February 8, 1872. ] 



JOUENAL OF HOETICULTURE AND COTTAGE GAEDENEE. 



119 



I myself haTe not succeeded in colouring this Grape as I 

 should like, though I have grown it fine in bunch, and the 

 flavour was aU that could be desu-ed ; but I beheve it must have 

 a house to itself to ripen well, and another thing I believe is, 

 that it will bear liner bunches on the rod or extension system 

 than the spur system. I shall hope to see others contributing 

 their experience of this fine variety of late-keeping Grape. — 

 Stephen Castle. 



ODONTOGLOSSUM ALEXANDRA AND LYCASTE 

 SKINNERI. 

 The first meeting for the season of the Eoyal Horticultural 

 Society (.January 17th) was a most interesting one. The beau- 

 tiful banks of Chinese Primulas and that increasingly useful 

 flower the Cyclamen, Lord Londesborough's Orchids, and those 

 sent by Messrs. Veiteh and others, were worthy of all praise. 

 But it is of the two species whose names are at the head of 

 this paper that I want to write. The superb plant sent from 

 Lord Londesborough's collection, and named by the Committee 

 Odontoglossum DenisoniiE, is worthy of special notice. It is 

 presumably a form of 0. luteo-purpureum ; the flowers are 

 3 inches in diameter ; the sepals and petals are much elongated 

 and pointed, as in O. luteo-puqjuremn. The colour is white 

 tinged with rose and very sUghtly spotted, as in 0. Alexaudi'ie. 

 In 0. AlexandrsB var. Bowmani, sent by Messrs. Veiteh, we 

 have the flowers large, well-shaped, and more densely spotted 

 than in the tj-pe. Each recurring importation of these beau- 

 tiful Odontoglots brings out new forms and serves to keep aUve 

 our interest in them. 



Both of the species referred to are natives of New Grenada, 

 and are fomid grooving at an altitude of from 7000 to 8000 feet, 

 Then- culture is comparatively easy, and no garden where there 

 is sufficient means should be without them. Their culture is 

 as yet imperfectly understood by gai'deners. I visited many 

 gardens in the north last autumn, and found plants of O. Alex- 

 andra? had been added to small collections, and were being 

 treated to the heat of a warm stove as well as free exposure to 

 the sun. Such treatment can only end in failure : the pseudo- 

 bulbs will shrivel, and the yoiuig growths be checked. 



If a house has to be erected for this class of plants let it be 

 a lean-to with a north exposure. At The Pojjlars, Leyton, the 

 residence of F. G. WUkins, Esq., there is a very excellent col- 

 lection in a house of this description under the care of Mr. 

 J. Ward. The pseudo-bulbs are plump, and the vigorous young 

 growths throw up strong flower-spikes. The temperature in 

 tins house during winter falls as low as 3.5". In the north of 

 England and in Scotland, where the sim's rays are less power- 

 ful, the form and situation of the house may be different. At 

 Meat'owbank, near Glasgow, I found they were gi'owu in a 

 span -roofed structure ninning east and west, the plants close 

 to the glass ; indeed, this is important whatever the form of 

 house. I grow them in a small span-roofed house with a night 

 temperatui'e of 4.5° in winter, but it is uecessarj' to remove 

 them to a cold frame in summer, as the excessive heat shi'ivels 

 the pseudo-bulbs. The frame is placed under a north waU. 

 The plants should not be overpotted ; tough fibrous peat and 

 fresh sphagnum chopped fine suit them, a few potsherds being 

 added to keep the compost more open. The pots should be 

 hall filled with dramage. 



Lycasie Skinneri. — The splendid assortment of ten distinct 

 varieties exhibited by the Messrs. Veiteh, of Chelsea, was a 

 veiy attractive feature in the meeting. They bad L. alba, the 

 pm'e white variety ; L. albida, white, with just the faintest 

 tinge of rosy blush fi-iuging the margin of the sepals and petals. 

 Equally beautifid were the varieties more after the normal 

 type, some with the hps white, others with beautifully blotched 

 and spotted lips ; one had a deep crimson hp. This is another 

 class of Orchids, easy of culture, and to be obtained at a low 

 price. One of the staff officers of this Jom'nal said to me, 

 "I do not grow Orchids. I will go in for Lycaste Skinneri by 

 the dozen." The flowers are numerously produced, and last 

 two mouths in beauty. All the varieties ai'e from Guatemala, 

 and were first introduced by the late Mr. Skinner. 



Lycaste Skinneri is one of the revy best winter flowers we 

 have, and it succeeds in the cool Orchid house, although I 

 have grown it very weU in an ordinary plant stove, the plants 

 being removed to a vinery at rest when the growths ai'e matured. 

 It does not succeed in a veiy low temperature. As an experi- 

 ment I placed a plant in a cool greenhouse for the Tvinter, and 

 nearly lost it. The plants delight in a comparatively moist 



atmosphere and a temperature of 50° during the winter, ^^^leu 

 they ai'e in flower they may be placed in a wai-m gi-eenhouse or 

 sitting-room without any fear of injuiy. The cultural remarks 

 are easily summed-up. The compost is the sajne as that re- 

 commended for Odontoglots, and, hke them, they require 

 plenty of water when growing ; and even when at rest they 

 must not be allowed to become quite dry. 



AU the species of Lycaste are easily propagated by division 

 when the plants are at rest. — J. Douglas. 



KEEPING LATE GRAPES. 

 My experience in keeping Grapes this season is totally dif- 

 ferent from that of your correspondent Mr. W. Moore in 

 page 86, although he has a structirre for the purpose. I have 

 now some fifty bunches of Lady Downe's and Black Alicante. 

 They were cut from a span-roofed vinery with an inside border 

 at the end of October. The house was then filled with Chrys- 

 anthemums, and it is so at the present time ; it has also been 

 regularly watered. The temperature at noon to-day (.Janu- 

 ary 31st), was 48° without fire heat. In the same house axe 

 three young Vines, first year of fruiting — namely, one Black 

 Muscat, one Muscat Hamburgh, and Mrs. Pince grafted on the 

 Black Hamburgh. The fruit on these is rather shrivelled, but 

 not decayed. The bunches cut in October ai'e in a daj'k closet 

 in my house, no ventilator except at the door, in bottles as 

 Mr. Moore has them, with a little charcoal iu each bottle. 

 The temperature is 45° at noon and not a berry is cracked, 

 and there are very few signs of cracking. They appear as if they 

 would keep some months. — ^D. H. 



Mt Grapes were cut on October 6th, and were chiefly Black 

 Barbarossa (Gros GuUlaume), and the stems were placed in 

 quai't bottles filled with spring water, and hung up in an airy 

 gari'et close to the wall. I cannot claim great success for my 

 experiment, but few of the berries burst. They kept plump 

 for some weeks and afterwards began to shrivel, but in that 

 state they became very tolerable raisins, and were found accept- 

 able by my family. I have one bunch stiU left. 



I intend to try the experiment again, and hope to be more 

 successful, as I attribute the shrivehing of the berries very 

 much to the fact of the Barbarossa not being so well finished 

 as I have had it in former years, last autumn being unfavour- 

 able to bringing this Grape to perfection, as you are aware it- 

 requires a high temperature to ripen it. My object in wi'iting 

 is to recommend the Barbarossa to Mr. Moore and others as a 

 better keeping Grape than the Alicante. — John Feeme. 



My impression has always been that Grapes have the power 

 of taking up water through the stem in the absence of leaves,, 

 hence my weighing the bunches as stated in the paper sent to 

 you iu order to test this. These bunches proved that such is 

 the fact, although many gardeners of standing with whom I 

 had communicated on the subject prior to my adopting the 

 water system repudiated the idea, and argued the impossibUity 

 of the berries of Grapes having such power. 



I am strongly impressed th* at this time the true pi'iuciple 

 of keeping Grapes in water is not understood, and until it is 

 so no correct practice can be founded. I am fai' from saying 

 that none of my friends have succeeded in keeping them ; but 

 what I say is, the pi'iuciple of then' success is not thoroughly 

 known, and therefore cannot be relied on practically. The 

 information I should like to see conveyed through the pages 

 of the Joiu'ual is, "WTiat is the lowest temperature at which 

 Grapes can take up water iu a perfectly dry room ? Can Grapes 

 evaporate the water so taken up through theh skins, and, if 

 so, at what temperature? Is not hght a desu'able agent ? 

 Is it of consequence to have the leaf ripe at the time of cutting, 

 and if so why ? always supposing the fruit to be thoroughly 

 ripe. This and other important information I should like to 

 see detailed. — W. Mooee, Beltoii Gardens. 



TOMATOES IN POTS. 

 I CASNOT agree with Mr. Douglas's remark at page 50, that 

 Hepper's GoUath Tomato, in pots, cairies a crop of very small 

 fruit with one of immense size. I gi'ew it last year in pots, 

 and on every plant, ten in number, I left five or six fiiiit. 

 These swelled to a great size, some weighing upwards of 1 lb., 

 others less. They were the finest Tomatoes I ever had, and 

 were considered by aU who saw them to be by far the lai'gest 



