nc" 



JOrKNAL OF HOKTICULTTJPE AKD COTTAGE GABP-ENEB. UF^bniary 28, IW. 



THE MLRABELLE PLUM. 



'*Oscs npon a time/' when Louis Philippe was king, 

 I happened to be strolling about the jyotagerie (kitchen 

 garden) at Versailles, taking notes and making the best 

 ose of my eyes. Among other things I was much struck 

 with the enormous quantities of the above-mentioned kind 

 of Plum. Large basketsful were aiTanged in a row, and 

 more still being gathered. I, thinking the king a wise and 

 economical ruler, inquired if they were not for market, but 

 was promptly told that tliey were highly valued by the 

 royal family, and were used for compotes and preserving to 

 an enormous extent. I did not then appreciate them, for 

 uncooked they were dry and, to a certain estent, flavourless. 

 This pretty little Plum must not, however, thus be judged, 

 for preserved whole, without sugar and without water, in 

 bottles, it accjuires the most delicious aroma ever smelt or 

 tasted, and this is more powerful when the fi'uit are placed 

 in a pudding or a compote and served up hot. When made 

 into a jam without their stones they are also most deUcious, 

 the flavour being so rich and deUcate. In the neighbourhood 

 of Mets it is called Mirabelle de ISIetz, and is grown to a 

 great ert-ent at Nancy, and throughout the east of France. 



The tree seems to reqtiire a rather dry climate, and would 

 doubtless succeed well in the calcai-eous soils of the east of 

 England. The last summer being dry and warm the crop here 

 was abundant, and I never remember seeing anything in 

 fruit culture more interesting than the pretty bush-like 

 trees, not larger than a good-sized Gooseberry bush, liter- 

 ally covered with their bright golden fruit, spotted with red, 

 oval, and about t^e size of small Damsons. — T. R. 



but obtainaMe at more moderate rates : some, indeed, a^e 



very cheap. 



H. Aerides odoratum. 



w. Epidendrum viielVmmr..~k noble spike of oraDge-scariCt blossom. X 



L Lo-fi^Ferrrnt^-.-Sepals and petals of that lovely light rosy purple, 



which if almost peculiar to Orchids; Up deep crmi son-purple, 

 w. Xycas(e 5Ajnnen.— Flowers very Urge 



varymsr mach from waxy white 

 nhousefipeciea, almost hardy. 

 L, OdontaglQSsum gralidc.-nQ^ets very ample, yellow clouded with aaric 



On^^SumerfTrMuvi-Ji fine panicle of broad flowers rich yeHo"; Tjj"^ 



a few red spots at the bases. Perhaps the noblest of this ^ast Ronus. 



w Sophromds grandlJJora.-A. minute block-plant, with larffe flowers ot 



crimson scarlet A lovely gem, cultivable in the p-eenhouse. 



The following ordinarily flower in winter and early spring, 



besides those already mentioned :— 



FROM NOVEMBER TO FEBRUARY. 



GAY OECHEDS, AXD OECHIDS FL0WEE1jS"G 

 rX ^YXN'TEE AIS'D SEEING. 

 *' 'B. H.' would be much obliged by being informed which 

 are the twelve best and gayest Orchids, and also by having 

 a short list of those which flower in winter or early spring." 

 Whek one essays, in compliance with the wishes of a 

 correspondent, to name "the best and gayest twelve" 

 Orchids, out of, perhaps, a thousand or twelve hundred 

 ^ecies in cultivation, he finds it needful to guard himself 

 In^ two caveats. First, he cannot have a personal knowledge 

 of all the species grown, particularly the more recent intro- 

 ductions J secondly, he can give only his own opinion; and 

 in a matter of taste so arbitrary as the comparative beauty 

 of flowers, others may very legitimately demur to his con- 

 clusions. 1 think the following dozen may be named as the 

 very c^me de la crC-me of this glorious order ; though it would 

 be easy to make up the number to twenty with scarcely a 

 diminution of Vhe claim. The letters prefixed indicate that 

 those kinds flower in the colder period of the year ; l, late 

 in autumn, occasionally protracted into winter ; w, Novem- 

 ber to February ; e, early, say March or April. 

 Aertdcs Firldingii^ or maeulosum, or n&6i7-'.— These three arej'pcrhapa, 

 the finest of this lovely and fragrant geru?. 

 t. Cattleya lahiafa.—Th^ great site, and the ricti crimson porple of the Up, 

 dUtinf^uish tbU species. 

 Detidrolium BTonianiim.—Tbe flowers are HrffC, of a rich cream colour. 

 purple tipped, with two oiange clouds on the lip. A noble and lovely 

 speciefi. 

 If. /''i/coneri'.— FlowerR very larpe ; the eei-alh blush white, pclalu and 

 lip cream, purple-tipped ; the lip has a tltep purple throat, murxined 

 ■with orange. A glorious Hpeciea. much exceeding even the prcci^diijg. 

 Jjrlui purpurtara. —Fluwers very large ; wpal-t and petals pure white, or 

 flushed with rose; lip ample, rich crimson-purple. A worthy com- 

 panion to Cattleya lablata. 

 C Odofifoglotitim Prtcntorci.—TAakoB a lovely spike of broad flowers, white, 

 with the crc«t yellow. 

 £>.;>^.'i/omopjM.— White, except that the central area of the lip is of a 

 fine crimwn. Flowcrfi on twin spikes. 

 -w. 0. friMmpAan*,— "Eranched spikes of flower?"; the sepals and petalw 

 ytlJow, barred and spotted whh crlmfon ; lip white, edged with darii 

 roHe. Uagoifloent and rare." Banc noti ridt. 

 phaf^nopti* amoAi'M,— The charming white Moth-Orchid of the Indian 



Softoiabium yu(M(uin.— Tlirows out long, compact, pendulous, cylin- 

 drical itiiiKeBof amall flowcr^ white spl-i*hed with purple. 

 X. Vaiida tf^ru/i-a,— Flowers Urge, pale llUc-blue, in a loose «pikc. 

 ■V. r. luari*.— Flowers ^orofllanoat ; while nptt'ed with Durplc, unapotUd. 

 btaicaih. Noble and handsome, both In foliage and bloom. 



As "B. H." says nothing about price, I have not con- 

 sidered thia element in maJciniz: rtie above selection; but 

 M Bomc of those named bear eicosaively high prices, I Bub 

 join the names of a few other gpecieH, all truly desirable 



Anprxcum bilobom 

 eburneuni 

 aesquipedale 

 An^ellia africana 

 Arpophyllum spicatam 

 Barkeria elegans 



Skiiineri 

 Bletia Shepherdil 

 Brassarola gUuca 



Digbyana 

 Brdssia caudata 

 Burlingtfinia amocna 

 Calanthe vestita 

 Cattleya maxima 

 bicolor 

 Wrtlkeriana 

 Warscewiczii 

 Coi'.ogyne crisiata 

 Gardneriana 

 media 

 Cymhidium eburneum 

 giganteum 

 Masters! I 

 Cypripedium ineigne 

 'purpuraium 

 venustum 

 Dendrobium chryeotoxum 

 fimbriatum 

 beterocorpum 

 macrophyllum 

 moniliforme 

 nobile 

 Pi-rardii 

 pulchellum 

 Bpeciosura 

 Wallichianum 

 Lowii 

 Epidendrum fragrans 



rhi/.opborum 

 Gnngora maculata 

 Grammatophylhim epecioBura 

 Innopiis paniculata 

 LoQliu acuminata 

 albida 



Lxlia anceoB 

 autumn alia 

 peduucularia 

 furfuracea 



saperbiens 

 Leptotes bicolor 

 Limatodis rosea 

 Lycaste Deppei 



craenta 



rnacrophylla 

 Miltonia cuneata 



Karwin3ki 

 Odontoglossum roaculatam 



raembianaceum 



pulchellum 



Rossii 



bictonense 

 Onci-dium Barker! 



bicallosnm 



CavendiBhiannm. 



diva tic atum 



flexuosum 



incuI^'^lm 



lencochilum 



obloiigalum 



uQguiculatum 



Forbeei 



ormithorhynohnm 



varicosum 

 Phajuft TankervilUsB 

 Pleione miculatk 



Wallicbiana 

 Schombu rgkia crispa 

 Stanhopeaeburnea 

 Sophronitls cernua 



violacea 

 Steuorhynchus specioau^ 

 Tricho centrum fuscum 

 Trichopil'a tortilie 

 "Warrea Lindeniana 

 /^ygopettilnm orinitum 



brdchypetalum, 



Itackayi 



IN MABCH AND APRIL. 



Epidendrum aurantiacum 



bicomutum 



cr.iS!«lfoiium 



nanbur>'anam 



maorochllum 



Stamfordianum 

 Loella ciunabarina 



flava 



majdlis 

 Leptoiea aorrulata 

 Otiontogloseam Wawieri 

 Oncidinm ampUatam 



parcodea 



aesHile 



fphucelatum 

 Fh'iJQH WalliohiL 

 Haccotahium mlniatam 

 Trichopilia suavia 

 Vanda cristata 



insigniK 

 Zygopctalum roatratum 



will scarcely answer to *' B. H.' 

 requoBt for " a short list ; " but it is easy to select, and I 

 could not weU omit any known to me as meeting the coa- 

 ditions.— P. H. G. 



Arpophyllum giganteum 



Bletia patula 

 Burling'-onia fragran.s 

 Camarotis purpurea 

 Cattlt-ya amelhyetoglossa 



Skinneri 

 Cbyais bractescenn 

 Coryanthes spetiosa 

 Cypripedium caudatum 



birsutissimum 



villoium 

 Dendrobium aggregatam 



ano«miim 



Canibridgeanum 



crcpidatuni 



D ilhou^-ianum 



dPHfiiflnrum 



Karmeri 



fliiibrUlum 



lituiflorum 



prlmulinum 



Perhaps the above 



. s 



;i 



FAILUBE OP HYACINTHS IN GLASSES. 

 Mv Hyacinths in RlaBses liavo given up growing. They 

 did very fairly at first and liave exceUent roots, but the leavM 

 are only about IJ inch long, and the flower-spikes, only 

 half protruded, arc bej.rinning to burst into flower. 1 

 have changed the water aeveral times, using sweet rain 



