CHRYSANTHEMUMS AND ORCHIDS AT HOME. 



721 



That 



"What are the best six sorts for general | 

 i-sked the American Gardening representative 

 is the point that will interest our readers most." 



•'Mrs. W. S. Kimball (creamy blush), A. G. Ramsey 

 (Indian red), Mrs. J. Hood Wright (pure white, reflexed, 

 twisted), Harry May, Dr. H. 

 A. Mandeville (chrome-yel- 

 low petals, twisted and 

 whorled), and Miss Annie 

 Manda (the improved Mrs. 

 A. Hardy), which is a very 

 fine grower." 



"But these are all new 

 sorts," objected the reporter. 

 "Why not select some older 

 ones ?" 



' ' Because we strive for bet- 

 ter habit of growth as well as 

 better form and color, and the 

 new ones are really the best." 



A very suggestive point as 

 to the value of the chrysan- 

 themums Hicks Arnold and 

 Mrs. E. D. Adams is found 

 in the fact that these are the 

 chief reliance for standard 

 and trellised plants for the 

 New York show. These and 

 some selected seedlings were 

 reserved from the show as 

 seen by the public at large, 

 and the seedlings will no 

 doubt speak for themselves 

 at New York. 



In the orchid-houses were 

 found 1,500 cypripediums in 

 flower, in 115 varieties. 

 Prominent among these was 

 one of the firm's new seed- 

 lings, a cross between C. 

 Spicei-ianiim and C. Fairie- 

 antim, named, distinctively, 

 C. Niobe Shorlhillcnse. The 

 broad upper sepal is of pre- 

 cisely the same form as in 

 Spicerianum ; the general 

 coloring and striping is much 

 like Fairieanum, but the for- 

 mer parent has given the 

 seedling a deep border of 

 white, making it a prettier 

 bloom than that of either of 

 the old plants. 



Of the more showy or- 

 chids, there were about 400 

 plants in flower, mostly the usual fall sorts. Some hand- 

 some blooms of the fall-flowering Catllcya gigas — 

 mauve, with purple and yellow fluted lip — and the scarce 

 Cattleya lahiata I'sra were noted. Caltlcya Bou'rhirr- 



I'lDia was referred to as one of the most useful orchids, 

 blooming from August till December, and being the last 

 of the fall-flowering cattleyas before C. h-iana:. 



"Now, that cluster," said the guide, pointing to a 

 beautiful Dendrobium formosum giganlcum, "is so last- 



8.— Muscat of Alexandb 



vine has 13 clusters, averaging 3^ pounds, (see page 720.) 



ing that a lady might wear it to a ball to-night, and to 

 every other ball she might attend for half the winter." 

 Isn't this an instance of the highe.st-priced being the 

 cheapest, fair ladies ? 



