February 19, 1887- 
THE GARDENING WORLD. 
395 
to tlie pit, where they can be kept close for a few days 
until they take to the new soil ; after potting, give a 
watering to settle the soil about the ball, but exercise 
due caution afterwards until the plants are making a 
start in growth. Some of the larger zonals we have 
cut back and placed on shelves in the Peach house, the 
heat of which will just suit to start them into growth ; 
these will be found of much service both for staging 
purposes and also for affording trusses for cutting, 
which are much appreciated during spring. Of good 
proved sorts it will be advisable that the prunings 
should be made into cuttings, and m all probability 
these will be found most useful later on. 
THE FORCING HOUSES. 
Strawberries. —Our earliest Strawberries are now 
throwing up their trusses well, and to strengthen them 
a good sprinkling of Clay’s has been given to the 
surface of each pot; more air will also be admitted to 
the house in which they are growing, that they may 
not be unduly hastened, a mistake very frequently 
made when they are in flower ; after the fruit is once 
set, they may be kept warmer, that is if frnit is 
required by a specified date, and any doubt is enter¬ 
tained ; but hard forcing of this fruit should always 
be avoided. It should also be borne in mind that 
fruit picked from a hot temperature is always of 
inferior flavour ; and to counteract this, a shelf or two 
should be arranged in some airy structure, whereon the 
plants bearing matured fruit may be placed for a day 
or two before being gathered for dessert. The suc¬ 
cession batches placed in the vineries and Peach houses 
are also starting into growth, and more must also be 
introduced to keep up a full supply ; in fact, where a 
house is not devoted entirely to the growth of this 
fruit, every favourable shelf should be allotted to it. 
Standard Roses.— We have placed in heat a nice 
batch of standard Marechal Niel and Devoniensis Roses, 
and also a good lot of dwarfs, which are most useful for 
staging purposes. Perhaps it will be advisable for me 
to remind the reader, that before placing the plants in 
heat the drainage should be examined. Any defect in 
this respect will be fatal to the production of good 
blooms. We also always give all the plants a good 
surfacing of rich material, for Roses are greedy subjects, 
and must be liberally treated. 
Mushrooms.— As the earliest made-up Mushroom- 
beds show signs of exhaustion, and it is not thought 
desirable to make up new ones, allow them to go quite 
dry, and then give a watering of nice u'arm water, into 
which has been added a good sprinkling of common 
salt, afterwards treating as if in bearing. If new beds 
are required, half the old material may be mixed with 
new, and so much time gained, as drying is not 
necessary. - 
THE KITCHEN GARDEN. 
Sea Kale Cuttings. —It will now be necessary to 
attend to the making of Sea Kale cuttings ; be careful 
to use only the thongs for the purpose, using parts of 
the old crowns being most unsatisfactory in its results. 
Where the stock has become short or a change is desir¬ 
able, it is far better to sow a good breadth in the spring, 
which can be lifted at pleasure during the wfinter, and 
will furnish an abundance of cuttings by simply cutting 
off the crowns ; after the cuttings are once made they 
should be laid in any spare corner where they can be 
kept moist until required for planting, which should be 
done by the middle of next month. The crown of the 
cutting should be placed half-an-inch under the soil, 
and if slugs are at all troublesome, as they frequently 
are, a good dusting of gas-lime should be given to the 
surface of the square, which will effectually stop their 
depredations. 
We have completed the double digging of the quarters 
for Sea Kale and Brussels Sprouts, a most necessary 
precaution, because, if not prepared in good time, really 
first-class produce cannot be expected ; ordinary grow¬ 
ing of the latter crop is a thing of the past. We have 
been continuously picking good sprouts from our batch 
since the middle of last August until now. By the 
way, our spring sowing of these, Cauliflower and 
Lettuce are almost ready for pricking out and must 
be attended to, or they are apt to damp off; let the 
lights be removed from them as much as possible dur¬ 
ing the day, but not at night during frosty weather. 
We have made the sowing of Peas and Beans as advised, 
and also planted Garlic and Shallots. — Walter Child, 
Croome Court. 
ORCHID NOTES AND GLEANINGS. 
Orchids at Studley House, Hammer¬ 
smith.. —Among the collections of Orchids in the 
neighbourhood of London, that of F. G. Tautz, Esq., 
at Goldhawk Road, Hammersmith, stands forth as a 
model of neatness and good culture. Not only are all 
the things under the care of Mr. Cowley, his Orchid 
grower, well-managed, healthy and clean, but in some 
of the sections, such as the Cypripediums—of which 
every procurable kind, both species and hybrid, are 
included—an aptness in dealing with a varied collection 
representing such a wide geographical range is dis¬ 
played, which produces the highest cultural results. 
Perhaps the most salient feature of the whole collection 
are these C 3 ^pripediums—pretty in leaf and handsome 
and curious in flower, numerous and diverse in the 
character of the imported species, and rendered 
endless in their diversity by the aid of the hybridist, 
who seems to have anything but exhausted this 
pleasant and fertile subject. Indeed, Mr. Tautz him¬ 
self has entered his hand at this interesting work, and 
his perfect collection should enable him to produce 
some eminently desirable things, especially as he 
admits only the best varieties to work upon. 
Among the Cypripediums in flower at Studley House 
are the new C. callosum, with superbly marked dorsal 
sepal, 2} ins. across and two flowers on a stem ; the 
fine C. Boxalli atratum, the best of its kind ; many C. 
venustum hybrids, including C. calophyllum, C. politum 
and C. Meirax; C. calurum, C. Williamsianum, C. 
Salieri, C. villosum, C. concolor, C. Dauthieri mar- 
moratum, a most extraordinary variety, with flowers 
like those of C. Harrisianum, but mottled and flaked 
like a bizarre Carnation ; and a fine series of new forms 
of C. insigne, of which the best, perhaps, is that named 
grandis, which has finely formed flowers, with round 
dorsal sepals edged with white and spotted with violet. 
The Orchid show-house is filled with well-bloomed 
plants, some large pans of the favourate Coelogyne 
cristata being prominent by their chaste white flowers ; 
with them are fine plants of Cattleya Triance, C. Perci- 
valiana, Lielia anceps, L. a. Stella, L. albida, Den- 
drobium heterocarpum, Pilumna nobilis, Scarlet So- 
phronitis, Odontoglossum Rossii majus, 0. Cervantesii, 
and other Odontoglossums, as well as most of the other 
Orchids usually found in flower at this season. In the 
East Indian house, in bloom, are Saceolabium bellinum, 
S. giganteum, vErides Leeanum, Angnecum caudatum, 
A. citratum and Dendrobium luteolum, together with 
large numbers of Dendrobes and other plants in bud. 
The Phakenopsis house is arranged with Phalienopsis 
hanging overhead, with some of the large Nepenthes 
bearing very fine pitchers and foliage, and flowering 
stove plants beneath. The house presents a pretty 
appearance, with the arching sprays of P. Stuartiana 
and P. Schilleriana overhead, and the mingled flowers 
of the scarlet Anthurium Andreanum, the white 
Eucharis, the fragrant Gardenia citriodora, and an occa¬ 
sional Orchid with beautiful foliage, such as Yanda 
Lowii, among the other handsome-leaved plants 
beneath. 
The cool houses, just about to furnish their flowers, 
are occupied by plants in the most robust health ; and, 
perhaps, the best example of Odontoglossum vexillarium 
culture to be found in the neighbourhood of London is 
that displayed by the goodly array of them at Studley 
House, which Mr. Cowley carefully guards from 
moisture on the leaves at all times, and attributes 
much of his success with them to that fact; indeed, the 
syringe is no favourite of his. In conclusion, we may 
say that those who wish to see a select collection of 
rare and well-grown plants in a small compass should 
avail themselves of the first opportunity to see that of 
Mr. E. G. Tautz. 
Ada aurantiaca. —Are distinct forms of Ada 
aurantiaea recognised? 'VVe have a plant in bloom 
which I believe to be the type, with orange-red flowers ; 
and two other plants, which flower from a fortnight to 
three weeks later, having deeper orange and larger 
flowers. I fancied the time of blooming might have 
been affected by the previous treatment of the plants ; 
but the difference has proved to be constant.— George 
F. Wilson. [Only one species of Ada is known— 
namely, A. aurantiaca. It is widely distributed in 
gardens, and must have been largely imported from the 
Columbian Andes. Hitherto, however, no variety 
seems to be sufficiently distinct to call for any special 
varietal name. "VVe have noticed a marked difference 
in the size of flowers borne by some plants compared 
with that of others ; but as the flowering period was 
the same in both, the difference was attributed to a 
more vigorous state of growth. It would be interesting 
to continue the observations, and see how far the dis¬ 
tinctions you note remain constant in consecutive 
years.— Ed.] 
Arachnanthe Cathcarti (Vanda Cath- 
carti). —According to the Genera Plantar um, the 
affinities of this plant are to be found in the species of 
Arachnanthe proper connected through the medium of 
A. Lowii. Lindley, however, described it under the 
name of Vanda, but it differs from that genus in the 
labellum being nicely hinged to the base of the column, 
and in the absence of a sac or spur to the latter organ. 
The function of a nectary is performed by a deep 
cavity piercing the labellum longitudinally from the 
base upwards. The whole flower is most remarkable, 
and differs from all the other species, including the 
equally important A. Lowii, to which it claims the 
greatest affinity. The sepals and the petals are broad, 
elliptic, very obtuse, much imbricated in the lower 
half. They are thick and of great substance, almost 
leathery, of a fine glossy yellow colour, and most 
singularly banded with transverse brownish red lines 
arranged concentrically, having the column for their 
centre. The labellum is suspended by a fine hinge 
from the base of the column, is fleshy, white with two 
central red lines, and a strongly upturned yellow 
margin. The whole bears a most striking resemblance 
to the human jaw, even to the gums with a slight 
indication of teeth. It is a native of the Himalayas, 
and is figured in Hooker’s Illustrations of Himalayan 
Plants, t. 23, and the Botanical Magazine, t. 5845. A 
large plant against the back wall of a lean-to stove at 
Pendell Court flowers annually at this season under the 
care of Mr. Ross.— J. F. 
Laslia Crawshay ana. —In your notice of this 
at p. 380, the writer says, “ .... L. anceps, 
with which the stature and general appearance of the 
plant may be compared.” Of course there may be 
variety of habit in this as well as in other Orchids, but 
my plant, the original one, is as like a Lielia albida 
with the bulb very slightly flattened as it can well be ; 
in fact, before it bloomed I thought it was albida. I 
should much like to know how many plants there are 
of it now ; up to the present I only know of five holders 
of it, therefore it may be called rare.— I)e B. Craveshay . 
Cymbidium giganteum.—The flowers of this 
Indian Orchid are amongst the boldest of the species 
in cultivation, and, although they cannot compare 
either with the purity or fragrance of the spring- 
flowering C. eburneum, they are, nevertheless, most 
acceptable at a season when flowers of any kind are by 
no means over plentiful. The species is a strong¬ 
growing one from Nepal, with numerous long arching 
leaves, producing many-flowered scapes from the base 
of the plant. The flowers are large and fragrant when 
at their best, with broad incurved sepals and petals 
that are yellowish green or more often yellowish brown 
striped with purple. The labellum is much more 
conspicuous and highly coloured, with a distinct yellow 
hue, often passing into white and more or less closely 
spotted with crimson. It is figured in Lindley’s 
Sertum, t. 4, and in the Botanical Magazine, t. 4844, 
but living specimens vary much in colour, and often 
appear different from coloured illustrations. The 
flowers appear in winter and last a long time in per¬ 
fection. They are now passing out of season in Mr. 
Starling’s collection at The Chestnuts. Gunnersbury. 
Phalgenopsis Stuartiana.— Mr. Cooper, gar¬ 
dener to the Right Hon. J. Chamberlain, M.P., has 
favoured us with a flower of Phalamopsis Stuartiana, 
the sepals, petals and labellum of which were normal, 
but superposed to the latter was a second labellum. 
This accessory organ was smaller with one side only 
developed, one lateral lobe and half of the crest being 
suppressed. The column was more singularly mal¬ 
formed, of great size, and appearing proliferated, 
representing a considerable number of anthers, with 
their caps and orange pollinia more or less perfectly 
developed. Mr. Cooper says that all the other flowers 
on the plant were similarly developed. This separation 
of parts would appear to be frequent, and recalls Major 
Lendy’s variety figured in our columns February 27th, 
1886, p. 412. P. S. Lendyana has remarkably broad 
petals, with a process on the base of each comparable 
