August 29, 1S88. 



Garden and Forest. 



315 



other surroundings, have been kept as simple and unob- 

 trusive as possible. Picturesqueness is not the only quality 

 to be prized, either in architectural or in gardening art ; 

 and it is a quality which, if forced into life where it does 

 not naturally belong, is distressing to every cultivated eye. 

 But when nature gives us picturesqueness in so clear and 

 pronounced a form as here, the architect must accept her 

 leading or ruin the effect both of her work and of his 

 own. And spots quite as distinctively picturesque as this, 

 and very similar in character, abound, as we have said, 

 in man}' parts of vuv pine-grown, rocky coasts, and de- 

 mand analogous architectural treatment. Naturally, to 

 advise direct imitation of a Japanese house in America is 

 no part of our desire, yet it may be said that the general 

 architectural idea embodied in this house is far better 

 fitted to adaptation in this country than most of those 

 European models upon which we have so largely drawn 

 in the past. 



Foreign Correspondence. 

 London Letter. 



THE finest Orchid which secured a certificate from the 

 Royal Horticultural Society at its meeting on July 

 34th was Cattkya Ainesiana, from Baron Schroeder's match- 

 less collection, and probably the largest specimen in 

 existence of this rare plant, it having been one of the 

 gems in Mrs. Morgan's collection dispersed at New- 

 York some time since. It is a hybrid, raised five years 

 ago by Messrs. Veitch, of Chelsea, between Cattkya 

 crispa and C. maxima, and in growth it resembles most 

 nearly the first named parent, the bulbs being stout and 

 tall. The flowers are so strikingly like those of the superb 

 C Exonknsis that the difference between the two hybrids is 

 not readily detected. The sepals and petals are broader 

 than those of C. crispa, are less reflexed, and, instead 

 of white, are of a delicate mauve tint. The labellum is 

 broad and shallow, and exquisitely frilled at the margin. 

 In color it is of the richest purple-crimson on the lower 

 part, while the upper half is pure white, which serves to 

 emphasize the intensity of the crimson. The specimen 

 shown bore half a dozen spikes with three and four flowers 

 on each, and therefore well deser\'ed a cultural commend- 

 ation. 



Another exquisite little Orchid certificated was Sacco- 

 lahiiwi ca'leste, from Mr. B. S. Williams. Comparing it 

 with the well-known .S'. cnrvi/olium, it has the same thick, 

 channeled leaves, strongly recurved and arranged in 

 two ranks. The cylindrical flower spikes are about 

 four inches long, quite erect, and consist of a crowd of 

 small flowers with sky-blue sepals and petals and a lip of 

 rich purple-blue. It reminds one of Vanda ccerulescens in 

 flower-color, and is quite unique in this respect in the 

 genus Saccolabium. It is supposed to come from Moulmein 

 and was first known under the name of Rhynchostylis 

 coekstis. 



Anguloa Ruckeri alba, though certificated, did not get 

 a unanimous vote, as some of the committee thought it no 

 better than A. uniflora and A. virginalis, both white flowered 

 species. The Albino does not dilTer from the original A. 

 Ruckeri, except in absence of color, the flowers being quite 

 as large and of pure ivory whiteness, very beautiful, 

 as if carved out of alabaster. The powerful spicy odor of 

 this Anguloa is objectionable to some persons, while 

 others like it. A. Ruckeri, van relusa, was also shown 

 by Mr. Dorman, but it does not differ much from the 

 typical form and is not nearly so fine a variety as A. 

 Ruckeri sanguinea, with blood-red flowers. Messrs. Sander, 

 of St. Albans, showed two new Orchids, both beautiful, but 

 scarcely in condition to show their merits. One was Bollea 

 Wendlandiana, quite a new species and distinct from others 

 in color of the flowers. In growth, foliage, size and shape 

 of flower it resembles the old B. ccelestis, but the color 

 is a soft lemon yellow of various shades, with not a 



trace of the plum-purple tint which characterizes most (if 

 the Bolleas. The other Orchid was Lcetia Eyermatmiana, 

 supposed to be a natural hybrid between L. iiia/alis and L. 

 autumnalis. In bulb and leaf it resembles the former, but 

 the flower is most like that of L. autumnalis in size, shape 

 and color, which is a soft mauve-pink. A very marked 

 feature of this novelty is the bracts, which, instead of 

 being membranaceous, are leafy and green, and I know n(i 

 other Lcelia that has this peculiarity. 



Among new green-house plants the most important was 

 a variety of Javanese Rhododendron, with snow white 

 blossoms as large antl as fine in truss as any of the 

 numerous hybrids which Messrs. Veitch have raised - 

 and exhibited of late years. There has been no lack of 

 varieties with flowers of all shades of crimson, yellow and 

 pink, but a white-flowered variety has long been sought 

 for. Now we have it, and its value cannot possibly be 

 overestimated, as a race of white-flowered green-house 

 Rhododendrons, which will, in time, prove a great boon 

 to those who have to supply a demand for white flowers, 

 especially in winter, when these Rhododendrons naturally 

 flower most abundantly, may now confidently be ex- 

 pected. This novelt)' is appropriately named Purity. 



Two new Roses won certificates, a noteworthy fact, inas- 

 much as the committee are always cautious in certificating 

 new Roses. One of these was shown by Messrs. W. Paul 

 k Son, of Waltham Cross. It is named Duchess of Albany, 

 and is a sport from La France, differing in no way from 

 that favorite variety except in color, which, in the Duchess, 

 is several shades deeper, while its petals preserve the charac- 

 teristic curl which shows the paler pink inner surface and 

 adds so much to the flower's beauty. The committee has 

 now had flowers of it before them at consecutive meetings 

 and they feel confident that it is a good Rose. The other 

 new Rose was from the other Paul's of Cheshunt, and is 

 named Paul's Cheshunt Scarlet. It was not put forward as 

 an exhibition Rose, but merely as a garden Rose, and is 

 chiefly remarkable for its intensity of color, the perfect 

 shape of the flowers in advanced bud stage, the compact 

 dwarf growth of the bush, and its floriferousness. The 

 flowers shown certainly bore out all the points the raiser 

 claims for this Rose, andl am acquainted with no other 

 whose color so nearly approaches to a true brilliant scar- 

 let. It is no doubt a seedling from one of the vivid scarlet 

 Roses that have had their origin in the Cheshunt nurseries. 



One of the most important exhibits of the meeting in the 

 opinion of many was the new Japanese Siuartia Pseudo- 

 camellia, shown for the first time in bloom by Messrs. Veitch, 

 from their nursery at Coombe Wood, where it has proved 

 itself hardy as the North American representatives of the 

 genus, iS'. Virginica and 6". pentagvna. The Japanese is a 

 good deal like the latter in flower, but most reminds one 

 of the North American Gordoiiia pubescens. The leaves 

 are lanceolate, acuminate, slightly toothed about four inches 

 long. The flowers are produced from the leaf axils and are 

 three inches across the outspread petals, but as these do 

 not open widely the flowers look smaller than they are. 

 The petals are broadly ovate, ivory-white and silky on the 

 exterior faces and therefore shine like satin. The tufts of 

 pale yellow stamens harmonizes beautifull}' with the warm 

 white blossoms. The shrub is a very free flowerer, for the 

 twigs shown, which were only a few inches in length, bore 

 numerous flowers. The species is aptly named as the 

 flowers remind one of a single Camellia, and the foliage is 

 not unlike that of the Tea plant (C. iJiei/era). 



Three new Ferns received certificates, two being crested 

 forms of British species. One was named Lastrea nioulana 

 ramo-coromUus having the pinnae ending in a dense crest, 

 and the end of each frond also broadly crested. The 

 other was a crested Flart's Tongue. Sco/opeiidrium 

 vulgarc cristalatum, and so dense is its crest that it looks 

 like a tuft of the finest garnishing Parsley. Both are 

 good varieties of hardy Ferns, but whether they are real 

 acquisitions, considering the thousand and one crested 

 forms we already have in cultivation, I cannot say. The 



