406 



GARDENERS' MA GA ZINE. 



Notes on Orchids. 



in the 



Cymbidium canaliculatum. 



This curious and interesting orchid is a native of north and east Australia, where 

 it has a very wide distribution, though not found in any great quantity in any 

 particular locality. The species was discovered early in the century by Dr. R. 

 Brown, who found it near Cape York. In 1865 Mr. J. G. Veitch re-discovered 

 it at the same place, and introduced it to British gardens. It is not sufficiently 

 showy to merit the attention of the majority of present day orchid growers, but 

 it is a most distinct species, and one that should prove of considerable value to 

 the hybridiser. It has growths that are almost pseudo bulbous, and only a few 

 inches long; the leaves are linear, sometimes twelve inches in lengthy The in 

 florescence is a raceme varying in length from one to two feet, and bearing, i 

 case of the form herewith figured, forty-five flowers. In the type the flowers are 

 brown with green margins, and the lip white with pink markings ; in the variety 

 exhibited a few weeks ago by Mr. D. Smith, gardener to J. Sparks, Esq., Heath - 

 cote, Ewhurst, Surrey, the flowers are almost black— an intense vinous purple ; 

 the >ip is small, as shown in the illustration, white, with blackish-brown margins 

 and markings. No varietal name was given to this orchid, but it differs consider- 

 ably in point of colour from the type. The R.H.S. Orchid Committee considered 

 it worthy an award of merit # on April 26 last, and on that day the plant was a 

 source of great interest. — C. 



Odontoglossum crispum Luciani. 

 For brilliant colouring, combined with fine form, Odontoglossum crispum 

 Luciani takes foremost rank among the many exquisite varieties of this most 

 popular orchid now in cultivation. It is not unlike O. c. augustum, and even 

 more shapely than it. • The flower has a white ground, tinged here and there with 

 rose"; 'on the broadl petals are very large'and bold red-brown blotches ; the sepals 



TOMATOS. 



One has to be at some little trouble to have tnmof ■ 

 ground by hardening them off before planting out in \Z y f ° r thc °P* 

 good plan to let them stand in a sheltered I spot fi? I h 

 before planting in final quarters, and the way that we bL7!2 0 ■ tcn ^ 

 have them well advanced in fruiting pots by mJ v f? ? U ? lants *to 

 bunch or truss of fruit already set. Then we puVt'hem 0^ ° De 

 plunged up to the rims in prepared beds, leaving about t™ - 5 m 

 space between each pot. In this way we ripen tomato aT 1 rf 

 annually equal in quality to indoor fruit. When treated inthh 1? V J? 

 are very handy should wet weather set in, for as they begin to fS T 

 damn and cold thev can with verv lirtU t™,,ku wA.._?._ . , iecl m 



lamp and cold they can with very little trouble be' taken 'indnl^ 

 ripened off perfectly. For late cropping in the houses I find thU 



and 



very convenient and usually make iV a point to hwfem^ 

 to four hundred ready to lift in August, and by so doing prolong 

 tomato season at least two months. At the last we take cuttings for J2 

 crops from the most prolific plants, as by doing so we can depend 3 

 early fruit of the finest quality and perfectly true. ^ 

 The tomatos I find best for outdoor cropping are Early Ruby and 

 Sutton's Abundance. These bear the best fruit when grown from cuttiwi 

 being nearly as prolific as when grown from seed, while the fruits are 5 

 a much finer quality. Then also the plants do not suffer from disease of 

 any kind. I would recommend everyone to give Abundance a trial and 

 once tried, it will be always used. We reduce the foliage of this variety 

 cutting it back to'two leaflets/and find the plants'do better so than wbai 



ODONTOGLOSSUM CRISPUM LUCIANI. 



are similarly marked, but the markings are somewhat smaller. The somewhat 

 narrow lip has a large red-brown blotch near the apex and smaller ones towards 

 the base The margins of the petals are denticulate, those of the sepals wavy. 

 v% e have previously described this fine odontogl ossum, and now take the oppor- 

 tunity of hguring it. O. c. Luciana was imported by Messrs. Lucien Linden 

 ana Co., Brussels, and bears the name of the head of the firm. 



. . , Orchis monophylla. 



inis is a pretty little Burmese" orchid with fleshy oblong leaves, narrowed into 

 a sheathing base, bright green, freely strewn with large red-purple spots. The 

 ea\es are very handsome, and so twisted as to present somewhat the appearance, 

 Th. £a 1 P? 1 *',™ 1 * s ? ch 45 the grocers twist from a square sheet of paper, 

 is £W°. " SeS - r T 3? of the Ieaf ' and » Partially surrounded by it V it 

 The \™S * ° f S ° m he '£ ht J a ? d carries a "ceme from two to three inches long. 

 Sv a thud ° f an inch Io "g. white, with a faint pink blush ; She 



ro^Xli'a W rnn;." 6 gT r mSh -. This s P ecies was originally named Habenaria 

 S« brinJ rSST inT CXaminati °n of living specimens has resulted in the 



the Southern 



again 



flSTSjjlJ {S&J - thC resuItin S P ,ants flowcr ^ last and 



LBON. 



by 



. This novel and not u« X ^ W fl , 

 house at Kew It u a *™ uve orchid is now flowering 



and introduced to Kew , ? n ° ? rT' and one that wa * c 

 only one he met with. Iatterlv »h pecimen Purd,e O'^-s*" »»*=• me 



flowering plants with long race »L ! Species ^ im Ported frequently, and 

 f**n exhibited at the Drill H ill nn oran ge-yellow and red-purple flowers have 

 »'ark Gardens has shown it in finS occasions. Mr. Thome, Sunningdale 



nne Con d«tion several times. 



When 



wtatber 

 theory 



sets in, then one.'sees all labour lost ; but in the g^r^- 



trouble is that it gives a little extra labour ; that is, i no ffor1JW | 



repaid, and there is the satisfaction of knowing that one* 

 have profitable results. 



Castle Hall Gardens. 



An Unlucky Tree—From ancient times ^May £ ^fruM , ^ 



r. davi» 



to the flower of the thorn that we must look for an e 

 evils which the latter portends to the rustic mind. H« 

 thorn was chosen by Henry VII. for his heraldic devn 

 of Bosworth, the crown of Richard III. was found 

 bush of that description. But this happened ED A, * 0 J i £J 



because 



even tb e 



..v.,„„ s iu oajr a^aiuaL me Hani 



flowers. Its crop of bright scarlet 



it* 



occasion to m*uy. « » 



always welcome, 

 It is almost un»«r*»T 



as the certain presage of a severe winter, a very 

 birds might, or might not, approve could it be in ;"P h r . e c r docS not, 

 rather curious confusion of mind about the forecast, whicn « « eh*fr 



associa 



particular 



a writer in 



taken in a French law-court A fine tree in the ground s 

 partment of the Seine-et-Oise was formally charged by he k 



affecting all the crops within ten miles of it. W£?£ re 

 and uoon the Mavor crH vr„„;^nal Council ; ana u 



esideot 



eichbours <; 



«ith 



local 



