10 
JOURNAL OF HORTICULTURE AND COTTAGE GARDENER. 
January 3, 1895. 
Cattleya guttata Prinzi. 
This is a very charming variety of the old C. guttata, and one 
which will find favour with many growers. The markings of the 
flowers, as may readily be seen in fig. 2, are very distinct and 
pleasing. The sepals and petals are delicate creamy yellow, 
spotted with violet, while the lip is of a bright magenta shade. 
It was exhibited at the Drill Hall on the 11th ult., by Mr. E. 
Hill, gardener to Lord Rothschild, Tring Park, when it was 
deservedly accorded an award of merit by th^e Royal Horticultural 
Society. 
Cypripedium Leeanum, 
Few hybrid Cypripediums have shown more variations than 
the above. Originally raised about ten years ago by Messrs. Yeitch 
FIG. 2.—cattleya guttata PRINZI. 
and Sons, from C. Spicerianum and C. insigne, it has since been 
improved by crossing the best types of these well-known kinds, 
many fine varieties being the result. The dorsal sepal in all these 
varieties is intermediate between that of its parents, being similar in 
shape to C. insigne, but having the dark line as in C. Spicerianum. 
In habit it resembles the latter, and like it may be grown in the 
Cattleya house in the usual compost as recommended for this 
genus. The flowers are produced on long slender scapes during 
the winter months and last well if kept in a fairly dry atmosphere. 
A superb variety I saw recently, appropriately named giganteum, 
had the dorsal sepal 3 inches across, pure white at the apex, with 
numerous bright mauve spots near the base. The petals were 
?>^ inches in length, lemon yellow, the pouch brownish red, the 
whole flower glossy as if varnished. Other choice varieties are 
C. L. superbum, C. L. Masserellianum, and C. L. maculatum. The 
latter has the sepals spotted with bright purple. C. Leeanum 
biflorum is smaller, but, as the name implies, usually produces 
twin-flowered scapes. 
DeNDROBIUM NOBILE. 
The earliest plants of this grand old Dendrobe are now in full 
beauty. Most growers like to have “a bit of nobile ” in at Christ¬ 
mas, and very bright and pretty it is at this season. The type is 
among the best known Orchids in existence, and certainly too 
familiar to need description. It thrives either in pots or baskets 
in the warmest house while making its growth, and should after¬ 
wards have as long a season of rest as possible. Like the majority 
of the genus D. nobile must be well exposed to the sun, the latter 
part of the season especially, to ripen the growth thoroughly and 
lay the foundation for flowers in spring. The flowers may be 
enjoyed over a period of quite five months if suflicient plants are 
grown and introduced to heat successively. If any plants are 
wanted at a given date they should be placed in heat about eight 
weeks previously ; this will give them time to come to their true 
colour, which does not always appear at first. The pruning system 
so freely discussed a few years since has been often advised for 
this Orchid, but I fail to see the advantage of it unless the growths 
are wanted for propagating. The pseudo-bulbs of Orchids are 
Nature’s storehouses of nutriment for the subsequent needs of the 
plants, and to cut these away must to some extent weaken them, 
the good examples produced by the system notwithstanding. 
Nobile Varieties. 
Some of our best Dendrobiums have been raised by crossing 
D. nobile with others, as, for instance, D. Ainsworthi, D. Leechi- 
anum, and D. splendidissimum, while the species is itself variable. 
D. nobile albescens is a pretty form, the sepals and petals being 
nearly white, the lip similar, with the usual purple blotch in the 
throat. D. nobile alba is pure white, with the exception of the 
lip marking ; this is extremely rare and valuable. A variety 
named Ballianum has been described as wholly of a very light 
blush, without any markings in the throat whatever. D. nobile 
Cooksonianum first flowered at Heathfield House, Gateshead— 
hence its synonym, Heathfieldianum, and has since appeared in 
several other collections. In this variety the petals have much 
the same appearance as the lip, the deep purple blotch appearing^ 
on each, giving the plant a very distinct and striking appearance 
when in bloom. D. nobile nobilius is the grandest of all, and a 
truly magnificent Orchid ; in colour it is tinted with bright rosy 
crimson, with the blotch in the throat of the deepest purple. The 
original plant of this Orchid is said to have been bought for a 
shilling, whereas it is even now a scarce and valuable variety. 
D. nobile pendulum is a deep coloured large-flowered form of a 
pendulous habit of growth. Other good varieties are Wallisi, 
elegans, intermedium, and rubellum. 
Cypripedium amandum. 
This is one of the older hybrids, the result of a cross between 
0. insigne and C. venustum. The foliage is deep green, with very 
faint markings, as in C. venustum ; the flowers have somewhat the 
appearance of the latter species. The dorsal sepal is yellow, with 
green stripes, and many dark purple spots at the base. The petals 
are yellowish and brown, with deep crimson purple spots. The 
pouch is bright yellow, overlaid with purple and greenish lines, 
inside bright golden yellow. This Orchid thrives best in a 
temperature a little below that of the Cattleya house. It should 
be potted in peat, chopped sphagnum, and loam fibre with a few 
pieces of limestone ; it requires plenty of water all the year 
round. It must be shaded from bright sunshine, and no water must 
be given over the foliage. It flowers in November and December^ 
lasting several weeks in good order, thus brightening the new year. 
-H. R. R. 
THE CHINESE PRIMULA. 
I THINK we may safely say that this is the most important of all our 
winter-blooming plants, and when well grown Primulas last for a long 
time in flower. As Birmingham heads the poll in the cultivation of 
these plants, as evidenced every November at the annual Chrys¬ 
anthemum show, it may be of use to some readers to detail the method 
adopted in the Birmingham district by the successful exhibitors. In 
the front rank of successful growers Mr. C. H. Herbert, the manager of 
the Sparkhill Nurseries, must take a front place, for he carried off all 
the first prizes in November for both single and double Primulas ; and 
in the opinion of eminent men well known in the horticultural world 
who were present, such grand specimen plants could not be seen at any 
other exhibition in the kingdom. 
His method of culture is this. He sows the seed as soon as it is 
matured and gathered This is a very important point in securing free 
germination and stout seedlings. It is sown thinly about the end of August 
in 48-3ize pots, about three-quarters of an inch from the top, so as to 
allow a piece of glass to be placed over it, and the pots are placed on a 
shelf in an intermediate house. As soon as the seedlings can be handled 
they are pricked off into small 48-8ize pots ; by the end of October they 
are ready to be placed singly in 60-size, and are kept in a house with a 
temperature of from 40° to 45°. In the early part of December the 
plants are shifted into 54-Bize pots, and still kept in a house of the same 
