THE CANADIAN HORTICULTURIST. 



181 



Our winter apples have emanated 

 from an entirely distinct variety of 

 Pyrus Mains or crab apple, indigen- 

 ous to Asia Minor, the season in that 

 country being longer would naturally 

 make in our climate a winter fruit 

 and their successive progeny the same. 

 The principal reason why winter apple 

 trees are as yet tender in tbis country 

 even after centuries of acclimatization 

 they yet hold fast to the original condi- 

 tions under which they emanated. 



Our fall ap})les have no doubt their 

 origin from the natural wild crab of 

 western Europe, another distinct var- 

 iety, and subject to the same natural 

 influences and geographical conditions 

 as the preceding, and are better fitted 

 for our climate than the winter. I can 

 easily understand that a late fall apple 

 may emanate from the fertilization of 

 any of the Russian apples with winter 

 varieties as producing a medium or late 

 fall fruit, but not a distinct winter 

 fruit. 



I will not go the length in stating 

 that the party who put the Pewaukee 

 under the auspices of the Duchess of 

 Oldenburg as a winter fruit did this 

 knowingly, but he is undoubtedly mis- 

 taken. I am yours truly, 



Simon Roy. 



ORCHIDS. 

 Sir, — I am glad you are giving some 

 attention to that beautiful class of the 

 Orchid family, the Cypripediiim. I 

 think if florists gave as much attention 

 to these as to some less beautiful foreign 

 plants, they could be made to overcome 

 any difficulty of culture that may at pre- 

 sent exist, not that they could be made 

 more beautiful for they are all that could 

 be desired in that direction, its season of 

 bloom might be extended, and if it were 

 j)08sible for you to have a coloured plate 

 prepared of these lovely flowers for the 

 front of the Horticulturist it would do 

 much to awaken an interest in that 



direction. I give my experience with 

 some of these plants which is encourag- 

 ing to myself at least, and I hope it 

 may be so to others. I see a reference 

 to these plants under the caption of 

 Moccasin Flower in the June number, 

 page 133. in which they are said to be 

 difficult of culture. I took one from 

 its native bed in a tamarac and cedar 

 swamp, Oakland Township, Brant Co., 

 with a piece of sod adhering to it con- 

 taining ferns and other plants, this was 

 Cypripedium spectabile, the large white 

 and purple lady slipper. I planted it 

 in a shady spot in the garden in rich 

 soil ; I stuck a few cedar boughs around 

 it and watered it the first season, allow- 

 ing the ferns to grow around it as be- 

 fore and kept the ground around well 

 hoed. I kept a look out for them to 

 make their appearance next spring when 

 I discovered a small plant two weeks 

 earlier come out of the clump whose 

 roots had been heretofore unno- 

 ticed in the sod, this proved to be 

 Cypripedium parviflorum, the fragrant 

 yellow slipper plant. I at once made 

 another search in said swamp and found 

 them in full bloom, this was about the 

 end of May whilst the Cypripedium 

 spectable had only sent up long shoots, 

 it blooms June 22nd. I also found 

 Cypripedium acaule, the pink or stem- 

 less lady slipper, this on higher land, 

 more shady, black leaf mould, I planted 

 them the same as before and they in- 

 creased in size and beauty, and drew 

 fourth exclamations of praise from those 

 who saw them for three yeai-s, except 

 the pink one, which disappeared and 

 never came up in the spring. Last fall 

 I took up a plant of each and packed 

 them with my Dahlias and other 

 plants and brought them to the State 

 of Delaware, and after being in the 

 case for over two weeks I set them out 

 hurriedly, intending to have them 

 moved to a more suitable location, 

 but they remained and bloomed 



