July 6, 1912 



HORTICULTURE 



Oncidium ornithorhyncum 



This is a very pretty and well-known orchid from the 

 Mexican Cordilleras where it is found growing at an 

 elevation of from 3000 to 5000 feet above sea level. The 

 individual flowers are small but are produced in great 

 profusion on slender well branched panicles. They are 

 very sweet scented, the odor reminding one of helio- 

 trojje. It is very interesting to study the peculiar shape 

 iif the flowers under a magnifying-glass ; this will plain- 

 ly show a great resemblance to some kind of bird. The 

 cap which protects and hides the pollen has a long 

 point, at the end of w-hioh protnides the caudicles to 

 which the pollen masses are attached and this might be 

 taken for some insect which the bird is holding in its 

 hill. This will explain the specific name "ornithorhyn- 

 chum"' — a bird's bill. The petals would represent the 

 wings of a bird flying while the lip, which is turned 

 backward at nearly a right angle and ornamented witli 

 a yellow crest, would represent the body of the bird. 



The illustration represents the white form 0. orni- 

 thorynchum album which is very pretty and quite rare. 



This oncidium grows best in intermediate tempera- 

 ture suspended from the roof. It should be sliaded 

 from direct sunshine during the hot summer months, 

 but in fall and winter up to early spring will enjoy all 

 the sunshine it can get. They are very sensitive to 

 root disturbance and when repotting becomes necessary 

 great care should be taken not to injure the roots more 

 than can be helped. The best time to pot is when new 

 roots begin to push forth from the new growth. Chopped 



moss and osmunda fibre in equal parts with a little 

 sharp sand added will make a good compost for them, 

 but it should be used sparingly, an inch or two on top 

 of the drainage being sufficient. During summer when 

 growing vigorously they will enjoy frequent applications 

 of weak liquid manure ; once or twice a week will not be 

 too often, and the plants should be syringed freely on 

 all bright days. Never let them be dry except during 

 the dull winter months, when only just enough water 

 should be given to prevent the bulbs from shriveling. 



(?/t./:i^l^ 



Aristocrat 



Your true aristocrat is always your true democrat, 

 llereditv, training, brains, are all antecedent. Mere 

 money d"oes not make an aristocrat— although it may be 

 nn incident in the development. Most of the newly rich 

 are far from being aristocrats. They are mostly snobs. 

 Many true aristocrats have no money at all. What a 

 true aristocrat is was forcibly illustrated the other day 

 by an incident told by John Farquhar about the speech 

 of Sir George Holford who won the King's prize for 

 orchids at the London show and who at the Royal Horti- 

 cultural Society's dinner later deprecated the great 

 praise given hiin, saying that his friend Mr. Alexander 

 deserved most of thecredit. Mr. Farquliar met him the 

 next day and complimented him on that portion of his 

 speech." Sir George said: "He is my friend; I never 

 think of him otherwise." The point of this illustration 

 lies in the fact that Mr. Alexander is the Baron's gar- 

 dener; but the Baron never thought of referring to that 

 fact in his speech. He spoke of him as his friend. 

 There's at least one man in Massachusetts who can be 

 called a true aristocrat. David Roy of Marion could 

 tell you about him ; and there are doubtless many others 

 nil over the world: but we hear about them all too sel- 

 dom. Thev are the salt of the earth ! 



AMERICAN SEEDLING PEONIES. 



It has long been the custom to look 

 to Europe for everything new and 

 worthy in peonies, and it is not with- 

 out cause, for, with the exception of a 

 few good ones of American origin, 

 nearly all of the novelties have come 

 from Lemoine, Dessert, Millet and 

 Kelway, who, within recent years, 

 have sent out some magnificent varie- 

 ties. It really seemed as though about 

 the limit of variation must have been 

 reached, but America is coming to the 

 front in the production of new peonies 

 and within a tew years we shall see 

 some startling novelties placed on the 

 market which will equal, if not sur- 

 pass the European productions. On a 

 recent visit to the grounds of E. J. 

 Shaylcr, the peony specialist of 

 Wellesley Farms. Mass., 1 was forci- 

 bly impressed with the excellence of 

 some seedlings he has flowering in 

 their second season. The most strik- 

 ing one he proposes to name for his 

 mother, Mary Woodbury Shaylor, and 

 a more beautiful memorial it would 



be hard to find. The plant is very con- 

 spicuous and is the first to catch the 

 eye in the section of the grounds where 

 it is growing. In habit it is very 

 marked, being of a vigorous, upright 

 growth, with heavy foliage and im- 

 mense blooms, which are of the semi- 

 double type, flesh white on first open- 

 ing, fading to cream white with age. 

 The guard petals are very large, well 

 rounded and remarkably thick. The 

 center petals are of equal length with 

 the guards, mostly broad and notched 

 at the ends, several of which are bor- 

 dered with bright crimson. The car- 

 pels are bright carmine; the yellow 

 stamens, which are of the club-shaped 

 Japanese type are intermixed with the 

 petals in a very effective manner. The 

 plant is furnished with the heaviest 

 foliage of any variety known to me, 

 many of the leaflets being fully four 

 inches in breadth. The stems are very 

 short and furnished with leaves well 

 up under the flowers, very much in the 

 way of Chrysanthemum Major Bonnaf- 

 fon and some others. 



To those who see no beauty in a 

 flower unless full double, this variety 



might not appeal, but to those who ap- 

 preciate the artistic, it certainly will 

 stand among the most beautiful. As 

 compared with the recent European 

 importations, with few exceptions, the 

 latter fall far behind, leaving this in 

 a class by itself. 



Another seedling of much promise is 

 of similar habit but taller, smaller in 

 all its parts, with a flower more full 

 and with narrower center petals in- 

 termixed with the true .Jaoanese club 

 shaped staminoids. The color is deli- 

 cate flesh with cream white center. 



Still another seedling of great merit 

 is one which Mr. Shaylor proposes to 

 name Jessie Shaylor. It is somewhat 

 in the way of Mad. Emile Lemoine but 

 with more shell-like petals. The color 

 is light flesh and cream white, with a 

 few stamens showing among the petals. 

 The habit is good, bearing its large 

 flowers well above the foliage on 

 strong stems which have no inclina- 

 tion to droop. Another season's 

 growth will probably show these 

 flowers at their best and enhance 

 somewhat their beauty. 



A. H. FEWKES. 



