Jane 20, 1867. ] 



JOUBNAL OF HORTICULTUBE AND COTTAGE GABDENEB. 



425 



Orchids which Mr. Anderson, Mr. Dawson's gardener at Meadow 

 Bank, was in the habit of exhibiting from time to time, yet he had 

 never sent finer than those which he had exhibited on this occasion. 

 Beautiful as his bunch of Odontoglossnm Pescatorei was, it only re- 

 presented a fraction of the blossom on the plant from which it was 

 cat, and on which no less than three hundred flowers were connted ; 

 fcat, glorious as Mr. Anderson's Oilontoelossnm was, even it was sur- 

 passed by the cut specimen of Ai-'rides Fieldingii, from Lord Egerton 

 of Tattou, which was the most magnificent t'xample of that species 

 which had ever been exhibited, and to which, on the recommendation 

 of the Floral Committee, the Lindley medal had been awarded Mr. 

 Bateman then noticed two or three small specimens of Orchids, and 

 especially the little Peruvian OJontoglossum roseum, which, though 

 'beautiful in niiniyns, would present a still more glorious appearance 

 when larger specimens were obtained. Miltouia spectabilis. of which 

 his own gardener had sent a fine variety called rosea, was also men- 

 tioned as having been obtained through Messrs. Low ; likewise Epi- 

 dendrum vitellinum, ^rom Mr. Anderson, which was figured twenty-five 

 years ago by Dr. Lindley, from dried specimens, but when the plant 

 was flowered some years later by Mr. Barker, evoi-y one considered the 

 drawing exaggerated, so poor were the blossoms then ; but now that the 

 cultivation of the plant, which comes from an elevation of 7-SOOU feet, 

 13 conducted on the cool — that is. sensible — mode of treatment, the 

 original representation utterly failed to do justice to its beauty. Beauti- 

 ful, however, as Mr. Anderson's example of this Epidendrum was. 

 Mr. Bateman said he hod seen one far superior a day or two before at 

 Mr. Day's, at Tottenham. 



Coming now to the immediate subject of his lecture, Lslia majalis 

 or Flor de Mayo, it was one of the few Orchids which was fortunate 

 in having a histori' as well as a name — iii fact, many names, the 

 native one being Itzumatjuee ; besides which it had two or three 

 Sparish, and three or four Latin names. It was ail very well for old 

 Rnmphius to say that the Orchids are the aristocrats of the vegetable 

 kingdom, but not one in a hundred of them had ever been heard of 

 before the present century, and in classical or heroic ages they were 

 unknown. No one, not even the Chairman, had ever found a fossU 

 Orchid. Any Orchid, even, whose history could be traced back to the 

 conquest — of America he meant — would hold a distinguished place. It 

 had been said that when the French took possession of a settlement 

 the first thing they did was to establish a cnf'-, and in a like man- 

 ner the Spaniards were in the custom of erecting a church. For 

 the elaborate services of these churches the Spaniards, being ignorant 

 of the resources of their new possessions, at first carried with them 

 their old-world flowers ; but they soon discovered the value of Orchids 

 for church decoration. In connection with this part of the subject he 

 might mention that his old friend Mr. Skinner had seut home from 

 •Guatemala some bulbs which proved to be no other than those of the 

 common white Lily, which had doubtless been taken out for the very 

 purpose, and had run wild. The value of Orchids for church decora- 

 tion having been discovered, as before remarked, they were largely 

 employed for the purpose ; and the names of the saints' days and 

 festivals for which they were suitable were applied to them, and of 

 these Mr. Batemen cited a number, of which "Flor de Mayo" was 

 one. Knowing the extensive use of Orchids in church decoration, Mr. 

 Skinner, he might remark, when he wanted to know what Orchids 

 were in season, always went to church to look at the altar decora- 

 tions. To proceed with the history of Lwlia majalis, the first natu- 

 ralist who went to Mexico was Hernandez, who published in 1648, 

 at Rome, a book, in the frontispiece of which two Orchids were re- 

 presented, one of which was the beautiful Ladia majalis. Humboldt 

 was the next to notice it under the name of Bletia speciosa, as one 

 of those beautiful Orchids the recollection of which no time could 

 efface. About the same time Lexarza, who went out to Mexico, 

 failing to recognise the plant as described by Humboldt, called it 

 Bletia grandiflora. His description of this and other Orchids so im- 

 pressed the youthful Reichenbach, that he wanted to visit Mexico 

 himself; but this proved unnecessary, for Mr. Barker dispatched a 

 traveller thither, who sent a number of plants, which, arriving in mid- 

 winter, were sent home in blankets, but they never flowered. Next 

 M. Deschamps, in 1837, exactly thirty years ago, brought home a 

 /jartload, for which he asked enormous prices, and eventually he was 

 glad to sell the plants at a cheap rate ; but they all disappeared with- 

 ■out flowering, except one, which was purchased by Mr. DiUwyn Lle- 

 welyn, and which was figured in Mr. Bateman's work on the Orchids 

 of Mexico and Guatemala, and by Dr. Lindley in the " Botanical 

 Register," 1844. The drawing in the former work was made under 

 Dr. Lindley's direction, who thought the plant produced four or five 

 flowers; but never, except under exceptional circumstances, did it pro- 

 duce more than two on a scape. Just as Humboldt failed to make his 

 description of the plant intelligible to Lexarza, so the latter to Lindley, 

 who called the plant first L»Ua Grahami. and afterwards L. majalis, 

 and though Reichenbach wishes to go back to L. speciosa, Lielia 

 majalis it is to cultivators, and so it ever will be. 



Mr. Bateman then mentioned that Mr. Anderson had communicated 

 to him his treatment of the plant, which differs materially from that 

 pursued by Messrs. Backhouse, as stated also to him (Mr. Bateman), 

 in a letter from his friend Mr. WentworthBuller. Mr. Anderson grows 

 the plant in a kind of Wardian case, where the temperature rises 

 by Bun in the day to SO^, but is cool at night and in winter. Mr. 

 BoUer, oa the other hand, states th«t it is kept by Messrs. Backhouso 



in a house where the temperatnre in winter ranges from 45'' to 53", 

 and sometimes falls as low as 37^, no fire heat being given unless the 

 temperature declines below 40^. Abundant ventilation is likewise 

 afforded, the ventilators being opened at uight when the external tem- 

 perature permits. In the same house was growing Epidendrum era- 

 bescens, likewise figured in Mr. Bateman's superb work, and far sur- 

 passing any plants of the species which Mr. BuUer had seen else- 

 where. Mr, Bateman. in concluding, then remarked that success in 

 the cultivation of the latter plant and of the La-lia would appear 

 rather to depend on abundance of air kept moving than on temperature. 



The Chairman, in returning Mr. Bateman the thanks of the meeting 

 for his interesting remarks, said that though a fossil Orchid had never 

 yet been- discovered, he would endeavour to stimulate geologists to 

 search after such. 



Mr. Bateman, in replying, asked to be allowed to add an observation 

 which be had omitted to make at the proper time — namely, that some 

 of the Orchids which Mr. Anderson had sent were growing on flat tiles. 



ROYAL BOTANIC SOCIETY'S SHOW. 



At the second great Show of this Society, held yesterday, there Wft9 

 again an excellent display of stove and greenhouse tioweiing and fine- 

 folianed plants, many of which were in greater perfection than on the 

 last occasion. Pelargoniums and other florists' flowers were also 

 numerously exhibited ; and of Fuchsias we have rarely seen finer than 

 some of the plants shown by Mr. Brockwell and others. Large and 

 most interesting collections of new plants came from Messrs. Veitch, 

 Mr. Bull, and others. Orchids were fairly represented, though not so 

 numerous as we have seen them in former years. Among fruit there 

 were numerous and well-ripened bunches of Black Hamburgh Grapes, 

 fine bunches of Black Prince from Mr. Meads, gardener to Raikea 

 Cnrrie, Esq., Minley Manor ; some very good Providence Pines, excel- 

 lent Peaches, Nectarines, and Strawberries. 



CHELTENHAM HORTICULTURAL SHO\Y. 



{From a Correspondent .) 



The Cheltenham Horticnltaral Society's second Show for the season 

 was held on the l'2th of Jane in the beantif al grounds of Pittrille Spa, 

 and the afternoon beinf^ tine attracted a numerous concourse of yisitors. 



The collections of omamental-foliaged plants, grouped for effect, 

 exhibited by T. P. W. Butt, Esq., and Mr. Heath, were particularly 

 worthy of remark, as were the stove and gi-eenhouse plants from 

 Mr. Butt and Mr. Cypher. Fine collections of British Ferns were 

 shown by Sir Alesander Ramsay, Bart., and Mr. Pilgrim ; and of 

 Pelargoniums by Mr. Hopwood, Miss Douglas, and Mr. Heath. There 

 was a severe competition in vases of cut flowers, arranged in threes 

 for the dinner table ; those shown by Lady Kamsay, Rev. W. Coventry, 

 Capt. Fickell, G. Lonthean, Esq., and Mr. C.^-pher being exceedingly 

 elegant and artistic in their arrangement. Cut Roses received their 

 full share of attention, and were well shown. The boxes contributed 

 by Mr. C. Brydges, the Rev. W. Coventry, and T. W. Potter, Esq., 

 were particularly good. 



The Show of vegetables was unusually good. Cauliflower, Asparagus, 

 Peas, Kidney Beans, new Potatoes, Mushrooms, and baskets of Salad 

 were excellent. The last were tastefully designed, well arranged and 

 well fiUed. That from Mr. E. Smith was surprisingly good. 



The show of fruit was not so good as in former years, although there 

 were some fine dishes of Grapes, Peaches, Strawberries, Cherries, and 

 Melons. 



ROSES INJURED BY FROST. 



" E. H.'s " case is, I believe, not a solitary one, as I have ob- 

 served something of the kind here (Staplehurst), though my 

 Roses have suffered but little from frost, almcst my whole stock 

 being dwarfs on their own roots, and many of them plants eight 

 or ten years old. Except that they have suffered a little at the 

 tips during the severe frost of January, I see no difference in 

 their appearance this season from that which they exhibit in 

 other years ; they seem to bloom quite as strongly and as freely. 

 This remark refers more particularly to the Hybrid Perpetuals. 

 The damage done to the China varieties was more severe ; but 

 not a plant has been kUled, and they are blooming as well as 

 before, liaving only received a more severe pruning than usual. 

 Of Tea Koses I have not many ; but I find two plants against 

 a south-west wall have been injured. On one of them the 

 shoots, appearing to be still alive, were left at the usual pruning 

 time in March, and started into life ; but since then portions 

 have died back, and the plant is far from healthy. 



The above is the only ease of a plant having been more in- 

 jured by the frost than it at first appeared to be ; while, on the 

 contrary, many subjects that were pronounced by fair judges 

 dead, are breaking out in different portions of their branches, as 

 Bays, Laurustinus, Majorca Box, Euonymus, and some Conifers. 

 These have never been meddled with, as I am not an advocate 

 ' for cutting down if it can be avoided. A fine bushy tree of 



