May 11, 1871. ] 



JOURNAL OF HORTICULTURE AND COTTAGE GARDENER. 



339 



was remarkable in every sense — remarkable for its free flower- 

 ing, one of the specimens having ten flowers, which from the 

 compactness of the 

 plant formed quite a 

 close mass of flowers, 

 and remarkable from 

 its entire distinct- 

 ness of colour from 

 any other Ladies' 

 Slipper which we 

 know, being pure 

 white, with some 

 faint dottingg of pur- 

 ple, externally more 

 marked, and with de- 

 licate lemon blotches 

 in the lip. This re- 

 ceived a first-class 

 certificate. 



We wrote to Mr. 

 Ward for further par- 

 ticulars, and he has 

 obliged ns by the fol- 

 lowing reply : — 



"We received a 

 qnantity of C. ni- 

 venm from the west 

 coast of Siam, in an 

 imported c ndition, 

 in the Jane of last 

 year. I immediately 

 tied them by their 

 heels, and hnng them 

 np in a shady part of 

 the East India house 

 for about a fortnight, 

 just to acclimatise 

 them, and as they all 

 began to show signs 

 of activity, I potted 

 them in the follow- 

 ing materials, which 

 I find better than 

 that usually recom- 

 mended for Cypripe- 

 diums — viz., three 

 parts chopped sphag- 

 num, one part broken 

 potsherds, and a dash of sand. 

 I possibly could cram their 

 roots into, and then they began 

 to grow magnificently — in feet, 

 they beat any of the imported 

 growths, so that you would 

 hardly recognise them. 



" I give them a syringing 

 overhead nearly every bright 

 morning, not sufficiently heavy 

 to wet the compost they are in, 

 missing it on dull or heavy 

 mornings. I usually let them 

 get nearly dry, and water about 

 every third day. I find them 

 very easy to manage. 



" I have a dozen plants in 

 bloom now, some with two 

 blooms on a spike, and some of 

 a much purer white than those 

 exhibited. They are still in the 

 East India house, the night 

 temperature of which is 65° to 

 70°, day temperature about 80° 

 to 85°. The duration of the 

 flowers is about six or seven 

 weeks. 



" There were ten flowers on 

 the plant when it started from 



as a spring bedder sufiiciently recognised. I have now a bed, 

 of which the centre is Beta brasiliensis, a small red Beet, trans- 

 planted from where 

 it stood the winter, 

 and the edging Gold- 

 en Feather Pyreth- 

 rnm, just as it stood 

 the winter, now the 

 richest golden colour 

 possible. This has 

 been clipped into 

 shape. I have alsa 

 tried Beet, wintered 

 in pots just as sown^ 

 so thickly that it has. 

 not had room or soil 

 to grow more than. 

 3 inches high. This, 

 would form a very 

 pretty spring edging 

 to yellow Pansies or 

 Myosotis, and would, 

 not grow too large be- 

 fore summer plants- 

 displaced it. Mine 

 has not been planted 

 out thickly enough^ 

 but I shall try it 

 again next year. — 



KiTTIE. 



^>^^^ 



Cypripedium nivenm. 

 I put them in as small pots as 



FRUIT 

 PROSPECTS. 

 At present there is" 

 in the gardens here 

 an excellent show for 

 fruit; almost every' 

 tree in every aspect, 

 and whether stan- 

 dard or otherwise, is 

 very full of bloom^ 

 Apricots were the 

 first to blossom ; and 

 the weather being at. 

 the time dry though, 

 cold, the fruit has 



Cypripedium niveuru — Flower. 



me, but I was informed that two were shaken oS during transit." 



set very thickly, and much thinning will be necessary. Some, 



of the fruit are a little dis- 

 coloured by frost. 



Of Peaches I may say they 

 have set an abundant crop 

 generally, and the wood hasr 

 not been injured by the severe 

 frost. The Shanghai, a very 

 large latish Peach, is a tender- 

 wooded sort and shy bearer^ 

 The fruit has no particular 

 merit. Taking it altogether it 

 is not worth growing, as unless 

 the tree is particularly healthy 

 the fruit drops off before ripen- 

 ing. Nectarine trees are loaded 

 with fruit. If Peaches set well 

 Nectarines are pretty sure to do 

 BO, being the hardier of the twc 

 Dessert Plums on walls have- 

 not bloomed so freely as last 

 year, though plenty of fruife 

 have set, and the late copious 

 showers will help to swell them 

 ofi. Commoner Plums, such 

 as Orleans, Damsons, and other- 

 kinds, which have been in full 

 bloom during the heavy rains,, 

 will, I thiEk, have a heavy crop 



Beet as a Beddee. — Among the variety of opinions advaEcerl 

 about Beet as a bedding plant, I have not seen its advantages 



of fruit. It is too early to judge of the Apple crop ; there is,, 

 however, an abundance of bloom. Of most sorts of Pears there 

 is a good crop of fruit swelling ofJ, particularly Easter Beurre 

 on a south wall, Beune de Ranee, Glou Mortjeau, Passe Col- 

 mar, Althorp Crasanne, Brown Beurr^, and Beune d'Amanlis. 



