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June  2o,  1904.  JOU RJS! AL  CF  llORT ICULTURE  AN D  COTTAGE  GARDENER. 
Sobralia  Ruckepi. 
O'ving  to  the  short  duration  of  the  individual  flowers,  which 
usually  fade  after  being  open  one  day,  this  genus  has  not  hitherto 
been  held  in  much  favour.  The  name  given  by  Ruiz  and  Pavon  is  in 
honour  of  Don  F.  M.  Sobral,  a  Spanish  botanist.  Of  the  twenty-five 
to  thirty  species  known  to  botanists,  there  are  but  few  that  have 
enjoyed  extensive  cultivation.  S.  Ruckeri  was  exhibited  by  Sir 
Trevor  Lawrence,  Bart,  (grower,  Mr.  W.  H.  White),  Burford,  Dorking, 
at  a  meeting  of  the  Royal  Horticultural  Society  on  May  17.  It  is 
one  of  the  most  beautiful  of  the  Sobralias,  with  flowers  of  fifmer 
texture  than  those  of  S.  macrantha,  and  of  more  compact  shape. 
The  colour  is  bright  purple-mauve,  the  lip  ivith  a  primrose  central 
vein,  and  whitish  throat.  It  received  a  first-class  certificate. 
Cultupal  Notes  :  Hardy  Orchids. 
The  culture  of  hardy  orchids,  indigenous  and  others,  is  sadly 
neglected  when  one  considers  what  interesting  and  beautiful  subjects 
they  are  for  the  rock  garden  and  herbaceous  border.  Just  now  a 
large  number  of  species-  are  in  bloom,  or  just  passing  out  of  flower, 
and  dwellers  in  country  places  may  select  strong  healthy  plants,  and 
mark  them  for  removal  later  on,  when  the  foliage  has  faded  and  the 
plants  completed  theii-  growth.  The  usual  method  of  selecting 
plants  in  flower  and  transporting  them  to  the  garden  is  wasteful  and 
useless,  for  it  cannot  be  expected  that  plants  in  the  full  season  of 
gTOwth  and  flower  can  hav-e  the  roots  severed  and  the  whole  economy 
of  their  existence  disturbed,  yet  come  through  the  ordeal  safely. 
One  of  the  most  charming  si^ecies  in  our  native  flora  in  my 
opinion  is- Orchis  pyra- 
.midalis,  one  of  the  most 
common  and  most  easily 
established,  yet,  strange 
to  say,  one  of  the  most 
rarely  seen  in  gardens. 
Any  good  garden  soil 
will  grow  it,  except  very 
light,  hungry  sand;  it 
thrives  in  sunny  posi¬ 
tions,  and  it  thrives  in 
shade,  provided  the  soil 
is  not  exhausted  by  ti-ee 
roots,  and  altogether  it 
is  a  ]dant  well  worthy 
of  inclusion  in  any  col¬ 
lection  of  herbaceous 
subjects. 
O.  maculata  and  its 
near  relations,  O.  lati- 
foiia  and  O.  foliosa  (the 
latter  not  a  native),  are 
also  easily  cultivated. 
Rich  loamy  soil  and  a 
somewhat  sheltered  posi¬ 
tion  is -all  that  is  neces¬ 
sary,  though  a  mulching 
of  rotten  leaves  and 
semi  -  decayed  manure 
forms  a  ,  natural  and 
useful  protection  against 
tlie  sun  and  drying 
winds  in  spring.  Oplirys 
apifera,  the  Bee  Orchid, 
is  not,  perhaps,  so  easily 
managed.  It  is  found 
in  all  kinds  of  positions 
naturally,  in  secluded, 
shady,  moist  spots  in 
rich  soil,  on  the  open 
downs  of  the  south  and  west  country,  on  chalky  worn  out  pastures 
and  many  others  ;  but  it  does  not  relish  garden  treatment  generally, 
and  a  sheltered  fissure  in  a  rockery  in  i^roximity  to  a  lump  of  lime¬ 
stone  or  turf  should  for  preference  be  chosen. 
But  perhaps  the  most  interesting  of  all  hardy  sorts  are  those  that 
flourish  in  boggy,  peaty  places,  such  as  the  Cypripediums  and  the 
Habeuarias.  In  most  gardens  special  preparation  has  to  be  made 
for  them,  though  often  there  are  waste  spots  by  the  sides  of  streams 
that  may  be  made  very  beantiful  by  the  use  of  these  orchids.  Only 
one  Cypripedium — viz.,  C.  calceolus — is  a  nativi-  of  this  country,  and 
this  13,  unfortunately,  nearly  extinct,  but  "most  of  the  species  can  be 
obtained  from  the  hardy  plant  nurseryman. — II.  R.  R. 
The  Beech-Tree  Pest. 
The  terrible  Cryptococcus  fagi  continues  to  spread,  as  almost 
weekly  consignments  of  it  sent  to  us  for  identification  prove — or 
possibly  it  is  partly  that  people  are  beg-iniiing  to  take  more  notice  of 
such  things,  as  their  minds  become  more  educated  to  perceive  the 
inherent  beauty  of  our  English  woods  and  country-side.  Everyone 
knows  that  the  Cryptococcus  fagi  is  an  insect  which  lives  in  dense 
communities  on  the  outside  of  the  bark  of  Beech  trees  and  on  the 
foliage.  Its  first  appearance  is  scarcely  noticeable,  there  being  only 
a  few  minute  white  spots  on  the  trunk,  something  like  small 
specimens  of  mealy  bug,  but  later  on  it  increases  with  astonishing 
rapidity.  Individually  the  insect  is  very  small  and  of  a  dirty  dingy 
colour,  requiring  a  magnifying  glass  to  detect ;  but  the  communities 
are  only  too  apparent,  as  the  insects  throw  out  from  their  bodies  a 
mass  of  white  flaxy  filaments  somewhat  like  cotton  wool,  which 
entirely  covers  them  all  over,  very  much  as  what  is  called  American 
blight  does  on  Apple  trees,  except  that,  whereas  the  one  occurs  onlj’’ 
in  small  patches  of  square  inches  at  the  mos‘t,  the  Cryptococcus  may 
be  found  continually  in  commiinities  of  square  feet,  often  in  square 
yards,  and  not  infrequently  covering  the  whole  tree  from  top  to 
bottom,  giving  it  the  appearance  of  having  been  recently  white¬ 
washed.  After  a  year  or  two  the  bark  of  the  tree  dries  up  and  splits 
and  flakes  off  in  sheets,  and  then  of  course  death  soon  ensues.  On 
account  of  the  thick  covering  of  waxy  substance  under  which  they 
shield  themselves,  the  insects  are  very  difficult  indeed— nay,  almost 
impossible  to  reach  by  spraying,  unless  the  sprayer  is  jihenomenally 
povs^erful  and  intrusive.  Any  wash  applied  v/ith  an  ordinary  sprayer* 
is  simply  thrown  Ijack  by  the  waxy  covering  and  rolls  off  like  water 
from  a  duck  s  back.  Hitherto  all  we  have  ])cen  able  to  advise  is  to 
cut  down  and  burn  the  bark  of  all  hopelessly  doomed  trees,  and  to 
scrub  others  with  a  hard  and  penetrating  brush  by  hand  with 
kerosene  emulsion,  which  will  kill  all  the  insects  it  comes  in  contact 
with.  Another  mixture  is  lib  softsoap,  ^  pint  paraffin  to  Igal  of  hot 
water,  mixing  all  well  together,  and  apply  with  a  stmrt  penetrating 
brush,  taking  care  to 
keep  the  wash  well 
mixed  while  using. 
Another  wash  which  rve 
feel  sure  would  be  more 
valuable  than  either,  if 
the  sprayer  is  sufficiently 
powerful,  is  lib  caustic 
soda  and  lib  crude 
potash,  d  i  s  S-0 1 V  e  d  in 
lOgals  of  water,  and 
applied  to  the  trees  in 
the  form  of  a  spray. 
This  should  be  done  m 
winter,  while  the  trees 
are  dormant,  and  the 
user  ought  to  wear 
strong  leather  gloves 
while  doing  it,  and  take 
care  the  wind  does  not 
blow  the  spray  back  into 
his  face.  Our  corre¬ 
spondent’s  new  sugges¬ 
tion  is  to  pass  a  painter’s 
blow-lamp  rapidly  over 
the  surface  of  the  affect¬ 
ed  trees.  We  should 
think  it  would  certainly 
destroy  the  Crypto¬ 
coccus,  and  if  done 
rapidly  enough  would 
possibly  not  hurt  the 
bark.  At  all  events  it 
is  a  novel  plan,  and  on»r 
worth  trying  as  a  first 
experiment  on  some  ti*ee 
affected,  which  the  owner 
would  not  much  miss 
even  if  the  cure  proved 
fatal ;  or  it  might  be 
tried  on  some  tree  liopelessly  attacked,  in  which  case  it  could  only 
hasten' the  inevitable  end  by  twelve  months  or  so.  All  we  urge  is, 
let  it  be  done  carefully  and  rapidly,  so  that  a  reliable  trial  may  be 
made. — (R.H.S.  Journal.) 
Adaptation  of  Land  for  Afforestation. 
This  is  the  title  of  two  papers,  published  by  Imughton  and 
Co.,  Ltd.,  Essex  Street,  Strand,  the  awards  for  which,  w(*re 
given  by  the  Worshipful  Company  of  Carpenters.  The  first 
])aper  is  by  Mr.  A.  C.  Forbes,  and  the  second  by  Professor  W.  R. 
Fisher.  No  price  is  stated. 
Sobralia  Ruckeri. 
