296 



THE GARDENERS' CHRONICLE. 



[September 15, 1888. 



the disc between side laciniaj a thickened line with 

 two furrows. The three lacinise are of a vivid 

 scarlet colour inside, side lacinise outside ochre- 

 coloured, with numerous scarlet lines. 



The stalk and keels are white, with some tinges of 

 purple. Column ochre outside, angular at the base 

 on both sides. M. A. Kegnier, 44, Avenue de 

 Marigny, Fontenay-sous-Bois, Seine, has sent me 

 not only some specimens, but has written with his 

 usual courtesy to say, " Vous donnerez, le nom qui 

 vous sera plaisir." It gives me great pleasure, there- 

 fore, to acknowledge the assistance given to orchidists 

 by M. le Comte Francois Du Buysson, the author of 

 the useful Orchidophile, &c. To help others is the 

 privilege of those who have "le feu sacre." H. G. 

 Echb.f. 



SOEKALIA MACRANTHA (Lilldl.) KlENASTIANA, 11. Var. 



As long since as 1885 my excellent corre- 

 spondent, Herr Consul Kienast Zolly, Hirslanden, 

 Zurich, sent me a dried flower of a Sobralia 

 macrantha. His Indian collector described the 

 bloom as " very large and very white." It is large, 

 but as to the colour, it has that hue white flowers 

 usually have when dried. I put it in my herbarium, 

 the grave of so many unsolved orchidic riddles, 

 to wait until more materials came to hand. And 

 this month a fresh white flower arrived with a small 

 narrow sulphur-coloured mark on the lip under the 

 column not much larger than the circumference 

 of the column. It is a well-known fact that we are 

 very unfortunate when we attempt to copy the green 

 colours of leaves, &c, and it is nearly impossible to 

 get shades of white. Not many persons have eyes 

 to perceive the gradations to which white is subject, 

 and also these shades do not appear to exist in the 

 materials which we use when trying to represent the 

 numerous variations of white. The white colour of 

 this Sobralia macrantha Kienastiana is quite hors 

 de ligne, of the most exquisite purity, surpassing all 

 shades of white I have seen in plants. (I knew an 

 English artist who when making water-colour draw- 

 ings of Orchids represented all white flowers of a 

 light blue tint — grand bien vous fasse.) 



I learn that the plant (Sobralia) is still small, not 

 more than 20 inches in height. I was much pleased 

 with the flower, and have great pleasure in dedi- 

 cating it to one of the most intelligent and zealous 

 of orchidists. May Consul Kienast Zblly enjoy a 

 long life. It will be a benefit for orchidology. 

 H. G. Echb.f. 



Narcissus scaberclus.* 

 In a footnote is given a translation of Professor 

 Henriques' description of anew Portuguese Narcissus 

 closely allied to N. rupicola, and of which specimens 

 are in cultivation in Dublin and elsewhere. A. W. T., 

 Oporto. 



Zygopetalum Muekayanum, Gardn., hybrid. 

 This is a very curious species of Zygopetalum, 

 and one but rarely seen in gardens. Until the other 

 day I do not think I had seen the plant alive : when 

 a portion of an inflorescence was forwarded to me 

 by Mr. B. S. "Williams, it having been sent by one 

 of his correspondents for a name. The plant has 

 the general habit of other members of the genus, 



# Narcissus scaberuhts. Henriques, n. sp. — Bulb small, 

 15 mm., ovoid tunicate, outer coats brown, inner ones white ; 

 leaves 2, linear, more or less prostrate, longer than the scape, 

 slightly furrowed ou the upper surface, 2-angled beneath, 

 glaucous, rough at the margins and dorsal angles, provided at 

 the base with a membranous involute sheath ; scape, 6—10 cm. 

 long, 1 — 2 mm. in diameter, striate, nearly cylindrical, bent, 

 1 — 2-flowered ; spathe membranous, narrow, striate, slightly 

 longer than the peduncle and ovary ; flowers 12 — 15 mm. 

 across, stalked (stalk, 8 — 12 mm.), bent, yellow, tube 12 — 17 

 mm., greenish; perianth-segments ovate, imbricate, 3 inner 

 ones broadest apiculate, slightly fringed at the tips, spreading 

 ultimately slightly reflexed; corona 5 — 7 mm. across, cup- 

 ehaped, almost the same size as the segments, more or less 

 crenate at the margins; filaments very short, 1 mm., three 

 emerging from the centre of the tube, three from the mouth ; 

 style filiform, stigma 3-lobed. At Oliveira do Conde ; flowers 

 in March and April. Allied to N. rupicola, from which it 

 differs in the prostrate rough leaves, the bent flowers, the sub- 

 cylindric corona, and the three exsert stamens. 



bearing an erect raceme of several flowers ; but these 

 have a highly singular appearance, owing to the 

 total absence of markings on the sepals and petals. 

 These organs are of a uniform bright green, while 

 the lip is white, with a few reddish-purple markings 

 near the base. The front lobe is somewhat elon- 

 gated and rather narrow, the side lobes are smaller 

 and rounded, while the fleshy callus is quite charac- 

 teristic of the genus. The column is greenish-white, 

 with a few streaks of red in front. The reappear- 

 ance of the plant in gardens is interesting, for it 

 originally appeared as early as 1839, being figured at 

 t. 3674 of the Botanical Magazine from a plant which 

 flowered in the Glasgow Botanic Garden. This 

 plant was sent home by Gardner from the Organ 

 Mountains, in Brazil, where it was found growing at 

 4000 feet elevation. The present plant is probably 

 from the same region, and is of a deeper green than 

 the one represented in the above-named plate. 

 B. A. B. 



HAEDY ANNUALS AS EXHIBI- 

 TION PLANTS. 

 When attending a flower show in the West of 

 England a few days ago I was pleased to note some 

 very attractive stands of bunches of annuals shown 

 in a class in which special prizes were offered for 

 them. The flowers were arranged in neat and yet 

 attractive bunches, and they were nicely set up in 

 a stand, each type being seen to the best advantage. 

 Not only was the floral effect good, but the exhibi- 

 tion served the purpose of presenting to view some 

 very pretty things in the way of annuals that are not 

 seen so much in gardens as they deserve to be. I 

 noticed that visitors to the show gathered about the 

 stands, and appeared to greatly admire the flowers, 

 and I think many of them were looking upon subjects 

 they had perhaps never seen before, or on rare occa- 

 sions only. Annuals are rarely seen at flower shows 

 unless it be some that are known as half-hardy 

 or tender annuals, such as Balsams, Cockscombs, 

 Zinnias, &c. 



Two things should be stated at the outset. The 

 schedule of prizes containing the classes above 

 referred to stated "Bunches of Hardy Annuals." 

 Zinnias, Stocks, Asters, and a few other things that 

 it has been customary to raise the seeds of on a 

 slight hotbed were shown, and were admitted, 

 because we have abundant evidence that in many 

 parts of the country seeds of these can be and are 

 sown in the open ground, and they germinate 

 abundantly ; and they flower very finely where they 

 were sown. I think, therefore, that all annuals that 

 can be treated in this way should be considered 

 hardy. 



Another point is, that exhibitors are very apt to 

 spoil the effect of their stands by placing several 

 varieties of one genus, or species, in a bunch. The 

 schedule reads, " Twenty-four bunches of hardy 

 annuals, distinct varieties." I dare say what was in 

 the mind of the framer of the class was, that each 

 bunch should consist of one variety of flower only. 

 But country exhibitions are very apt to, and indeed 

 often do, confound species and variety, and place 

 several varieties of Sweet Peas together in a bunch, 

 in the full belief that they are exhibiting in harmony 

 with the requirements of the schedule. This is a 

 frequent practice at country exhibitions, and it seems 

 hard to disqualify under the circumstances. It would 

 perhaps be better if the schedule of prizes stated, 

 " one variety only in a bunch." A stand composed 

 wholly of bunches of one variety, if the variety be 

 good, is certainly much more effective than one 

 which has several varieties placed in a bunch. 



Being sincerely desirous that the culture of 

 some of the more showy and useful class of 

 annuals should be encouraged for this and other pur- 

 poses, I venture to give a list of those best adapted 

 for the purpose ; at the same time they are well 

 adapted for general garden decoration. They are 

 Asters of the quilled, Victoria P^ony-flowered, and 

 bouquet types, including that fine introduction 

 of the Victoria section, Comet, which is as dis- 



tinct as it is fine ; Bartonia aurea, yellow, a 

 fine and showy early flowering hardy annual ; 

 Calliopsis or Coreopsis coronata, tinctoria, grandi- 

 flora, and nigra speciosa ; Candytufts, new Carmine — 

 the giant white variety, Empress, and Dunnett's 

 Crimson ; Chrysanthemum coronarium, double and 

 single ; C. tricolor, and such fine varieties as Bur- 

 ridgeanum, W. E. Gladstone, and Lord Beaconsfield ; 

 Clarkia pulchella integripetala and its varieties 

 limbata and Mrs. Langtry ; Collinsia bicolor and 

 violacea, Convolvulus major, and the rich dark blue 

 C. minor ; Dianthus chinensis, its fine variety Hed- 

 ewigii, also Brilliant and Eastern Queen ; Esch- 

 scholtzia californica alba, crocea, and Mandarin ; 

 Godetia The Bride and Whitneyi ; the crimson and 

 purple double Jacobasas, the blue branching and 

 dwarf Rocket, Larkspurs, Lupinus nanus and sub- 

 carnosus, Malope grandiflora and its variety rosea, 

 dwarf striped French Marigold, the Crimson Giant 

 Golden Queen, and Parson's Giant White Migno- 

 nette, which should be well grown in order to have 

 fine spikes ; Nasturtiums, climbing and dwarf, but 

 the finer varieties only should be grown; Nemo- 

 phila insignis grandiflora and maculata, Nigella 

 damascena and hispanica — the former especially 

 makes a charming bunch ; the annual Poppies, such 

 as the Danebrog among the singles, and The 

 Mikado type among the doubles ; Sweet Peas in 

 variety, the beautiful blue Phacelia campanularia, 

 unrivalled among annuals for its rich blue ; Phlox 

 Drummondi, the finest varieties, and especially the 

 rich crimson splendens grandiflora : some of the 

 most showy of these make charming bunches ; Sal- 

 piglossis, with their rich orange, amber, purple, and 

 other hues ; Schizanthus pinnatus, Stocks in variety, 

 and especially such distinct colours as crimson, 

 purple, rose, chamois, violet, white, &c. ; Viscaria 

 cardinalis and oculata ccerulea, Whitlavia gloxi- 

 noides, and the fine double forms of Zinnia elegans. 



Should this list be considered too long, let me 

 say that if twenty-four bunches be required in dis- 

 tinct varieties, it is necessary to grow a good selec- 

 tion ; all that I have named are good and distinct, 

 and what the grower should aim at is to have a batch 

 of varieties in flower and at their best just when they 

 are required. 



But it must not be supposed that good flowers 

 of common annuals are to be had in any soil. I 

 think very little cultivation is given to many 

 annuals. If they are to be fine they must be 

 cultivated, and to do this properly they should be 

 grown in a nursery bed. The soil should be deeply 

 dug and manured in autumn, and then thrown up 

 rough for the winter. In February the surface should 

 be levelled, gently forked over, and thoroughly well 

 pulverised, and the seeds sown as early as possible 

 as opportunity offers. When the plants are growing 

 into size let there be a courageous thinning out, 

 giving each plant ample room in which to develope. 

 Displays of annuals are too often spoiled by the 

 plants being allowed to grow much too thickly, and 

 they starve and smother each other. The aim of 

 the cultivator is to have the largest and best deve- 

 loped flowers possible, and in doing this he will be 

 making it possible for him to excel on the exhibition 

 table. B. D. 



THE WEATHEE. 



The weather of the past three months of June, 

 July, and August, has shown a striking contrast with 

 that of the con esponding period last year; in fact, 

 a more marked difference it is scarcely possible to 

 conceive. 



According to Sir J. B. Lawes' meteorological 

 records at Bothamsted, the three months of June, 

 July, and August — which maybe termed the months 

 of English hay and grain harvest— last year gave us 

 but 2J- inches of rain, while the same three months 

 this season have given us over 12 inches, or a 

 quantity which is equal to the enormous amount of 

 1223 tons of water to each acre of land ; this is 

 469 tons in excess of the average of thirty-five years, 

 over which the Bothamsted records have extended 



