JOURNAL OF HOETICULTUEE AND COTTAGE GABDENEE, 



[ July 4, 1873. 



perhaps, by some be thought merely an imagination of my 

 own, but at the present time (June 11th) about three dozen 

 spikes are fully expanded in the Odontoglossum house at 

 Eerniehurst, and their number increases every day. Many of 

 these bear ten, twelve, or more flowers, while the greater part 

 of the individual blooms measure from 4 to 5 inches across. 

 The pseud obulbs from which they are produced vary from 

 3 to 6 inches in circumference. The appearance of the mass, 

 intermingled with several blooms of Masdavallia Harryana, 

 may be better imagined than described, bearing in min d that 

 it is only those who possess it in large quantities who can 

 enjoy the pleasure of such a sight. 



A section of the structure in which these plants are grown 

 was given by you early in the year (vol. xxii., page 100), so 

 that I need not comment on it here ; but by way of helping 

 those who are about to commence, or have hitherto failed to 

 succeed in their cultivation, I will add a few cultural hints. 

 In the first place it is highly important to devote a house 

 entirely to this and other Odontoglots from the cool regions, 

 for, when mixed with the inmates of the intermediate house, 

 failure is almost certain; they may, perhaps, do well for a 

 time, but they will not maintain the same vigour as they will do 

 when grown in the cooler house. If this is the case, why not 

 adopt the practice of so growing them, seeing that the expense 

 would be much less than in cultivating them in warmer struc- 

 tures, and expense is a matter of the greatest importance to 

 many of our amateurs ? 



With regard to the potting materials, nothing can be better 

 than good fibrous peat, small-broken crocks, chopped sphag- 

 num, and an admixture of silver sand, or, equally good, river 

 or well-washed road sand. A little leaf mould may be added 

 with advantage, and providing the plants are in good health, 

 a small quantity of sweet horse droppings, such as may be 

 obtained from an old Mushroom-bed, will be found very bene- 

 ficial. 



The pots to be used should be scrupulously clean . and 

 well drained ; after the potting is finished, be sure that the 

 plant is made firm, if a little living sphagnum moss is placed 

 on the surface it will give the whole a very pleasing appear- 

 ance. Nothing now remains but ah' and moisture ; it is well 

 known that Odontoglossums delight in abundance of moisture, 

 both at the roots and in the atmosphere ; therefore, when 

 watering, care should be taken to give enough to moisten the 

 whole of the compost. On no account practise the dribbling 

 system, for this, doubtless, in many instances leads to failure. 

 Atmospheric moisture should at all times be maintained, but 

 by no means anything like condensed moisture. This can 

 easily be guarded against by admitting a free circulation of 

 air — that is, as free as the external temperature will permit, not 

 only by day but by night, avoiding cold draughts by placing a 

 layer of tiffany over the openings through which the air passes. 



Let it be understood that this treatment not only applies to 

 0. Bluntii (Alexandras), but to the majority of Odontoglots, as 

 well as that glorious Oncidium 0. macranthum, about which I 

 shall probably send a note in a few weeks. 



These cultural remarks may seem very simple, but the 

 simplest method often proves most successful, and I am con- 

 fident such will be the case with the Odontoglots where the 

 above treatment is carried out. "What we want to see is healthy 

 plants with leaves perfect to the points. — C. J. White. 



EOYAL HOKTICTJLTUBAL SOCIETY. 



July 3rd. 



The Eose Show held this day, if not quite so extensive as 

 some at Kensington, was marked by an excellence we have never 

 before witnessed. Throughout the Exhibition there was scarcely 

 a bad truss, and in brightness and freshness, and even in size, 

 nothing more could be desired. It was no disgrace to be beaten 

 at such an Exhibition, for there "were stands placed third which 

 would easily have been first at many other large shows. The 

 day was fine, the attendance good, and the amalgamated National 

 and Eoyal Horticultural Eose Show a decided success. 



In Class 1, for seventy-two single trusses, Messrs. Paul & Son, 

 Cheshunt, were equal first with, among others, splendid ex- 

 amples of Comtesse de Chabrillant, General Jacqueminot, 

 Horace Vernet, Charles Lefebvre, Louis Van Houtte, Annie 

 Wood, Duke of Edinburgh, Madame Vidot, Duchesse d'Orleans, 

 Alfred Colomb, Maurice Bernardin, Marquise de Castellane, 

 Monsieur Eoncenne, Due de Eohan, Leopold Hausburg, Xavier 

 Olibo, Senateur Vaisse, Mrs. George Paul, Baronue Hausmann, 

 Marie Baumann, Queen Victoria, and Baroness Eothschild. Mr. 

 B. E. Cant, of Colchester, who was equal first with Messrs. Paul, 

 had splendid trusses of Mrs. Eivers, Comtesse de Chabrillant, 



Felix Genero, Mdlle. Annie "Wood (very fine), Antoine Ducher, 

 Marechal Vaillant, Mdlle. Marie Eady, Alfred Colomb, Devo- 

 niensis, Madame Boll, Marie Baumann, Baroness Eothschild, 

 Victor Verdier, Comtesse d'Oxford, Francois Louvat, Comtesse 

 de Paris and many more. Two finer collections than these we 

 have never seen staged. Mr. Turner, of Slough, was second 

 with an excellent set. Mr. Keynes, of Salisbury, was third, also 

 with a fine stand. Mr. Mitchell, Piltdown Nurseries, TJckfield, 

 also exhibited stands containing many very fine trusses; and 

 Messrs. Francis & Co., Hertford, sent a good seventy-two. 

 The fourth prize went to Mr. Cranston, of Hereford. Messrs. 

 Veitch likewise competed. From the number of exhibitors, aU 

 good men and true, it "will readily be conceived that the com- 

 petition was very keen. Never, perhaps, have so many excellent 

 stands of seventy-two been set up at Kensington, and though all 

 the trusses were not superexcellent, there were none bad. 



In the next class, three trusses of forty-eight varieties, there 

 was again a grand display, Mr. Keynes being first ; Mr. Cant 

 second; Mr. Turner, Slough, third; and Messrs. Paul & Son 

 fourth. This class always has a fine effect from its presenting 

 such masses of colours. Of the varieties best represented we 

 may name Marquise de Morternart, Madame Vidot, John Hopper, 

 Victor Verdier, Prince Camille de Eohan, Centifolia rosea, Due 

 de Eohan, Mdlle. Eugenie Verdier, Louis Van Houtte, Comtesse 

 d'Oxford, extremely fine ; Louise de Savoie, Charles Lefebvre. 

 In Mr. Cant's forty-eight were splendid trusses of Marie Bau- 

 mann, Charles Lefebvre, Souvenir de Coulommier,Duke of Edin- 

 burgh, Dr. Andry, Beauty of Waltham, Eubens, and Madame 

 Noman, delicately beautiful. Messrs. Francis, of Hertford, also 

 sent an excellent forty-eight. 



In Class 3, twenty-four trebles, the prizes went to Mr. Cant, 

 Mr. Keynes, Messrs. Veitch, and Messrs. Paul & Son, in the 

 order in which their names occur. Xavier Olibo, Duke of Cam- 

 bridge, Marquise de Morternart, La France, Ferdinand de 

 Lesseps, Victor Verdier, Fisher Holmes, Duke of Edinburgh, 

 Beauty of Waltham, Baroness Eothschild, Marie Baumann, 

 Mdlle. Marie Eady, Marguerite de St. Amand, Abel Grand, La 

 Brillante, and Horace Vernet were strikingly fine. Mr. J. 

 Cranston, Mr. Turner, and Mr. Mitchell also exhibited. 



Class 4 was for twenty-four single trusses ; in this Mr. Cant 

 was first, Messrs. Veitch second, Mr. Cranston third, and Mr. 

 Turner fourth. There were grand trusses of Marquise de 

 Castellane, Comtesse d'Oxford, Devoniensis, Alfred Colomb, 

 La France, Mdlle. Marie Eady, Baroness Eothschild, Duke of 

 Edinburgh, Marguerite de St. Amand, Marie Baumann, and 

 many others. The other exhibitors were Mr. Walker, Thame, 

 Mr. Keynes, and Mr. Mitchell. 



In the amateurs' class for forty-eight, Mr. Ingle took the place 

 of honour with an excellent stand, in which Exposition de Brie, 

 Pierre Notting, Souvenir de Coulommier, Charles Lefebvre, 

 Baroness Eothschild, and Due de Eohan were conspicuous. 

 T. Laxton, Esq t , Stamford, was second; Mr. Bridges third; and 

 Mr. Chard, gardener to Sir F. Bathurst, Bart., Clarendon Park, 

 Salisbury, fourth. 



In thirty-sixes there was an excellent competition, and some , 

 superb blooms were shown. The prizes went to J. Holling- 

 worth, Esq., of Maidstone; Mr. Stoddart, gardener to H. J. G. 

 Bebow, Esq., Wivenhoe Park ; Eev. J. B. M. Camm, and Mr. 

 Chard. For twenty-four, Mr. P. Stoddart was first, Mr. F. May 

 second ; E. B. Postans, Esq., Brentwood, and Mr. Hollingworth 

 were equal third; and Mr. J. Skinner, gardener to Capt. Christy, 

 Westerham Hill, fourth. An excellent twelve from Mr. John 

 Wakeley, TJpchurch, Kent, was first, the remaining awards 

 going to Mr. Soder, gardener to 0. Hanbury, Esq., Howe Hatch, 

 Mr. Skinner, and Mr. F. May. 



For twelve Eoses of 1870 or 1871 Messrs. Paul & Son took the 

 first place with several promising seedlings; Miss Poole, Princess 

 Christine, S. Eeynolds Hole, a fine dark Eose, Etienne Levet, 

 Princess Louise Victoria, W. Wilson Saunders, fine, Henri 

 Pages, and Lyonnaise. The second prize went to Mr. Keynes ; 

 Comtesse de Nadaillac, Henri Pages, and Capitaine Lamure 

 were the most striking. 



For twelve trusses of any Eose of 1870 or 1871 Messrs. Paul 

 and Son had a prize for Annie Laxton, a fine bright rose, also 

 taking for it a first-class certificate. Mr. Cant sent a very fine 

 stand of Comtesse d'Oxford. In the corresponding class for six 

 trusses there were fine examples of Marquise de Castellane, 

 Ferdinand de Lesseps, and Mdlle. Eugenie Verdier. 



Of yellow Eoses there were several remarkably fine collections. 

 Messrs. Paul & Son were first with a rich-coloured box of Celine 

 Forestier and Madame Margottin, together with Madame 

 Falcot, Gloire de Dijon, and Ecve d'Or. Second came -Mr. 

 Stoddart, and third Mr. Keynes. Belle Lyonnaise from the last- 

 named was extremely fine. 



Tea-scented and Noisette Eoses formed a little show of them- 

 selves ; Celine Forestier, Triomphe de Eermes, Niphetos, La 

 Boule d'Or, Souvenir d'un Ami, Madame Falcot, Gloire de Dijon, 

 Adam, Belle Lyonnaise, Moiret, and Niphetos were represented 

 by beautiful examples in several stands. Marechal Niel, how- 

 ever, was not so fine as usual. 



