October 24, 1885. 
THE GARDENING WORLD 
125 
BERRIED PLANTS FOR WINTER 
DECORATION. 
There are very many useful plants tliat are not often 
met with which deserve to be much more generally 
grown than is the case, as apart from the bright appear¬ 
ance of the plants when well set with berries, they last 
such a long time, and can be used when most flowering 
plants would be very quickly spoiled. The plants 
enumerated below are among the most useful, though, 
perhaps, the list does not include all that deserve to be 
grown :— 
Solanum capsicastrum. —This and the hybridum 
compactum variety are decidedly the most popular, and, 
perhaps, the most useful of all berry-bearing plants for 
general purposes. There are various methods of treating 
these useful plants, but success depends a good deal 
upon circumstances. The planting-out system is a 
good one, where the plants can have a sheltered position, 
and where the soil is good, so that the plants can be 
taken up with good balls in the autumn ; but there is 
always a danger of the plants losing their leaves after 
being lifted from the ground, therefore we think the 
best plan is to grow the plants on in pots. The system 
practised by many of the large growers is to propagate 
the plants from cuttings early in the spring. Propa¬ 
gated this way, they make dwarfer and more compact 
plants than seedlings, and generally set their berries 
better. 
It is during the autumn that the plants require the 
most care. Plants that have been grown on freely in 
a house or pit should be placed out of doors, say about 
July, and should remain out until the plants have set 
their berries, or at least until they are well in flower ; 
and if the weather should be unfavourable they may be 
taken indoors, but should have plenty of air circulating 
through them. After they are well set, the plants 
should be regularly supplied with liquid manure, and 
frequently syringed to keep off red spider and other 
insects. 
Skimmia japonica. —This though quite hardy, is 
one of the most useful plants for pot culture. If good 
plants are obtained, they will do good service for several 
years, as the plant is of very slow growth. The best 
way to treat them is to plunge the pots in the open 
ground in the spring, and allow them to remain until 
the berries are ripe in the autumn ; the only attention 
they will require will be to water them occasionally in 
very dry weather. 
Atjcubas.—T he old form of A. japonica, when well 
berried, is a very useful plant ; but there are other 
varieties which produce finer berries and in larger 
bunches. A. longifolia is one of the best forms we have 
seen. 
Pernettya mucronata.— This is another useful 
hardy plant for decoration ; there are many very pretty 
varieties, the colour of the berries varying from white 
to almost black. 
Laurestinus. —This may seem out of place in this 
list, but we lately saw a batch of small plants in Messrs. 
Hugh Low & Co’s Enfield Nursery, which were bearing 
such a profusion of their bluish purple berries as to give 
the plants quite an attractive appearance. The plants 
had been grown in pots, and were certainly quite a 
novelty in their way. — H. 
(To be continued.) 
-- 
ORCHID NOTES AND GLEANINGS. 
*♦ • 
Bolleas and Pescatoreas.— These Orchids, 
when seen in a thriving and healthy condition, 1 have 
reasons for saying are objects of envy to most Orchid 
growers. According to some authorities, they do not 
continue to grow satisfactorily after a period of from 
eighteen months to three years. Having had the 
pleasure of growing and watching the behaviour of a 
healthy batch for more than five years, I can write with 
a certain amount of confidence and authority about 
them, and say that they have not deteriorated ; on the 
contrary, as now they require more space than they did 
two years ago. There was a small imported piece of 
Pescatorea Klabochorum, purchased in June, 1880, that 
almost refused to grow the first two years ; now it is a 
very healthy plant with four strong growths. We are 
seldom without Pescatorea flowers ; they bloom more or 
less at all seasons of the year. The Bolleas flower only 
once a year, in the summer. As regards treatment, no 
Orchids give us less trouble ; they are all grown in pots 
or perforated deep pans in an intermediate house, and 
are kept wet and well shaded during the summer 
months, and never allowed to get dry at the roots at any 
time. During the winter the old leaves become some¬ 
what rusty in appearance, and in foggy weather, when 
we are depending upon artificial heat to keep up the 
requisite temperature, the young leaves are attacked 
with black spot, but they soon grow out of it in the 
spring. Any feeling of aridity or dryness in the atmo¬ 
sphere is fatal to the well-doing of this class of Orchid. 
The atmospheric conditions of a warm rock fernery 
would suit them better than a Cattleya or East Indian 
house, as nowadays more air is given to Orchids than to 
Perns. The former house is too airy, the latter too 
warm.— T. Simcoe, The Gardens, Lake House, Chel¬ 
tenham. 
Orchids in flower at Mr Cypher’s— Call 
at Mr. Cypher’s any day when it suits you, and if you 
do not find some choice gem in flower in the orchid way 
I shall be very much surprised. On the 19tli inst. I 
found several good plants in flower of .dirides Rohani- 
anum, with spikes long and arching, and the flowers 
much varied in colour; the charming Dendrobium 
Dearii, a pure white flower lasting for weeks in perfec¬ 
tion, grand for any purpose ; several plants of Cypripe- 
dium Spicerianum ; some plants of Cattleya Sanderianum 
with giant flowers, deeply coloured, and very good 
forms; Vanda insignis, very pretty and distinct. Very 
fine and ever welcome is Dendrobium formosum gigan- 
teum, a most valuable Dendrobe and a flower of sterling 
merit; this is represented by several good plants ; 
Odontoglossum Roezlii alba and 0. grande, which still 
holds its own. These are only a few of the good things 
which attracted special notice in a flying visit, many 
more are promising to follow in quick succession.— J. 
Pleione lagenaria and P. maculata.— Some 
grand specimens of these pretty Indian Crocuses are in 
bloom at Mr. Martin’s, Blockstow, Woodmancote, who 
grows them up to their best. Mr. Martin uses large 
shallow pans for them, and these are suspended near the 
glass in a rather cool house. The plants are now lovely 
cushions of pink and white flowers, densely set over 
the leafless bulbs.— J. 
Cattleya labiata, autumn-fio-wering va¬ 
riety. —A fine sample of this rare old plant is just now 
in bloom with Mr. Hill at Lord Rothschild’s, Tring 
Park. It is reassuring to the possessors of this plant 
that its value steadily rises. The two good ordinary 
plants in Mr. F. C. Wilson’s collection, sold by Mr. 
J. C. Stevens on October 15th, were bought by Sir 
Trevor Lawrence at thirty-one guineas and thirty-two 
guineas respectively. It was curious, too, to note at 
the same sale how every good and \vell-grown plant 
went apparently up to its full value, while poor speci¬ 
mens were very coldly received.— J. 
Vanda coerulea. —A very good variety of this 
charming Vanda was lately in flower at Messrs. Ireland 
& Thomson’s, Craigleith Nursery, Edinburgh. The 
flowers were large and the coleur a deep shade of 
lavender, much exceeding the ordinary pale colour one 
so often sees. This is an Orchid that always suffers 
very much from any attempts to depict it, as nothing 
can convey an adequate idea of the beautiful semi¬ 
transparent look of the flowers. The plant referred to 
was not large nor particularly vigorous, so I should 
imagine that when grown into a larger and stronger 
specimen, the flowers will be correspondingly larger 
and more beautiful. Messrs. 1. & T. disposed of the 
plant shortly after my visit, I believe, so someone has 
the opportunity of feasting their eyes on a fine sight the 
next time it flowers. 
Lycaste Skinneri alba.— This chaste and beau¬ 
tiful Orchid was lately seen to perfection in Mr. Buchanan’s 
collection of Orchids at Oswald Road, Edinburgh. Mr. 
Buchanan, who is a great lover of all kinds of plants 
and flowers, is especially fond of Orchids, and among 
them none are more appreciated than is Lycaste Skin¬ 
neri alba. The plants were all in splendid health ; 
evidently Mr. Grossart knows how to treat them. 
Odontogiossums. —Of this class of Orchids Mr. 
Buchanan has a great variety. Of course, 0. Alex¬ 
andra and 0. Pescatorei are in the greatest numbers, 
and some very fine specimens are to be seen. Huge 
spikes are making their appearance, and as most of the 
varieties are the very best, a treat is in store for anyone 
fortunate enough to call when they come into bloom. 
Mr. Buchanan is delighted to see anyone who appre¬ 
ciates the beauties of nature in his Orchid houses, and 
at all times a visit is repaid by a glimpse of some “fairy 
form ” or lovely hue belonging to one or other of the 
beauteous members of the Orchid family. — Scotia, 
THE PEAR CONGRESS. 
Visitors to Chiswick during the next ten days, will 
find on view there a most remarkable collection of 
Pears, perhaps the most representative collection that 
has ever been got together in this country, and which 
will certainly repay a visit from anyone interested in 
the cultivation of this much appreciated fruit. It is 
true that as a result of the long continued summer 
drought the fruits staged by the whole of the 108 ex¬ 
hibitors, with some few exceptions, must be classed 
as small, the number of dishes staged, some 6,254, 
provide a fund of interest that cannot be easily ex¬ 
hausted. It was not to be expected that a display of 
Pears, however large, would take the eye so much as a 
corresponding display of Apples, the former being 
almost uniformly devoid of the rich and pleasing 
colours of many of the latter, and which can always be 
relied upon to make an Apple show attractive. The 
exhibition of Apples held here two years ago taxed to 
the utmost the exertions of Mr. Barron and his staff to 
arrange the hundreds of samples sent in in something 
like order, but the record is beaten by the Pears, the 
quantity to find room for being greatly in excess, and 
involving an amount of labour and worry, that few 
even of the exhibitors can have any idea of. The Great 
Vinery is filled to repletion, as also are two marquees, 
and it is not unlikely that by the time all are unpacked 
(as was not the case on Wednesday afternoon) still 
more staging will have to be put up. 
As at the Apple congress, Mr. Barron has adopted the 
plan of arranging the collections in counties, and the 
fruits from Middlesex and Kent, the two counties which 
contribute the greatest numbers will be found in the 
Great Vinery. At the Apple show, Kent took the lead, 
but on this occasion the home county, Middlesex, stands 
at the head of the poll, which can hardly be wondered 
at when we say that the Chiswick collection alone 
numbers 212 varieties. As regards quality, however, 
the palm undoubtedly belongs to Jersey and Kent, 
Messrs. Jushua Le Cornu & Son, of St. Helier’s, sending 
some 95 dishes, including the largest fruits in the exhi¬ 
bition ; while Mr. Haycock, gardener to Roger Leigh, 
Esq., M.P., Barham Court, Maidstone, and Mr.Thomas, 
of Sittingbourne, Kent, send samples of all the leading 
kinds, of a high order of merit. As when we left 
on Wednesday the arrangements were not com¬ 
pleted we defer till our next our observations on the 
varieties exhibited, merely contenting ourselves by re¬ 
cording to-day the names of such of the exhibitors as 
we could ascertain, and the extent of their collections. 
Middlesex contributingthegreatest number, we take 
that county first, and here, besides the Royal Horticul¬ 
tural Society’s large collection, we note some 130 dishes 
from Messrs. James Veitch & Sons, Chelsea ; 81 from 
Messrs. C. Lee & Son, Hammersmith ; 30 from Air. 
Woodbridge, Syon House ; 24 from Messrs. W. & E. 
Wells, Hounslow ; 50 from Mr. Roberts, Gunnersbury; 
34 from Mr. Hudson, Gunnersbury House ; 24 from 
E. H. Watts, Esq., Devonhurst, Chiswick ; 14 from 
Mr. R. Dean, Bedfont ; 40 from E. M. Nelson, Esq., 
Ealing ; and 14 from Air. Sanderson, Duke’s Avenue, 
Chiswick. 
Kent is represented by about 100 sorts from Alessrs. 
G. Bunyard and Co., Alaidstone ; 96 from Air. Hay¬ 
cock ; 70 from Air. Thomas ; 52 from Air. Thomas 
Bunyard, Ashford ; 24 from Air. W. Divers, Weirton ; 
50 from Air. C. Davies, The Alote Park, Alaidstone ; 
and 24 from Air. T. W. Sanders, gardener, The Firs, 
Lee. 
Surrey. —In this county, Air. Cummings, gardener 
to A. H. Smee, Esq., The Grange, Hackbridge, takes 
the lead with 110 varieties ; Air. W. Shepherd, The 
Gardens, Glenhurst, Capel, Dorking, has 65 ; Air. 
Coombes, Sheen House, Mortlake, 24 ; and Air. W. 
Roupell, Roupell Park, 20. Air. Burnett, The Deep- 
dene, Dorking, has also a good collection. 
Herts. — The largest collection here comes from 
Messrs. William Paul & Son, Waltham Cross, about 
150 varieties ; Alessrs. T. Rivers & Son, Sawdridge- 
wortli, have 88 ; Alessrs. Paul & Son, Cheshunt, 80 ; 
and Air. J. C. Mundell, gardener to Lord Ebury, Aloore 
Park, Rickmansworth, 60 sorts. 
Berks. —Air. C. Ross, Welford Park Gardens, New¬ 
bury, contributes 27 dishes ; Air. C. Howe, Benliam 
Park Gardens, 24 ; Air. G. Allen, Ramsbury Manor, 
Hungerford, 18 ; and Airs. Owen Knox, Ardmillau, 
Caversham, Reading, 14. 
Bucks.— Air. Turner, Slough, shows 102 dishes ; 
