April 4,1895. 
JOURNAL OF HORTICULTURE AND COTTAGE GARDENER. 
287 
CARNATION NOTES. 
I HAVE just returned from a two-month* stay on the Continent, 
and find, as was only to be expected, that the unusually severe 
winter has greatly damaged some of my seedlings, but it has left 
others wholly uninjured, and I venture to offer to your readers the 
remits of my experience. 
I had several classes of seedlings, some from seeds sown in 
August, 1893, immediately after it was harvested. These were 
kept through the winter of 1893-1894 in small pots in cold frames, 
and planted out in what I hoped would be their flowering 
quarters towards the end of April last year. They were kept well 
pinched back, and when I left England in January were large 
bushy plants in the perfection of health and vigour. I came back 
to find them nearly all dead ; indeed I do not believe that more 
than 4 or 5 per cent, will survive and flower this summer. 
Side by side with these were a number of plants from seeds 
harvested in 1893, and sown in March last year. These were 
planted out late in May—that is, as soon as they were sufficiently 
large. 
Nothing could be more striking or instructive than the contrast 
they presented—hardly any of them dead (not above 2 or 3 per 
cent.), and the vast majority of them entirely unaffected by the 
terrible winter they have passed through. 
The irresistible conclusion therefore is strongly in favour of 
spring as against autumn sowing for plants that are to be wintered 
out of doors. I believe it will be found that seeds sown in the 
autumn produce plants too far advanced and too “ woody ” to 
stand severe frost—indeed, many of these plants would have 
flowered last autumn had they not been kept pinched back. 
The experience reminds me strongly of an attempt I made some 
years ago to grow on layers without allowing them to flower, 
through a second winter, in the hope that the following season 
they might give a larger supply of bloom. The experiment was 
equally unsuccessful, and most of the plants died during the second 
winter, which was a hard one. 
I have had a third class of seedlings under different treatment. 
Sown in March last year they were planted out temporarily, and 
in October last were moved into their flowering quarters, which 
had not been ready for them earlier. These plant* have suffered 
very much, and contrast most unfavourably with those which were 
planted out early last summer, and have not since been moved. 
Last year’s layers, even of my new Malmaison varieties, seem 
little if any the worse for the winter.— Martin R. Smith, Hayes, 
Kent. 
Bollea Schruderiana. 
Amongst the novelties shown at the Drill Hall, Westminster, 
on the 26th ult., was a splendid plant of Bollea Schroderiana, 
carrying several blooms, one of which is depicted in the engraving, 
fig. 50. The sepals and petals are pure white with the exception 
of a very faint blush tint at the edge, while the lip, which is of a 
peculiar form, is rosy purple. Another point in favour of this 
plant is the delightful fragrance emitted. It was exhibited by 
Messrs. F. Sander & Co., St. Albans, and received a well-merited 
first-class certificate from the Orchid Committee of the Royal 
Horticultural Society. 
Brassia Lawrenceana. 
It has been pointed out to us by Mr. Adolphus H. Kent, Chelsea, 
that the Orchid we figured under this name at page 275 of our last 
issue is not B, Lawrenceana at all, but a form of B. bracteata. Our 
sketch was, as stated in the last issue, taken from a plant staged by 
R. I. Measures, Esq., and labelled B. Lawrenceana. As such it was 
certificated by the R.H.S. Orchid Committee, and if it was really 
B. bracteata, it was clearly an oversight to give an award to the 
plant without, at any rate, first correcting the nomenclature. In 
Veitch’s “Manual of Orchidaceous Plants,” vol. ii., pages 124 5, 
some interesting particulars are given of B. Lawrenceana, in the 
course of which it is stated that this Orchid is only known by 
figure and description. We should be glad of Mr. Chapman’s 
opinion on the subject. 
Masdevallias of the Chim.era Grouf. 
These extraordinary Orchids have a wonderful fascination 
for most cultivators, and if once their culture is taken up with 
spirit one never seems to tire of them, A friend to whom I was 
showing some dried flowers recently somewhat laconically described 
them as the most wonderful of a wonderful family, and certainly 
no one can fail to be struck with their fantastic forms or singularly 
effective colouring. No particular difficulty will be found in 
growing this section providing their wants are anticipated and 
attention given to a few simple details. 
The house in which they are growing must be kept at as 
uniform a temperature as possible all through the year. During the 
summer they must be heavily shaded and a free circulation of air 
kept up about them. The temperature during this period ought 
not to rise above 70° if it can be avoided, and the atmosphere must 
be loaded with moisture. The roots are always active, and must 
never be dry, or the plants will be weakened, and during summer 
they must be kept moist almost to saturation. 
As the season advances and the sun begins to wane, the plants 
may be inured to rather more light, but avoiding scorching of the. 
PIG. 50.— BOLLEA SCHRODERIANA. 
foliage by exposing them to the sun's direct rays. In the winter 
they must have the lightest position available, and the full day and 
night temperature maintained. When very cold fire heat must be 
turned on sufficient to keep the house at, or near 50°, but the atmo¬ 
sphere must be softened by frequent dampings, or thrips will make 
their unwelcome presence known by the whitish irregular marks all 
over the foliage and flowers. If they do put in appearance no time 
must be lost in effecting a clearance of them, for if left alone for a 
few weeks they obtain a firm hold on the plants, and owing to their 
marvellous fecundity, are most difficult to eradicate. 
The majority of this group are best grown in shallow wood 
baskets suspended, as this insures a better circulation of air in 
summer, and clearer light in winter then when they are grown in 
pots on the stages. Some large pieces of charcoal may be placed 
over the bottom rods of the baskets, as the roots like to entwine 
about them, and it also allows the scapes of those that flower down- 
wirds to find their way through the bottom easily. Three parts of 
clean peat, sphagnum moss to half a part of peat and half of 
potsherds will be found a good compost ; the sphagnum must be 
kept growing about the roots and the bases of the stems all the 
year round. If the Odontoglossum house is kept from falling 
below 50° this is by far the best place for the plants daring winter, 
but if, as is unfortunately too often the case, this house is allowed 
to range between 30° and 40°, then the plants must be removed to 
warmer quarters, which are, however, usually too dry for these 
moisture-loving and very sensitive Orchids. 
The flower scapes of many of this group produce three or even 
four flowers in succession, so that it is better not to remove these so 
long as they are fresh. The typical Chimeera grows about 9 inches 
high and bears leaves 1| inch broad. The flowers appear at 
different times in the year from the base of these ; the sepals are 
