166 



JOURNAL OP HORTICULTURE AND COTTAGE GARDENER. 



t Fsbruary 20, 1873. 



Eome fresh sphagnum. The plant should be raised out of the 

 pot a little, so that the compost, when it is placed round the 

 roots, will be raised in the form of a mound. The potting 

 material should be tough fibrous peat, fresh sphagnum, and 

 broken pots, in equal proportions, and the broken pots ought 

 to be clean before using them. A moist atmosphere is very 

 essential to the plants, but do not apply much water to the 

 roots until fresh rootlets are formed, when water may be 

 freely applied to them. It is well to drsss the surface of the 

 pot with live sphagnum, and when this is in a healthy con- 

 dition it is a sure sign that all is right with the atmosphere of 

 the house. The flower-spikes come up with the new growths, 

 and generally show themselves when the pseudo-bulbs are 

 about half grown, and by the time the bulb has attained its 

 full size the flowers will be expanded. When the flowers fade 

 the plant wiU proceed to make a new growth at once, and this 

 will be the time to repot, using the same compost as that re- 

 commended above, and pots only one size larger. Nothing is 

 more injurious either to cool or hothouse Orchids than over- 

 potting them, more especially those that requu'e a good supply 

 of water, as however porous the potting material may be, if 

 there is too much of it, it will certainly get sour, and the 

 plants will not thrive. A lai-ge proportion of them will not 

 flower the first year, but as all were placed in very small pots 

 it will be necessary to shift them'into larger pots as soon as 

 they begin to make a second growth. 



There cannot be much divergence of opinion as to the best 

 form of structure in which to grow them. In the south of 

 England a lean-to with a north aspect is the best. In the 

 north they do very well in low span-roofed pits, and these 

 should run north and south. They thrive best in small houses 

 where the plants can be placed near the glass. Ventilation 

 should be provided by having sliding top lights, and a row of 

 small ventilators should be placed in the front or side walls 

 on a level with the hot-water pipes ; the latter ventilators 

 should be kept constantly open unless the weather should be 

 eiy severe. 



As to temperature, the collectors say that in their native 

 country these plants enjoy a mean temperature of 65'. We 

 find that in cultivation during the winter months a minimum 

 of 45° is quite sufficient, and even with 5° less they succeed. 

 I have had them out in a cold frame with no covering but the 

 glass, and the thermometer but little above the freezing point 

 outside, yet no harm came to them. If the temperature is too 

 high the pseudo-bulbs are apt to shrivel, and the growths are 

 checked. This I have found to be the case during very hot 

 weather in summer. I may say further that they do not require 

 an elaborately built house. Mr. Wilson Saunders, who has 

 had much experience with them, when commenting on those 

 exhibited, stated that a house could be built to grow them in 

 Mfection for £10; so that even the humblest amateur may 

 •go in " for the culture of what used to be considered as the 

 aristocrats of the vegetable kingdom. 



Lycaste Skinneri though not to be compared with the Odon- 

 toglots in some respects, has merits of its own which place 

 it in the front rank as a winter-flowering Orchid ; its large, 

 handsome, and persistent flowers are very useful for deco- 

 rative purposes at the dullest season of the year. In Lord 

 Londesborough's collection was a variety with pure white 

 flowers, much better in form, and the sepals and petals of 

 greater substance than that usually grown under the name of 

 L. Skinneri alba. Messrs. Veitch's coUeotion contained many 

 very fine varieties ; indeed, it would be a difficult matter to 

 find any two of them aUke. This requires similar treatment 

 to Odontoglossum, except that a higher temperature is de- 

 sirable when the plants are making their growth. Ca?logyne 

 cristata, requiring similar treatment, is a most charming winter- 

 flowering species, its pure white flowers are always welcome. 

 Mr. B. S. Williams, of HoUoway, had some immense well- 

 flowered specimens. No lover of Orchids should be without 

 this, as it is easy of culture, and flowers freely. — J. Douglas. 



I double advantage in such draining where stones abound — you 

 are clearing the land by the process at the same time. With 

 regard to burning bog, I can endorse all " J. T." says as to 

 the value of the ashes as a manure ; bat I think his suggestion 

 should be taken as chiefly valuable in the primary process of 

 reclaiming heath and bog land. By burning, you at once re- 

 duce a great quantity of fibry substance into a valuable man- 

 ure, whrch would otherwise be a good while in rotting. To 

 continue the process of burning would be destroying the staple 

 of the soil, as, after being drained, bog does not renew itself. 

 " Pushing and burning " was commonly practised with the bog 

 land here many years ago ; but it was found to be " killing the 

 goose," and has been long since prohibited and discontinued. — Y. 



DKAINING BOG. 

 I AM obUged to " J. T." for so promptly and kindly auswer- 

 ing my inquiry on the subject of draining bog laud. Where 

 he writes from — Maesgwynne — sounds very like a land, not only 

 of bog, but of rocks and stones. I ought to have mentioned 

 that from the absence of stone where my land is, the cost of 

 procuring it would render stone draining practically impossible. 

 I have myself done some extent of stone draining in a Welsh 

 county, and his plan No. 1. is a good one ; there is also a 



A CENTURY OP ORCHIDS FOR AMATEUR 

 GROWERS.— No. 3. 



Baekeeia spectabilis. — Anothei;fine species. It grows erect, 

 and from the top of its stem-lUve pseudo-bulbs are produced 

 long racemes of large bright lilac and pink flowers, which are 

 in some varieties freckled with crimson dots. Its flowers are 

 freely produced during the months of June and July, and last 

 a long time, especially when cut for bouquet-making. Native 

 of Guatemala. 



B. ELEGANS. — This is also a native of Guatemala, and is at 

 the same time one of the most beautiful and rarest of the 

 whole genus. Like the others its growths are slender and 

 stem-like, whilst the flowers are very large and richly coloured, 

 the sepals and petals being dark rose, and the lip deep red 

 shading into crimson. When I add that these beautiful spikes 

 of bloom are produced during midwinter, enough will have been 

 said to recommend it to all interested in this order. A repre 

 sentfttion of this beautiful species is given on a previous page. 



AEPOPHYLLUM. 



This may be truly called a neglected genus, as few amateurs 

 either know it, or those who are acquainted with it seem to 

 have given it the cold shoulder entirely, for no other reason that 

 I can ascertain than the difiioulties which most have expe- 

 rienced in producing a spike of bloom. Now, I cannot permit 

 the few species of this genus which have, up to the present 

 time, been introduced to this country to be utterly cast out of 

 amateurs' ooUeotions without becoming their champion, and 

 thus endeavouring to prevent their passing out of cultivation. 

 Firstly, then, my readers, allow me to inform you that the 

 Arpophyllums are very free bloomers, and that those who have 

 hitherto found them otherwise have only themselves to blame, 

 as many have had to do with respect to other genera, the fact 

 being that if kept in a very low temperature they grow superbly 

 and flower profusely. The individual blooms of the members 

 of this genus are not large, but as they are very numerous, 

 want of size is amply compensated for. In potting drain the 

 pots well and thoroughly, and use only rough fibrous jjeat and 

 sharp sand to pot them in. During the period of growth an 

 ample supply of water wiU be necessary, and in winter it must 

 not be entirely withheld. 



A. GiQANTEUM. — This plant has slender stem-like pseudo- 

 bulbs, each bearing a single, thick, fleshy, dark green leaf. 

 The flower spilie proceeds from the apex of the stem — that is, 

 from the base of the leaf. The spike is erect, stout, and 

 densely set with small dark purple flowers, the outline very 

 much resembhng a Fox's brush. If kept very cool in winter 

 it wiU bloom about the middle of May ; but if the spring 

 months are warm it usually comes in about the beginning of 

 April. Native of Guatemala. 



A. cAEDiNALE. — A Very beautiful kind from the same locaUty 

 as the preceding, but it has now become very rare. In general 

 habit it resembles A. giganteum, but the flowers are rich red 

 shaded with rose ; these come in after those of A. giganteum 

 are past. — Expebto Cbede. 



BLICKLING HALL, 



The Seat of the Marquis of Lothian. 

 Blicklinq Hall is about two miles from Aylsham in the 

 county of Norfolk. The manor was known by the name of 

 Blicliuga when the Domesday Book was written, but we pass 

 over all its subsequent owners until we come to Sir John 

 Fastolff, who, about the year 14.50, sold the manor and house 

 to Sir Geffrey Boleyn, Lord Mayor of London. Sir Geffrey 

 adopted it as liis country residence. The estate descended to 

 his great-grandson Sti' Thomas Bulleyn, who was the father of 



