Octobeb 6, 1888.] 



TEE GARDENERS' CHRONICLE. 



381 



varieties were observed in flower. The Odontoglos- 

 sum-house is well-furnished, and in the warmer 

 houses is seen a greater wealth of bloom. Cycnoches 

 chlorochilum is a very robust plant, and of it there 

 were some strong spikes ; the yellowish-green 

 flowers are not very showy, but their peculiar for- 

 mation produces a novel effect. 



Several racemes of the lovely purple flowers of 

 Barkeria Lindleyana were observed ; Epidendrum 

 Brassavola was freely in flower ; its large, peculiar- 

 coloured flowers, have a distinct and handsome 

 appearance. A fine dark -coloured form of Odonto- 

 glossum Ilarryanum was in flower, and I noted a 

 large specimen of Oncidium microchilum, which had 

 an immense spike of flowers. This is a species 

 very seldom seen in cultivation, although it was 

 introduced from Guatemala so long ago as 1838. 

 The sepals and petals are of a yellowish-green 

 ground colour, heavily blotched with brown ; the 

 lip is crimson, with a prominent white wing on 

 each side. 



Another uncommon Orchid in flower was Geo- 

 dorum candidum, which is very pretty ; the flowers 

 are produced in a cluster at the top of the stem, 

 and are of greenish-white colour, the lip being of a 

 reddish-brown tint. Several species of Phalaenopsis 

 were in flower, many species of Dendrobium, and 

 Cypripedium. Numbers of the choice Chelsea 

 hybrids of the last-named are to be seen in flower 

 throughout the year. Some of the best at the pre- 

 sent time are C. grande, C. selligerum, C. cenan- 

 thum superbum, C. albo-purpureum, C. vexillarium. 

 a dark form of C. Harrisianum, &c. The very re- 

 markable La-lia Novelty, described recently in these 

 columns, was finely in flower. It is a garden hybrid 

 raised by crossing Loelias elegans with Cattleya 

 pumila and, as usual, is intermediate in general 

 characteristics between the two species. The sepals 

 and petals are twisted, and of a light rosy-purple 

 colour ; lip maroon-purple, shading off to paler purple 

 at the margin. 



Cattleya porphyrophlebia X is also in flower in 

 variety, it is a Chelsea hybrid also, produced by 

 crossing C. intermedia with C. superba. The flowers 

 are of a large size ; sepals and petals clear pale lilac- 

 rose, lip purplish, the throat cream-coloured, with 

 purplish streaks in the centre. J. D. 



A Mi 



Fruit-Nubseky. 



-I>TEROCABYA FBAX1XIFOLIA : LOW TREE BADDY TOLIAGE AND NUTS. (SEE P. 380.) 



In view of the approaching National Apple and 

 Pear Conference at the Royal Horticultural Society's 

 Gardens, Chiswick, the record of visits to some of 

 our leading fruit nurseries may be of interest. We 

 have already alluded to that of Mr. Bunyard, at 

 Maidstone, and in due course we shall speak of 

 others. 



We now give some account of the well-known 

 fruit nurseries of Messrs. Charles Lee & Son, 

 situated in the parish next to Chiswick. 



An inspection of the fruit quarters in the nursery 

 under notice would almost dispel the prevalent idea 

 (unfortunately too true with respect to many horti- 

 cultural matters) that we have passed through such 

 a dismal summer (?) season. The opinion of Mr. 

 George Cannon (the able manager here) as to the 

 effect of the season, in his own immediate locality, 

 may be summed up as follows : — There is a 

 good crop of Plums and Cherries of all sorts, 

 also of Pears, but many of the latter are cracked, 

 and will not develope their normal size. Apples 

 are a thin crop, and the fruits will be below the 

 average size. Peaches, Nectarines, and Apricots 

 are a thin crop — in some places quite a failure — and 

 will be late and below their usual size, The partial 

 failure of the Apple crop was almost, if not entirely, 

 owing to the continuance of cold, rainy weather 

 during the time they were in bloom. Pears and 

 Plums were set in bright, dry weather before the 

 Apple blossom had developed. 



The soil of Ealing is of a loamy nature, in most 

 parts resting upon gravel, some portions deep loam 

 with heavy loamy clay'subsoil, rather late, not being 

 so warm as some of its southern neighbours, such as 

 Chiswick. It is, however, well suited to the cultiva- 



