Septembeh 22, 1888. ] 



THE GARDENERS' CHRONICLE. 



323 



touch on the great theory which we owe to Mr. 

 Darwin. That theory, I need hardly say, was not 

 merely a theory of descent. This had suggested 

 itself to naturalists in the way I have indicated 

 long before. What Mr. D.irwin did was to show 

 how by perfectly natural causes the separation of 

 living organisms into races which at once resemble 

 and yet differ from one another so profoundly came 

 about. Heredity explains the resemblance ; Mr. 

 Darwin's great discovery was that variation worked 

 upon by natural selection explained the difference. 

 That explanation seems to me to gather strength 

 every day, and to continually reveal itself as a more 

 and more efficient solvent of the problems which 

 present themselves to the student of natural 

 history. At the same time I am far from claiming 

 for it the authority of a scientific creed, or even 

 the degree of certainty which is possessed by some 

 of the laws of astronomy. I only affirm that as a 

 theory it has proved itself a potent and invaluable 

 instrument of research." 



(To be continued.) 



New or Noteworthy Plants. 



CATTLETA KRAMERIANA X, hyb. not. nor. 



If this is not showy, it is decidedly lovely, not- 

 withstanding its rather narrow, pale rose-coloured 

 ' sepals and petals, the sepals having a thickened 

 green apex. It is the lip that is so beautiful. 

 The side lacinia; are semi-oblong, half-heart-shaped 

 at the base and apex, with a rose-coloured border, 

 and the remainder, excepting the discoidal area, of 

 the lightest purple. Mid-lacinia semi-oblong, emar- 

 ginate, toothed, wavy, with two discoidal areas 

 of the deepest mauve-purple. The remaining part 

 is white. There are five rough central keels, the 

 outer ones with exsilient triangles, five to seven in 

 number. All these keels and triangles have a certain 

 hue of brick-red. Column very strong, trigonous, 

 curved, with a three-lobed anther-bed. Mid-lobe 

 pistillar, side lobes with two or three teeth, all deep 

 purple. Broken purple lines on the sides of the column, 

 seven in front under the fovea, partly elevated in 

 keels at the base, whose anterior surface is sulphur- 

 coloured. Anther white. Pollinaria four, regularly 

 Cattleyoid. I have a two-flowered peduncle with a 

 rather thin withered sheath. 



Mr. Franz Kramer, the leading gardener of Herr 

 Riicker-Jenisch, at Kleinflottbek, imported it from 

 Brazil as a hybrid between Cattleya intermedia 

 and Forbesii. I have been kindly favoured with a 

 stem that is more than a foot in length, the upper 

 part nearly half an inch in diameter. There the longer 

 superiorjoints are furrowed withbluntribs. The three 

 very coriaceous leaves are minutely crenulate at the 

 reflexed margin, 6 inches long by 2\ wide. The plant 

 resembles a very tall specimen of Cattleya inter- 

 media. The flower resembles the flowers of both 

 species. It is a great satisfaction to dedicate this 

 lovely plant to Mr. Franz Kramer, the persevering 

 and successful head gardener of the park and gar- 

 dens of Kleinflottbek, which earned their reputation 

 by the work of Herr Senator Jenisch and his head- 

 gardener, Mr. Kramer, sen. H. G. Schb.f. 



Masdevallia punxtata, Rolfe, n.zp. 

 This is an interesting novelty, which has been 

 flowering in the Kew collection for the past few weeks, 

 and which belongs to that small group in which the 

 lip and lateral sepals are uppermost, and the odd 

 sepal inferior. It is more nearly allied to M. swertiae- 

 folia, Rchb. f., than to any other, having a descend- 

 ing peduncle and a succession of flowers, but only 

 one developed at once. The present species, how- 

 ever, has decidedly larger flowers, which bear a 

 remarkable resemblance to the head of a bison, 

 owing to the shape and curvature of the lateral 

 sepals ; also a quite different colour. The ground 

 colour of most of the flower is a light or semi- 

 translucent greenish tint, but heavily spotted with 

 dark purple-brown, these sports being almost or 

 quite suffusjd towards the base of the flower. The 

 lateral sepals, however, are markedly different, the 



ground colour here being opace yellow-ochre, 

 inclining slightly towards greenish, and densely 

 covered with minute dusky spots. These are far 

 smaller and far more numerous than those on the 

 rest of the flower, besides being quite different in 

 colour, and impart to the flower a very distinct 

 character. 



The plant was presented to Kew in the early part 

 of the present year by Messrs. Backhouse & Sons, 

 of York, though I do not know the precise locality 

 from whence it was obtained, and can only surmise 

 that it came from the Andes of, or near, New 

 Grenada. It grows in a dense tuft, about 4 inches 

 high. The leaves are lanceolate, acute, 7 — 9 lines 

 broad, light green, narrowing into a petiole about 

 1 inch long. Peduncle slender, descending, about 

 2^ inches long. Odd sepal ovate, strongly concave, 

 three-keeled, the central one being very prominent, 

 tail about j inch long, and about, equalling the limb. 

 Lateral sepals connate, 3 lines, strongly decurving 

 for about 5 lines, then abruptly terminating in 

 slender tails about 1.} lines long. At the point of 

 divergence of the lateral sepals is a very distinct 

 narrow groove dividing the two ; here they measure 

 about 2h lines across, and at the place where they 

 suddenly narrow into the tails, about 1 line. Petals 

 2 — 2.} lines long, oblique, narrowed below, acute 

 above, with a pair of nerves somewhat keeled out- 

 side ; yellow above, spotted, or almost suffused with 

 dark purple below. Lip as in the section generally. 

 Column slender, narrowly winged above, tridenticu- 

 late, deep purple-brown, green at extreme apex. 

 Pollen masses two, as in genus. It. A. Rulfc. 



Nursery Notes. 



ORCHIDS AT MR. CYPHERS. 



Quite recently I had an opportunity of taking 

 notes of some of the plants growing in Mr. Cypher's 

 nurseries at Cheltenham, which may, perhaps, 

 interest some at least of your many readers. To be 

 enabled to see growing many fine plants in such 

 unwonted vigour as I saw them is not an unpleasant 

 thing ; indeed, the opportunity of taking a walk 

 through this far-famed plant growing establishment 

 is of more than passing interest to me in itself, inas- 

 much as I am able to remember the spot as a green 

 field, and have watched its continuous development 

 to the present time. 



When first it became a nursery a long straight 

 drive ran through it, having borders for specimens on 

 either side of Roses, Conifers, and shrubs, together 

 with some good old-fashioned perennials. All this, 

 however, has departed, but not dispensed with, and 

 plant-houses of all descriptions occupy their place. 

 The Roses and other things are taken across the 

 road to a plot of valuable land of several acres, 

 where they receive greater attention than ever. But 

 this has little to do with Orchids, it may be said ; 

 and yet it has a good deal, for the advent of the 

 Orchids was actually the occasion of turning out 

 the other plants, and now the Orchids are an im- 

 portant feature of the nursery. It is a sight worth 

 seeing to look into the Cattleya-house alone, and in- 

 spect the fine specimens of this and that rarity which 

 one is not wont to see in such perfection. The early 

 part of September is perhaps not the gayest time for 

 Loelias and Cattleyas, but still it afforded ample 

 opportunity for speculation on the rich harvest of 

 bloom which will speedily follow. Lrelia anceps was 

 already showing in numbers, and many fine forms of 

 Cattleya Gaskelliana were in bloom. In one pot 

 were two very distinct forms, clearly the result of 

 natural hybridisation. Mr. Cypher informed me 

 that they were potted as received, and it was evident 

 by the manner in which they had grown together 

 that they had shared each other's company from the 

 first ; the one is very light, and the other very deeply 

 coloured, the latter being a decided acquisition, con- 

 sequently they are destined at some time to be 

 parted. Odontoglo^um grande, always a favourite, 

 was in flower in sev ral houses. 



The nursery is famous for Dendrobes, and among 

 the more conspicuous plants at the present season 

 may be mentioned D. Jamesoni, the continuous 

 flowering D. Dearei, whose pure white flowers are re- 

 markable for their durability ; D. Ainsworthii makes 

 remarkable progress here, and the stout, solid, 

 short-jointed growths form good proof of 

 proper methods of culture. Mr. Cypher has been 

 very fortunate in raising a stock of this hybrid from 

 division of the old pseudobulbs, which he cut into 

 lengths containing a couple of joints, and planted in 

 shallow pans of sphagnum moss, sharp sand, fine 

 charcoal or small crocks, and a little peat. For 

 some time the cuttings are kept moderately cool and 

 are only watered occasionally, and when the joints 

 exhibit signs of activity a warmer temperature and 

 more moisture are accorded them. Established plants 

 delight in a position near the glass, with plenty of 

 heat and moisture while in full growth ; the fragrant 

 flowers of this are always welcome in winter time. 

 A fresh importation of Dendrobium McCarthiae, 

 made direct from India last winter, has made a good 

 start, and numerous new growths IS or 20 inches 

 long have been made. D. YVardianum showed a 

 great number of growths, some being upwards of 

 3 feet in length. Masdevallias and Lycastes are also 

 in large numbers. Among the former M. Harryana 

 was conspicuous by reason of its richly coloured 

 flowers. 



The latter group will make a fine display at a 

 later date. Among other Orchids in flower were 

 Cypripedium Lawrenceanum and C. Parishii, Odon- 

 toglossum Roezlii, Epidendrum prismatocarpum, 

 Mormodes luxatum eburneum, and many more. 

 These, however, are but a few of what may be seen 

 in house after house filled with choice things. 

 Besides Orchids there is a grand collection of Heaths 

 and hard-wooded subjects. J. 



Lettuces at Reading. 



Whilst Lettuces were this cold season a drug 

 in the market, and of late often absolutely un- 

 saleable at any price, it has been somewhat 

 remarkable that complaints of early " bolting off'' to 

 seed have been common ; and, though usually 

 esteemed a cool - weather plant, yet it is pos- 

 sible that so much coolness of temperature and 

 soil promoted this rapid bolting. It is by no 

 means improbable also that in some cases seed 

 is saved from stocks which bolt readily, hence 

 the hereditary taint ; but there are 6tocks so 

 good that they cannot be induced to bolt so 

 soon as may be desirable — in fact, some cannot be 

 induced to seed in this country freely from the 

 earliest of spring-sown plants, and those who grow 

 Lettuces for cutting only, and not for seed produc- 

 tion, find the long-standing strains to be of great 

 value. 



When recently I was permitted to inspect the 

 extensive trial-grounds of Messrs. Sutton & Sons, 

 specially noticeable were the Cos and Cabbage 

 Lettuces, and I must say that several of the strains 

 at Reading were very good, the Cabbage Let- 

 tuces especially showing remarkable dimensions, 

 although on ordinary field soil, and at the same 

 time they were as solid and firm as they possibly 

 could be. Of the Cos forms, a huge one, and 

 a very solid-hearting, handsome one, is the 

 Reading Mammoth White. Those familiar with 

 Ivery's Nonsuch, know that it long enjoyed 

 the reputation of being the tallest and finest of all 

 the Cos Lettuces, very distinct in form and leafage, 

 but rarely standing long, and as seldom producing a 

 solid heart. The Mammoth looks as if it were the 

 product of a cross between the Nonsuch and a fine form 

 of Paris White. It is tall, handsome, massive, 

 solid-hearted, and stands well. Without exception 

 it is the finest of all show Lettuces. The Superb 

 White Cos is a grand stock of the Paris White, but 

 having hearts so rounded, solid, and massive, that 

 anyone might almost sit upon them without breaking 

 them. This stands for weeks before bolting to seed. 

 Sutton's Whiteheart is well named, as having huge 

 solid white hearts set in a few deep-green leaves, and 



