146 
JOURNAL OF HORTICULTURE AND COTTAGE GARDENER 
[ Febniary 23, ISS^. 
latter have pushed well into the bed of fermenting manure 
beneath. 
Provide a night temperature of Go° to 70^ This may be secured 
by making up the linings every fortnight, removing the spent 
materials, and supplying hot dung and leaves, covering the glass 
■with mats and fern. Admit a little air in the morning when the 
thermometer reaches 75°, increasing the amount given when a tem¬ 
perature of 80° is indicated, adding thereto when the glass registers 
85°. If the above details arc carried out in an intelligent manner 
there need be no doubt about success in the first attempt to grow 
Melons. If two or three frames are to be devoted to them sow 
seed at intervals.—H. W. AV.vun. 
L.ELIA SUPERBIENS. 
Hei’.E’witti I send you a note on Laslia superbiens, an Orchid 
which does not bloom freely in an intermediate house, although it 
grows very freely, throws out splendid air roots, and makes fine 
pseudo-bulbs. Several plants have been gi'own in an intermediate 
house for seme years, one only of which bloomed. Not being 
satisfied with plants of twm dozen pseudo-bulbs without flo'n'ers, I 
decided to place them in a higher temperature, drier atmosphere, 
with more light, last summer, and the result is several fine spikes of 
bloom 5 feet long. The plants were returned to the intermediate 
house in the end of the summer, and continue there. One young 
plant has been grown in a stove for several years, has increased the 
size of pseudo-bulbs annually, and has now^ flowered for the first 
time. 
This plant does not flower until the pseudo-bulbs are of large size, 
and it should be grown in high temperature, somewhat dry at the 
end of summer to consolidate the growth. The flower spikes are 
several months developing, but is a noble plant in bloom.—G. H. 
AN UNCOMMON ORCHID :DISPLAT. 
In one of the Orchid houses at Waddon House, Croydon, Mr. 
Philip Crowdey has had daring the past week or two a display of 
floiv’ers c{uite unique in the method of arrangement adopted ami ex¬ 
ceptionally beautiful. The house is a small span-roof structure 
with side stages and a path dowm the centre, and is devoted chiefly 
to Coelogynes, Dendrobiums, and a few other Orchids. Upon one 
of the side stages are about a dozen grand specimens of Coslogyne 
cristata, from 2 to 3 feet in diameter, and bearing some hundreds of 
flowers, three to seven in a raceme. The variety is a very good 
one, the sepals and petals massive, broad, and pure white, wdth a 
fine orange tint in the lip, a smaller but healthy plant of the 
delicate C. cristata Lemoniana being also included amongst them. 
The Coelogynes alone are worth going a long way to see, but their 
beauty is considerably heightened by a number of plants of Ada 
aurantiaca arranged alternately with them, and which, judging by 
the numerous spikes, large flowers, and unusually deep orange colour, 
thoroughly appreciate the treatment they receive. Suspended from 
the roof in small fiO-size pots are a dozen or more plants of Serico- 
graphis Ghiesbreghtiana, and the long slender sprays of rosy crimson 
tubular flowers drooping gracefully over the pure Coslogynes pro¬ 
duce a delightful effect. It is one of the most pleasing and tasteful 
examples of grouping that I have seen, and the gardener, Mr. W. 
King, must be congratulated both on the healthy condition of the 
plants and the manner in which they are associated. 
CYPRIPEDIUM VAN HOUTTET. 
Hybrid Cypripediums are now in the acme of their popularity, 
and the demand for rarities or novelties is very great. Several 
amateurs, both in England and on the Continent, have formed 
valuable collections of these i lants, and amongst them M. Jules 
Hye-Leysen of Ghent is noted for the representatives of choice 
species, hybrids or varieties included, in his houses. Three years 
ago I had the pleasure of inspecting his plants in company with Mr. 
Manning (Messrs. J. Veitch & Sons’ courteous manager), and I was 
equally surprised at the numbers of scarce forms and their vigorous 
health. It was evident that both their collection and culture had 
been carefully studied with the entlmsaxsm amateurs usually display 
in horticultural matters. I now learn that M. Jules Hye has 
recently flowered a remarkable novelty, which when exhibited at 
the last meeting of Balgian Horticulturists was awarded a certificate 
"par acclamation'’’ M. L. Masereel of Ghent when in London 
last week bronght over a flower of this Cypripedium which I had 
the good fortune to see, and to that gentleman I am indebted for 
the folloiving particulars. It was obtained by M. Jules Hye from 
M. Jules de Cock, who had it from M. Louis Van Houtte amongst 
plants of C. Hauthieri, which it resembles in habit and foliage. 
There is a probability that it reached Belgium originally from, 
England, and some think is one of the Veitchian productions. The 
first price paid was a very moder.ate one, but now it is valued at 
over 100 guineas. The flower is a bold one, well formed, and quite 
distinct in colouring ; the dorsal sepal is nearly circular, broad, and 
of a fine purple tint margined with white ; the lip is also freely 
proportioned, and the petals are purplish at the base, but the chief 
beauty of the plant is in the dorsal sepal. Some have thought that 
it is a hybrid between C. Dauthieri and C. niveum, but it is only 
conjecture.—L. Castle. 
WHAT IS AN HEKBACEOUS PLANT? 
While taking a general view of horticulture in the past year, your- 
correspondent, “ D., JJimI," in his reference to herbaceous and alpine 
plants at page 39, touches upon the important and, using his own words, 
“ thorny questions,” first, What is to be considered an herb.aceoui^ 
plant?” and, secondly, “Do bulbs come under that designation?”' 
Without attempting to decide, I may be permitted to offer an opinion, 
respecting them, trusting others may be induced to do likewise. First, 
then, What is an herbaceous plant ? and the answer, in the broadest 
sense, is. Any plant which produces annual fiowering stems from a 
perennial root, no matter whether that plant is a native of the hottest 
or coldest parts of the world, or indigenous to our own little isle.^ I 
merely mention this fact with a view to removing the erroneous notion, 
from the minds of not a few that the term herbaceous is only applied to- 
hardy plants. This, no doubt, has been brought about by constant use, 
as there i.s a much greater number of strictly herbaceous plants among 
hardy plants than in other groups. There are some who regard 
those plants which die to the ground annually as strictly herba¬ 
ceous, these persons placing this construction upon the meaning of the 
■word herbaceous—viz., “ a plant which dies down and springs up again 
—the dictionary rendering being this, “ having a soft stem that dies to- 
the root annually.” My ideas may be more clearly defined by my 
supplying a few examples under the different heads. 
Taking, then, the broadest view—viz., any plant producing annual 
flowering stems from a j erennial root, we have a very wide field, em¬ 
bracing the whole array of hardy perennials, with bulbs included if not 
entirely, to a very great extent. But if we would take the second view,, 
which runs thus—plants which die down and spring up again, the num¬ 
ber of plants figuring under this head would be more limited. Among 
the foremost to be admitted would be Pmonies of the sinensis group. 
Phloxes of the decussata section ; Delphiniums, Campanulas of the lati- 
folia, Carpathian, pumila and turbinata sections ; Michaelmas Daisies, 
Spirmas, such as digitata, palmata, Ulmaria, Aruncus, venusta, and so 
forth ; Sunflowers, Thalictrums, Rudbeckia purpurea, Trollius, many Aoe-- 
mones, while the law that admits all these cannot shut out Narcissi 
Lilies, Alstromerias, Scillas, Orchises, Cypripediums, English and 
Spanish Irisis, and Erythroniums, any more than itcanaFunkiaora St. 
Bruno’s Lily. The question is undergoing a severe strain if in accept¬ 
ing the latter rendering we exclude, for example, such plants as Rud¬ 
beckia Newmani, Campanula persicifolia alba ph, Leucanthemum maxi¬ 
mum, Spirma filipendula fl. pL, Stenactis speciosa, Chelone barbata, 
(Enothera fruticosa, Achillea millefolia rosea, Tritomas, Pyrethrums 
(which in some cases lose all old leaves), Lychnis Viscaria splendens ph, 
and the typical Iris germanica, all of which do not die down entirely,, 
but retain in a greater or less degree tufts of evergreen leaves. Going 
even farther, a friend of mine, well posted up in hardy plants,, 
considered that Violas should be regarded as herbaceous during an 
argument upon the subject last year, and based his argument on the 
fact that the rootstock was perennial, and that the jilant annually pro¬ 
duced flowers. I did not agree with him, and for this reason, that by 
doing so we must of nece-ssity admit Gentiana verna, G. acaulis, G.. 
bavarica, and G. alpina, and by the .same rule even Anbrietias, Drabas, 
Iberises, Armerias, and in shoit all alpines, but this was never intended 
to apply in such a form, since plants of diminutive growth are always- 
consulered as alpines ; still there are instances where some few taller 
plants creep into the alpine ranks on account of the altitude at which 
they arc usually founil in their native habitats, and upon the same 
grounds may some bulbous plants— e.g., Chionodoxa, be regarded as 
alpine. 
Referring to the second question—“ Do hulbs come under that 
designation?”—I should unhesitatingly reply. Yes the majority of 
them ; indeed, I should only exclude from the ranks of true herbaceous- 
plants those whose bulbs flower but once and die—that is, bulbs which 
are annually formed, and which after flowering perish. For an example 
of this take the Gladiolus ; the eorms or bulbs of these flower and perish 
annually, new ones being formed to perform the same function in their 
turn, 'i'our correspondent appears to regard Lilium auratum out of 
place as a hardy herbaceous plant, yet I cannot see where else he would 
[dace it, and I imagine no [dant can be nearer the mark than a Lilium, 
which flowers annually from a perennial root. It may be urged that 
Liliums form new scales inside the old ones annually ; still this only 
causes an enlargement of the bulb, providing greater strength with 
