68 
JOURNAL OF HORTICULTURE AND COTTAGE GARDENER. 
[ January 22, 1885. 
of horticulture—viz., the cultivation of plants, decorative or flowering; the 
cultivation of fruit, exotic or hardy; and the cultivation of vegetables. 
Members had responded by contributing thirteen essays, seven of which 
were eligible for competition for the above prizes, which were adjudicated 
by the Editors of the Journal of Horticulture. The successful competitors 
■were :—Mr. James Friend, foreman, The Gardens, Iwerne Minster, Shaftes¬ 
bury, for plants; subject, “ Cultivation of the Allamanda.” Mr. James 
Inman, Chapel-Allerton, Leeds, for fruit; subject, “The Apricot.” Mr. 
James Inman, for vegetables ; subject, “ The Cultivation of the Cucumber.” 
As the essays were the means of exciting much discussion and emulation, 
and thereby diffusing much useful knowledge, the Committee hoped the 
members would continue to render them their support. 
Mr. Loe, in proposing “ Success to the Society,” said that the members 
of that organisation were cultivating the habits of thrift and industry, and 
were not only providing for the present but for the future. Friendly 
societies were not only a boon to those who were members of them, but were 
also of advantage to the country. Habits of thrift and economy engendered 
by members of such societies must naturally tend to lessen the rates and 
benefit the community at large. He found that their Society had several 
special advantages. As members of one particular trade they must of 
necessity have greater sympathy with each other than if they were a body 
of men indiscriminately picked from men in various trades. He con¬ 
gratulated them on the satisfactory condition of the Society, and wished 
them every prosperity. The Secretary proposed “ The Honorary Members 
and Guests.” He explained fully the great benefit the honorary members 
had been to the Society, for since its commencement they had subscribed no 
less than £300. This enabled the Committee to ensure 10s. a week for 
twenty-six weeks of illness and 5s. per week as long as the member remained 
ill, in return for the payment of 3d. per week only. Mr. Sunley remarked 
that the annual gathering had proved beneficial, so many guests coming 
year by year, and three of the guests at the meeting made known their in¬ 
tentions of becoming honorary members. 
After’ reading the report of the last year’s meeting in these columns 
two young men joined the Society from Iwerne Minster, Salisbury, and one 
of them, as above mentioned, was awarded the prize for an essay that he 
contributed. Mr. Oxley is doing good educational work in offering these 
prizes, and the Society and its management is in every way commendable. 
WINTER-FLOWERING LiELIAS. 
The genus Lmlia comprises numerous species and varieties, all possess¬ 
ing considerable attractions and usually occupying an important position 
were either large or small collections of Orchids are grown. The delicacy 
or intense richness of the colours that distinguish the flowers, their 
elegant forms, and the very slight difficulty attending the culture of the 
majority of the species, render Lselias general favourites. Further 
valuable characters and recommendations are derived from the diverse 
seasons at which they bloom, for with the exception of a few months a 
supply of bright flowers is maintained throughout the year. Summer, 
autumn, and winter have each their characteristic species, all handsome 
and well meriting attention, but those that flower at the present time 
seem especially attractive, and a few observations concerning their re¬ 
spective qualities will be seasonable. 
Lrelias are epiphytal Orchids confined to the American continent, and 
chiefly abounding in Brazil and Mexico. They are very nearly allied to 
Cattleyas, and to casual observation they are notdistinguishable ; however, 
botanists have deemed the possession of eight pollen masses sufficient to 
separate them as a genus from Cattleyas, which have only four, but an 
approach to this typical character of the Lmlias is observed in some 
Cattleyas. In habit, form of the flowers, colours, and beauty the two 
genera approach each other closely. Although the subjects of these re¬ 
marks are all epiphytal in habit, yet several are cultivated in pots, the 
species of strongest growth being best suited for that mode of culture, the 
others requiring blocks. As regards temperature the majority need 
similar treatment to Cattleyas, but several, especially the Mexican forms, 
thrive best in a cooler house. For those grown in pots the usual compost 
of peat, sphagnum, and charcoal is suited, the drainage being abundant, 
and the supply of water liberal during the growth of the plants. These 
remarks are applicable t® the whole genus, but especially to the winter¬ 
flowering Lselias, of which the most remarkable are briefly described in 
the following notes. 
LiELiA anceps. —A Mexican species of great beauty that flowers 
during the dull season, and remains in good condition for a considerable 
time. It is extremely variable in colours and form of the flowers, but in 
the type these have broader petals than sepals, both of a fine rosy hue, 
and a long lip blotched with purplish crimson towards the apex. The 
flowers are borne on the upper portion of a spike, which is frequently 
18 inches in length. The plant is of robust growth and blooms freely, 
succeeding abmirably in pots. Of the numerous varieties, which vary 
principally in the colours of sepals, petals, and lip, the three following 
deserve special mention :— 
L. Anceps var. Barkeriana. —One of the most elegant forms, as the 
annexed engraving well indicates, and easily distinguished by the sepals 
and petals being of equal width. They are of a delicate rosy tint, the lip 
being broadly margined with intense purplish crimson, and streaked 
inside with a similar hue ; in form it is also longer and much more acute 
than in the type. It was, like the species, found in Mexico, and was 
named in honour of George Barker, Esq., of Birmingham, in whose col¬ 
lection it first flowered about forty years ago. 
L. anceps var. alba.— A beautiful companion for the one last 
described, which Mr. W. Bull of Chelsea has placed in commerce. It is a 
native of Mexico, where it has been found at elevations of 8000 feet above 
sea level, and consequently is admirably adapted for culture in cool 
houses. The flowers are pure white, the lip only having a few yellow 
streaks, which serve to more clearly show the chasteness of the other 
portion of the flower. It is a charming variety, and cannot be too highly 
recommended. 
L. anceps Dawsoni. —Another pretty variety that flowered in the 
celebrated Meadowbank collection about thirteen years ago, after the 
proprietor of which it is named. It has white sepals and petals, but the 
lip is streaked and blotched with crimson and purple, the lip undulated 
and margined with white. When in good condition the contrast is very 
striking. 
Numerous other varieties of this handsome species have been described 
and honoured with distinct names, and it is seldom that an importation 
is received without several distinct forms being obtained amongst others 
of an ordinary character. Whether it is judicious to bestow names upon 
such variable Orchids, or rather upon so many of these variations, is 
doubtful, and often appears to the uninitiated quite unnecessary. The 
fact is, however, with these as with other plants, when the eye becomes 
trained by familiarity with the leading characters of a species deviations 
from that character are more readily detected and appear more prominent 
than they do to those less intimately acquainted with them. Therefore 
it is that such names become almost indispensable to the experienced and 
critical orchidist. In addition to the varieties of L. anceps already named 
the following deserve notice :—L. a. Hilliana, a pretty form with a lip 
two-lobed at the apex and having an orange disk. It was named by 
Prof. Reichenbach in honour of C. G. Hill, Esq., of Arnot Hill, Notting¬ 
ham, whose celebrated collection of Orchids was described in this 
Journal June 3, 1880, page 436, and accompanied by a view of his prin¬ 
cipal Orchid house. L. a. Calvertiana is in the way of Dawsoni, but 
with narrower petals. L. a. Veitchiana is a magnificent variety with 
white sepals and petals, and a large lip half gold and half white, pen¬ 
cilled with purple. Messrs. J. Veitch & Sons were awarded a certificate 
for it at Kensington in January, 1882. L. a. Percivaliana pulcherrima 
is also a handsome form, containing in the flower a charming combina¬ 
tion of rose, purple, and mauve ; it is named after R. P. Percival, Esq., 
of Southport. 
L. acuminata. —This species, also from Mexico, is grown both in 
pots and on blocks, but it succeeds much more satisfactorily under the 
latter mode of culture. The scape is slender and arching, bearing near 
its extremity several flowers of moderate size, and sepals and petals of 
which are white, of a wax-like texture ; the lip also white, with a rich 
bright purple blotch at the base, imparting a very distinctive appearance 
to the flower. 
L. superbiens. —Remarkable for its strong growth and the great 
length the spike attains, frequently exceeding 4 feet, and bearing a dozen 
or more flowers on the upper portion. The blooms are large, 3 to 4 inches 
in diameter, with rose-coloured sepals, the petals shaded with darker 
tints, and the crimson labellum streaked with yellow. It is one of the 
most handsome in the genus, and requires culture in pots and moderately 
cool treatment. 
L. autumnAlis. —This usually flowers as late as December or 
January, and, like a few other species, succeeds well on a block. The 
flowers are large, the sepals and petals purplish with a yellow streaked lip. 
It varies considerably in the richness of the colouring, several well- 
marked varieties being known. 
L. albida. —Though placed lest on the list of winter-flowering Lselias, 
this species is not surpassed in usefulness by any of those named. It is 
easily grown, very floriferous, and its delicately fragrant blooms last for 
several weeks in the most dreary portion of the year. The flowers being 
white, also render the plant still more valuable, for though we have a 
great variety of rich shades of colour in Lselias generally, there are very 
few with white flowers, and these are chiefly varieties of other species, as 
of L. anceps, for instance, the rarity of which renders them so high- 
priced that they are practically beyond the reach of most growers, and 
in any case comparatively useless for cutting. Laelia albida, however, is 
exactly adapted for this purpose, and whether the blooms are arranged in 
vases as cut from the plant, or wired singly for bouquets, &c., they are 
equally valuable. The fragrance, too, is charming and has been aptly 
compared to “abed of Primroses;” it is one of those delicately sweet 
odours which never satiate and seem like reminders of the spring. 
The species was described by Mr. Bateman in the miscellaneous notices 
published in the “ Botanical Register ” for 1839, who thus refers to it :— 
“ A native of the environs of Oaxaca, whence it was sent to me this spring 
by the Messrs. Sadler of that place. Its colour is quite a novelty in the 
genus, all the other species bearing rose-coloured or lilac flowers. It has 
the graceful appearance of L. autumnalis, from which it can scarcely be 
distinguished in habit. Its flowers are very different in their form (as 
well as colour) from all the other species ; they are about 2 inches across, 
sweet-scented, and excepting a bright yellow streak down the centre of the 
lip, and a few crimson dots at its base, are of a uniform semi-transparent 
white. It appears to be of easy cultivation, and the most free-flowering 
individual of the genus.” In the same volume of the work named a 
coloured plate is given of the plant, and Lindley there states that it was 
found by Count Karwinski in cool places near St. Pedro, in Oaxaca, Mexico. 
It appears to have found its way into England through several channels. It 
was in the possession of Mr. Bateman, a Mr. T. Harris purchased with 
some Cacti from a French collector, and a plant was included in the Kew 
collection, though it did not flower until 1842. Since then numerous 
varieties have been obtained, and one of the best of these is 
L. A. Marian.®. —A sketch of a plant of this variety from a specimen 
in Mr. James’s collection, Lower Norwood, is given in fig. 11, and shows 
the chaiaeter well, though the tips of the sepals and petals should be 
darker. The chief beauty of this form consists in the purple-tinted lip 
