January 6, 1870 ] 



JOURNAL OP HORTICULTURE AND COTTAGE GARDENER. 



11 



what rare, ie a grand form of the species, from which it differs 

 in the extra size of its flowers, which arc very broad, and in the 

 lip being stained at the base with deep rich orange. It should 

 be treated in the same manner as the kinds already named. 

 Native ,of Borneo. 



Phal-enopsis Lowii. — A somewhat small-flowered but very 

 handsome species : it is a slow-growing plant, which loses its 

 leaves during winter, and has hitherto had an awkward habit of 

 not putting out fresh ones in spring. I have introduced it here 

 as a late-autumn flowerer, at which season its be lutiful, bright 

 rose-coloured sepals and petals, and rich violet lip, are a great 

 attraction in an Orchid house. I have not had much experience 

 with this plant, but am very sanguine respecting it. Like its 

 congeners, however, I find it requires an abundance of light. 

 It comes from Moulmein. 



Phal^enopsis rosea. — This species is much inferior in point 

 of size to either of those already named, and the flowers indi- 

 vidually are not very attractive. It is, however, very free- 

 growing, and when it has attained some size it produces a great 

 number of blooms ; and as the old flower-spikes live and bloom 

 several years in succession the plant forms during winter a 

 by-no-means despicable object. The sepals and petals are narrow, 

 waxy- white stained with rose, and the small lip is violet, which 

 in some varieties has an additional stain of orange at the base. 

 Native of Luzon, about Manilla. 



Phal^enopsis Schilleriana. — In this species we have a com- 

 bination of beautifully variegated foliage and lovely flowers. It 



is of a more robust constitution than any other species at present 

 in cultivation, and its natural time of flowering is winter and 

 spring. The leaves are somewhat oblong and blunt at the ends, 

 from 10 to 18 inches in length ; the ground colour of the upper 

 surface is deep green, upon which are irregular, interrupted 

 transverse bands or blotches of silvery white, and the under side 

 is dull purple. In some varieties the white blotches are greatly 

 in excess of the ground colour. The flowers are borne on long 

 branching spikes in great profusion, numbering from twenty to 

 eighty or more upon a single spike. The sepals and petals are 

 lilac edged with white, and tinged with rose towards the base. 

 The front lobe of the lip is mauve ; the side ones blotched with 

 yellow and more or less suffused with reddish dots. Its lovely 

 flowers retain their full beauty for four months. Native of 

 Manilla. 



I may add, in bidding farewell to this beautiful genus, that 

 the plants must not be subjected to a severe resting process, for, 

 having no pseudobulbs, they are sure to suffer through it ; and I 

 would just remind those who are such severe sticklers for the 

 roasting system for Orchids in winter, that it is very injurious 

 and unwise to persist in such treatment. Granted the plants 

 may be subjected to severe droughts in a state of nature, but in 

 those cases there are no employers to find fault if all the plants 

 do not grow in spring, whilst I wonder how many per cent, there 

 are killed through drought in their native habitats. The loss in 

 young plants and plants growing in exposed situations is, I fear, 

 in some seasons very great. — Experto Crede. 



The name by which this Pear has 

 Pitmaston Duchesse d'Angouleme, it ' 

 late Mr. Williams, of Pitmas- 

 ton, from a cross between 

 Duchesse d'Angouleme and 

 GIou Morceau. Bearing no 

 resemblance whatever to 

 Duchesse d'Angouleme, it 

 might with as much reason 

 have been called Pitmaston 

 Glou Morceau, and as it is a 

 mere misapplication of the 

 name to continue it, we are 

 induced to call it simply Pit- 

 maston Duchess, it being suf- 

 ficiently meritorious to stand 

 on its own merits without 

 borrowing its reputation from 

 any other fruit. 



This is one of the largest 

 and handsomest dessert Pears 

 we have. The specimen from 

 which our figure is taken was 

 grown by that skilful cultiva- 

 tor the Be v.William Kingsley, 

 of South Kilvington, whose 

 unwearied labours in the study 

 of all kinds of fruits, and par- 

 ticularly of those adapted and 

 adaptable to the climate in 

 which he resides, will have a 

 most beneficial effect in im- 

 proving the fruit collections of 

 that district. 



The Pitmaston Duchess is 

 a large handsome Pear, gene- 

 rally even, or a little undu- 

 lating in its outline, and some- 

 times rather prominently 

 bossed. The skin is smcoth 

 and fine, of a pale lemon 

 colour, thickly covered with 

 patches of delicate cinnamon- 

 coloured russet, with a large 

 patch round the stalk. In 

 appearance it is not unlike a 

 good specimen of Marie Louise 

 grown against a wall, when 

 the skin is bright and smooth. 

 Eye large and open, set in a 

 wide cavity. Stalk about an inch 

 either level with the surface or in 



PITMASTON DUCHESS PEAR. 



hitherto been known is I Flesh very tender and melting, very juicy, exceedingly rich and 

 having been raised by the | sugary, with a brisk refreshing flavour and a delicate perfume. 



It ripens in some places 

 about the end of October, but 

 in others it comes into use in 

 the end of November. 



As yet the variety has not 

 been extensively distributed. 

 It is little known among fruit- 

 growers, and hence the infor- 

 mation regarding it is limited. 

 Mr. Kingsley has grown it 

 only on the Quince, and as 

 yet has fruited but one tree, 

 which is a very small one, 

 in a pot. Nevertheless that 

 tree bore eleven fruit, one 

 of which supplied our figure. 

 Mr. Kingsley says, " The or- 

 dinary Duchesse has never 

 come to perfection with me 



\ yet." 



stout, and inserted I paying 

 small narrow cavity. | part of the 



NOTES AND GLEANINGS. 

 Mr. Egerton Hubbard, 

 jun., of Leonardslee, Hor- 

 sham, has authorised us to 

 state, that in addition to the 

 prize of £5 for the best Essay 

 on the Management of Cot- 

 tage Gardens, recently an- 

 nounced in our pages, he will 

 give a prize of £3 for the best 

 Essay on Window Garden- 

 ing. These essays are to be 

 sent in to the Secretary of the 

 Royal Horticultural Society 

 on or before Wednesday, 16th 

 of February next. " The ob- 

 ject of these essays," Mr. 

 Hubbard says, " should be, by 

 putting together some plain 

 directions in a form that un- 

 educated people can under- 

 stand, to enable cottagers to 

 make the most of their gar- 

 dens. And it seems to me 

 that hints as to the best 

 kinds of seeds, or the best 

 and fruit trees, will be the most valuable 

 ; but the main object will be simplicity of 



