88 
JOURNAL OF HORTICULTURE AND COTTAGE GARDENER. 
( febrnary 2, 18S8. 
greenhouse temperature ; but under such treatment we failed to flower 
it, and it was not until it was moved to its present position two years 
ago that anything satisfactory was done with it. It flowered the fol¬ 
lowing year and again this year about the same time—Christmas. It 
is hy no means particular as to soil, but a good friable loam seems to 
suit it best. 
“ It is easily propagated in the usual way, either by cuttings or seeds, 
which, judging from what I have seen of it, are produced rather freely ; 
but cuttings inserted round the edges of a pot in sandy soil and placed in 
a propagating frame root in a few weeks, and if potted and liberally 
treated may be expected to flower in about a year, much depending on 
the time of year at which the cuttings were inserted. As far as I am 
aware, this is the first and only plant which has flowered in England— 
possibly in Europe—and is not yet, I believe, in the trade ; Sir George 
Macleay having brought the plant to England when travelling abroad a 
few years ago.” 
ROYAL HOTICULTURAL SOCIETY. 
JuDGriNGr from the various expressions of opinion in the Journal and 
other channels of information, as well as from other sources, an under¬ 
current of dissatisfaction exists on the nominations for the new Council, 
or some of them, and it is not improbable that some opposition can¬ 
didates will be run at the forthcoming meeting. One is heard of who 
has only quite recently been made a Fellow, as if for the purpose of 
his elevation, while another is not a Fellow, though possibly he may be 
enrolled at the next meeting. We shall see. One of the gentlemen 
already nominated is also a very new Fellow, and has done nothing for 
the Society in the past. So long as the Society does not include among 
its older supporters gentlemen wto are competent to serve on the 
Council, whether as amateurs, tradesmen, or gardeners, they must of 
necessity be sought for outside ; but surely, as a matter both of justice 
and policy, old supporters, if eqimlly competent with new comers, 
should be entitled to the first consideration in the filling of vacancies. 
I am one of those who cannot understand how persons can join any 
Society for the purpose of getting placed into positions which they covet. 
If I were to join to-day, and be placed in office to-morrow so to say, I 
should feel, even if I had no wish for the distinction, that the public 
would regard me as taking a step for my own exaltation, instead of 
being animated with a desire to support the Society. Having been a 
Fellow of the Society a few months I am free to speak on this subject, 
and should certainly object to be placed on the Council to the exclusion 
of competent persons who have been supporters of the Society for years. 
Holding these views I shall not give my vote to anyone who has only 
quite recently joined the Society, as though he may have not done so with 
the object of personal distinction he could still have joined before and 
given himself a better claim, in my opinion, to the suffrages of the 
electors. —A New Fellow. 
PRIMULA SINENSIS CULTURE SIMPLIFIED. 
THE PLANTING OUT SYSTEM. 
In drawing your readers’ attention to the above system of treat¬ 
ing Primulas tlmough the summer, I do so with a desire of urghig 
others to try the plan themselves. Having placed a few dozen 
plants outside at the end of last June, which were lifted at the end 
of September, with the result that they have flowered profusely 
since the last week in October, I can with confidence recommend 
this mode of growing Primulas, particularly to amateurs who wish 
to retain old plants another season. I would advise those who 
possess plants that will be flowering from now to May to plant 
them outside in June ; such will not need much hardening previous 
to being planted. If they are planted about 2 feet apart in a 
position rather shaded, not under trees, but with a few hours’ sun on 
them through the early or latter part of the day, it would be of 
benefit rather than otherwise. Those desirous of giving the plants 
a little fresh soil when they are planting might do so with ad¬ 
vantage, but it is not really necessary, for they will grow in any 
good garden soil. If fresh soil be used the finer the better, for 
then the soil adhering to the roots can be readily removed when 
they are lifted without injuring the plants. I have several plants 
that had the soil removed from the roots until they could be placed 
in 5-inch pots. 
I intend sowing seed early in March, with a view of having 
the plants ready for planting out in cold frames in June, where 
they will remain until the autumn. I believe this idea will answer, 
and will commend itself to those who have to provide a large 
number of plants for decorative purposes. Not half the work 
will be required when they are planted out in frames as when 
they are grown in pots thi’ough the summer. I find the young 
plants always do well in their early stages, when they are growing 
in pans and boxes ; therefore, I think they will do well when 
planted out in frames for three or four months tlirough the season, 
and at a time when gardeners are fuUy occupied. If this method of 
planting the old Primula plants outside was to become adopted 
there would be a great many more growers of this most beautiful 
plant. If they could be purchased in May or June, and treated 
in the manner described above, I think those not even possessing a 
cold frame could have them flowering through the autumn and 
winter. Seed sown in the autumn would produce plants readily 
for placing outside in May and June following. If growers of 
plants for sale were to find there was a demand for them at the 
time indicated I am sure they would soon avail themselves of the 
opportunity and be in a position to supply plants at a reasonable 
cost.—T. F. B., Lancashire, 
[The specimens with others that were received in September 
afford ample evidence of the success of the simple method of 
culture described.] 
A GOSSIP ABOUT ORCHIDS. 
[A paper by Mr. Lewis Castle, read before the Chiswick Gardeners’ Mntnal Improvement 
Association, January 25tii, 188j] 
The title of this paper was chosen with the express obiect of avoid¬ 
ing any expectation of a formal or elaborate essay, and to permit a 
gossipping discourse on matters orchidic, with an occasional straying 
into bypaths, and perhaps a little horticultural moralising on the way. 
If I can thus provide you with a few subjects for reflection, and sundry 
hints of general applicability, it is of course all you desire and all I can 
undertake this evening, not because the subject is limited, but because 
it is so wide that it would only be possible to deal thoroughly with one 
portion or to glance hurriedly over it generally, and the latter course is. 
preferable, as we can thereby avoid many technicalities that are apt to 
become tiresome. We will therefore proceed to a few considerations 
respecting 
ORCHIDS AS GARDEN PLANTS. 
Orchids unfortunately have many defects, and the greatest of^ these 
to the minds of some very worthy and thoroughly useful persons is that 
their economic value is extremely small. Tliey do not contribute niiy- 
thing to the necessities of life, and with the exception of the exquisite 
vanilla flavouring to please the palate occasionally, those who derive a 
large portion of the pleasures of their existence from eating and drink¬ 
ing obtain so little from the Orchid family that they can afford to 
despise it most vigorously. We are told that utilitarianism is the order 
of the day, and very rightly too, but with many this also seems to mean 
a dreary kind of puritanical existence, the abolition of refinement, and 
the general assumption of corduroy vestments. Then, again, we cannot 
look to Orchid culture for a remedy in the prevailing agricultural de¬ 
pression, nor can we from a commercial point of view claim for Orchids- 
the financial advantages of the humble Mushroom as depicted in the 
inimitable Wrightian style. They are rather more expensive to grow 
than Cabbages or Turnips, and lastly, they constitute the favourite 
hunting grounds of many voracious and prolific insects. 
Such are the principal defects of the Orchids as garden plants, and 
having given tbem their full weight it may be worth while to see what 
can he set off against them. As civilisation advances and wealth 
accumulates in any country, demands arise for what are termed luxuries 
i.p., something outside and beyond what is essential to the mere preserva¬ 
tion of life. These modes of disposing of surplus pecuniary possessions 
of course vary greatly with the dispositions of the fortunate individuals 
who, luckily for the other portion of the community, are generally 
desirous of doing so. In old countries or prosperous new ones the better 
form of this is seen in the patronage accorded to the arts and sciences, 
and in this country the exceptional development of horticulture has 
been entirely due to the same cause. In the United States of North 
America the increase of capital has also resulted in a wonderful advance 
in horticulture, and it seems that our cousins are surpassing us in real 
gardening enthusiasm as they already have in some other matters. Is it, 
therefore, surprising that a share of the attention of the wealthy should 
be devoted to plants, and amongst them especially to Orchids? In pro¬ 
vincial gardens the first requirements are good supplies of fruit and 
vegetables, then come the plants, and in not a few establishments where 
decoration is largely carried out this is now a highly important depart¬ 
ment. Around large towns it often happens that fruit and vegetables 
can be purchased more cheaply than they can be grown in gardens, and 
then the owner delights himself with his Roses, Chrysanthemums, hardy 
plants, or Orchids, according to the length of his purse and his own 
partialities ; or perhaps he is a man of large sympathies, and then they 
all cjine in for a share of his regard. It consequently happens that 
suburban gardens abound in examples of good plant culture, while for 
general “ all-round ” establishments we must usually go to the provinces. 
In the former gardens we find the greatest extension of Orchid culture 
in recent years, successful merchants and “ City men ” have taken them 
in hand as their especial favourites, and collections have multiplied with 
surprising rapidity. Regarding Orchids simply as luxuries there have 
been substantial reasons for this popularity, as no thoughtful person 
with the smallest capacity for appreciation of the beautiful in Nature 
couldifail to admire their strangely handsome flowers, singular formation, 
varied and rich colours. A more intimate acquaintance with and 
extended knowledge of them invariably develope that admiration into a 
kind of enthusiasm such as distinguishes all true horticulturists, and 
which some petrified persons, wrongly named utilitaiians, are incapable 
