THE GARDENING WORLD. August 27, 1887. 
species of this genus were P. nigra—here named Abies 
nigricans—and a tree named Abies carpatica, which 
Gordon, in his Pinetum, states to be a garden name for 
A. excelsa, or, as we should now say, Picea excelsa ; 
but whether such was the case we had not the time or 
means to determine, or whether, from its narrowly- 
pyramidal shape, it might he a distinct variety of that 
species. 
The Silver Firs, now botanically classed under 
Abies, are numerously represented, both as to number 
and species ; and few, probably, will deny the hand¬ 
some and ornamental effect produced by them in park, 
wood, or landscape scenery. We noticed some fine 
pyramidally-grown trees of A. Pinsapo and A. Uord- 
manniana, about 60 ft. in height, that had been planted 
in 1843. A variety of the latter, planted three years 
later, was 10 ft. below that height. The former was 
particularly attractive and gratifying from the fact 
that, in a large percentage of cases, it forms hut a low 
stunted bush, in every way unsatisfactory and dis¬ 
appointing. A somewhat more recently - planted 
A. amabilis formed a tree about 40 ft. in height, 
having a dark and massive appearance. The grand 
Silver Fir, A. nobilis, is rightly named, for a nobler, 
more characteristic, or satisfactory tree of its kind we 
could not desire. Other connoisseurs or admirers of 
Silver Firs may differ, but such is our experience. A 
beautifully-pyramidal specimen, planted in 1863, is at 
present heavily laden with cones that, from their size 
and. great weight apparently,..have assumed a pendent 
position, contrary to the normal wont of this genus. 
Other trees, planted about four years after the original 
introduction of the species to this country in 1831, have 
now attained a height of /0 ft. to 75 ft., with very im¬ 
posing dimensions, and are coning freely at the top. 
They are planted on mounds, their long arms sweeping 
the ground ; while the healthy deep glaucous green 
foliage testifies to their present rude vigour, and shows 
them to be equally as fine, if not identical with, the 
variety named A. n. glauca. A striking contrast to 
this, in another part of the grounds, is presented by 
the pale glaucous green, almost grey, colour of A. con- 
color, a broadly-pyramidal tree, about 50 ft. in height; 
nor must we forget the Mount Enos Fir (A. cephalonica) ’ 
in grand form, about 60 ft. in height, feathered to the 
ground, and planted in 1843. Other specimens were 
heavily laden with cones on the top. 
Ornamental Pines were also numerous, but space 
prevents us from entering into detail. Amongst others 
we noticed Pinus ponderosa (syn. P. Benthamiana), 
the pyramidal-habited P. monticola, P. Pinaster 
Lemoniana, P. excelsa, P. Pinaster Escarena, and P. 
insignis. The latter is admirably adapted for sea-side 
planting, and here the specimens planted in 1839 now 
tower up to a height of 65 ft. to 70 ft. It is a bold 
tree, with a very rugged brown or red bark, and deep 
grass-green leaves—remarkably so in some situations, 
and thereby readily distinguishable from most other 
species of a genus very difficult to define. 
In conclusion, we desire to express our thanks to 
Mr. Herrin, the worthy successor to Mr. Frost, for his 
courtesy and kindness in accompanying us through the 
grounds for the purpose of inspecting the more”note¬ 
worthy and ornamental trees scattered about through 
the extensive woods and arboretum. 
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GARDEN PLANTS ILLUSTRATED. 
Billbergia decora. 
In 1864 this species was introduced to Ghent from 
the Amazon Talley, and the plant from which the 
description was taken flowered in the noted collection 
of Sir George Macleay, Pendell Court, Bletchingley. 
It is allied to B. zebrina, but has longer, green, 
curiously curled-up petals. The leaves are transversly 
banded with silvery grey streaks of scales, and are 
11 to 2 ft. in length, with short brown marginal teeth, 
and are produced in rosettes of eight to ten from the 
surface of the soil. The oblong-lanceolate numerous 
bright red bracts on the pendent flower-spikes con¬ 
stitutes the chief ornament of the plant when in flower. 
—Botanical Magazine, t. 6937. 
Phauenopsis grandiflora. 
The Javan Moth Orchid—universally known in 
British gardens under this name-is synonymous with 
P. amabilis of Blume ; but is best known and will now 
probably retain Lindley’s name for years to come. It 
may be recognised by its oblong bright green leaves 
attaining a length of 8 ins. to 12 ins., the broad white 
petals destitute of the mucro seen in those of P. 
amabilis (P. Aphrodite), and by the narrow, hastate, 
elongated middle lobe of its labellum. This, as well 
as the lateral lobe and the crest, is stained with yellow 
and spotted or striped in the lower part with purple.— 
Orchid Album, t. 277. 
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SYRINGING ORCHIDS. 
Some time ago there appeared a somewhat lengthy 
discussion on this subject, which, in some ways, bore 
out my experience. Some three or four years ago, 
I had a collection of Orchids under my charge, 
nearly all of which used to be regularly syringed— 
Cattleyas being the only exception. I may state that 
Odontoglossums were never watered, except with 
a rather coarse rose of the watering-pot, and the way 
they grew and enjoyed this treatment was a surprise 
and delight to many good Orchidists who saw them. 
Then, again, Phalrenopsis grew like weeds, and even 
these were syringed overhead three or four times a 
week. 
In doing the Phalasnopsis, care was taken that one 
did the syringing while another came behind with 
a sponge to wipe the water out of the centre. I may 
say we had about 200 Phalaenopsis, and 2,000 to 
3,000 Odontoglossums. Ever since then I have had 
a great inclination for syringing, and have constantly 
applied it with the best of results. I have now many 
hundreds of Cattleyas (all of which have been imported 
during the last twelve months) under my charge, 
which are regularly syringed overhead twice a day, 
and they would be indeed difficult to match ; many 
of them have broken from nearly every bulb on the 
plant, both old and new, and are now one mass of 
roots, thus showing beyond any doubt that to syringe 
means to do good. 
The Odontoglossums here are 3,000 in number, and 
the healthy look of all of them shows how well they 
appreciate their almost hourly bath during the late 
spell of tropical w'eather, when it was only by the 
abundant use of water that we could in any way keep 
down the temperature. I may say, in conclusion, that 
I have given this subject, syringing, every thought for 
the past four years, and all that I have found it 
necessary to do is, in potting, to see that the water can 
freely get away from the material used, while no moss 
whatever should be used with Cattleyas. Phalamopsis 
will only require a very little moss—merely enough to 
cover the roots, and, if practicable, grow them in 
cylinders, so that they may incline to the front, as by 
that means the water cannot lodge in the young leaf 
or heart of the plant. The Cattleyas and Odonto¬ 
glossums are, after the end of August, only occasionally 
syringed, and then only on fine days, till the brighter 
days in spring, when they have it unremittingly.— 
Grower. 
-- 
SELECT VARIETIES OF CAPE 
HEATHS. 
The leason that this class of plants has been so 
neglected for a considerable number of years past, is 
undoubtedly due to the fact that amongst the new 
tastes that have sprung up with the horticultural 
public, the growing desire for novelty may be reckoned 
as one of the most important. Orchids for some years 
past have taken a very large hold on the public, and 
the fact that they may be imported wholesale, with the 
chance of the great majority living and flourishing, 
has to a great extent thrown hard-wooded plants out of 
popular favour for a time at least. Heaths cannot be 
imported in a dry condition by shiploads, and then 
made to assume new life by a process of heat and 
moisture, but they have to be grown either from 
seedlings or cuttings in this country. Considering the 
length of time the Heath takes to form nice plants, 
this length of time militates sadly against their chances 
for popular culture. 
The wheel of fortune still revolves, and possibly the 
Heath may in time come in again for its share of 
public favour, a probability equally as likely as it has 
been for hardy herbaceous and alpine plants to again 
attract attention from the public. If the reader will 
notice, at nearly all our public shows, the craving for 
old-fashioned plants has made its appearance, and 
seems likely to endure. 
The Heath, to become popular, should be grown in 
quantity, so as to show its beauty to advantage, and 
also to have some of the varieties in flower at all 
seasons of the year ; for there is scarcely a month of 
the year but what some variety may be had in bloom, 
either hard or soft-wooded. But to do this a consider¬ 
able space must be allotted to their culture, and in 
many establishments this is almost impracticable. 
The only way out of this difficulty is to make a 
selection and confine them to one house, so that the 
treatment may be equable and the growth perfect. If 
this means be adopted, nearly all the soft-wooded 
sorts grown may be stood out of doors during the 
summer months, after they have matured or nearly 
matured their growth. 
If a house be so specially adapted, staking and tying 
can always be done with pleasure, and the house 
will at all times have a quantity of flowers in it that 
will be of interest to the grower. Losses will certainly 
occur in the cultivation of these plants (drought being 
one of the principal causes), so it is always as well to 
be provided with duplicate plants at the commencement 
of their culture. It is not necessary that duplicates of all 
the varieties should be obtained, but only of those that 
may be considered worthy of growing on into specimens, 
or of useful soft-wooded kinds that may be serviceable 
for cutting flowers from. 
The hard-wooded kinds require more care in their 
management, and should, therefore, have more 
attention given to them as regards light and room. 
For the perusal of your readers I will name some of the 
best sorts that pay for cultivation, classing them into 
spring, summer, autumn and winter kinds, thus giving 
to the uninitiated an insight as to what sorts to select^ 
should they be disposed to grow this class of plants. 
Spring-flowering kinds may be summed up in the 
following, an asterisk being affixed to the soft-wooded 
kinds :— 
Aristata major and su- 
perba 
f Candidissima, useful for 
cutting 
Devonianum 
Lambertiana rosea 
Lowii 
'Sindryana 
*t)pencerii, an elegant 
variety, satiny pink in 
colour, very free 
Sprengellii 
Tubaeformis 
Yernix coccinea 
*Wilmoreana 
Victoriae. 
Summer. 
Ampullacea obbata 
'Cavendishii, fine yellow 
Eximia superba 
Exquisite 
Fairreana 
Hartnelli virens. 
Inflata alba 
Intermedia 
Jasminaeflora alba 
Kingstoniensis 
Lindleyana 
Maidstoniensis 
Massonii major 
Obbata purpurea 
Pulcherrima 
Suaveolens 
Tricolor elegans 
,, Eppsii 
,, Holdfordii 
,, Kingscottiana 
,, splendens 
,, Wilsonii 
Yentricosa, all the va- 
' rieties, more especially 
coccinea minor. 
Autumn 
iEmula 
Aitoniana turgida 
,, Turnbullii 
Austiniana 
Cerinthioides coronata 
'Eweriana superba 
Gracilis autumnalis 
Hyemalis 
and Winter. 
Irbyana 
Marnockiana 
*Melanthera 
Retorta major 
*Rubella 
Shannonii 
Yestita coccinea. 
The above fifty kinds are of sterling merit, all the 
hard-wooded kinds being worthy of growing into 
specimens, while the soft-wooded kinds are useful for 
decoration or for cutting from. If the grower should 
not care to grow his plants into large specimens, he 
may confine the plants to about 8-in. pots, the plants 
in this size pot making nice plants 12 ins. to 15 ins. 
high, and about the same size through. This style of 
plant is useful for decoration, being also very handy to 
move about from place to place if necessary ; and 
possibly would give as much pleasure to an amateur 
grower as larger and more cumbersome specimens. 
The mode of culture has something to do with the 
time of year some of the kinds flower; for instance, 
very hot weather may bring an autumn-flowering kind 
into bloom in July, or a summer flowerer into bloom in 
May ; these freaks can only be regulated by either 
standing the plants outside in an aspect facing north, 
or else by shading from the force of strong s°unshine 
during the heat of the day with temporary shading 
material, for at no time do Heaths require a per¬ 
manent shade.— W. G. 
