May 8, 1909 



HORTICULTURi: 



661 



Dendrobium Superbum Dearei 



Tlie cover illustration tliij; week represents two dis- 

 tinct forms of D. superbum Dearei in the collec- 

 tion of Mrs. B. B. Tuttle of Naugatuck, Conn., 

 The one on the right was exhibited in Boston in the 

 spring of 1906, where it was awarded the silver medal 

 of the Massachusetts Horticultural Society. It was 

 shortly afterward figured in Horticulture (Vol. Ill, 

 page 5-47) and in Orchid Review (Vol. XIV, page 177). 



Shortly after that another plant out of the same im- 

 portation flowered and proved to be a white form, but 

 was considered to be only a cutting from the other plant 

 as it was then very small and produced only one flower. 

 However, it has since developed into a nice plant and 

 is far superior to the other in form and texture, the 

 older plant having the habit of curling and twisting its 

 sepals and petals, a common occurrence in the species. 

 As to color, both are of the purest white with a faint 

 lemon-yellow hue in the throat. The flower seen above 

 the spray of D. s. Dearei represents a good form of the 

 type specie? and gives one an excellent idea what a 

 grand thing the white form is. 



Dendrobium .superbum requires plenty of heat during 

 the growing season and a decided rest after the bulbs 

 have formed. From the time the plants start to grow 

 until the young growths are well rooted gi'eat care is 

 necessary to keep the atmosphere of the house in which 

 they are growing sweet by giving a little air at all times, 

 else some of the young growths are sure to rot off; bet- 

 ter to grow them cooler with plenty of fresh air than 

 to try to maintain a high temperature by keeping the 

 house closed tight. A weekly dip in weak manure water 

 from the time the new growths have rooted until they 

 have finished will work wonders in the way of building 

 up good strong pseudo bulbs and consequently a good 

 crop of flowers. 



Naugaiuck, Conn. 



British Horticulture 



AJtONGST THE ROSES 



Today (April 23rd) is St. George's Day, and roses are 

 being generally worn, in honor of the English patron 

 saint. This "wearing of the rose" is of modern intro- 

 duction. The increased attention paid to this custom 

 has resulted in a fillip being given to the rose trade and 

 the fact that these fragrant blooms can now be obtained 

 at a reasonable price has had the effect of giving it a big 

 impetus. The London market was well supplied with 

 roses, and for some time past these have been sold for 

 ridiculously low prices. The extra demand for the fes- 

 tival, however, somewhat improved matters. Amongst 

 the varieties which were seen to advantage this week at 

 Covent Garden were Marechal Neil, Mrs. John Laing, 

 Capt. Hawvard. Kaiserin A. Victoria, Bridesmaid, 

 Bride, Bichmond, General Jacqueminot, and others. 

 Roses formed a special feature at the fortnightly show 

 of the Eoyal Horticultural Society on Tuesday. There 

 were one or two novelties which attracted attention. 

 George Mount, of Canterbury, had amongst his collec- 

 tion Frau Lilla Rautenstraueh, a German importation. 

 This is a rose with pale, conical blooms, lightly shaded 

 with rose. Wm. Paul and Sons, of Waltham Cross, 

 made a feature of a German rose, apparently the nearest 

 approach to a blue rose which has yet been reached. It 

 bears the unattractive title of Veilchenblau, but on this 

 side it has been given the English name of Blue Eam- 



bler. It is stated to be a sport from the popular Crim- 

 son Rambler. The rose is a vigorous climber, with bold 

 semi-double blooms of a violet-blue tint. Of course the 

 shade is not a true blue, but it is a step in the direction 

 of obtaining that great novelty, which has been so much 

 talked of, and so belated in appearing. 



AURICULAS AND PRIMULAS 



The lateness of the season was evidenced at the annual 

 show of the National Auricula and Primula Society this 

 week. There was in consequence a falling off in the 

 number of exhibitors, and less competition in the vari- 

 ous classes. Several of the successful exhibitors of 

 former years were absent. The best group of primroses 

 and polyanthus plants arranged for effect was exhibited 

 by Mr. Mortimer, of Rowlcdge, Farnham. Certificates 

 were ■ awarded to the following auriculas : Sweetness, 

 dn Alpine variety of shapely form, of a purple tint, shad- 

 ing to lilac; Queen of Spain, a self show variety of a 

 maroon tint — shown by James Douglas; Harbinger, 

 green edged show variety, shown by W. Smith; Brack- 

 nell, an Alpine variety with a large yellow eye, shown 

 by Phillips & Taylor; Alexander Dean, an Alpine va- 

 riety of deep maroon tint, with a yellow centre, shown 

 by F. W. Price, of the Beckenham Horticultural So- 

 ciety. On the same day the Royal Horticultural Society 

 granted awards of merit to the following auriculas : Ad- 

 miration, a gray edged flower with a sulphur tinted 

 centre ; Claud Halero, yellow centre and crimson petals, 

 changing to bronzy-red at the margin; Robert Brace, 

 gray edged with sulphur shaded centre ; Ulleswater, pur- 

 ple edged \tLth whitish centre. The Society also granted 

 a first-class certificate for Primula Forresti, which was 

 exhibited by Messrs. Bees, Ltd. This is an attractive 

 new species from the High Alps of Yunnan, China. 

 The blooms are of deep yellow, with an orange colored 

 eye. Leaves, ovate-elliptical with crenate margins. 



>i?y- Gdie^. 



Orchids at Royal Horticultural 

 Society 



On April 20 Charlesworth & Co. obtained an award 

 of merit for an Epi-Laelia obtained by crossing Epiden- 

 drum macrochilum rosea, and Ltelia purpurata ; and a 

 botanical certificate for Pleurothallis Bischenallei, the 

 flowers of which are very small and of a chocolate brown 

 tint. Interesting it may be, but destitute of decorative 

 value. F. Sander & Sons received an award of merit 

 for an extra large flowered plant of their variety of Mil- 

 tonia Bleuana. Other plants shown by this firm were 

 Lfelio-Cattleya Choletiana, large loosely built blooms 

 which are developed in straggling bunches; sepals and 

 petals of a light purple color; the lip stained of a 

 darker tinge, with yellow in the throat; Cattleya Schro- 

 derae The Queen is large and white, with a stain of 

 orange in the throat. Two Odontoglossums were 

 shown named Dreadnought II and Dreadnought III; 

 the first a cross between 0. Prince Albert and 0. scep- 

 trum. Both have brown blotches on a yellow ground 

 color but the blooms differ in size. Sir Trevor Law- 

 rence, President of the Society, received an award of 

 merit for Odontoglossum Looehristiensis. and Od. 

 aureo-fulvum, a flower having a yellow ground color 

 spotted and blotched with bright brown. 



