September 22, 1892. ] 
JOURNAL OF HORTICULTURE AND COTTAGE GARDENER. 
255 
I shall begin at the beginning, and dispose of each item of culture 
in rotation as far as is practicable. Some may think the potting of 
the bulbs is the first matter, but it is not. The intending grower 
should have on hand previous to potting a good stack of loam, 
which has been stacked for four or six months, and a heap of cow 
manure that has been stored sufficiently long in a shed to allow of 
its being rubbed through a fine sieve without the least trace of 
stickiness about it. I do not care for stacking ithe manure with 
the loam unless the latter is dry when it is stacked ; if it is moist the 
manure adds to the evil, and the heap when cut into is 
the reverse of being as sweet as it should be. A good 
heap of refuse soil from the potting shed should also be 
reserved in readiness. This would consist of sandy soil 
from plants that had been grown for a limited period 
only in a rich compost. I am not in favour of using 
loam in a fresh state for Hyacinths ; it must be remem¬ 
bered that their life is but a short one, and the fibre of 
the loam has not time to decay sufficiently to be of much 
use to the plant before the work for which it is grown has 
been accomplished. For years we found that Hyacinths 
did as well if not better in soil that had grown plants or 
a crop of fruit as in fresh loam ; in fact we prefer the 
rich compost from various sources that accumulates, or 
can be accumulated in all gardens. This is passed through 
a sieve, and portions of crock or other rubbish removed. 
To this is added one-fourth of fresh loam, such as I have 
described, and one-seventh of cow manure as finely divided 
as possible. Hyacinths dislike manure in a practically 
fresh state. Sand should be added according to the 
texture of the loam and the amount of gritty material 
that may have been used in the old compost. Hyacinths 
like a rich and sandy soil, which is certain to remain 
sweet and is thoroughly porous. The compost when 
mixed up should be in an intermediate state for moisture, 
so that no water will be needed until the bulbs have 
grown and rooted sufficiently to be removed from the 
plunging material. 
Five-inch pots are most suitable for single specimens ; 
one good crock at the base is ample. Over this a thin 
layer of cow manure should be placed, the same as that 
advised to be mixed with the soil. I have said a thin 
layer, for too much would do more harm than good. The 
soil should be pressed moderately firm into the pots, and 
the crown of the bulb should be just level with the soil, 
which should be half an inch below the rim of the pot. 
Whether a pinch of sand should be placed just below the 
bulb is an open question. I have done it, and for years 
looked upon this time-honoured practice as a necessity. 
But of late years I have come to the conclusion that 
it is only a waste of time and of sand. I found no 
good to result from this practice, and consequently dis¬ 
continued it. 
When should the bulbs be potted ? is a natural 
question to ask, and one that can only be answered in a 
general way. Much depends upon the time they are 
wanted for exhibiting. It is a mistake to keep them out 
of the soil until they display signs of growing, for then 
injury results. They should not be left in the bags in 
which they may be received if sawdust or buckwheat chaff has 
been used as a medium for packing ; the slightest damp will 
induce them to commence root activity. For most of our shows 
the beginning of October is a good time to pot the bulbs, and 
on no account should potting be delayed after the end of the 
month.—W. Bardney. 
(To be continued.J 
flowers. The sepals and petals, which are stout in substance and 
distinctly rounded, are white tinted with rose ; the broad, three- 
lobed lip is of the same shade, and bears at its base a bright orange 
callus ; the back of the segments is coloured with a beautiful 
reddish brown, as well as the floral stem itself. The engraving 
gives a good idea of this fine novelty. The flowers have the 
dimensions of those of Odontogiossum crispum, or of a large 
O. citrosmum, a species of which they somewhat recall the elegant 
rounded form. They exhale a delicious perfume. 
FIG. 35. —EULOPHIELLA ELISABETHS. 
Eulophiella E isabeth®, which is dedicated to the Queen of 
Roumania, was exhibited at a meeting of L’Orchideenne in 
spring, and was unanimously awarded a first-class “diplome 
d’honneur.”—(“ Le Journal des Orchidees ”). It is recommended 
that the plant be grown in a warm house, and it is stated to 
succeed under the treatment required for Phajus, Eulopbir, and 
Cyrtopodium. 
Habenaria militaris. 
Those readers who paid a visit to the meeting of the Royal 
Horticultural Society at Westminster on Tuesday, September <>th, 
no doubt noticed the very fine basket of this lovely Habenaria 
exhibited from the collection of Sir Trevor Lawrence, Bart, 
Burford Lodge, Dorking. Although H. militaris has been exhibited 
on several occasions during the past few years, very few people 
seem to possess it. It is easy of cultivation, but failures occur 
because the plants do not receive the attention they require during 
their resting period. The specific name implies a military appear¬ 
ance, doubtless given on account of the erect spikes and bright 
coloured flowers. I believe the plant was first introduced by 
M. Godefroy Leboeuf from Cochin China in 188G. The leaves 
are linear, acute, 8 inches long, and half an inch broad. The 
plants when flowering vary from 6 to 12 inches in height, in 
fact there seem to be two varieties, one half as tall again as 
the other. The spikes are erect, and carry twelve to eighteen 
flowers; the sepals and petals are greenish and form a kind 
Eulophiella Elisabeths. 
The courtesy of M. Lucien Linden enables us to present an 
engraving (fig. 35) of the beautiful novelty Eulophiella Elisabeth®, 
introduced by L’Horticulture Internationale, which proved so 
distinct that Mr. Rolfe could find no place for it in any existing 
genus, and therefore made it a genus of itself. It formed plate 325 
of the May number of Lindenia, in which it is fully described. It 
has the habit of a Catasetum or Eulophia. “ It produces a long 
horizontal stem, furnished with a score or so of most beautiful 
