214 JOURNAL OF HORTICULTURE AND COTTAGE GARDENER. . [ March is, usa. 
made the most growth, Dr. Hogg next, and Muscat of Alexandria, 
which this year will occupy what would usually be the space of 
three Vines, is also starting much more vigorously at the bottom, 
and not at the top, of the Vine. I will continue these remarks 
another time.—C. P. P. 
PEAR MARIE BENOIST. 
With this Pear many of our readers will be less familiar than 
they are with some others that have been submitted as worthy of 
the attention of cultivators. Yet those who have grown Marie 
Benoist esteem it as a variety of considerable merit and great 
promise. Mr. Haycock, the grower of the specimen now figured, 
speaks approvingly of this Pear, and Mr. Rivers describes it as a 
very valuable addition to late Pears. It is doubtless worthy of 
cultivation, and the tree grows well and bears freely. 
The fruit is large, irregularly turbinate, and more swollen on 
one side than on the other. Skin bright green, dotted and lined 
with russet, and covered with patches of fawn-coloured russet. 
Eye small, open, and deeply set. Stalk very short and thick, 
obliquely inserted, with a large swelling on one side of it. Flesh 
white, tender, very melting and slightly gritty, very juicy, sweet, 
and delicately perfumed. An excellent dessert Pear, ripe during 
January and February. A medium sized fruit is represented on 
the preceding page. 
This was raised by M. Auguste Benoist, a nurseryman at Brissac, 
not far from Angers, and named after his daughter Marie. 
ORCHIDS IN MARCH. 
Most of the plants are now showing signs of growth, and con¬ 
sequently the humidity of the atmosphere must be slightly in¬ 
creased by occasional syringings, which should be mostly confined 
to the paths and stages, in preference to watering the plants 
themselves. The night temperatures should be 65° in the East 
Indian house, 60° to 63° in the Dendrobium house, 60° in the 
Cattleya house, and 55° in the Odontoglossum house. It will be 
advisable to see to the blinds and ascertain that they are all 
in working order, as shading will be required on bright sunny 
days. Of the Orchids in bloom this month the following are the 
most prominent. 
Aendes virens is showing its sweet-scented greenish white 
flowers, being one of the first of the Aerides to start flowering, 
and remains a long time in bloom. A. crispum and A. Fieldingii 
are showing their spikes, and should be surfaced with new material 
and never shaken out of the pot, as this is liable to check the 
flowering. The end of this month will be a good time to attend 
to the Aerides. Those which have become too tall should have 
the decayed stem and roots cut away and be lowered in the pot 
with clean potsherds and moss, and carefully watched for insects. 
Cattleya amethystoglossa is in fine condition, the robust scapes 
bearing from seven to twelve flowers with rosy white purple- 
spotted sepals and petals and a rich purple lip. This is a grand 
Orchid, and is still very scarce. C. Skinnerii, producing from 
nine to twelve flowers with rosy purple sepals and petals and a 
crimson-red lip with a white spot at the base, also looks fine. 
This Cattleya succeeds best with the cool-growing Lselias. 
Cypripedium Spicerianum.— Newly imported plants of this 
should be fastened upon blocks, head downwards, so that water 
may not lodge in the leaves, and should be hung in the warmest 
division and syringed twice a day until the leaves begin to stiffen 
and the plants show signs of rooting, when they will be safe to 
pot. We have adopted this method with C. Low r ei, C. Stonei, and 
several others with perfect success. 
Colax jugosus.— This pretty dwarf-growing Orchid is in bloom, 
its short scape bearing a couple of flowers with pure white sepals 
and dark purple-lined white petals, the lip being white spotted 
with purple. It succeeds in the intermediate house near the 
ventilators with a liberal supply of water. 
Dendrobium aggregatum is producing its short spikes of golden 
yellow flowers with flesh-coloured lip. It thrives well in a basket 
suspended from the roof. D. Ainsworthii, a beautiful hybrid 
between D. nobile and D. aureum, is blooming at present. The 
flowers are pure white tipped with purple, and with a large 
purple blotch at the base of the tip. Like most hybrids this is 
very free in growth. D. onosmum with its large rose-coloured 
woolly-looking flowers is in perfection, and lasts a long time in 
bloom. D. Cambridgeanum is of a drooping habit like the pre¬ 
ceding. The flowers are brilliant orange yellow, with a crimson 
spot in the centre of the lip, and are now remarkably fine. D. 
Freemanii is producing its handsome rosy-lilac flowers, the lip 
being deep violet with a yellowish-white border. It makes a fine 
display. D. Finlayanum is blooming freely. This somewhat 
resembles D. nodosum in habit, having flask-like nodes, w T hile the 
flowers are not unlike those of D. Boxallii. The sepals and petals 
are white with purplish-violet tips, the lip white, with a yellow 
disk and purplish-violet base. This is a very floriferous species. 
D. macrophyllum is bearing its exquisitely tinted pale rose flowers, 
which are exceedingly showy, and emit a strong rhubarb-like 
smell. D. Pierardii with its beautiful white and yellow flowers 
is also in bloom, lasting a long time in perfection. It makes a 
lovely basket plant and is most useful for cutting. Nearly all 
the deciduous Dendrobes do best in baskets or pans suspended 
from the roof. 
Dendrochilum glumaceum is a lovely Orchid with its graceful 
pikes of deliciously scented whitish flowers. This thrives well 
in the warmest end of the Cattleya house in peat and sphagnum. 
Odontoglossum Cervantesii with its delicate rosy pink flowers 
marked with rosy crimson semicircles and a white lip, is in fine 
condition at present. 0. Roezlii.—This charming Odontoglot 
bearing large white flowers with purple base is blooming finely, 
as is also 0. Roezlii album, with its violet-scented pure white 
flowers with pale yellow lip. These should always be grown in 
the Cattleya house and never allowed to become dry. 0. 
roseum.— This charming little species is bearing its graceful 
many-flowered spikes of beautiful bright rose-coloured blooms, 
which last a long time in perfection, and are extremely attractive. 
0. vexillarium is at present producing its spikes, which should 
be carefully looked to, as they are liable to be injured by being 
caught in the axils of the leaves and often snap off. Where this 
is grown in quantity its large handsome flowers may be seen from 
March to October. 
Oncidium sarcodes is making a fine display with its long 
branching spikes, bearing from twenty-five to thirty large bright 
yellow flowers blotched with brownish-red, and will continue in 
perfection for the next four or five weeks. This thrives well in 
pans with a mixture of peat, charcoal, and live moss. O. spha- 
celatum is producing its spikes and promising well. 
Pleione humilis with its white flowers having a beautifully 
fringed crimson-veined lip, and P. Hookeriana, with its equally 
lovely yellow-striped blooms, contribute to the gayness of the 
houses. 
Trichopilia suavis is producing its spikes, bearing from three to 
five hawthorn-scented flowers, which are of a creamy-white colour 
stained and spotted with red. It thrives well in the intermediate 
house wdth peat and moss and plenty of drainage.— Orchidist. 
MUSHROOM GROWING. 
As I have seen from time to time in the pages of this valuable 
Journal accounts of failure in the culture of Mushrooms, perhaps 
a few particulars concerning my method of preparing the dung 
and after-management may be of service to some of your readers. 
As I have had the management of the Mushroom house in several 
establishments I think my mode can be relied upon, as I never 
had a complete failure. First, the dung should be obtained fresh 
from the stables, every morning if possible, and should not be dried 
as recommended by some, although, at the same time, it should 
be protected from the wet. I have found it to be entirely useless 
for Mushroom-growing when it has become very dry. It should 
be placed in a shed until there is enough for the bed; then it may 
be thrown up together in a conical shape, but must not be allowed 
to heat too much so that the centre becomes dry, but turn it 
every day for a w T eek, more or less, according to the size of the 
heap. 
In making the beds commence with a layer, say a foot in thick¬ 
ness, ram this down firmly, then another layer, making this also 
firm, continuing this till the bed is finished. After the last layer 
has been made firm insert a thermometer; very likely the tem¬ 
perature will rise to 100°. When the heat has declined to 85° it is 
time to see about spawning. The spawn should be broken into 
pieces about the size of a teacup, inserting these half an inch below 
the surface with a plunging fork (for I find if dibbled-in very often 
the spawn does not touch the bottom), 6 inches apart every way. 
The bed should then be well rammed down again and the soil 
placed over 2 inches thick. This should be well pressed down 
firmly, then give a sprinkling of water and smooth the surface 
with a spade, finishing by covering with hay or old mats ; the latter 
I find the better, as bay harbours woodlice. This should have a 
sprinkling occasionally to keep the surface from cracking. No 
water should be given until the spawn has covered the bed, then 
water at a temperature of 86° should be supplied.—J. P. 
Ox a recent visit to Brantingham Thorpe I noticed Mushrooms 
were grown well; in fact the beds were white with them. The 
house has a north aspect, and the walls on each side of the path 
