400 
JOURNAL OF HORTICULTURE AND COTTAGE GARDENER, 
May 9, 1896. 
frequently white. The pseudo-bulbs are shorter than those of 
C. Trianse, furrowed, and each bears a single leathery leaf. The 
cultivation of this species presents no special difficulty, but it is not 
quite so free flowering as C. Mossiee or C. Trianse. 
The proper season for repotting is immediately the flowers 
are over, and a rough open compost over good drainage is 
essential. C. Mendeli is a native of New Grenada, originally 
introduced in 1870. Some of the best known varieties are 
C. M. bella, a nice form with pale lilac sepals and petals, the lip 
having a good deal of yellow veined with lilac and white. C. M. 
Blunti is a smaller albino form, the only colour being a yellow 
blotch on the lip. 0. M. grandiflora is a handsome form nearly 
8 inches across, the sepals and petals broader than the type, the 
lip very broad, and altogether a magnificent flower. C. M. Roth- 
schildianum is a deeper coloured variety than the type, the sepals, 
petal.“, and lip being bright amethyst purple. 0. M. Victoriae is 
a pure white form of the type, excepting the markings on the 
lip. This was, I believe, introduced by Mr. W. Bull, who has a 
good stock of it. C. M. superbissima is somewhat similar to 
Rothschildianum, but rather larger. This does not by any means 
exhaust the list of varieties, but those named are probably the 
most distinct.—H. R. R. 
BOTHIANA. 
(^Continued from •page 577 .) 
Drawing. 
“The pencil oft avails—woids failing to express— 
To clothe the crude idea in rational dress." 
In the order of sequence pertaining to the three R.’s, arithmetic 
here has its place. The art of figures is not to be contemned, and | 
must of necessity be a part and parcel of future requirements. 
The slate and pencil may not unworthily be included in your 
educational stock in trade, and may serve as a refresher on 
occasion. I have found it do so on a winter’s night when firing 
duties kept one up to the “ wee sma’ hours,” and the eyes which 
dare not close found relief by it from reading and writing This 
digression appears necessary to prevent exclusion of a subject which 
need not longer detain. 
I pass on to what can hardly fail to prove to you—as it did 
to me—the most fascinating of studies in the bothy. On the 
importance of a knowledge of drawing in our profession there 
cannot be two opinion®. The value of the art is admitted. As 
the shuttle of thought plys in the loom of memory, I cannot recall 
any pleasanter hours than those spent over the drawing board—a 
pleasure emphasised by the profitable investment this proved to be 
when bothy dajs were gone for ever. As an educational agent in | 
training the hand and eye drawing is unrivalled, and considering | 
how much its correlative objects are present in our duties it ' 
would not be easy to over-estimate the benefits a knowledge of it 
confers. By its means difficulties apparently insuperable vanish. 
Excellence takes the place of mediocrity at one-half the expense 
of force. Its importance is now generally admitted by members 
of the craft, whereas in the youth of a bygone generation such 
aspirations were too often crushed by some of the old school, who 
would rather by force of windy argument show how they had 
contrived to live and thrive in ignorance rather than admit its 
value. True, it may be granted that they could form no proper 
estimate of a thesis they did not possess. 
Those were the dnys when to write a fair hand placed the 
performer far up in the orchestra of life’s concert. Not so now. 
This is evident to you, and I venture to predict that in the near 
future employers will expect their gardener—if he is of any status, 
and this you aspire to—to produce a neat and correctly drawn plan 
to a scale where contemplated alterations of any magnitude are in 
view. Gardeners like to have their own way, and they should get 
it, if it is the best way, which it generally is. This is my experience. 
I want my own way to build, to alter, pull down, put up from a 
gardener’s point of view ; but the subject is well thought out 
before applying to the powers that be, and the thoughts of the 
new pit, house, walk, or what not, are interpreted on paper to be 
produced when the question is raised. This is more convincing 
than a babel of technical talk, which often ends in postponement 
for ever, and this simply fcr the want of a medium of lucid 
expression. Here is the medium : a ground plan, section, elevation 
of the new house, de^igns for new beds, or the laying out of a new 
gard( n and grounds with all accessories. 
During the period of bothy existence the requisites for drawing 
ne d be but of the simplest description, such as will readily fit in 
yoir trunk and make but a slender demand on the pocket. The 
artic es required are a drawing board, T-square, two set squares, 
eet of mathematical instruments, pencil, camel’s-hair pencil, stick 
of Indian ink, some sheets of cartridge paper, with a few drawing 
pins for holding the paper on the board. The drawing board I 
would advise to be of such dimensions as will fit in the bottom of 
your trunk, about 18 inches by 24 inches. This and the T-square 
may be home-made , but it is essential that they should be well 
made and true, hence I would give the preference to bought ones. 
Instruments commonly known as drawing tools may be purchased 
from Is. upwards. The whole outfit, including all mentioned, may 
be purchased for about Ss. ; but as this is of the cheapest and 
simplest kind it may not commend itself to students of more 
ambitious tastes. My reason for bringing this, and all outlay per¬ 
taining to the bothy lessons, to the lowest point consistent with 
utility is, that not any excuse on the score of expense shall be 
available to the young beginner. 
The outfit, as above, is amply sufficient if the patience and 
perseverance are forthcoming. Should these virtues be wanting 
the costliest tools will not avail, and better by far that I should 
incur some dissentient criticism from practised hands than one 
youth should be deterred from starting. When leaving the bothy 
for good and all, and a more pretentious outfit appears desirable, 
hand them over to some young brother of the craft with a little 
sympathetic counsel. In drawing do all in pencil first, acquire the 
habit of keeping your paper clean, ink over the pencil lines when 
satisfied that any errors have been corrected, clean over the whole 
with a piece of stale bread. Be not discouraged by the crude 
appearance of early attempts. The stiffness of the hand will soon 
give way to a free-and-easy manner. Number consecutively and 
date each sheet, thus marking progress, as advised in the writing 
lessons. A very little practice will afford the opportunity of 
making plans of such things as are at present around you, to be 
utilised in the years to come. 
As a gardener’s chief requirements are practically confined to 
the geometrical section of drawing, it is absolutely necessary to 
acquire the elementary principles of it. In the series of drawing 
books published by Vere Foster or Cassell & Co., the numbers 
specially treating on this subject will sufficiently introduce it to 
you, and lay the solid foundation for subsequent work. Devote 
some time to this elementary training prior to commencing more 
ambitious designs. Hasten slowly is an ethic of self-tuition not to 
be trifled with. 
In the “ Gardeners’ Assistant ” you will find plates illustrating 
horticultural buildings, and when commencing similar work these 
will furnish ideas to work on, and an idea of the results you should 
and can attain to by practice in this department of plan drawing. 
Faint washes of Indian ink will give the touch of a master hand in 
depicting the lights and shadows falling on the glass. Note also 
the scale to be found accompanying a plan you wish to model your 
work on. A little practice, with some thoughtful attention, will 
clear away those little difficulties at first experienced with it. 
Later on a box of water colours may be added for tinting flower 
garden designs. The drawing books mentioned above may be had 
for Id. or 2d. each. It is quite possible some friendly hand may 
guide you on little points which I am precluded from doing ; but 
failing this, it is quite possible for you to succeed if you intend to 
do so. Do so, and you will not regret it. 
Botany. 
“ To him who in the loveot Nature holds communion with her visible forms, 
She speaks a various language.” 
In the pursuit of knowledge, and taking it for granted that a 
foretaste of those pure pleasures derived from it have been already 
experienced, the feeling will arise to economise the spare time of 
summer days, as well as winter nights. The subjects previously 
brought under notice are, it is obvious, pre-eminently adapted to 
the latter. With the lengthening days of summer the pen, the 
pencil, or the book are apt to lose some of that magic influence 
they have, I trust, woven around you. Counter attractions now 
present themselves, and the desire prevails to go forth into the 
fields, the woods, breathing the deep beauty of Nature. It could 
not be otherwise, nor should it be otherwise. The silent teacher 
has glorious lessons for her pupils. Be one of them. Read the 
pages of her immortal books, science holds the key, and that key is 
botany. You may doubtless enjoy all that young life can enjoy in 
admiring fresh scenes, but it is the turning over the pages for the 
pictures and ignoring the teaching. 
The affinity of botany to gardening is evident, and the import¬ 
ance of a knowledge of it is illustrated by the prominence it holds 
in the curriculum of other professions. That a man may ba an 
excellent gardener and not a botanist, or vice versa, goes without 
saying. One may even go farther and note some instances in which 
the study of this science has developed into an all-absorbent passion 
where the chief ends and aims of gardening find no place. With 
