Much 17,1887. ] 
JOURNAL OF HORTICULTURE AND COTTAGE GARDENER. 
213 
cause they do not have the attention bestowed upon them that market 
growers are able to bestow upon them when grown on a large scale and 
men especially employed in looking after them. When the plants can 
hare such attention, grand specimens are produced in twelve or eighteen 
months from the time of sowing the seed. By sowing the seed in 
August and growing the plants steadily throughout the year, they may 
be had in flower from October to May ; but recent experience has 
taught us that for gardeners generally the best results, compared with 
the trouble taken, can be obtained by growing on plants that have 
flowered one season ; and although wc do not dispute that equally good 
plants may be produced by sowing the seed annually and throwing the 
plants away after they have done flowering, as many good cultivators of 
these popular flowers do, yet we maintain that to accomplish it treble 
the amount of attention is necessary. Another great advantage of this 
system of cultivation is, that the very best varieties can be selected and 
grown, so that we can be always sure of having a good strain to 
depend on for the main batch of plants, for however reliable may be 
the source from which seed is obtained, the plants generally require a 
little weeding out, the most robust specimens often producing quite 
inferior flowers. Taking these things into consideration, we believe that 
the most Drofitable way of growing Cyclamens is to sow a little seed in 
August each year, and select the best varieties when in flower, and after 
giving them a season of rest grow them again, and continue to 
do so each year as long as the corms are in a plump and healthy condi¬ 
tion, or till they become too large for the purpose required. One of the 
reasons why disappointment often occurs when old plants are grown, 
is because corms are potted that are quite worthless, having very 
few embryo buds to develope into leaves and flowers. 
We have at the present time many fine plants in flower, some from 
seed sown in 1885 in 5 and 6-inch pots, carrying between thirty and 
forty fully expanded flowers, with numerous buds to form a succession. 
Yet the treatment given them has been simplicity itself, and I thought 
a few remarks concerning it might be of service to those who have not 
been so successful as they would wish in growing these plants. After 
flowering our stock is placed together in a frame, and water gradually 
withheld till the corms are thoroughly ripened. The pots are then turned 
on their sides and the plants kep: for three or four weeks without water, 
when they are again stood upright and receive a thorough soaking, 
which causes them in a short time to start into growth. As soon as the 
young leaves, or rather the stalks, are a quarter of an inch in length 
the corms are shaken out, the roots shortened, and repotted in soil con¬ 
sisting of two parts turfy loam, one part leaf mould, and one part well 
decayed manure, which lias previously been exposed to the;air to sweeten 
(ours was obtained from a Vine border which had been heavily dressed 
in the spring), with enough sand and finely broken charcoal to keep the 
compost open. In potting the corms were buried about half their depth, 
and the soil pressed about them moderately firm. They were then re¬ 
turned to a cold pit, where they stood on a firm surface of ashes, were 
kept close and shaded for a few days, and afterwards gradually inured 
to the light and air till the lights were left off altogether, except during 
heavy rains. The night dews seemed to have a very beneficial effect 
upon them. When the nights were cold the lights were placed on, 
and by the end of September they were removed to shelves in a light 
span-roofed house, where the temperature ranged between 45° and 60°, 
according to the weather, a fair amount of air being given on all favour¬ 
able occasions, and the floor of the house damped once a day in bright 
weather. When the roots had worked well into the soil weak farm¬ 
yard manure water was given at each watering, and occasionally a little 
soot water mixed with it. As the flowers began to open the plants 
were removed to the conservatory (which was kept at about the 
same temperature as the house in which they had been wintered), where 
they are now, rewarding us with a fine display of richly coloured flowers. 
H. Dcnkin. 
t*el)td3 
PHAIUS TUBERCULOSUS, var. SUPERBUS. 
Orchids that are difficult to import and difficult to cultivate are 
often well known to botanists for a considerable time before horticul¬ 
turists generally have an opportunity of making their acquaintance. An 
example of this is afforded by Phaius tuberculosus, which under various 
names had been described by botanical writers long before living plants 
were introduced to this country. The name now adopted was bestowed 
upon the species by Blurne, but Du Petit Thouars gives it as Limodorum 
tuberculosum, ami Sprengel as Bletia tuberculosum. Some seven or 
eight years ago it was found by the collector Humblot, and plants were 
successfully introduced to this country to pass into the possession of the 
leafing orehidists. Sir Trevor Lawrence, Bart., flowered one of these in 
the Burford Lodge collection early in 1881, and the plant,when exhibited 
at the Royal Horticultural Society’s meeting, March 8th of that year, 
had two spikes, one with four and the other with six flowers. The con¬ 
trast between the lip and the pure white sepals is most remarkable, and 
this Phaius became cne of the notabilities of the year. 
Baron Schroder also flowered a good variety at The Dell, Egham, 
which is excellently figured in Williams’ “ Orchid Album,” vol. ii., 
plate 91, and Mr. Sillem of Sydenham obtained a variety remarkable 
for the size and bright colour of the flowers. The finest variety that has 
yetbeen seen is, however, that represented in fig. 39, p. 215, P. tuberculosus, 
var. superbus, which has recently flowered at Burford Lodge, and was 
shown at South Kensington on the 8th inst., when a cultural commenda¬ 
tion was awarded for it. In most of the varieties that first attracted at¬ 
tention the flowers rarely exceeded 2 inches in diameter : in this they 
are over 3 inches from tip to tip of the p.tals. The lip is also larger and 
much richer in colour, the peculiar veining or spotting in the throat and 
side lobes, is of an intensely rich maroon, whereas it is usually of a red¬ 
dish orange hue. The prominent crest in the centre of the lip is bright 
orange, the undulated margin being purplish, and separated from the 
crest by a pure white irregular band. The flowers have a singularly 
bold handsome appearance, and the plant under notice had a strong spike 
of six flowers with several plicate leaves, like many other forms of the 
genus, but rather shorter than those of P. tuberculosus are usually. It 
is grown in a pot in the Aerides house, as, being a native of Madagascar, 
it requires a high temperature and a moist atmosphere, somewhat the 
same conditions as Angraecum sesquipedale from the same island. Sir 
Trevor Lawrence has been fortunate in obtaining this beautiful variety 
for placing amongst the numerous treasures contained in his valuable 
collection.— Lewis Castle. 
ORCHIDS AT HOWICK HOUSE NEAR PRESTON. 
Very few, I imagine, have had the opportunity of seeing such a rich 
display of Cattleya Trianas as was afforded me a few days ago. I was 
astonished when my hospitable guide, Mr. Swan, showed me into a house 
where no less than 270 or 280 flowers of the lovely Cattleya Trianm and 
its varieties were expanded. Many varieties are included, of all shades, 
including the lovely C. Trianae alba, a fine healthy piece, with a pair of 
its lovely and pure white flowers. Several plants‘of Cattleya Percival- 
iana and C. Mendelli were gay, also C. amethystoglossa, a very distinct 
and beautiful species. In the same house were noticed two or three good 
baskets of each of the following Dendrobiums—D. crassinode, rich, and 
a mass of flower, D. heterocarpum, D. nobile, and. the beautiful D. 
Ainsworthi. 
In a second division suspended from the roof were some well-grown 
Phalmnopsis. The most noteworthy is a piece of P. Schilleriana with a 
splendid branched raceme bearing thirty flowers. P. Stuartiana, P. 
violacea, P. amabilis, P. Sanderiana, and P. grandiflora are all repre¬ 
sented. In a third house, among numerous examples of Cattleya Mossiae 
and other species, are several baskets of the orange-coloured Laelia 
cinnabarina, well flowered, also Laelia harpophylla. The last-named 
resembles the former, except that the lip is of a much lighter shade. 
Coelogyne cristata is well grown here; several very large pans' have 
yielded a real harvest of flowers, but the lovely Coelogyne, C. Lemoniana, 
was a little in the rear. Some four or five pans were flowering profusely, 
each raceme bearing from five to eight flowers, a number^rarely seen 
upon the old variety. The lip is of a soft lemon yellow tint quite 
distinct from the former. A house is filled with most healthy Odonto- 
glossums bearing a host of strong flower spikes. About 120 fine racemes 
of the following were noticed—0. Alexandra;, 0. Andersonianum, O. 
gloriosum, and 0. Pescatorei; Oncidium macranthum, several having 
racemes 5 and 6 feet long trained neatly to stakes. 
Leaving the Orchid houses, we cannot help noticing that all kinds of 
florist and other plants have their various cultural requirements supplied 
with the same judgment. Cyclamens fill one side of a span-roofed house, 
and are in themselves a complete show. One plant is nearly a yard in 
diameter, and many others are from 15 to 18 inches across. In the same 
house are well-grown Cinerarias. Tea Roses have a good share of 
attention, filling one side of a house in 10-inch pots, tied neatly to 
stakes, and forming good bushes down to the rims. Last, but by no 
means the least interesting feature, is a neat little conservatory adjoin¬ 
ing the mansion, and within is a tastefully arranged bank of Hyacinths, 
Tulips, and Narcissus, with Primulas, Cyclamen, Lily of the Valley, &c., 
backed up with a row of Acacia lophantha and Aspidistra lurida 
variegata, which gave to the whole a very pleasing effect. The 
Hyacinths are splendidly grown, and are represented by many excellent 
sorts too numerous to name. They are chiefly grown in self-colours, 
three bulbs in each pot, a system that should be more generally adopted 
where good effect is the object, no sticks or tics being employed. Narcissus 
and Tulips are equally well grown. But space and time are short, I 
must therefore close my notes, feeling that a most profitable hour had 
been spent.— Visitor. 
PRESERVING FLOWERS FROM SLUGS. 
Your correspondent, Mr. Murphy, draws attention to the slugs 
“ destroying and disfiguring his flowers,” and this is by no means an 
exception, for not only are they troublesome and destructive with the 
outdoor flowers, but more especially when they attack the flowers in 
houses, for 1 have been troubled with them amongst the Orchids. They 
commenced their operation upon Dcndrobium nobile, which they seem 
particularly fond of. It is most provoking indeed, as your correspondent 
states, to find the flowers disfigured, and in my case some of the buds 
cut off. To prevent fur'her mischief I proexred some Potatoes and cut 
them in half, removing some of the inner portion, thus forming a kind of 
shell. I then cut a hale V s>ape in each piece, tlrs being to allow the 
enemy free passage into the trap. Place the traps amongst the plants, 
