July 28, 1892. ] 
JOURNAL OF HORTICULTURE AND COTTAGE GARDENER. 
73 
arrangement all in favour of the Peaches, judging from the 
results of the treatment accorded. Outdoor Peach trees do not 
receive enough attention in the matter of moisture at the roots 
and overhead during hot and dry weather in a general way. 
Nightly drenchings of the foliage when hot and dry are all in 
favour of healthy leaves, free from red spider. This insect 
does much mischief if allowed to establish itself firmly on the 
leaves of the trees.—E. M. 
Orchis foliosa. 
This very charming Orchid is a native of Madeira,but is quite 
hardy in England. Care should be taken to prevent the plants 
becoming very wet in winter. If planted in a rockery Orchis foliosa 
should have at least a depth of 12 inches of soil to grow in, and 
should be shaded from the midday sun. Probably the best and 
safest plan, however, is to plant several tubers in pans about 
8 inches across, in loam and leaf soil ; these should be placed in 
a cold frame during the winter, and in the spring the pans may be 
plunged in the rockery or taken to the conservatory as circum¬ 
stances require. In either case they are exceedingly attractive and 
handsome. The leaves are long and bright shining green, the 
spikes growing 1J to feet high, with 6 to 8 inches at the apex 
crowded with purplish lilac flowers. A batch of 0. foliosa form 
an attraction in the greenhouse at Kew at present, and several 
good pans may be seen in the Royal Horticultural Society’s 
Gardens at Chiswick.—C. Iv. 
New and Old Orchids. 
There is one regretable feature in the craze for new Orchids, 
and this is the fact that it leads to the neglect of older kinds. It 
is notorious that many of the most beautiful and valuable of 
Orchids are a source of very little profit to dealers owing to 
amateurs perpetually thirsting for something new. The latter 
carry this desire for novelty to such an extent that they will hardly 
look at anything that is not entirely fresh, reserving all their atten¬ 
tion and admiration for every stranger that happens to be intro¬ 
duced, even if it is unflowered and its merits a matter of conjecture. 
As we must in the main rely upon old friends, whether they be 
fruits, vegetables, or Orchids, until the new have proved themselves 
to be better, it would be well if those who have not yet yielded to 
the fascinations of novelty-hunting would take care to have some¬ 
thing reliable with which to fill their houses. When they have 
made sure of a reliable collection will be the time to look about 
them for new things, and if the latter fail then they will have 
something to fall back upon.—P. 
Calanthe Veitchi. 
This is one of the most useful winter flowering plants that it is 
possible to take in hand, and when we consider how few are grown 
in private gardens where flowers are required during the months 
that Cilanthes are in bloom it is a matter for wonder. It might 
be inferred from this remark that I am unaware how much atten¬ 
tion is paid to it in some gardens, where its value is known and 
appreciated, but I am speaking broadly of the hundreds of small 
gardens where not one can be found. Even if there be plants they 
are in such a wretched condition that such a thing as a presentable 
flower spike is out of the question. Gardeners should not go on in 
ignorance of the quality and beauty of this simply grown Orchid. 
Anyone with a Cucumber house, a Melon house, or a plant 
stove can have satisfactory examples of Calanthe Yeitchi. The 
present is the time when the plants need attention to induce the 
new bulbs to swell to their fullest extent, and upon these the 
quality of the future flower spikes depends. Abundance of weak 
tepid liquid manure is what this Calanthe enjoys. Where the pots 
are not too full of soil cow manure, not too much decomposed (or 
the goodness will have left it), laid on half an inch thick, is one of 
the best stimulants it is possible to give. A few of our plants 
showed signs of a paleness in the foliage a fortnight since, but a 
mulching as described quickly gave the wonted colour back to the 
leaves.—E. M. 
Dendrobium transparens and var. Souvenir d’Alec. 
Dendrobium transparens is supposed to have been discovered 
by Dr. Wallich in the Himalayan valleys, and later on in 1852 
by Thomas Lobb, one of the collectors for Messrs. Veitch and 
Son of Exeter. It blooms in April and May ; the flowers are 
about 1 \ inch across, and borne in pairs on terete stems about a foot 
long. The petals are white, tipped with mauve ; sepals the same 
colour as the petals ; the lip is oblong and rounded, white with deep 
purple stains, and mauve at the apex. The flowers are curiously 
transparent. This species belongs to the well-represented Fascicu- 
lata section of the genus Dendrobium. It is deciduous, and 
thrives with the same treatment generally given to the well-known 
D. nobile. 
D. transparens, var. Souvenir d’Alec, was exhibited at the Drill 
Hal 1 , Westminster, on Tuesday, June 21st, 1892, and is a pure white 
variety of D. transparens. It was exhibited by Mr. Hamilton, 
gardener to Hamar Bass, Esq., Byrkley, Burton-on-Trent, in 
whose collection it flowered for the first time, and it is the only 
plant at present known of this lovely variety. We understand 
from Mr. Hamilton, the gardener at Byrkley, that the plant was 
FIG-. 10.— DENDROBIUM TRANSPARENS VAR. SOUVENIR D’ALEC. 
purchased from Messrs. F. Sander & Co., St. Albans, who imported 
it, among other things, from the East Indies. Handsome varieties 
are often to be found among imported Orchids, and this is 
certainly one of the best that has appeared of late. It is named in 
memory of a son of H. Bass, Esq., and was given an award of 
merit by the Royal Horticultural Society. The flowers are pure 
white, the stems greyish, and the growth is similar to that of the 
parent.—C. K. 
HOEING versus MULCHING. 
Even in our strong land I find that crops of any kind, vege¬ 
table or otherwise, are much improved by mulchings of light stable 
manure, Peas especially being benefited by such treatment. Our 
Gooseberry crop, which has never failed us yet, has shown the 
