March S, 1887. j 
JOURNAL OF HORTICULTURE AND COTTAGE GARDENER. 
17? 
from the top of the wall to a strong stake driven into the border 4 feet 
from the wall. Between each pair of these wires a stake is driven and a 
cord brought down from the bottom edge of the canvas and secured to 
a large nail in this stake, and we can thus pull the canvas on to the top of 
the wall every fine day. We have always found this ample protection. 
It is a good plan to prune outside Peach trees as soon as the last fruit is 
gathered from the tree, which gives them a better chance of ripening 
the wood for next season. 
I can also testify to the excellent results of Mr. Rodgers’ practice at 
Charlcote Park, having learnt some valuable lessons while under him 
at Charlcote some years ago. Mr. Phipps was also a very successful 
cultivator of the Peach outside at Ingestre Hall, Staffordshire, some 
years ago. Our varieties which are successful outside are—Peaches, 
Early Alfred, Hale’s Early, Early Anne, Prince of Wales, Stump the 
World, Barrington, Bellegarde, one of the best; and Late Admirable. 
Nectarines, Violette Hative and Elruge.— Lancastrian. 
ZYGOPEIALUM MACKAYI MAJU3. 
This has proved one of the most valuable winter flowering Orchids 
we possess. The way it has behaved here is most interesting. On the 
1st of December, or three months ago, a small plant of it was in full 
bloom, It was placed in a room in the mansion and remained there 
until the middle of January. It was then brought down to the garden 
as fresh as on the day it opened, and, what is more remarkable still, the 
flower is yet good. I send you a small piece that you may see it not 
only retains its colour, but it is still fragrant, and I do not think I ever 
knew an Orchid bloom remaining good for such a length of time before. 
In this respect it surely outdistances all other flowers.—J. Muir, 
Mar gam. 
[The Zygopetalum is quite fresh still and has certainly lasted well, 
but Lycaste Skinneri will remain fresh for even a longer time in 
rooms.] 
CCELOGYNE CRI3TATA. 
Having read with pleasure the various remarks on Coelogyne cristata 
and not having seen anything surpassing home experience in quantity 
of blooms on individual spikes, I forward you a spike, one of eight on 
the same plant bearing a like number of blooms, while two spikes had 
one flower each more. Those were cut for home purposes before we 
heard so much about the number of flowers on a spike. In our opinion 
the variety has a good deal to answer for on this subject, as on another 
plant growing under exactly the same conditions, and with much finer 
pseudo-bulbs, we have never had more than four blooms. Certainly the 
flowers are a little larger and would possibly by some be considered 
finer. There are a number of spikes on the same plant with five blooms, 
four being common, while six is represented by two spikes. —A. Douglas, 
Baldersby. 
[The spike sent had seven fine flowers, an admirable example of this 
useful Orchid.] 
GROWING ORCHIDS UNDER ADVERSE CIRCUMSTANCES. 
I am very pleased to see a special column in the Journal devoted to 
notes on Orchid culture, 
and I hope the sugges¬ 
tion of your correspon¬ 
dent, “ J. T., Ilardwioke 
Grange," page 134, will 
be the means of in¬ 
ducing many of your 
readers interested in the 
cultivation of Orchids 
to contribute particulars 
of their successes and 
failures, especially those 
who have to grow them 
under adverse circum¬ 
stances. I am sorry that 
at present I come within 
the category of that de¬ 
signation. “J. T.” ap¬ 
pears to me to be more 
fortunate. Having stove, 
vinery, and fernery at 
command, he should be 
able, with careful man¬ 
agement, to grow almost 
any Orchid in cultivation. 
“ J. T.” says, “ Who need 
despair ? ” I say, What 
do you wish for more? 
Had I the variety of 
houses enumerated above, 
I could be content, and 
leave adverse circum¬ 
stances out of the ques¬ 
tion. There can be little 
difficulty in growing Or¬ 
chids in houses specially 
constructed and adapted 
to their culture, but it has 
never yet fallen to my lot to be in that enviable position. I had the good 
fortune some years ago to grow a few specimens in vineries, but I had the 
advantage at that time of having one of the houses so heated that it could 
be started at any time. I am now attempting to grow a few more. 
I have three small houses in which Vines are planted, but unfor¬ 
tunately there is not one of them at present that has sufficient piping 
to start Vines before March. They have been subjected to a lower tem¬ 
perature than I consider safe for several of the varieties I had to grow, 
the thermometer in severe weather often falling below 40°, but notwith¬ 
standing this they have grown remarkably well, and seem none the worse 
for their cool treatment. 
I give the dimensions of a few of the principal plants—viz., two 
Coelogyne cristata, 3 feet 6 inches in diameter; four Dendrobium 
nobile, 3 feet 6 inches through ; two Cattleya Mossias, 3 feet across ; 
cne L;elia purpurata, 3 feet 6 inches across ; one Odontoglossum 
Alexandra, 3 feet in diameter; one Oncidium flexuosum, 3 feet 
6 inches across; one Cypripedium insigne, 3 feet 6 inches across. 
These are grown in tubs 1 foot deep and 2 feet 6 inches in diameter. 
Also Dendrobium thyrsiflorum, 2 feet through; Dendrobium chryso- 
toxum, 2 feet through; Laslia purpurata, 2 feet through; Zygo¬ 
petalum Mackayi, 2 feet across ; two Dendrobium Wardianum, growths 
3 feet 6 inches long, 
CATTLEYA BICOLOR. 
OvER]fifty years ago a drawing of a BrazilianOrchid by M. Descourtilz 
under the name of Epidendr4 irid6e attracted the notice of botanists, 
and Lindley gave a brief 
description of the plant 
in the “ Botanical Re¬ 
gister,” 1836, fol. 1919, 
with the name Cattleya 
bicolor. He also subse¬ 
quently figured it in the 
“ Sertum,” and referred to 
it in the periodical pre¬ 
viously mentioned in 1838 
“ Miscelleanea,” page 80, 
as flowering in Loddiges’ 
collection that year. A 
good coloured figure ap¬ 
peared in the “ Botanical 
Magazine,” t. 4909, 1856. 
As a distinct and easily 
grown Orchid it has ob¬ 
tained much favour with 
cultivators, the flowers 
diiferinggreatly from other 
Cattleyas, chiefly owing to 
the absence of the lateral 
lobes that usually partially 
surround the column. The 
sepals and petals are of a 
peculiar brownish or lurid 
green, varying in depth of 
tint ; the column is pink 
or nearly white, the lip 
very rich crimson, with 
darker lines, and a lighter 
margin. In the variety 
figured the margin is 
strongly marked, and it 
has on that account been 
named marginata in some 
gardens. 
CATTLEYA PERCIVALIANA AND AE RIDES LEEANUVT. 
By this post I am sending you a flower of Cattleya Percivaliana on 
which I should value your opinion. The plant has been in flower about 
a fortnight, consequently the colour is not so good as it has been. Also 
you will find enclosed an Aerides, which we purchased under the name 
of A. quinquevulnerum. Can you kindly give me thi correct name? 
Is not the feathering or variegation in the petals of the Cattleya 
unusual ?— Liverpool. 
[The Cattleya is a very good variety of C. Percivaliana, the lip being 
an excellent colour. We have seen several fine forms of this Cattleya 
lately ; it seems to be improving. The Aerides is not A. quinquevulnerum, 
but apparently a pale form of A. Leeanum, an Indian species named by 
Reichenbach in honour of Mr. W. Lee of Downside. A. Huttoni or 
Thibautianum is somewhat like A. quinquevulnerum in habit, but the 
racemes are longer. There is a variety of A. quinquevulnerum named 
Farmeri which bears white flowers.] 
F g. CO. CuttltTa bicolor. 
