Mij i, 1876. ] 



JOUENAL OF HOKTICULTUBE AND COTTAGE GARDENER. 



351 



tpraotised — i.e., the pipes placed on the flat, having two advau- 

 'tages — converting the pipea into all flows, there being no 

 descent until the pipes leave the house on its return to the 

 boiler, and the heat is spread more approaching the equalisa- 

 tion of the heat given by nature. Spread the pipes, the heat 

 will be oqualiaed in proportion ; and increase the flow, not 

 that the boiler will heat any greater extent of pipes with the 

 same fuel, but that the pipes may be more of an equal heat 

 throughout their extent. 



Just a word about admitting air in periods of prolonged cold 

 dull weather. Various means have been suggested — some by 

 means of encasing a portion of the heated surfaces in sheet 

 iron perforated with an opening or openings to the external 

 air, to be shut or opened at will, fresh air being thereby ad- 

 mitted and warmed before it mingles with the air of the house. 

 A singular plan this of freeing the house of vitiated air. Not 

 a doubt but that the fresh colder air will cause a disturbance 

 of the atmosphere, force the air out somewhere — in proportion 

 as that coming in so will be that going out, and is just going 

 on the same whether wo have air entering through a easing 

 to a hot-water pipe or not, for I do not see the value cf such 

 inventions unless the vitiated air is got rid of by openings at 

 the upper part of the house, which, in proportion as the heated 

 air passes out, so will air come in to take its place. No im- 

 provement in this particular has been made upon the principle 

 of Atkinson, letting out heated air by openings in the back 

 wall as shown at o, and admitting air in front, p, the air so 

 admitted having to pass the hot-water pipes (this is an addi- 

 tion to Atkinson's plan),}, it being enclosed in a easing of 

 perforated galvanised iron or zinc, the air being regulated by 

 sliding doors, the openings being as oontinuous as practicable, 

 or as the stability of the walls admit. — G. Abbey. 



THE BLANKNEY MARKOW PEA. 



I HAVE grown the Grotto or Blankney Marrow Pea for thirty 

 years for a main late crop, and consider it one of the best- 

 flavoured Peas in cultivation. It is a green Marrow, growing 

 between 6 and 7 feet high, the pods having a rough mossy 

 appearance, and would not take on an exhibition table. The 

 peas are medium-sized, of a beautiful green, and the pods well 

 filled ; it is a continuous cropper on good cool soil. Peas fit 

 for table can be gathered and the plants be blooming at the 

 same time. This Pea is a great favourite with my employer, 

 and we have never been without a good sowing of it for the 

 last thirty years. 



I find I obtain the best crop by sowing in February or March. 

 Late sowings are not so productive in England ; but in deep 

 soils in Scotland with more moisture than in England I have 

 sean splendid crops from sowings made in April, May, and 

 beginning of June. 



Amongst our many exoellent Peas this will hold its own 

 amongst the best of them. I do not suppose that it will ever 

 be a favourite amongst market gardeners, as the roughness 

 of the pod is against it ; for the same reason it will not be 

 much prized on the exhibition table, but on the dinner table 

 it has few superiors. — D. Lujisden, Bloxholm Hall Gardens. 



EPIDENDRUMS. 



This is a very extensive genus of orchidaceous plants, the 

 different species of which may be numbered by hundreds ; 

 but perhaps not one-tenth of the number are worthy of cul- 

 ture. They are all stove epiphytes, and under culture in our 

 hothouses succeed for the most part best on blocks ; but a few 

 of the large species take more kindly to pots. There are but 

 few species that require a high temperature, the cool or 

 Mexican house being the proper place for them. 



One of the moat desirable species to grow is E. prismato- 

 carpum. It succeeds either in an ordinary stove with the 

 temperature at night of from 55' to GO", or in the Cattleya 

 house. Pot culture suits it best, and the pots muyt be three 

 parts filled with clean potsherds, placing over them a layer of 

 ephagunm moss, the plant being potted in a compost of equal 

 parts of turfy peat, sphagnum, and potsherds. Like the Cat- 

 tleyas it has a season of rest when but very little water is 

 required. When it is making its growth the roots must not be 

 allowed to become dry. As soon as the growth is complete, if 

 the bulbs are sufficiently strong the flower spikes come out 

 from the top of them in the same way as Cattleya flowers are 

 producad. This is a very distinct and choice Orchid ; there 

 are several varieties of it. 



E. vitellinum and E. vitellinum majus are two fine Orchids 

 which succeed admirably in the cool house with a temperature 

 of 45° during the winter months. There is a marked differ- 

 ence between the two : the majus variety has not only larger 

 flowers, but the pseudobnlbs that are formed this season will 

 not throw up a flower spike until the year after, whereas 

 E. vitellinum throws up its pseudohulbs in the summer and 

 the flowers are produced on the top of the growths at once. 

 Indeed nearly all the Epidendrums produce their flower trueses 

 from the top of the peendobulbs. Mr. Day of Tottenham has 

 a very healthy lot of plants of the large-flowered variety, and 

 his gardener Mr. Gedney grows them remarkably well in a 

 lean-to house facing north. They are grown on blocks or 

 baskets suspended close to the glass. 



A valuable quality possessed by these plants is the long-con- 

 tinued freshness of their flowers. One plant of the small- 

 flowered variety continued in full flower for three months last 

 year. The colour of the flowers is a rich orange scarlet with 

 a deep yellow lip. There is considerable variation in the 

 colour of the flowers. 



When in full growth the plants can scarcely be over-watered 

 if they are rooting freely. If desirable both varieties may ha 

 grown in pots, but less water will be required than if the plants 

 are grown on blocks.— J. Donalds. 



A SELECTION OF PINK BEDDING GERANIUMS. 



" J. W. B." recommends Mrs. Haliburton as a pink bedder. 

 Without saying anything as to the merits or demerits of that 

 variety, let me strongly advise any who wish to increase 

 their own interest in their garden and to elicit praise from 

 others to try a few more varieties of shades of pinks instead of 

 the eternal scarlet. Mrs. Lowe, a light pink; Florence Da- 

 raud, lilac pink; Amaranth, deep lilac, still retain their supre- 

 macy in their colours ; but there are others of a deep pink 

 colour of Mr. Pearson's, as Contessa Quarto, Mrs. Ffytche, 

 Augusta Miles, and, above all as my type of a bedding Gera- 

 nium, Mrs. Holden. Then, agxin, Mrs. Turner, Mrs. Musters, 

 Mrs. F. Fenn are all beautiful in their respective shades of 

 pink, though some run very near to others. Chrietine I have 

 long since discarded as utterly useless. Master Christine ia 

 very good and an undoubted improvement. Mrs. Upton ia 

 unsatisfactory. By the way, the old Rose Rendatler ought 

 still to be need in many places as a very telling colour in the 

 distance. 



While speaking of bedding plants I want to record the value 

 I set upon a Lobelia called Alpha, which I had sent me from 

 the raiser for trial, and which I gave a very good test to last 

 year. It is, I fancy, a seedling from Little Gem and has a cross 

 of speciosa in it. The colour is a pure deep blue ; the plant 

 is free-blooming, with a good short habit of foliage, and making 

 good foliage before blooming, which is a very valuable quality 

 with Lobelias. — 0. P. Peach. 



MESSRS. W. CLIBRAN & SON'S NURSERY AT 

 ALTRINCHAM. 



This, known as Oldfield Nursery, is about eight miles from 

 Manchester. It is about seven acres in extent, and contains 

 many Conifers and about twenty thousand Roses. Fruit trees 

 are also cultivated ; Pears, Plums, Cherries, Peaches, &a., are 

 well trained and in good health, such trees as gardeners like 

 to procure. 



Herbaceous and spring-flowering plants are specialities of 

 this nursery. Daisies, Myosotis, Aubrietias, Arabis, Polyan- 

 thuses, double and single Primroses, are grown here by many 

 thousands, the demand for these plants being extensive. 

 Florists' flowers, such as double Pyrethrums, Potentillas, Del- 

 phiniums, Pentstemons, Phloxes, Antirrhinums, Cai-nations, 

 Picotees, and Pinks, are also extentively grown, and Violas 

 are deservingly rir-iog in public favour, most of the best and 

 newest kinds being found here. 



Yucca filamentosa variegata, not often met with in large 

 quantities, are plentiful here. The true old douhle crimson 

 Primrose is also here, or was, for the demand has been so 

 great that the proprietors have been obliged to stop its sale. 

 Six acres cf land have been taken for American plants, the de- 

 mand for them being very great. No shrubs endure the smoke 

 near Manchester better than Hollies and Rhododendrons. 



The glass department is rapidly extending, nearly 20,000 feet 

 of houses and frames having been erected. The houses are 



