12 JOURNAL OF HORTICULTURE AND COTTAGE GARDENER. [ January e, issi. 
Barker, Esq., of Birmingham, in whose collection 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 Darvsoni. —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. 
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 arch¬ 
ing, bearing near its extremity several flowers of moderate size, 
the 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. albida. —A neat and attractive species, compact in habit, 
with spikes 6 to 8 inches long. Flowers of medium size ; sepals 
and petals white ; lip pale crimson streaked with yellow. Succeeds 
on a block in a cool temperature. 
L. autumnalis. —This usually flowers as late as December or 
January, and, like the last-named species, requires to be grown 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. 
In several collections of Orchids most of the above may be 
found in flower together, but L. anceps and its varieties are now 
particularly attractive.—L. C. 
HEATING BUILDINGS. 
Having carefully perused your notice of Messrs. Weeks & Co.’s 
new mode of heating buildings, I am desirous with your per¬ 
mission to state that the system described and illustrated in the 
last issue of your valuable medium for discussion and investi¬ 
gation, the Journal of Horticulture, is an adaptation of Tobin’s 
ventilating tube and Taylor’s patent warming and ventilating 
system ; both in their way as nearly as possible perfect in their 
aim and action. 
As many of your readers may not understand the nature of 
these inventions, permit me to explain that the former is an air- 
shaft or chamber with a valve to open or close at the top, which 
is about 5 feet from the floor. This air-shaft may be plain or 
ornamental, and may be fixed in or against an external wall by 
preference, or may be placed in any other convenient position in 
the apartment, so that an air-duct can pass from the outside of 
the building and be connected with its lowest extremity for the 
purpose of admitting a constant supply of pure air. Messrs. 
Weeks’ air-chamber in wall and air-duct through wall communi¬ 
cating with it at its lowest extremity, is identical with Tobin’s 
tube. Taylor’s patent warming and ventilating system is obtained 
by placing the hot-water pipes in cases or air-chambers having an 
air-duct passing from the outside of building to the end if hori¬ 
zontal, or lowest extremity if vertical ; and an orifice of a pro¬ 
portionate size at the other end, or upper extremity of such casing 
or chamber, the pipes being so arranged that the pure cold air in 
its passage through the chamber plays upon their entire surface, 
and so becomes thoroughly warmed before passing into com¬ 
bination wdth the air of the apartment. This system is automatic 
in its action, for the hotter the apartment becomes the greater is 
the inrush of cold air over the pipes, and vice versa. As to the 
position of their coil of pipes under the windows, I can only say 
that Messrs. Weeks could not have chosen a worse, for if the fresh 
air requires cooling by passing the glass, why go to the expense 
and trouble of warming it ?— F. W. Fletcher, 13, Great George 
Street, I Vestm inster. 
The Chaeleville Grapes. — Referring to the paragraph 
under the above heading in your last week’s issue, I beg to say 
that, owing to misprint of a figure in the local journal from 
which you quote, there is an error as to the weight of the bunch 
of Grapes exhibited by Mr. Roberts at this Society’s late Winter 
Show. The exact weight of the bunch was 21 lbs. 6 ozs., not 
26 lbs. 6 ozs.— A. Balfe, Secretary of the Royal Horticultural 
Society of Ireland. 
INSECT HAUNTS. 
I have frequently read and heard lately that insects have 
become more plentiful in our gardens in recent years than they 
were previously. I think this is true, and it suggests that either 
the many insecticides which have been introduced during the last 
twelve years have not been so efficient as was stated, or they have 
not been promptly and properly applied, for both out of doors 
and under glass insects keep up their numbers. This should 
hardly be the case in modern glass houses, as these certainly do 
not afford so many harbours as the old heavy timber erections ; 
but I think if a little more attention were paid to the subject of 
insect haunts we might probably have fewer enemies to contend 
with. 
Under glass few pests are more trouble or worse to exterminate 
than mealy bug. I keep a few in a vinery here I might almost 
say to experiment on with new insecticides, as I never miss a 
chance of trying the effects of a new introduction. This time we 
must have nearly exterminated the insects, as we have given them 
a strong application, not of our “own ” concoction, but of all the 
others together, and at the same time we have been more careful 
in clearing out and closing up their harbours than formerly. 
I find one of the very worst of these is just on that part where 
the wood is cut in pruning. Hard well-grown Vine wood does 
not show any indenture when newly cut, but before the bunches 
are well formed the pith in the centre of the wood has drawn in 
and left one of the finest harbours for bug. It is there they con¬ 
gregate during the growing, and defy all means to get them out. 
I proved this when the Vines were growing last summer, and I 
was reminded of it again this pruning time, as, although few bugs 
could be seen in the stems, they were crowded-in to the pith of 
last year’s wood. I have been very careful to cut all these knobs 
off ; and wherever a cut has been made, either in removing old 
wood or pruning new, the wound has been immediately sealed up 
with Thomson’s styptic. I know this is beneficial in preventing 
Vines bleeding, but its worth is doubled when it keeps bug out 
of such harbours. Some say, Wash the glass and woodwork ; but 
my opinion is that mealy bug will not harbour in dead wood if 
fresh material is at hand, and if the insects are cleared off and 
shut out from the Vines there would be less difficulty in eradicating 
them from other parts. 
At the bottom of the stem, especially if there is any roughness, 
is another favourite resort of theirs, and this does not apply to 
Vines, but to plants in pots as well. In cleaning the latter the 
leaves only are frequently sponged, but it is at the axils the insects 
harbour most. Broken rough ends about Peach, Fig, and other 
trees and plants under glass afford similar harbours, as do also 
trees in the open garden. If the precaution is taken to cut the 
wood clean there will not be so much chance of their finding 
suitable quarters. 
Old garden walls, with the joints between the bricks and stones 
looking as if a flood had washed the mortar from them, are shelters 
for snails, woodlice, and many others, and rarely can uninjured 
fruit be gathered from trees against such a position. Too much 
refuse is frequently allowed to accumulate in kitchen gardens to 
the encouragement of slugs, snails, and other destructive insects. 
It is generally the practice to attempt the destruction of insects 
only when the young vegetables appear above ground ; but if 
gardens were well dusted with lime in winter many insects would 
be destroyed, the progeny of which would otherwise be a source 
of great annoyance in spring. I am a little ignorant as to the 
position of the winter haunts of wasps ; but perhaps some of your 
readers will inform me on this point.—A Kitchen Gardener. 
^ROOT-PRUNING AND SUMMER-PRUNING FRUIT 
TREES.—No. 3. 
The system of summer-pruning by many gardeners of the 
present day is very different in some respects from that of old 
practitioners. When I first entered the garden I was given to 
understand that the shoots on wall or pyramid fruit trees should 
not be interfered with until midsummer, the reason being that 
they would shoot again from the lower buds if stopped earlier in the 
season. At that time the operation was commenced in earnest, 
