December 2, 1886. ] 
JOURNAL OF HORTICULTURE AND COTTAGE GARDENER. 
495 
will be taken by the President, E. Sanlerson, Esq., at six o’ch ck pr ¬ 
ecisely. Tickets 3s. each. The prizes awarded at the recent Exhibition 
at the Royal Aquarium, Westminster, will be distributed on the occasion. 
- We are requested to publish the following note:—“ The 
general annual meeting of the Leek Rose Society was held at 
■the “Swan Hotel” on Monday evening, the 29th November, Mr. A- 
Holden in the chair. The annual report and balance-sheet, which was 
submitted to the members, showed that the Society was in a very flourish¬ 
ing condition, that many lovers of the queen of flowers had commenced 
to grow them, and others had increased their collection considerably, and 
the Committee congratulated the subscribers upon being able last year to 
pay the prize money in full two days after the Show was held. This will 
give a direct contradiction to the statement made some few months ago by 
■“ D., Deal," in the columns of the Journal of Horticulture, “ That the 
Leek Rose Society had died out through inanition,” and that he had no 
authority from its members for making the assertion. The following were 
then elected upon the Committee for the ensuing year :—Messrs. W. 
Capewell, J. Garner, A. Holden: C. Kemp, M. Mellor, J. Shallcross, J. 
Broster, J. Gilman, and J. Knowles. Mr. H. W. Nixon was again elected 
Hon. Sec. and Treasurer. After the usual vote of thanks to the officers 
the meeting then terminated.” 
- Me. Thos. H. Sykes, Cringle House, Cheadle, Cheshire, sends 
a list of plants in flower OUT OF dooes, and remarks :—“ It may 
be interesting apropos of the mildness of the season to tell you that in 
this humid climate of Cheshire I connted last Sunday, 21st November, 
more than sixty different kinds of flowers in my herbaceous garden in the 
open. I enclose a list. There were several others, the names of which 
I could not remember. Fuchsia, Japanese Anemone, Ericas, Phloxes, 
Geum coccineum, blue Cornflowers, single and double Dahlias, Viola, 
Gladiolus, Sweet Pea, double and miniature Sunfbwers, Iberis, Pansy, 
Sweet William, Dianthus (various), Common and French Marigolds, Car¬ 
nations, Lupin, Feverfew, Violet, Erigeron, Michaelmas Daisy, Holly¬ 
hock, Myosotis, Saponaria, Tropse flutns, Campanulas, Periwinkle, Lobelia, 
Coreopsis lanceolata, Chrysanthemum, Hydrangea, Lilium auratum, 
yellow Marguerite, single and double red Daisies, Ox-eye, Polyanthus, Corn 
Marigold, Scabious, Pentatemon, Papaver orient ale, Gaillardia, Strawberry, 
Onopardum oeinthemum, Clematis, Primrose, Stock, Rudbeckia, Saxi- 
fraga, Roses, Doronicum hybridum, Agrostemma, CatanancheJ]coerulea, 
Aubrietia purpurea, and Rhododendrons.” 
- A correspondent, “ J. A.,” desires to know what plant is 
referred to in the following lines :— 
“ Only one little sight, one plant, 
Woods have in May, that starts up green, 
Save a sole streak which, so to speak, 
Is spring’s blood, spilt its leaves between.” 
ORCHIDS AT CHELSEA. 
Scarcely are the Chrysanthemums past their best when Orchids 
again begin to attract attention, and though the numbers of those in 
flower at ihis time of year are not very great, it is surprising what a pro¬ 
fusion of blooms can be maintained from now onwards to the new year. 
In the neighbourhood of London the dense fogs recently experienced have 
seriously affected all the more delicate Orchids in flower, such as the 
Phalaenopses, which invariably suffer severely in the typical November 
weather, but there are some that apparently defy even sulphurous fogs, 
and amongst these happily constituted plants the Cypripediums have a 
prominent place. Messrs. J. Veitch & Sons have in their Chelsea 
Nursery an excellent representative display of these Orchids just now, 
and with novelties, varieties, and select varieties in other genera there is 
much to interest an orchidist. 
First to be noticed is the useful and pretty Cypripedium Sedeni, which 
has taken a position amongst the best of garden Orchids owing to its 
good habit, floriferousness, and pleasing delicate colour. For general 
utility it would stand at the head of the hybrid Cypripediums with the 
more recent less well-known C. calurum. In some respects, perhaps, the 
latter is preferable ; the flowers are larger, bolder in appearance, and 
rather richer in colour, the plant being of stronger habit. They are 
equally free and easily grown, and both show a peculiar character in 
regard to the action of light on the colours of the flowers. It has been 
observed that in dull dark weather the rose or crimson tints become 
much deeper and richer, while in bright sunny weather they fade again, 
often becoming very pale, quite the reverse of what takes place in many 
other Orchids, notably in the Calanthes. The same change is noticed in 
all the forms of the C. Sedeni type, and it points to the necessity for a shaded 
position if the colours are to be fully developed, 0. Sedeni candidulum 
is a ch irmiDg member of the same family, with beautifully formed flowers 
of almost delicate tint, the palest rose fading to white, a pretty companion 
for i s darker and older relatives. 
Sjatteied through the numerous houses are many other Cypripediums, 
but one of the divisions is specially reserved for them, and there we find 
a capital display of flowers of about twenty species and hybrids. Very 
remarkable amongst these is C. Arthurianum, a distinct and beautiful 
hybrid that when first flowered was not appreciated so highly as it de¬ 
served, but has since developed characters that entitle it to attention. It 
resulted from a cross made between C. Fairrieanum and C. insigne in a 
private garden, but the seeds so obtained were sent to Mews. Veitch and 
Sons and germinated in their nursery. It partakes greatly of the Fair¬ 
rieanum character in the shape of the flowers, the curiously deflexed 
petals imparting a very distinct appearance. The long dorsal sepal and 
purplish tint is so evenly disposed in spots or streaks that the blooms are 
extremely neat and symmetrical. C. oeuanthum and the greatly superior 
C. oenanthum superbum, the latter having a very dark flower with a 
shining surface as though it had been varnished. Near these is one of 
the parents of both hybrids, a good well-constitutioned plant—namely, 
C. Harrisianum, and an intensely dark variety, appropriately termed 
nigrum, is also flowering. C. Haynaldianum is remarkable for its long 
and clearly spotted petals; C. Veitchi (superbiens) for its large dorsal 
sepal, with beautifully regular greenish streaks; C. Crossianum, one of 
the Melchet Court hybrids (venustum x insigne) has neat pretty flowers, 
the lip and petals purplish and the dorsal sepal veined with green. 
C. Dauthieri, from C. villosum and C. barbatum, has large bold flowers, 
the dorsal sepai broad and of a dark crimson shade. C. conchifernm, of 
the C. caricinum and C. Roezli type, though not imposing is pleasing, 
having long petals ; C. marmorophyllum has a deep purplish lip ; the 
well-known C. Dominii, with its remarkably long drooping petals is 
flo vering ; C. Barteti, a cross between barbatum and Chantini; the small 
pink-flowered C. Schlimmi; a host of the useful C. Spicerianum and the 
handsome C. Leeanum superbum ; the white C. niveum, C. Warneri, 
with C. Chantini, and several other forms of C. insigne. It may be inter¬ 
esting to note that one of the Chelsea hybrids which has gained much 
favour on the Continent is C. tessellatum porphyreum (barbatum x con- 
color), and under the bright skies of Belgium and France it has assumed 
such a bright colour that a very experienced orchidist has not hesitated 
to term it “ the best hybrid Cypripedium yet raised.” 
The cool house contains some handsome varieties of OJontoglossum 
crispum and O. Ro ; si. Oncidium incurvum, which has been in flower for 
three months, has numerous graceful panicles of small purplish flowers. 
Plants of O. macranthum are also showing well, their strong spikes being 
of surprising length. In the porch Odontoglossum grande is now nearly 
past its best, but has been very handsome for many weeks. 0. Insleayi 
is still attractive, the pure white Lycaste Skinneri alba has some beautiful 
massive blooms, brightly coloured varieties of Sophronitis grandiflora are 
included with the others, Oncidiums Forbesi aud Jonesianum flowering 
freely. In the warmer houses Odontoglossum Roezli is noteworthy, 
Ccelogyne Massangeana has numerous long drooping racemes, Vanda 
Sanderiana is represented by a healthy plant and fine variety. There is 
a group of Denarobium bigibbum in one of the houses, comprising a 
number of healthy plants flowering admirably ; the white D. Deari has 
three good racemes,Vanda coerulea, and Dendrobium formosum giganteum, 
with the yellowish D. luteolum flowering abundantly. A very interesting 
hybrid that was certificated recently merits notice, though it is now out 
of flower. This was named Zygopetalum leopardinum, and was raised 
from a cross between Colax jugosus and Zygopetalum maxillare, being 
very strangely intermediate between the two species, thus forming 
another instance of bigeneric crossing. 
CHRYSANTHEMUM NOTES. 
Chrysanthemums at Leeds.— Teat the inhabitants of this great 
and busy town are lovers of flowers is apparent on passsing through the 
fine covered market on a Saturday night and seeing the enormous pro¬ 
vision of bouquets, especially of dainty arrangements for coat and dress 
decoration. Thousands of these are tastefully and temptingly disposed by 
Messrs. Sbaw, now Walker Brothers, and other floral caterers; and plants 
of various sizes are also in great demand. Chrysanthemums are evidently 
great favourites, probably because they combine beauty with cheapness. 
Several establishments are necessary for maintaining the supply of flowers 
for the town and district, and one of those visited was St. Ann’s Nursery, 
Kirkstall. Mr. Featherstone has made great progress here, and his re¬ 
sources are rapidly growing. Five extensive span-roof houses have just 
been added to the other fiye structures. Toe new erections are portable, 
the sides, ends, and sashes being of pitch pine, and some of them contain 
the finest collection of late Chrysanthemums we have yet seen, The 
plants were simply planted in beds, the growths kept in position by a few 
pea sticks affixed amongst them here and there, and the houses have been 
erected over the beds. Hot-water pipes are arranged round them, one 
next the roof at the foot of the lights, the other a little lower, this arrange¬ 
ment being better for dissipating damp than the ordinary plan of having 
the pipes on or near the ground. The varieties mainly grown for pro¬ 
ducing blooms from Christmas onwards are Princess of Teck, Meg Merri- 
liee, Miss Marechaux, and Snowdrop. It is a remarkable sight to see 
thousands of flowering stems, quite a forest of them, in the condition that 
Chrysanthemums are usually seen towards the end of September or early in 
October—that is, with buds ranging in size from small pea9 to large 
Marrowfats, fresh, plump, and with ev,ry prospect of opening kindly just 
when the blooms will be particularly acceptable. The plants appear to be 
flowering in quite a natural way, no special treatment having been 
accorded to retard them, The north would appear to possess advantages 
for producing Chrysanthemums at Christmas by and for the million, an 1 
