452 
JOURNAL OF HORTICULTURE AND COTTAGE GARDENER. 
[ June 16, 1892. 
froat. The less, however, they are disturbed the better, as it is 
only when seen in a mass that their beauty can be fully realised.— 
S. Arnott. 
LIVERPOOL NOTES. 
Orchids at Allerton Beeches, 
The pretty little house set apart for these when in flower was 
particularly gay on a recent visit being paid. Amongst the more 
notable were Gypripedium barbatum nigrum with thirty flowers, and 
good plants of C. Schroderm and C. superbiens, Oncidium macranthum 
with ninety-six flowers, Masdevallia Veitchi grandiflora in 10-inch pots 
with 114 spikes, Odontoglossum Coradinei with twenty-eight flowers 
(very pretty), 0. Alexandra in variety, and a fine plant of Cattleya 
Sanderiana, a peculiarity in it being a bulb without a leaf, carrying four 
fine flowers. The useful old Cattleya Mossise was represented by many 
plants and varietal forms. O.her kinds, too numerous to mention, were 
helping to swell the display. 
Cypripedixtms Calceolus and spectabile. 
These two hardy Cypripediums are so seldom met with that I was 
thankful to Mr. Edwards, the gardener at Allerton Beeches, for having 
drawn my attention to them. On the top of a piece of rocWork fully 
exposed the former had just gone out of flower, but ensconsed in a 
little nook lower down was C. spectabile, just pushing up its spikes. To 
those about to try the cultivation of these plants, or to those who have 
failed hitherto, it may be interesting to learn that the following 
composts answer perfectly — viz., for C. Calceolus, pieces of limestone 
and Kentish loam ; and for C. spectabile, peat, sand, and moss. 
Beddinu Calceolarias as Pot Plants. 
As seen in 10-inch pots arranged at intervals the whole length of 
the beautiful corridor at Cleveley, Allerton, the usefulness of these 
'Calceolarias for decorative purposes, also for cut blooms, could not be 
ignored. Many of the plants would have measured 5 feet across, and 
the light variety is a most telling shade of yellow when seen in large 
(masses. To the professional, as well as tbe amateur and cottager, their 
beauty appeals alike. As soon as the plants are over in the beds select 
•some of the best, lift with good balls of soil, and place into pots of 
various sizes, using loam, leaf mould, and sand. Keep them in a house 
during winter from which the severest frosts are excluded, and when 
starting place them in an early vinery or warm house. From these 
...transfer them to a house a little cooler or into the conservatory. These 
plants will be a welcome addition to the structure, and repay the small 
amount of trouble they require. Orchids are grown equally well by Mr. 
Cromwell, the gardener. 
Orchids at Hillside, Allerton. 
Hillside is the residence of Colonel Wilson, and Mr. Healy is the able 
gardener. Arranged in a very small house were some well flowered 
specimens of Laelia purpurata. One variety called purpurata rosea was 
noticeable by the deep rose which suffused the petals. Six plants were 
.in bloom, and carried about fifty flowers, all of very fine form and 
substance, whilst a few were just over. The Cattleya Mossiae were good 
• types, healthy plants, and finely flowered, something to be proud of 
considering the short period Orchid growing has been carried on 
.'there.—R. P. R. 
ROYAL HORTICULTURAL SOCIETY. 
June 7th. 
Scientific Committee. —Present : Mr. Morris (in the chair), 
'■Mr. McLachlan, the Rev. W. Wilks, and the Rev. G. Henslow, 
'■ Hon. Sec. 
Cattleya Mendeli, Monstrous. —Mr. Wilks exhibited a spray bearing 
- two flowers, both of which were dimerous, in that there were only two 
lateral sepals, the anterior one being wanting. One of the pair of 
. anterior petals was present and situated nearly normally, but the lip 
was peculiar in having one half of the form and colour of a labellum, 
while the other half had that of an ordinary petal. This suggested the 
idea of a fusion having taken place between a petal and the lip, only 
' half of each organ, however, being present, Without negativing the 
possibility of this being the case, an examination of the origin, form, 
••and distribution of the fibro-vascular cords entering this complex organ, 
suggested rather that it was not two, but really only one organ which 
•had developed one half as a lip the other half as a petal, just as in 
semi-double flowers a stamen will often develop one anther cell, the 
other being petaloid. With regard to the position of the parts, while 
the two sepals were strictly “ right and left,” the common (transverse) 
axis of both the petals and of the column was shifted, and so became 
unsymmetrically situated with regard to the sepals. The ovary cell 
was replaced by an irregular cavity, with no trace of placentas or 
ovules. 
Iris florentina. — Mr. McLachlan brought a normal flower taken 
from the same plant from which he exhibited three petals at the meeting 
held on June 23rd, 1891. They were half white and half purple. The 
question was then raised whether it was an indication of reversion to 
Iris germanica, supposing the plant to be a pale variety of that species, 
or the result of a cross between I. germanica and I. florentina. A com¬ 
parison made at Kew with the present flower proved it to be the typical 
'florentina, which differs particularly in the form of its “ falls,” these 
being markedly different from those of I. germanica, in that they are 
more contracted towards the base than is the case with the latter species. 
The pale variety is known as “ albicans,” and is quite distinct from 
I. florentina ; consequently the appearance of the purple colour on the 
petals of this species is the more unaccountable. 
Rose Show Fixtures in 1892. 
June 21 (Tuesday).—Westminster (N.R.S.). 
,, 23 (Thursday).—Ryde. 
„ 28 (Tuesday).—Maidstone. 
„ 29 (Wednesday).—Brighton*, Farningham, Ipswich, King’s Lynn*, 
and Richmond (Surrey). 
„ 30 (Thursday).—Canterbury, Eltham, and Winchester. 
July 2 (Saturday).—Crystal Palace (N.R.S.) 
„ 5 (Tuesday). — Bagshot, Diss, Earl’s Court*, Gloucester, and 
Sutton. 
„ C (Wednesday).—Brockham, Croydon, Farnham, and Hitchin. 
„ 7 (Thursday).—Bath, Lee*, Norwich, Windsor, and Woodbridge. 
„ 9 (Saturday).—Reigate. 
„ 12 (Tuesday).—Hereford and Wolverhampton.f 
„ 13 (Wednesday) Tunbridge Wells. 
„ 14 (Thursday).—Helensburgh. 
„ 16 (Saturday).—Chester (N.R.S.). 
„ 19 (Tuesday).—Moseley* (Birmingham), and Tibshelf. 
„ 20 (Wednesday).—Christleton. 
„ 21 (Thursday).—Trentham and Worksop. 
„ 23 (Saturday).—Bedale and New Brighton. 
„ 28 (Thursday).—Halifax and Southwell. 
„ 30 (Saturday).—Ripley. 
* Rose Shows lasting two days, f ^ose Show lasting three days. 
_Edward Mawley, Rosebank, Berhhamsted, Herts. 
Rose Judging. 
I AM sorry I was mistaken in supposing that Mr. G. Paul had not 
read the previous correspondence, but there was certainly nothing in 
his letter to show that he apprehended the points which required 
explanation in his paper in the “ Year Book.” These were, especially 
whether he admitted degrees of goodness or badness, and whether he 
meant that what he calls “ a bad Rose ” should have no points at all. 
“ An Old Showman ” (we are glad of a fresh view of the matter) takes 
it that Mr. Paul would admit of no such degrees, and would give no 
points to what he calls “ a bad Rose.” I still cannot think that this is 
so. 1 do not see any escape under such a theory from the absurdity of 
every Rose having either three points or none at all. Besides, Mr. 
Paul must not only know well the judging rules of the N.R.S., but 
probably had an influential hand in their formation. These rules 
clearly admit of degrees of badness and goodness. “ Page 12. Points : 
—1, Three points shall be given for the best blooms ; two for mediums; 
one for those not so good but not bad enough to cut out, and an extra 
point for a very superior bloom. Pick out a type of a three-point Rose, 
and refer to it when necessary ... 3, One point shall be taken off 
for every case of decided badness.” 
If we could get from Mr. Biron or Mr. Paul a statement that by “ a 
bad Rose ” they mean one which fails to reach the chosen three-point 
standard, and that such a Rose should have no points, or even minus 
one, then it would be plain that their opinion is, as “ An Old Showman” 
takes it, for absolute perfection or absolute condemnation for every 
Rose. But we have not had such a plain statement, or if we have I 
have missed it. In one sentence in his letter Mr. Paul seems to admit 
degrees of badness and goodness. “ A flower to be fit to be shown 
should be as far as possible perfect in some more or less degree (the 
italics are mine) in all three points—form, colour, and size.” But in 
the very next sentence he seems to refuse it. “ If it be defective in any 
of the three points it is a bad flower, and should count as such.” It is 
certainly true that I have not succeeded in discovering the point of 
misunderstanding between Mr. Biron and myself, but I do not see that 
Mr. Paul has found it. _ 
A further objection to the terms “ good Rose” or “ bad Rose” may 
be found in the old rule-of-thumb system of judging before points were 
used. This was simply to go over the stands and count the number of 
“ good Roses ” in each, an arbitrary and casual method, which took 
generally little or no account of any that fell beneath the ideal standard. 
And, as frequently no such ideal was agreed upon by the judges, it was 
probably only because the competition was seldom so severe as it is now 
that there was not more dissatisfaction. 
I am glad to see that “ An Old Showman ” challenges me on the 
other matter, because I felt sure there was a real difference of opinion 
