112 
JOURNAL OF HORTICULTURE AND COTTAGE GARDEN ER. 
[ February 11, 1856. 
thought it almost impossible for them to do any good that season. I 
placed them all together into a light airy house, shortened the shoots as 
far as I thought necessary, syringed them twice a day forcibly with 
cold water, and watched them carefully that they had sufficient water at 
the roots. Signs were soon noticed of buds starting out of one or two- 
year-old wood, and also from the base of that season’s wood. At the end 
of August I had them with clean heads of bloom. The next year we in¬ 
creased our stock and started syringing early, and kept on all the season 
and during the nine years I had charge we had no more mildew. 
I left two years ago this spring to take charge here, and I found one 
house of Roses in puts and planted out, with about 800 in beds and borders 
(in the gardens), and that autumn we started a second house of Roses in 
pots and planted out. Having a good force of water laid on from the 
lawn in all the houses I got two lengths of Merryweather’s red roller 
pipe with a rose at one end, and made it to fit our tap? in the houses, and 
gave our Roses the full force of water over and under them just as it 
comes from the pipes twice a day after February is out, and I have had 
no mildew the last two seasons. Our inside Roses will be started this 
week, and will be syringed once a day for this month, after which they 
are syringed twice a day till September. Our Roses inside are grown for 
cutting, and we cut every morning before the syringing, so ihat the water 
never spoils our blooms, but keeps them free from green fly and mildew. 
Our houses are light and airy, and the Roses are fed with manure. 
The outside Roses are treated similarly once a week after May is out— 
that is, in fine weather. They are top-dressed with manure, and they 
have had no mildew on them the last two seasons. I hope, with the same 
treatment, to keep the Roses as free from mildew in the future as I have 
done in the past.— E. H. Bradley. 
BIRMINGHAM GARDENERS’ IMPROVEMENT SOCIETY. 
I HAVE been requested by Mr. Latham and other friends to ask the 
favour of publicity in the Journal for a notice of the proposed Society as 
per enclosed. It was an admirable representative meeting, and the Mayor 
gave much excellent advice and fully entered into the spirit of the meet¬ 
ing : 170 gardeners and others have already become members, and a much 
larger number will join. The proposal to establish such a Society was 
made at the annual dinner of the British Chrysanthemum Society by Mr. 
J. Hughes, the Secretary, and was warmly taken up. Appended is the 
report.—W. D. 
Last evening, in the small Lecture Theatre of the Birmingham Midland 
Institute, a well-attended meeting of gardeners resident in Birmingham and 
the neighbourhood was held for the purpose of forming a gardeners' mutual 
improvement society. The Mayor presided, and there were also present on 
the platform Messrs. W. B. Latham, R. H. Vertegans, J. Pope, W. Spinks, 
W. Dean, J. Horton, A. Grice, J. Cole, and J. Hughes. The Mayor, in open¬ 
ing the meeting, said that he was very glad to find, both from the large 
attendance and from the support which Mr. Hughes had obtained, that the 
suggestion to form a mutual improvement society for the gardeners of Bir¬ 
mingham and its neighbourhood had met with very general acceptance from 
those who were most nearly interested. They followed a pursuit of very 
great interest. It was of such interest that many persons who were not in 
their way of business would be glad, if they could afiord the time, to give up 
their own avocations and devote themselves chiefly to the cultivation of 
flowers and plants ; and he thought it might be quite as interesting to those 
who depended upon it for a livelihood as to the amateur. It was a pursuit, 
moreover, which was interesting and beneficial just in proportion as it was 
approached with intelligence and not with stupidity. If a gardener went to 
his work with a cultivated intelligence, ready to accept new ideas, he would 
not only make an infinitely better servant to his master, and a much better 
and more respectable member of society, but have twice as much pleasure 
in his work as one who did it just as it came to his hand. (Applause.) There 
were among the gardeners of Birmingham men as well advanced in their 
craft as would be found anywhere, and therefore one approached the for¬ 
mation of such a society with confidence that men would be found who 
could work it. It was proposed, he understood, that they shoHld have some 
room, as conveniently situated as possible, properly furnished, and, he 
hoped, to be in due time provided with a good library. (Hear, hear.) By 
the opportunities of conference which would thus be afford; d, not only 
would those who were ignorant acquire knowledge, but those who had the 
very widest experience might be able to learn from some others who perhaps 
had had special means of information in particular branches. There were 
certain extensions which the society might make hereafter. The suggestion 
had been made that it should undertake the flower shows which had hitherto 
been held under separate management in the Town Hall. (Applause.) 
Union was strength, and the spring show might be managed with the Chrys¬ 
anthemum show at very much less cost of labour and trouble. He was told 
that in other large towns, such as Liverpool and Manchester, there were 
already flourishing associations of gardeners, and he did not see why 
Birmingham should be any longer behind. (Applause.) On the motion of 
Mr. Dean, seconded by Mr. Latham, it was resolved that a Gardeners’ 
Mutual Improvement Society be formed, with a managing committee of 
twelve members, to be elected annually. The resolution gave rise to some 
discussion, in which the study of botany was urged upon those present by 
several speakers. The subscription was fixed at 2s. (id. per annum, and 
some donations to the library were announced. The meeting closed with a 
vote of thanks to the Mayor. 
PLANTS CERTIFICATED IN 1885. 
MR. W. BULL’S, CHELSEA. 
For many years ornamental-foliage plants and Orchids have con¬ 
stituted two important specialities at Mr. Bull’s King's Road Nursery, 
and we have a good illustration of this in the relative numbers certificated 
at the leading exhibitions during the past year. Of a total of twenty so 
honoured, eight were “foliage plants,” as they are termed, the same 
number were Orchids, and the remaining four were an Aristolochia, an 
Eucharis, a Haemanthue, and an Azalea, to be noticed presently. Although 
the chief features are thus shown, they are by no means the only ones, for 
extensive collections are grown of Pelargoniums, Azaleas, Rhododendrons, 
Chrysanthemums, and miscellaneous flowering plants. Of the Rhodo¬ 
dendrons in particular there are some thousands of seedlings, hybrids of 
the R. javanicum and R. Brookeanum types, that may be confidently 
expected to produce some beautiful novelties. 
Orchids occupy much the greatest space, and it will be therefore 
fitting to refer to those certificated first. Taking them in alphabetical 
order we have Angraecum or Aeranthus Leonis, which was shown at 
South Kensington on the same day by five orchidists. This Orchid will 
be principally valued for its floriferous habit, and the flowers being white 
will also render it a favourite with many. As a free-growing plant that 
anyone can cultivate in moderate heat it is undoubtedly worthy of atten¬ 
tion, though less imposing than the remarkable A. sesquipedale, to which 
some have compared it. A trio of Dendrobiums come next in order, the 
charming and now well known D. Ainsworthi having been certificated by 
the Royal Botanic Society, though it was first honoured by the Royal 
Horticultural Society in 1874. It is strange it has never been shown at 
Regent’s Park before, but stranger still if it has been exhibited and was 
never duly recognised until last year. D. crassinode album, a white- 
flowered variety of a favourite and easily grown Orchid, and a highly 
coloured variety of D. nobile entitled insigne, are both good additions to the 
list. Lycaste Skinneri alba, the valuable White Lycaste, a handsome Orchid 
with pure wax-like flowers of great substance. An exceptionally fine 
white variety has now been flowering in Mr. Bull’s nursery for some time, 
and the flower is still in good condition, the sepals and petals broad and 
beautifully proportioned. All the varieties of Lycaste Skinneri are 
useful owing to the durableness of their flowers, but the white one is 
specially so because it contrasts well with the more numerous dark forms, 
and it is scarcely rivalled amongst white Orchids for massive purity. 
Masdevallia Wagneriana is one of the dwarf small-flowered species, with 
rather pretty yellowish blooms, and might be associated with M. Shuttle- 
worthi. A pair of Odontoglossums, 0. Insleayi splendens, and 0. Rossi 
concinnum, the former a grand variety with yellow flowers richly spotted 
with red, and the latter a pretty little variety with symmetrical flowers, 
the sepals and petals broad and rounded. 
We may now briefly glance at the Orchids in flower at the present 
time, and although February is not quite the month for a brilliant floral 
display, several houses contain a good show of blooms, far better than 
could be expected. It also proves how useful Orchids are at a time when 
flowers are most welcome. The Cattleyas are in grand health and showing 
sheaths by hundreds, the flowers of some varieties being expanded, and 
their numbers will soon be increased. A group of C. Trianse varieties is 
prominent in one house, differing greatly in colour from the pure white 
alba through delicate rose and blush tinted forms like bella, delicata, 
ampliatas, rosea picta, Vesta and tyrianthina to the deeper coloured 
illustris and Imperator. C. Percivaliana is also represented by some 
richly coloured forms, and it varies considerably in merit. A deeply 
tinted variety of L. ancep3 is notable in one of the houses, as also is 
L. Lindleyana with pale sepals and petals and a blush lip. The free and 
long-lasting L. albida and its variety L. Marian®, with the rich and 
handsome L. autumnalis atrorubens, are thoroughly u eful Orchids, and 
it is astonishing how well they flower when receiving fairly careful 
attention. 
Several Odontoglossums impart their attraction to groups in the 
houses, such as O. mirandum, a distinct form, with long narrow sepals and 
petals, brownish red in the centre, and clearly margined with yellow ; 
0. mulus, barred with dark brown on a yellow ground; O. hebraicum, 
creamy white, dotted witn brownish red ; and O. criepum, superb in size 
and form. Of 0. Rossi there is a group including some distinct and 
beautiful varieties. One form of O. Rossi majus is especially handsome, 
and well merits the three crosses on the label, which serve to distinguish 
it when not in flower. The ground colour is clear white, and upon this are 
a number of very dark reddish crimson spots that show up admirably, and 
with the pale yellow crest serve to render it one of the best we have seen. 
The others differ greatly in the size of the flower and the richness of the 
markings, but all are good, and the smaller flowers are generally the 
finest in colour. The plants of 0. vexillarium are in excellent health, and 
will contribute to the floral effect later on ; they are now as fresh and 
vigorous as anyone could wish to see. O. Phal®nopsis is similarly satis¬ 
factory, both Orchids which are found diffi ult to grow by some persons, 
but which at Chelsea luxuriate in the London smoke. One of the chief 
points with these, as with other Orchids, is, in Mr. Bull’s opinion, keeping 
the plants thoroughly clean ; a little labour expended in cleans ng them at 
stated intervals is well repaid, and is a practical illustration of the maxim 
that “ Prevention is better than cure.” 
Many more Orchid? might be enumerated, we can only note the fol¬ 
lowing as flowering now. A new and fragrant Dendrochilum, which is to 
be referred to a botanical authority for its name ; Angraecum citratum, 
very free, small plants in thumb pots bearing four spikes of creamy-white 
flowers ; Saccolabium giganteum, with a fine raceme, very sweet; varieties 
of Lycaste Skinneri, delicately and richly coloured ; the useful Ada 
aurantiaca ; several small-flowered but interesting Masdevallias like 
M. pnlysticta; M. E-trad®, and M. Simula, with tht- peculiar Pleurothallis 
ornatissima, which has small white filaments pendulous from the flowers, 
and giving them a strange appearance. Cypripedmm Lawrenceanum, 
C. Swannianum, C. Argus excellens, a boll, hi.n Isome variety; C. 
