November 18. 
THE COTTAGE GARDENEE. 
123 
greater uumber of them in a head, and they all open at 
tlie same time in each head. The top part of the 
flower is a rich, soft, crimson-scarlet, lower down, fading 
into orange-scarlet; and the bottom of the tube ending 
in a shaded orange colour; altogether making the 
richest cross that has ajopeared since the purplish-crim¬ 
son water-lily at Chatsworth, called Nymplicca Devoniensis. 
There were twelve plants of it in bloom, all from cut¬ 
tings this summer; and all in 60's, or three-inch pots, 
sliowing what a free bloomer it is. Their heights might 
be from six to eighteen inches; and the largest heads 
had from ten to twelve open blooms each. Now, as it 
is lawful, by common consent, to make large specimens 
of Adliimenes from a collection of plants, individually 
small, by planting so many of them in one pot just as 
they show for bloom; and knowing that some of our 
i best gardeners cannot flower the stronger jEschynantlis 
but indilfei-ently after they come of age; being also 
quite familiar with the fact, of which Mr. Pince seems 
to be well aware, that all iEschynanths, whether strong 
growers or otherwise, flower much better and with 
greater freedom on single shoots and in the smallest 
pots; why might not the law be extended to these 
beautiful ..Eschynanths as well as to.tbe Achimedes? 
I mean for compkiton plants. I recollect very well 
when the parent of this cross, Grandiflorus, first 
appeared, that I made a large number of cuttings of it 
about the middle of May, and before they were out of 
their first shift. They all flowered exactly as did the 
plants now exhibited by Mr. Pince; but before they 
were allowed to be seen I made two fine specimens with 
them, in No. 12-pots, and they were much admired that 
autumn in the conservatory. The two pots were more 
than half-filled with drainage, so as not to ovenvhelm 
the roots with too much soil; about two inches of very 
rough peat were put over this; then the little plants 
with very firm balls were turned out of the small pots. 
No. OO’s; the balls were placed on the rough peat, and the 
spaces between them filled in with equal quantities of 
peat, sand, and leaf-mould, without any lumps, the surface 
of the balls being covered half-an-inch. The tallest plants 
were put in the middle. When the whole were staked, 
and had a week or two’s growth, they were fit for the 
Queen; but the upshot of the thing w'as, that in after- 
years, my worthy employer. Sir W. IMiddleton, pretty 
nigh pulled my ears because I did not, or could not, 
make him such fine specimens with old plants. The 
' like had happened before that time with JEschi/nanthus 
■ ramosissimus, for which I paid five guineas to Mr. Tate, 
of Sloaue-street, or at the rate of one guinea an inch. 
All this I had forgotten till I saw how cleverly Mr. 
Pince got up his beautiful cross to surprise the 
Londonei-s. But I am perfectly sure that this is the 
grand secret for amateurs and for many gardeners to 
make the best of all the species of the genus. It is 
also by far the easiest, as there is no risk, provided that 
the jilants arc not turned out of the little pots until the 
flowers are near their full size. This will not do, how¬ 
ever, for competition, as it is against the law to have 
more than one plant in a pot. 
Erom Mr. Veitch wo had a fine plant of the Vanda 
ccnrulca in beautiful bloom ; and, as is usual with this 
I liberal firm, they always tell the easiest and best way to 
i manage their new jdants. They sent to say that tho 
degree of richness in the flowers of this new orchid is 
I according to the heat applied—the more heat the fainter 
! the colour, and the reverse. This may account for 
what wo saw at the last meeting, two growers having 
each a different variety of V. cwrulea, one with a deeper 
; blue lip than the other. If this can be traced to tem- 
j)eraturc, this orchid should be treated as a IMexican. 
j At any rate, it always gives pleasure to hear how such 
I things have been managed. 
I We had also a large plant of Calantlie vestita, from 
tho Messrs. Veitch, having largo spreading white flowers , 
on long shoots trained on sticks, each flower having a 
scarlet eye, so to speak. Also a new stove plant, be- | 
longing to tho order of Cinchonads, and putting ono 
somewhat in mind of Pavetta caffra. iMr. Weeks, the j 
celebrated hothouse builder of Chelsea, and whose name [ 
has reached the ends of the earth for his success in 
flowering the Victoria water-lily in an open pond, sent 
Zygopetalum crinitum, a closer growing orchid, and with 
smaller flowers than those of Z. Mackayi, but otherwise 
not unlike them. Also Maxillaria picta, with flowers 
as strongly scented as those of M. aromatica, and, there¬ 
fore, very desirable; and Oncidium ornithorhyncuiu with 
small purplish flowers of no great account. 
There was a nice Hybrid Beyonia from the Society's 
garden, with a wrong parentage given. No one who has 
the smallest idea of how the pollen tells in this genus, 
could go so far wrong as to call this a cross between 
Manicata and Ginnaharina. There is not a drop of the 
juice of Manicata, or of any species belonging to that 
section of the genus, in this cross. Nevertheless, the 
cross itself is a very desirable Begonia flowering at this 
late season, and it looks as if it were much easier to 
manage than Ginnaharina. I saw some splended crosses 
from this genus this autumn, in the west of England, ’ 
and I know of no plants more easy to cross, or from 
which better results may be expected. 
There were two good specimens of late Achmenes, 
from the Society’s garden; the old Goeemea and 
Liepmanni, and some good plants of the perpetual Tree 
Garnation in three or four varieties. Every body ought 
to grow these Tree Carnations, as they are called, as 
they flower late and early, and almost all the year 
round. They were from the continent a few years back, 
and very little heard of in country places. Veronica 
Andersonii, with five racemes of lilac and blue flowers, 
after tlie manner of Speciosa, was also from the Society’s 
garden, and samples of the little carpet-plant, Gochlearia 
acaidis. Everybody is now asking where seeds of this 
little wonder can be had, but I cannot tell. jVfost of 
the Fellows of the Society ought to have it by this time, 
as well as all the London seedsmen. Bilhergia Morel- 
liana, a late acquisition from the continent, is as good 
as any in this genus, the beauty being more in the 
broad scarlet bracts which accompany the flower. And, 
lastly, Gactus truncatns, a fine plant in good bloom, 
telling how close we are on the winter. 
Of Fruit, we had Pine Apples, Grapes, Pears, Sweet 
Limes, [Mandarin Oranges, Citrons, and wdiite Alpine 
Strawbenies, with a Clingstone Peach, which was sent 
as a Hybrid between a peach and an apricot! 
No wonder that gardeners, after a cliange, or confusion 
of tallies, should make mistakes about crossed Begonias, 
when people of education will entertain such absurd 
' notions as that a peach could bo crossed with an apricot 
—or that any plant on the face of the earth can ever bo 
crossed with any other plant not of the same genus. 
'Those who simper out extravagances about “ hi-generic 
crosses” merely use hard words as a veil for ignorance. 
'There wore three beautiful Quee7i Pines, from Mr. 
Fleming, gardener to tbe Duke of Sutherland, at Trent- 
ham, two of which were exactly of tho same weight, 
41b. Goz., the third one was heavier by 8oz. Every 
pine-grower in tho kingdom ought to have seen these, 
if only to puzzle them to know how he can grow such 
pines, with crowns not bigger than the head of a 
starling. Mr. Fleming has some grand secret for 
throwing the whole strength of his plants into the fruit. 
Mr. Dodds, gardener to Sir J. Calhcart, Bart., sent two 
(Rieen’s Pines of the very same weiglit as those sent by 
Mr. Fleming, and more ripe, with crowns rather less 
than usual; but a smooth-leaved Gayennc Pine, from 
another grower, put tliese beautiful Queens to the blush 
—in looks, in size, and in weight. It was (lib. loz., and 
