202 
JOURNAL OF HORTICULTURE AND COTTAGE GARDENER. 
Match 7, 1895. 
in the usual peat and moss mixture, and must be carefully watered 
during the winter months. It thrives in the Cattleya house in a 
light position, and requires abundance of water when growing 
freely. L. cinnabarina is a native of Brazil, from whence it was 
introduced in 1836. A plant bearing two spikes with six and eight 
flowers respectively is now in flower with Canon Warre of 
Bemerton, where Mr. Lompord grows it well suspended from the 
roof in wood baskets. 
Dendrobium capillipes. 
Among the smaller growing Uendrobiums there are many 
charming and beautiful species which are in nowise deserving of 
the neglect into which they have fallen, even though they lack the 
showiness of some of the more popular kinds. D. capillipes is one 
of these, seldom growing more than 6 inches high, but when well 
flowered is sure to attract attention. The plants are deciduous, 
and the flowers occur in racemes consisting of from two to eight 
blossoms ; these are bright yellow, with a deep orange blotch on the 
lip. This species thrives on blocks or in small shallow pans 
suspended near the glass. It does not like much material about its 
roots, and this should be made very firm. Good peat fibre and 
sphagnum with a few finely broken crocks will suit it well. Being 
a native of Moulraein it requires a hot and very moist atmosphere 
with ample of sunlight while making its growth. When this is 
finished less heat will be required as the foliage falls, keeping the 
plants quite dry in a cool house for a few weeks in the winter. 
Odontoglossum cordatum. 
Although this Orchid cannot compare with such as 0. Pescatorei 
or 0. crispum, it is, nevertheless, an interesting and handsome 
species. The pseudo-bulbs of this kind are ovate, light shining 
green, with leaves 6 inches in length. The spikes are erect, 
branching, and many flowered ; the individual blossoms being 
about 3 inches in diameter. The sepals and petals are long, 
twisted, yellow, spotted and freely barred with chocolate. The 
lip is broad at the base, pointed in front, white, with yellow and 
purple lines. This thrives well in pots with rather more heat than 
the coolest section of Odontoglossums require, and likes an 
abundance of water all through the season. O. cordatum is a 
variable species with regard to shape and colour, but all the 
varieties are worthy of extended culture. It was introduced from 
Guatemala in 1837.—H. R. R. 
THE FLORISTS’ TULIP. 
[By James W. Bentley, Hon. Secretary to the Royal National Tulip Society.] 
CHAPTER V. 
(Continued from loage 160.) 
The rings or crinolines must be of several sizes. I find that 
they are best made of stout shavings. The shavings are made by 
a joiner from the edge of a 1 inch deal board, the plane he uses 
having the cutting edge so set as to take off the shaving much 
thicker than is usual. These shavings are cut into lengths of from 
4 to 9 inches, and the crinolines are completed by sewing the ends 
together. 
When packing time arrives a suitable crinoline is selected and 
carefully inserted into each flower, taking great care not to bruise 
or injure it in any way. The petals are then made to clip up close 
to the crinoline, and kept in that position by wrapping some 
suitable material round the outside of the flower. The best known 
to me is that soft fleecy thread known to cotton-spinners as 
“ rovings,” which combines in itself the softness of cotton wool and 
the convenience of a thread-like form. Tulips wrapped on the 
outside with several turns of this material are splendidly packed, 
and will undergo a long journey quite unharmed. 
As each Tulip is packed it should be transferred to the travelling 
hox, which is contrived in such a way that the stem of each flower 
rests in a zinc tube filled with water. The bloom itself is kept 
from contact with the water by a neat contrivance made of wood, 
which fits like a cork into the mouth of the zinc tube, and has a 
small hole through which the stem passes and reaches the water in 
the tube. This method of conveyance is not absolutely necessary, 
as Tulips will keep for many hours out of water, but if taken to the 
place of exhibition overnight they must be put into it on arrival, 
or they will be unfit for show the next day. Many an amusing 
reminiscence occurs to me as I write of hotel bedrooms with every 
available object, either of use or ornament, filled with Tulips, and 
the grower taking his rest, with his splendid blooms around him, 
the night before a show. 
On arrival at the place of exhibition all crinolines and other 
packing materials must he removed, and each of the flowers 
carefully examined for defects. There are, fortunately, “ no ways 
that are dark or tricks that are vain,” in preparing Tulips for 
exhibition. No “dressing,” so necessary in the case of the 
Carnation and Pink, is required, and the only thing to be done 
is to sweep out and clear away fallen pollen from the inside of 
the flowers, so that the base and marking can be clearly seen, and 
this is easily effected by means of a small dry camel-hair brash. 
Sometimes an anther will be found fallen off the filament, but this 
can easily be replaced, as the filament penetrates somewhat deeply 
into the lower part of the anther. 
Tulips are generally shown in “stands,” which are made of 
thin, flat boards of suitable size, painted an unobtrusive shade 
of green, and fitted with feet so as to elevate them a little above 
the surface of the tables upon which they are arranged. The 
feet at the back are higher than those in front, so the surface 
of the stand slopes, enabling the spectator to have a better view of 
the flowers than if kept level. The stands are perforated at regular 
intervals with round holes, in which can be fitted the zinc tubes 
from the travelling box It will be readily seen that if the flowers 
to be staged have been determined upon before, and arranged in 
the travelling box, they can soon be put in the stands, as both tube 
and flower can be moved together. 
The chief prize at the National Society’s show is for a stand of 
“ twelve dissimilar Tulips, two of each class,” which means that 
the twelve must comprise two dissimilar varieties of feathered 
roses, feathered bizarres, feathered bybloemens, flamed roses, flamed 
bizarres, and flamed bybloemens. The flowers are staged in three 
rows ; the largest flowers are best put in the top row of the sloping 
stand, the smallest in the bottom, and the medium-sized ones in 
the middle row. Care should be taken to diversify the colours, 
and not stage all one colour together. It is good to have the 
flowers as near the same shape and size as possible, as a stand looks 
bad if it contains large long-cupped flowers and small shallow 
saucer-like blooms. The wooden stands are not compulsory, and 
the exhibitor if he prefers to show his flowers in bottles may do 
so ; they do not, however, show themselves so well as in stands. 
Each flower, whether in the stands or bottles, must have its name 
written on a label and gummed down, just underneath it. Prizes 
for stands of six, three, and two flowers are offered, and also for 
single blooms in each of the six classes in rectified flowers, and 
the cultivation of breeders is encouraged by suitable prizes. 
In awarding the prizes for rectified flowers judges think more 
of good marking and size than of perfection of form or beauty of 
colour, although a poorly marked large flower will always be beaten 
by a well-marked smaller one. Still, as an old judge is fond of 
remarking, “ Good big ones will beat little pretty ones.” Breeders 
should be large in size, good in form, and absolutely free from 
accidental blemishes, such as specks or marks caused by frost or 
bruising, to stand well in the opinion of the judges, or censors, as 
they used to be called in the south. 
I will now leave this part of the subject, as I feel that however 
much more I wrote it would all be inadequate, and probably 
confusing. The best way for the novice to learn is to take his 
flowers to a show, where he will receive a kindly welcome, 
and learn more in the day than books would teach him in a 
twelvemonth. 
CHAPTER VI. 
Obtaining Seeds and Seedling Raising. 
The late Dr, Horner of Hull, an enthusiastic Tulip grower* 
whose writings illuminate the pages of the older floricultural papers 
as much as those of his son (the Rev. F. D. Horner) delight us in the 
journals of to-day, in an article contributed to the “ Florist,” says, 
“ Every florist worthy of the name either does or ought to aim at 
raising seedlings which are an improvement on older varieties ; in 
this, indeed, lies the chief and true secret of delight in floriculture.” 
In this passage the good Doctor states clearly the position of the 
true florist, which is, of course, quite a different one from that of 
the botanists, who have often little or no sympathy with the 
florists’ aims and objects, and not unfrequently unsparingly con¬ 
demn them. In this they follow the lead of the great Linnaeus, 
who terms our varieties “ monsters,” and thus deridingly describes 
the florists :—“ Such, by an over-great study and assiduous inspec¬ 
tion, have discovered such amazing wonders in flowers as no man, 
the most clear-sighted in the world, could ever discern but those 
who are versed in this study. The grand objects of their attention 
are the most beautiful flowers, such as Tulips, Hyacinths, Anemones, 
Ranunculuses, Pinks, Carnations, Auriculas, and Polyanthuses. 
To the hidden varieties of these flowers they have given such 
pompous names to excite wonder and astonishment, and are really 
ridiculous. These men cultivate a science peculiar to themselves, 
the mysteries of which are only known to the adepts. Nor can 
such knowledge be worth the attention of the botanist ; wherefore, 
let no sound botanist ever enter into their Societies.” When I came 
across this weighty condemnation by the great Swede, quoted in 
