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JOITRNAL OF HORTICUX'CTIKE AKD COTTAGE GAEDENEE. 



[ May 9, 1805. 



afforded a new element for architectural decoration, and 

 thougli the specimen of Macleania speciosissima which he 

 had brought before the meeting was not so good as it was 

 a fortnight ago, it woiild give an idea how ornamental the 

 Vaccinaces were when gi-own with their brandies hanging 

 down : it was foolish to attempt to grow them on the 

 ground. In this class, then, there was a newly-discovered 

 means for the decoration of architectural brackets. At pre- 

 sent the plants suitable for that purpose were very limited 

 in number, and these chiefly Ferns ; but here we had plants 

 beautiful in their flowers, beautiful in their foliage, and 

 brilliant in the colours of their young shoots, added to 

 which the fruit of some of the species was edible. He now 

 came to Orchids. At the meeting before last, he had called 

 attention to Cypripedium as a genua suitable for cultivation 

 by those who had not room for more than one genus, and 

 he thought the plants before them would bear out the 

 justice of his remai-ks — Cypripedium Lowii, from Mr. Day ; 

 the dark variety of C. barbatum and C. viUosum, from 

 llr. Veitch ; C. Hookeri:c, from Messrs. Low ; and from 

 another quarter, C. caudatum, the only one which came 

 from the old world. The cjuestion might be asked. How 

 could the tail-like appendages of the last be arranged in 

 the flower-buds ? but these on first opening had no tails, 

 but after they had burst the tails began to grow. The 

 late Mrs. Lawrence had kept a journal of the rate at 

 which they grew, and found that they elongated from 

 li inch to 2 inches a-day till 18 inches long. W. Wentworth 

 Buller, Esq., of Strete Ealeigh, stated in a letter that it 

 would succeed under cool treatment. He would now advert 

 to another great section of the family of Orchidaceffi. He 

 believed that if he were asked what Orchids were the most 

 brilliant, he should say the Dendrobiums. They competed 

 in numbers with the Epidendrums of the new world ; but 

 while among the numerous Epidendrums there were hiudly 

 twenty worth growing, out of neai-ly as many Dendro- 

 biums there were not twenty not worth growing. At 

 this meeting they had before them a group illustrating 

 the genus. There was a magnificent plant of D. densi- 

 florum, from jNIr. Day ; Mr. JIarshall, of Enfield, had sent 

 a rising star in the Orchidaceous horizon, D. tortile roseum ; 

 D. albo-sanguineum, came from some one else ; D. obur- 

 nenm, fr-om IMr. Eucker, white exquisitely marked in the 

 centre with red, which had he thought a great futui-e 

 before it, if we might judge from hov/ other kinds had 

 advanced. When he first saw D. densiflorum, of which 

 they had so fine an example before them, it had five little 

 starved flowers, and he thought it hardly worth looking 

 at. Two other species, D. Fai-meri, and D. Devonianum, 

 aJao came from Mr. Day. D. chlorops was seen under 

 disadvantageous circumstances. He would call especial 

 attention to a new Phalajnopsis, called Luddemanuiana, 

 ■which was now exhibited for the first time. It had been 

 considered by Messrs. Low as identical with Phala^nopsis 

 rosea, but it was new and jjerfectly distinct. Singularly 

 enough it had been exhibited simultaneously by Mr. Day, 

 Mr. Eucker, and Dr. Pattison, of St. John's Wood, and 

 though small it would probably eventually have twenty 

 flowers on a spike, like P. amabiUs. When he first began to 

 grow Dendrobiums, D. Pierardi was considered the most 

 splendid species, by degrees others were imported, till at 

 last D. Devonianum v/as discovered by Mr. Gibson, and 

 this Dr. Lindley called the "King of Orchids," but if it 

 were the King of Orchids, what should be said of that which 

 he held in hLs hand, D. Wardianum. That which he held 

 np before the meeting was but a portion of a spike 5 feet 

 long, bursting with flowers. There w-as yet one more plant 

 which he had to notice, it was a plant introduced, or rather 

 re-introduced, by Messrs. Low. He was present when the 

 box containing it was opened, and Mr. Low's son stated in 

 his letter that it was found on an old tree across a stream, 

 and that there was nothing equal to it in Borneo. It re- 

 ceived the name of D. Dayanum, in compliment to Mr. Day. 

 Now a Dendrobium call.;d macrophyllura, had been intro- 

 duced thirty-five years ago, but it smelt like Apothecaries' 

 Hall, on which account it was very objectionable ; to another 

 subsequently imported. Dr. Lindley had given the name of 

 anosmnm, because he conceived it to be without smell, but 

 the latter smelt just as badly as D. macrophyllum, and ho 

 (Mr. Bateman) considered the two as identical. He felt 



some doubts as to whether D. Dayanum was not the same 

 as D. macrophyllum, till his gardener drew his attention to 

 the figure of anosmum in " Paxton's Magazine of Botany," 

 when he came to the conclusion that the so-called Dayanum 

 was nothing more than anosmum. He regretted that this 

 might have the eifect of dissociating Mr. Day's name from 

 the species, but as fresh Orchids were coming in by every 

 maU, no doubt some other species would soon be found, to 

 which Mr. Day's name could be attached. Mr. Bateman 

 concluded by reminding the meeting that a show of Orchids 

 would be held on the 13th, and he hoped that all who grew 

 Orchids would contribute to its success. 



The subjects brought before the Fruit Committee, and the 

 awards of the Floral Committee, having been enumerated by 

 Mr. G. P. Wilson and Eev. Mr. Dix, Mr. Bateman begged to 

 bo allowed to say a few words. He understood that there 

 were three bouquets to be ballotted for, and Mr. Wentworth 

 Buller had written that he would send a supply, but from 

 some cause this had not ai'rived. Whilst speaking of Vac- 

 einacete, he had omitted to show them the fine large foliage 

 of Thibaudia macrophylla, and he had no doubt that the 

 forests of Brazil which had been first ransacked for stove 

 plants, next for Orchids, and then for plants with orna- 

 mental foliage, woidd have to be again explored in seai-ch of 

 Vaccinaceffi. There was an Orchid, too, which he had 

 omitted to bring under their notice, it was Mr. Skinner's 

 variety of Epidendrum vitellinum, from Central America. 

 The flowers of E. vitellinum were very suitable for ladies' 

 head dresses, and would last for half a dozen parties, but 

 unfortunately the plants at present in cultivation flowered 

 in autumn and winter, whilst Mi'. Skinner's variety flowered 

 in spring, or during the London season, when flowers were 

 more required for the purpose refen-ed to. He had no doubt 

 that Mr. Skinner's plant was the true Epidendrum vitelli- 

 num of Lindley's " Sertum Orchidaceum." 



Votes of thanks having been accorded to Mr. Day, and 

 the other exhibitors, and to Mr. Bateman, the latter in re- 

 turning thanks expressed the great pleasure which he felt 

 at seeing the reviving popularity of the Tuesday shows, and 

 hoped that their success was one among other signs, that 

 the returning tide of prosperity had set in. 



Seventeen new Fellows were elected on this occasion. 



TO WHAT PL-US" TS IS HAED WATEE 

 PEEJUDICIAL? 



Mb. Eocson's letter on " Hard Water and Can it be 

 Eemedied " is one of great importance to persons who re- 

 side (as in Hants) in a chall:y district, esi:ieoiaIly in so di-y a 

 season as the present. I hope his inquiry wOl elicit from 

 some of your scientific readers a satisfactory remedy. His 

 letter has raised a question with myself, and no doubt many 

 others, all in a like position. I have lately planted Arau- 

 carias. Deodars, Cedars of Lebanon, Evergreen Oaks, c&c.» 

 10 or 12 feet high ; for many weeks past wo have had but 

 little rain, which necessitated my gardener to give them 

 spring or well water (very hard) by hydropult syringing as 

 well as at tlieir roots, but some of the C'edai's are dead, and 

 others show failing vitality. 



i'or the good of the many as well as myself will any of 

 your praclical readers enumerate what trees, shrubs, &o., 

 hard or chalky water is known to bo pi-ejudicial to ? Mr. 

 Eobson names one class only, the Heaths. Probably, as 

 lime water is a bad solvent, it is equally difficult to be ab- 

 sorbed by lUe leaves of the trees as by their roots. — J. C. H., 

 Andover. 



[That hard water is very injurious to a large class of 

 plants there can be but little doubt. Mr. Eobson has 

 opened a subject which it is most important should be 

 thoroughly ventilated. In your case, the death of your 

 plants may possibly be attributed to several causes, and it 

 may be that ihe hard water has had nothing to do with their 

 decay. Indeed, we are strongly inclined to think that it 

 has not. You say that you have lately planted Araucarias, 

 Deodars, Cedars of Lebanon, Evergreen Oaks, &c., 10 or 

 12 feet high. In the lii'st place you must bear in mind 

 what an unfavourable time it htis been for newly planted trees 

 for the past six or seven weeks. If the situation in which 

 the trees are jilanted is very much exposed it would be 



