October 29 



1898. 



GARDENERS' MA GAZINE. 



705 



u- Swedes and turnips were infested by the Aphis (Rhopalosiphum) 

 cdery apbis.^ a of Engknd and Sco tia n d. 



raP 'X\A and garden beans were much infested by Aphis rumicis, the " Black 

 iu-" and their crops in some places were seriously lessened. This aphis is 

 Dolpnin, * except in the very early stage, when it is brown. Little or 



bla ? • m «i„ h- done to check this attack in fields ; in gardens it is possible to 

 nothing cau 



spray infested beans. ^ ^ ^ 



a hides were abundant upon rose trees, and upon several species of garden 

 .... Ap T the former case they were easily cleared off by spraying with quassia 

 f "nan solutions, but this was nearly ineffective with the lilies, as the aphides 

 were cohered by the folds of the buds. 



Spring Flowers. 



At a recent meeting of the Devon and Exeter Gardeners' Association Mr. Andrew 

 Hope read an interesting paper upon the above subject. Proceeding to describe the 

 various flowers as they appear in spring, the essayist appropriately referred firstly 

 to the aconite, which gives a warmth of colour at a cold time of the year, say 



Sweetest of spring's children was the snowdrop. As a rule — 



early in January 



11 The snowdrop in purest white arraie 

 First rears her hedde on Candlemas Daie," 



an early Church calendar has it. Of the snowdrop, many of the best varieties 

 are grown in, and exported from, Palestine. The flower has been dedicated to 

 the Virgin Mary, from the fact of its being so often found in the gardens of old 

 nunneries. In many parts of Devonshire a single blossom when taken into a 

 house is considered to be a death-token from its pure white shroud like colour and 

 form. Whilst the snowdrop speaks to us of gentle repose and shyness, the crocus 

 breathes an air of exuberant gladness. The ancients dedicated the crocus to St. 

 Valentine, and in an old Church calendar of flowers it is referred to in the lines : — 



" The crocus hastens to the shrine 

 Of primrose love on St. Valentine." 



Milton employed this gaily amorous flower to stud the retiring bower of Adam and 

 Eve before the Fall. One of the most dainty of spring flowers, and one that is too 

 little known, is the Glory of the Snow (Chionodoxa Luciliae), which is absolutely 

 hardy and has been seen blooming in the hard frosty ground of February. It 

 likes sandy soil, and some of the finest specimens have been grown between Bud- 

 leigh Salterton and Sidmouth. Scillas or squills used to be more popular than 

 they are now, which is a pity, because their blue flowers are none too plentiful. 

 Daffodils are perhaps the loveliest of spring flowers. The grandest of all the 

 varieties of the daffodil is the Narcissus maximus, which has been truly described 

 as " like a vase of beaten gold." One of the most satisfactory of all the Narcissus 

 family is the Sir Watkin, of which, near Falmouth last spring, some were cut 

 with stalks about four feet long and flowers of enormous size. The daffodil is 

 indeed, as Keats describes it, "A thing of beauty and a joy for ever." 



The hyacinth he described as the queen of spring flowers, and the title is not 

 inapt. Its bulbs are only grown for sale in one country — Holland— and in only 

 a small part of that not very large country, for it might be comprised in the area 

 between Heavitree and Exmouth and the estuary of the Exe on one side, with a 

 distance as far as Sidmouth for its breadth. This is a perfectly level plain, and 

 the soil is a kind of sticky black sand, the nearest approach to which is the land 

 near the village of Newton Poppleford. The process of reproduction is by scoop- 

 ing out the base of the bulb, and making incisions across the exposed part at 

 right angles, and replanting with the cut part downwards. Then there comes 

 out a very large number of bulblets which nestle and grow like chicken under a 

 brood hen. These bulblets are properly dealt with until in the fourth or fifth year 

 they are ready for sale as flowering bulbs. Tulips make a grand show in the 

 spring, and at a small cost. Those who had seen the public parks in our great 

 cities knew what an effective display is made, and he hoped to see the public 

 gardens of Exeter similarly treated before long. Ten pounds spent on Northern - 

 hay would be a good investment, and would be a certain attraction for citizens 

 and visitors. During the last few years the anemone has become popular, espe- 

 cially the large brightly-coloured sorts. Anemones are most useful as cut flowers, 

 for they last a long time in water, and to the end retain a gay and not ungraceful 

 appearance. There was a time when the ranunculus was much grown, but lately 

 they have been neglected for the less formal, much larger, and more brilliantly 

 coloured French ranunculus. 



Though his remarks had been confined to bulbous-rooted flowers, Mr. Hope 

 did not forget their spring companions so beautifully referred to by Nature's poet, 

 Thomson The Seasons." There were some spring flowers which were too 



Thomson, in 

 rarely seen. 



Notes on Orchids. 



Maxillaria striata. 



This pretty Peruvian orchid is still somewhat scarce in collections, although 

 introduced by the Messrs. Linden and Co., L'Horticulture Internationale, 

 Brussels, about 1892, and flowered for the first time, in cultivation, at their estab- 

 lishment in August of that year. So far as shape is concerned the species is inter- 

 mediate between M. venusta and M. grandiflora, having a labellum very much 

 like that of the former. The sepals and petals are rather attenuated, and in some 

 forms the tips recurve somewhat ; they are yellowish-green with regular striations 

 of reddish-purple, the lines fading, however, towards the apex of each segment, 

 leaving a bright greenish-yellow tip. The lip has a white ground colour, and the 

 curved, central lobe is almost pure white ; the side lobes recurve prettily, and so 

 show off to full advantage the handsome veinings of bright purple. The extreme 

 diameter of a good form of Maxillaria striata may be as much as five and a half 



. For instance, there was the Crown Imperial, one of the noblest 



and handsomest, with its flowers, bell-shaped, hanging down in a circle like a 

 bejewelled crown. The fritillary is another old-fashioned and very beautiful 

 nower. It was given as a wild flower occurring in the east and south of England, 

 ^d it is said to have been found in our county u about East Down " many years 

 J80 by the Rev. J. H. Townsend. The irises are a large and scattered family, 

 wt all are beautiful and interesting, and few flowers that bloom in the spring can 

 compare w ith them for general usefulness and interest. The taller varieties have 

 a m *jestic appearance, and from that cause possibly the iris was adopted as a 

 symbol of power. We have it on the sceptre and as a national emblem on our 

 coinage^the fleur-de-lys or luce. 



Besides out-of-door flowers there were many very beautiful subjects which 

 orighten the conservatory and greenhouse of the early months of the year, and of 

 uis the Gardeners 5 Association had afforded ample evidence in the excellent spring as Cattleya Mossu:, 

 w^ws h f eld un <*er its auspices for two or three years. Among the most popular collections of orchids. 



Maxillaria striata. 



majority of instances coming uuu« uui 



The blooms are borne singly at the apes. 



■ M 



and 7 U11UCI auspices ror two or tnree years. Araung ine must pupuiai 



th q 1? for Ch r i stm as decorations are the Roman hyacinths, which are grown in 



vTri , of France - ° f the liJ y of the valle y> fa y far the finest is the Berlin 



which ^ Another ver y us eful conservatory flower is the Polyanthus narcissus, of 

 plant- f t ^ fe n0W many charmin g kinds. Freesias are highly serviceable 

 r*" 3 > lor their perfume is delicious, they occupying small space and are easily 

 lr > . ^ a d not treated upon other spring favourites, such as cyclamen, 

 genistas, dielytras, primulas, auriculas, &c, and he hoped others would 

 OT the deficiency on some future occasion. 



measure a little over four inches across. 



nf .tout six to eight inches long, scapes, ana wnen several «c * - 



of stout, ffiwe g reguk M< suiau ls nQt M gQrgcous 



EULOPHIKLLA Vv.lVl RRSIANA. 



grown. 



• a' a nrrhid from Madagascar was described and hgurea in tnese 

 This splendid orchia * - fa ^ L ^ 



columns when it mowci ^ ^ lwoC0 i oure d illustrations that appear m 



We refer to it now -in conn 6 as lhe tcxt stales thc discoverer of the species was 

 the Bat. Mag., U 7* UK * Antananarivo, but who sDcnt specimens of leaves 



the 



Kiitz . m They might not be able to turn 



Widcm °^ tne * r di scont ent" into ''glorious summer," but they could by 

 a succe'f ,aTra ^ gement and f° re thought secure a wide choice and have an array and 

 and eon S1 ° n °» l ° vely s P rin g flowers in the winter months until " the rain is over 

 heard ;„ ! L an r the time of singing of birds is come, and the voice of the turtle is 

 * IU m the land." 



measuring 



sent living p«ui« ^ - - 

 where one flowered and pro 



necessary 



—7 v 



material for 



eulophiella 



description. It » to be sincerely hoped that plants 

 hT forthcoming in quantity now that Madagascar i 



every collection. 



