller  stones  or  gravel, 
or  preferably  mortar  rubbish  free  from 
small  pieces  of  wood.  Cover  the 
draiuage  wi  h  a  layer  of  turves,  grass 
side  downwards.  As  the  soil  is 
prepared  for  the  border  it  should*be 
kept  dry,  so  that  when  it  is  introduced 
into  position  it  can  be  made  firm. 
The  best  form  of  tree  for  planting  is 
the  Ian-trained,  which  may  be  placed 
15  feet  apart  on  walls  12  feet  high. 
The  trees  should  be  two  or  three  years 
old,  moderately  vigorous,  and  well 
ripened,  and  when  planting  are  best  in 
a  dormant  condition.  The  best 
time  to  plant  is  autumn,  but  still 
planting  may  be  ventured  upon.  According  to 
the  roots  will  occupy  take  out  a  shallow  space  of 
Have  some  fine  soil  at  band.  Do  not  uncover  the 
roots  longer  than  necessary,  as  the  winds  dry  them  so  soon.  Prune 
away  all  injured  parts  to  firm  portions.  Place  the  bole  of  tree 
5  inches  from  wall,  and  spread  out  the  roots  to  their  full  extent, 
arranging  them  in  layers,  covering  each  layer  of  roots  with  fine  soil 
spread  over  them  from  the  stem  outwards,  making  as  firm  as  possibla 
The  uppermost  layer  should  not  be  less  than  2  inches  below  the 
surface.  When  the  planting  is  completed  secure  the  branches  to  the 
wall  temporarily,  giving  the  tree  room  and  time  to  settle  before  perma¬ 
nently  securing  the  shoots  in  position.  The  soil  over  the  routs  should 
bs  mulched  with  a  layer  of  light  litter  as  far  as  they  extend.  Some 
pruning  is  necessary,  but  this  may  be  done  when  the  new  shoots 
commence  to  push  freely. 
In  training  fan-trained  Peaches  and  Nectarines  the  main  branches 
must  be  widely  disposed.  If  possible,  train  all  the  bearing  shoots  on 
the  upper  side,  arranging  them  in  a  regular  manner,  and  not  too 
crowded.  During  the  first  season  or  two  attention  must  be  frequently 
given  during  active  growth  to  prevent  any  growths  taking  an  undue 
lead  and  so  weakening  other  legitimate  shoots.  During  dry,  hot 
weather,  afford  water  to  the  roots,  and  frequently  syringe  to  prevent 
attacks  of  insects  and  encourage  growth.  As  the  shoots  extend  in 
summer  train  them  in  to  the  wall  and  secure  in  position,  as  by  this 
means  the  wood  becomes  well  ripened,  and  the  reduction  or  removal  of 
superfluous  shoots  is  readily  carried  out. — E.  D.  S. 
the 
good 
