April 11, 1865. ] 



JOURNAL OF HORTICULTITKB AND COT'JAeE GARDENER. 



286 



replaced by a flower more or less perfect, the parts in some 

 being like ordinary petals, in others like complete florets, in 

 others again merely hollow tubes or threads. Among Pri- 

 mulas, continued Mr. Berkeley, there were two forms of 

 flowers, the pin-eyed and the thrum-eyed, and Mr. Darwin 

 had shown that these two forms differed in fertility accord- 

 ing as they wore impregnated. The thrum-eyed, unless im- 

 pregnated artificially, are barren, but if the pollen of the 

 pin-eyed be applied to them they produce more seed than 

 the pin-eyed when impregnated with the thi'um-eyed. Im- 

 pregnating with pin-eyed flowers was the easier mode, but 

 the quantity of seeds produced was small. It would be in- 

 teresting to find out whetlier the best flowers in a florist's 

 point of view came from the thrum-eyed or the pin-eyed, 

 and information on that point would be desirable. 



Mr. Bateman then commenced by directing attention to 

 some rare Cypripediums which were exhibited. The name 

 had been given to the genus by some gallant classical 

 botanist, and signified Venus's slipper, but he hoped Venus 

 did not, like a slattern, wear her slijipers down at the heels 

 like all the species of this genus. Thu'ty years ago there 

 were only two species in this country, but now there were 

 twenty distinct kinds ; and, having had the privilege of in- 

 specting Dr. Lindley's herbarium, he could say that it con- 

 tained di'ied specimens of many more yet to be introduced, 

 especially from South America, and which would vie in beauty 

 with the very best of those which we now possessed. They 

 had before them a specimen of Cypripedium hirsutissimum 

 from Mr. Veitch, and one of C. Lowii, which had been intro- 

 duced from Borneo by Messrs. Low of Clapton, and though 

 the plant coming from Mr. Veitch was well grown, it yet 

 gave but an imperfect idea of what it would ultimately be. 

 Another very interesting species to which he would now 

 refer was sent home by the Rev. Mr. Parish, an Indian 

 missionary, and differed from all tropical Cypripediums in 

 the leaves being purple beneath and beautifully marbled 

 above, while the flowers were yellow. It had been named 

 concolor, and a description and plate of it would shortly 

 appeal' in the " Botanical Magazine." Cypripediums were 

 very easily grown, and lasted in flower for a length of time, 

 and it would be very interesting for ladies and gentlemen to 

 form collections of this genus alone. All of them would 

 succeed under cool treatment, and persons about to com- 

 mence Orchid-growing on a small scale could not select a 

 more suitable genus of this glorious tribe of plants. The 

 next genus of cool Orchids which he would mention was the 

 Odontoglossums. They were found growing at an elevation 

 of 5000 feet in New Grenada, Mexico, and Peru, and they 

 were rapidly rising in popularity and favour, and were as 

 easy to manage in the climate of a warm greenhouse as any 

 other Orchid. Odontoglossum Pescatorei had been in bloom 

 for two months, and was likely to last for two months more, 

 and he would mention that Mr. Anderson, of Meadowbank, 

 had grown it with as many as a hundred flowers on a spike. 

 Odontoglossum pulohellum, of which a plant was exhibited 

 by Mr. Rucker, having snow white blossoms, was peculiarly 

 well adapted as an ornament to ladies with dark hair or 

 dark silk di-esses, and it had this property, that the flowers 

 might be used at half a dozen different balls or soirees. 

 Odontoglossum gloriosum was another splendid species, 

 found at an elevation of 9 or 10,000 feet in the Andes, 

 near Bogota. It had been introduced by the Society, 

 and subsequently by Messrs. Low, and wild specimens 

 had sometimes a hundred flowers on a spike. A third 

 species was Odontoglossum Liudleyanum, so named by Dr. 

 Reichenbach in compMment to his brother Orchidist Dr. 

 Lindley. It had also been received from Mr. Weir. Of 

 Coelogyne cristata a specimen was exhibited by Mr. Veitch ; 

 it was also capable of cool treatment, coming from the 

 slopes of the Himalayas. It would remain in bloom for 

 weeks, nay months, and was so easily flowered that a traffic 

 was springing up with it at Covent Garden and Manchester. 

 Its colours were white and gold, and hence it was sought 

 after for bridal bouquets. Chysis braetescens presented 

 the same colours, and could be used for the same purpose ; 

 and still more beautiful was PhalEenopsis amabilis, which 

 was also before the meeting. Mr. Bateman related that 

 when this Orchid was first sent over from Manilla to Messrs. 

 RoUisson of Tooting, the late Duke of Devonshire was so 

 struck with its beauty that he wanted to purchase it ; and 



though informed that it was not for sale, would take no 

 denial, but gave Messrs. Rollisson a blank cheqtie to iill in 

 with whatever amount they valued it at, and they put down 

 iElOO ; but in consequence of the importations which had 

 been made, plants of it, however, might now be had for as 

 many shillings. Dendrobinm lituiflorum and the New South 

 Wales Dendi'obium speoiosum were then referred to. The 

 latter, it was observed, was twenty years in this country 

 before it flowered ; and the reason of this was, that in former 

 days the atmosphere of OrcUid-houses was kept so warm 

 and moist, that luxuriant leaf-growth was encouraged at the 

 expense of flowers ; but cultivators had becomo alive to 

 the importance of a more sensible mode of treatment — only 

 keep it cool, and nothing could be more easily grown, it 

 would then flower as readily as the least shy-flowering of 

 the race. To any one desirous of cultivating a particular 

 genus of Orchids, Dendrobium alone would furnish two hun- 

 dred species. He would now notice a small box of beautiful 

 cut flowers, which had just come from Mr. Day, of Totten- 

 ham, among which were Dendrobium Parmeri, a Mexican 

 Lycaste, a Cattleya, a Galeandra, a Leptotes, a Ccelogyne, 

 and Oneidium nubigenum, which produced spikes a yard long 

 and grew at an elevation of 10,000 feet, in regions of snow 

 and hail, and even frost, teaching the lesson that a vast 

 number of Orchids could be grown in an ordinary greenhouse 

 temperature. Before leaving Dendrobiums he must notice a 

 new species, though not in flower, sent by the Rev. Mr. Parish 

 to Messrs. Low, and which was called senile, being covered 

 with white haii'S, and being among Orchids what the Old 

 Man Cactus was among that family. The flowers were 

 golden yellow, and he (Mr. Bateman) had no doubt that 

 it would create quite a furor in time. Mr. Bateman then 

 briefly noticed the other plants shown, among which were 

 Chytroglossum manicte- leonis and auratum from Brazil, and 

 Hepatica angulosa from Messrs. Backhouse, the latter not 

 a mere variety, but a new and (as the meeting would per- 

 ceive), a very handsome species, and which, he had no 

 doubt, would prove perfectly hardy, as he saw it coming 

 vigorously in bloom after standing the winter in North 

 Staffordshire. There was also a species of Phycella from 

 Messrs. Backhouse, the orange scarlet flowers of which were 

 the most brilliant colour he had ever seen in the vegetable 

 kingdom, in that respect far exceeding even Loelia cinna- 

 barina. Bertolonia margaritacea, which was exhibited by 

 Mr. Bull, was another plant of great beauty, the foliage 

 being sprinkled all over as if with pearls, on which account 

 it had received its name, margaritacea. Other plants of 

 interest were Polygonatum verticillatum, Mr. Bull's Imanto- 

 phyllum miniatum from Natal, a variegated-leaved Lily of 

 the Valley from Mr. Salter, which was likely to be very 

 popular, and Picus Cooperi, of which the habitat was un- 

 certain, but it had probably come from the Indian Archi- 

 pelago. The fruit was also there, but it had not been 

 ascertained whether it was poisonous or not. Though Figs 

 were wholesome in general, some were poisonous ; but he 

 hoped that some zealous horticulturist would come forward 

 in the interest of science, and, pro bono publico, eat the Fig, 

 and so settle the point. The Fruit Committee, whose duty 

 it was to taste all fruits submitted to them, had wanted the 

 courage to put the matter to the test. Mr. Bateman then 

 brought under the notice of the meeting what were called 

 branch pots. Among Orchids some grew in the clefts of 

 branches, and others sent roots along the arms of trees. 

 The latter would not gi-ow in ordinary pots, and were there- 

 fore kept on blocks ; but after a few years, and sometimes a 

 few months, a fungus appeared which destroyed the roots, 

 and it became necessary, therefore, to shift the plants to 

 other blocks. With large plants this was not of much con- 

 sequence, but in the case of tender Orchids the matter was 

 more serious. Having a scarce Chytroglossum to remove, 

 he was led to consider whether something could not be 

 invented which would prevent the necessity and danger of 

 reblocking so frequently, and the idea occurred to him of 

 having models of branches of trees made of pottery, and 

 perforated at places ; and the plants which he had tried in 

 such branch pots had succeeded perfectly, and he had every 

 reason to believe that shifting would not be required for 

 many years. It appeared, however, that the idea of em- 

 ploying pottery to obviate the necessity of shifting had also 

 occurred to Mr. Rucker, for on going to his place he found 



