148 



THE GARDENERS' MAGAZINE. 



March c 



Pear Jean De Witte. 



VARIETIES of pears that are in season at the present, or even a later 

 date, are of immense value, as has been proved not only by market 

 prices, but by the discussion anent late pears that has recently taken 

 place in our columns. One pear has been generally appreciated and 

 recommended for its lateness combined with fine flavour and fairly good 

 appearance. This is Jean de Witte. Mr. Prinsep considers this fine old 

 pear is not thought so much of nowadays, since all the rage has been 

 for huge fruits, but if flavour is to count for anything it should have a 

 place in every garden. Mr. Turton, of Maiden Erleigh Gardens, never 

 fails to recommend Jean de Witte as a good late pear, while Mr. W. H. 

 Lees, of Trent Park Gardens, becomes quite enthusiastic when discoursing 

 upon its merits. A few days ago Mr. Lees sent us a few examples of 

 this delicious pear, one of which we now have the pleasure of illustrating. 

 These were grown on the quince stock, and were of medium size, with 

 handsome, yellowish, russet-speckled skins, clear and bright ; they were 

 both attractive and highly flavoured. Mr. Lees grows this pear against 

 a warm wall and allows the fruit tc hang as long as possible before being 

 gathered, and by this treatment it is in season from January well into 

 March. Mr. Prinsep asserts that if grown on the pear stock, the fruits of 

 Jean de Witte keep longer in prime condition than if produced on the 

 quince stock. If trees on each of these stocks were grown, it is probable 

 that good fruit would be available in many gardens, even later than the 

 month of March. It has, however, been conclusively proved that this 

 once popular pear has Ijeen somewhat neglected of late years, but it is 

 still one of the very best late varieties, and as such should be more often 

 found in gardens. 



Si I898. 



undoubtedly the first hybrid in the genus bavin* K 

 gentleman whose name it bears several 'years fcffh^** 

 appeared. D. Amsworthi and its congeneric hvbrii u Ans *ortlfi 

 proved valuable acquisitions to the dendrobium famiil u * i* 01 0 

 have found them extremely useful for crossing puroosi tV ybridist » 

 inferred from the fact that out of the numerous hybrids W 

 hybrids themselves have participated in one way or the n vf ' l n which 

 worthi has shared in the production of quite five eighth ?' Ains * 

 Amongst these may be mentioned the beautiful D Anniu thesc - 

 and D. Rubens grandiflorum, both raised by Mr CvSEr ^ gr *? dir1 °nim 

 discus, D. melanodiscus, D. Clio, D. Dellense, D Dorifn ^ 

 Andromeda, &c, &c , which were obtained by various'^ J uryal,s » D - 

 Of the remaining hybrids which have participated ?5ff 

 lings D. Cassiope, D. euosmum leur.nntprnm — j , 6 . ™ seed- 



principal. D. Fincff€yanu 



Hybrid Dendrobiums. 



Few subjects, at this season of the year, possess greater interest to orchid 

 enthusiasts than hybrid dendrobiums. Ten or twelve years ago the work of 

 hybridisation was, compara- 

 tively speaking, then in its in- 

 fancy, as only about fourteen or 

 fifteen artificially raised hybrids 

 had flowered or had been des- 

 cribed. But the large field then 

 offered by the genus Dendro- '% 

 bium for the operations of the 3 

 hybridists, has been by them 



much skill 



taken up with so 

 and perseverance, that at 

 present time their labours 

 fiequently and abundantly 

 monstrated at manv of 



the 



de- 

 our 



in 



many 



horticultural exhibitions, and 

 almost every orchid collection 

 of importance. 



There are now a large num- 

 ber of dendrobiums that have 

 been brought into existence by 

 the hand of the hybridist, and 

 with regard to the plants so 

 raised it becomes a matter of 

 some surprise when we con- 

 template the 



distinct species there are in the 

 genus, that there is so little 

 variability in the formation of 

 the flowers, the principal cha- 

 racteristics being in the mixed 

 colouring in the blooms, first 

 brought on by crossing the 



together, afterwards 



poses, having either, as a seed or pollen parent, produced over^^" 

 new varieties. The small white-flowered D. japonicum has beenS 

 means of giving us such lovely hybrids as D. Virginia, D. Dor" i) 

 ^neas, D. \ annenanum, D. striatum, U. Wardiano-japonicum S 

 endochans. The two last-named varieties are well worth adding to 

 collection, principally on account of the delicious fragrance of rh 

 flowers. mcir 



It is singular to note that the popular Dendrobium Wardianum as a 

 seed-bearing parent has hitherto produced but few prosenv th 

 beautiful D. micans being one of the best raised from it and whir? 

 doubtless, it will be difficult to surpass. On the other hand D 

 Wardianum as a pollen parent has been more successful, producing such 

 hybrids as D. Alcippe, D. Bryan, D. Aspasia, D. euterpe, D. Findlcvano 

 Wardianum, D. Clio, and D. Wardiano-aureum. Although the 'well 

 known D. crassinode has been in cultivation since 1868, only one hybrid 

 has been recorded, Mr. Cookson having been successful in obtaining a 

 cross between that species and D. luteolum. The progeny is named D 

 Astnea. It may be well to mention here that D. crassinode, while in its 



native habitat, shared with D. 

 Wardianum in the production 



rare D. crassinode 

 Wardianum. Several fine hy- 

 brids have been derived from 

 D. ^Falconeri, the best of them 

 being the splendid D. Venus = 

 Falconeri x nobile. The follow- 

 ing well-known species have 

 shared in the production of a 



each— D. 



great number of 



of the 



hybrid 



D. Pierardi, D. 



single new 



MacCarthas, _ , 



Parishi, D. bigibbum, D. sig 

 natum, D. crystallinum, D. albo- 

 sanguineum, D. sanguinolentum, 



and D. 



primulinum. 

 section of 



den 



tall-growing 

 drobes D. Dalhouseianum is, 

 up to the present time the only 



from which hybrids 



; Thus, the 



species 



have been obtained. 



i). a- 



Pear Jean 



Witte. 



species 



by crossing the hybrids with the species, and vice versa. Up to the present 

 time nearly one hundred distinct hybrids have thus been obtained. In the 

 production of these the well-known D. nobile and its varieties have been 

 used either as a pollen or seed bearing parent no less than forty times. 

 D. aureuin has served, either directly or indirectly, in the raising of at least 

 thirty-five hybrids, and without doubt both species have participated in the 

 parentage of most of the finest hybrids yet raised. It is interesting to 

 note that so long ago as 1866 or 1867 these two species were selected for 

 hybridisation by Mr. Mitchell, then gardener to Dr. Ainsworth, of Man- 

 chester, who, after carefully attending to the requirements of the young 

 seedlings for seven or eight years, was amply repaid for his labours when 

 the first seedling flowered. It was named, in compliment to his 



pretty D. porphyrogastrum was 

 raised between D. HuttonixD. 

 Dalhouseianum. D. striatum 

 was derived from D. japoni- 

 cum x Dalhouseianum 

 lustre, between D. chrysotoxum 

 x Dalhouseianum and D. stne- 

 tius from D. Linawianum x D. 

 Dalhouseianum Each of these 

 hybrids are extremely interest- 

 ing, because of the widely dif- 

 ferent characteristics of the 



ferent characteristics w «- 

 parents used. Perhaps the most remarkable feature connected with these 

 hybrids is the advent of D. chrysotoxum as a parent, and of its being the 

 first of the evergreen section which has participated in the production 01 

 hybrid dendrobes. These four D. Dalhouseianum hybrids were raisea 

 in the establishment of Messrs. James Yeitch and Sons of Chelsea, 

 by their foreman, Mr. Seden, to whose skill we are indebted for a great 

 many other beautiful dendrobium hybrids. Up to the present ume oni> 

 one hybrid has been derived from the Australian species, and tna- 

 between D. Kingianum x D. speciosum, which was raised by the late PJ 



SDvers in Sir Trfvnv T o ^llartmn or TliirfnrrL So far as 



employer, D. Ainsworthii, the new hybrid partaking of the character 

 of both its parents, and in point of floriferousness superior to either. 

 Subsequently the beautiful and distinct D. splendidissimum grandiflorum 

 was raised by Mr. Seden from the same cross, but he probably having 

 used finer varieties obtained a hybrid with larger and better-coloured 

 Mowers. There are other intermediate forms, raised from the same 



operators, so varying in size, and having more or 

 less colour in the blooms that it is difficult to distinguish them sufficiently 

 to know where to draw the line to divide one from- the other. 



Since 1874, when D. Amsworthi first flowered, as previously mentioned, 

 numerous other hybrids have appeared, and generally it has been found 

 tnat almost all the crosses are extremely variable, and from this fact it 

 is no easy matter to discriminate between some of the resulting forms ; 

 tneretore, intending purchasers would do well to buy hybrid dendrobes 



in nower only, as probably through no fault of the vendors, they might *u v • , — e ^-7. — 1~ • ™ — 



KSS^iCSi^ di «erent names over and ove? again. A l^A *Tffi 



... »<w U 1^. iving lauuill A U. speClUSUUJ, willow was lauw ~j — - 



Spyers in Sir Trevor Lawrence's collection at Burford. So far as 

 know at present no success has been obtained in raising hybrids trow 

 the nigro-hirsute section of dendrobiums. Including these and f hestr °"* 

 tall-growing species, and those of the evergreen section, there still rema 

 a large and interesting field open for workers in this particular brancn 

 horticulture, and what the future may produce it would be d ' m ^% 

 predict ; but, without doubt, many difficulties and disappointments 

 have to be overcome before the muling of the whole dendrobiumjan^ 

 is successfully accomplished. The beautiful hybrid v 

 subject of the accompanying coloured plate is in Baron 

 lection of Mr. Ballantine's most recent successes. 



forms 



Burford 



W. H. WHITl 



in I9 00 ' *2 



former renur^ 



noK^S^J Dom,nian " m . ,s a very pretty hybrid, also raised from D. 

 nobile, the other parent being D. Linawianum (moniliforme). This was 



The Paris International Exhibition, to be held 



referred to in our issue of February 19. 

 that the Royal Commission for the Exl 



as a sectional sub-committee for '-agriculture, iuw, puke 01 



fisheries, and wild crops": Earl Spencer (chairman), Earl of Cre»e, y f 

 Z' " ' ~~1 of Jersey, General Sir Redvers Buller^, ^ 



Horace Plunkett, M.P., Sir Edward Grey, M.P., Sir Trevor Lawre 



George Russell, Sir Jacob Wilson, 

 Grattan, and Mr. Paul J. Madden. 



M 



A 



r. W. T. Thistle'on Dyer, 



Bart 

 Mr. U*** 



