November 12, 1887. 
THE GARDENING WORLD 
171 
and as a result three or more lateral branches pushed 
out horizontally, exhibiting the present phenomena. 
The opinion at Gunnersbury Park is, that the like 
results would not have occurred, even if the young 
plants were pinched or had their tops taken off. Should 
the bracts of these multiple heads develop to any size, 
which there is every prospect of their doing at present, 
a fine effect will be the result when in full bloom. As 
yet we have seen nothing similar elsewhere. 
Richardia KEthiopica.—I have often read of a 
double-spathed Calla, but up till now I have never had 
the pleasure of seeing one. At the present time we 
have a plant producing a double spathe hose-in-hose 
style. The extreme edge or point of the inner spathe 
stands exactly at right angles to the outer one, which 
I consider rather a fault. Had the extreme point of 
the inner spathe been exactly opposite to that of the 
outer, it would almost have made a circular double 
spathe. Over-luxuriance has sometimes been attributed 
as the cause of these doubling freaks ; but in the 
present case this certainly cannot be applied, for the 
plant upon which this spathe is produced was subjected 
to some rather rough and trying usage, along with 
many others, during the dry hot summer v r e have just 
passed through.- Is it possible there is a vein of new 
blood to be obtained from this old plant under the 
hands of a successful hybridist? Why not ?— W. G., 
Edgend. 
Nephrolepis DufBi.—Of all the recent intro¬ 
ductions among Ferns, none, perhaps, will prove more 
generally useful or distinct than this graceful species. 
The fronds are narrower than those of any other variety 
in cultivation, being comparable in this respect to a 
singular and well-known form of the Lady Fern— 
namely, Asplenium Filix-fcemina Frizelliie. The dis¬ 
tinctness of this species is due in a measure to this 
fact, and from the gracefully arching tasselled or 
multifid and crested character of the fronds themselves 
there seems but little doubt that this Fern will become 
popular when better known and more widely dis¬ 
seminated. The pinnae are rounded, imbricated and 
overlapping, and the fronds are produced in a remark¬ 
able densely tufted manner, inasmuch as they appear 
excessively crowded, as if they had been made so 
artificially. This dense habit, and the graceful arch¬ 
ing manner in which the fronds hide the pots, are 
characters that strongly recommend themselves to the 
public taste, and rapidly win favour. There is one 
other point that must not be overlooked, and that is 
hardiness ; for if it should prove as accommodating in 
this respect as N. exaltata, the balance is all in its 
favour. The species does not seem to possess the same 
rapid means of propagation as the last-named by means 
of stoloniferous rhizomes, but, nevertheless, grows and 
increases the number of fronds very rapidly, as is 
evidenced by a plant at Devonhurst, Chiswick, which 
is now about 2\ ft. in diameter, and was only a small 
piece last summer. 
Azalea indica alba. —To the point, and not 
out of season, are the notes by your esteemed corre¬ 
spondent, “ R. E>.,” on the old white Azalea at p. 158. 
Truly, there is not a more serviceable Azalea than this, 
for it may be flowered at almost any season of the year ; 
but more especially during the winter months. It will 
stand the knife better than any other kind I know, and 
when the plant is healthy it will break away into three 
or four growths from where a shoot has been cut. 
Those that may have large plants of this useful variety 
will find that they benefit from an occasional dose of 
weak liquid manure, both during the growing season 
and now, as they are opening their flowers. The 
feeding process adds strength to the substance of the 
flower, which is rather apt to become flimsy under a 
continuous succession of seasons where forced early into 
bloom. — JV. G. 
Neglected Gooseberry Bushe3.—A corre¬ 
spondent writes to ask wdiat he shall do with his 
Gooseberry bushes that have got into a weak state 
through being neglected for a few years, and have the 
branches covered with moss. They are bare below and 
scraggy, while some are dying. Our advice is to take 
them up, burn them, and replace by new ones. As 
the ground may have become sour, let some fresh loam 
be added, placing it about the roots of the young trees 
when they are planted. 
Severe Frost.—The frost which seems to have 
been pretty general throughout England on the 12th 
ult. did not visit us, but on the night of October 24th 
we had 13° in the gardens here, and a gentleman 
registered 16° about two miles off. There had not been 
any frost registered for twelve mornings, so that it 
must rank amongst the most sudden and severe for the 
time of year on record. During the whole of last 
winter we only registered four frosts more severe. — E. 
Bumper, Summerville Gardens , Limerick. 
ORCHID NOT ES AND GLEANINGS. 
Orchids in the Open Air during Summer. 
—The success of Mr. A. FI. Smec’s open-air treatment 
of Orchids, by placing them on staging erected over 
the rivulet in the Fern valley of “My Garden,” at 
Hackbridge, is now amply demonstrated by the 
number which are throwing up flower-spikes profusely 
in the cool house to which they have been removed. 
Specially noteworthy are a number of Lrelia anceps, 
now sending up strong spikes of flowers, L. autumnalis, 
and all the other Mexican varieties of this family. A 
large plant of Cattleya Trianre so treated is the picture 
of health and floriferousness, and even the commonly 
called warm-house kinds have well held their own 
under the shade of the trees outside. If some of our 
beginners were to take as much trouble to imitate 
Mr. Smee’s summer treatment as they do to dry and 
bake their Orchids, they would get a very different 
result to what they do now. 
Calanthe Veitchii. —Noticing that Mr. N. 
Blandford asks whether the long bracts surrounding 
the flower-spikes of this variety are common this year, 
I may say that I have never seen them in such great 
profusion as I have this season. Like him, I at first 
thought that it was leaf-growth ; but when from 4 ins. 
to 6 ins. in length, they showed plainly that they were 
strong flower-spikes. I attributed them, in my case, 
to a considerable increase in the size of the pseudo¬ 
bulbs. I may mention that mine are grown in shallow 
pans, with from four to seven bulbs in each, for the 
larger number using 9-in. pans, and for the smaller 
number 5-in. ones. When so grown, I find the Calanthe 
to be one of the most useful plants for dinner-table and 
house decoration that it is possible to cultivate, and one 
of the few Orchids which do not suffer when kept for 
two or three weeks in the house. When treated thus 
the individual spikes are not so large, of course, as when 
grown singly in the manner Mr. Blandford so ably 
advocated in his articles on the subject last spring ; 
but spikes of 3 ft. to 4 ft. can be depended on from the 
stronger pseudo-bulbs, and which, for the purpose 
indicated, are plenty long enough. I am not to be 
understood as writing against the longer spikes pro¬ 
duced from the singly-grown bulbs, as that is not 
my intention.— E. Bumper, Summerville Gardens, 
Limerick. 
Oncidium tigrinum. — The past season has 
suited this Orchid remarkably well, and it is, with me, 
flowering very much freer and stronger than as pre¬ 
viously grown under the same conditions; i.e., with 
plenty of light and suspended in shallow pans or baskets 
in the Mexican house. There is now one spike having 
sixty-six flowers and buds to be seen here. This is 
much stronger than I have ever seen it before in any 
collection it has been my privilege to visit, and has 
been the remark of every grower who has seen it. I 
have another with over forty flowers and buds coming 
out, and although so many on the spike it does not 
materially affect the size of individual flowers.— E. 
Bumper, Summerville Gardens, Limerick. 
Orchids Mixed with Ferns and Foliage 
Plants. —A very good example of the mode of grow¬ 
ing Orchids is always to be found in “ My Garden.” 
The pleasant dwelling of Air. Smee, on the Wandle, is 
at present very effective with fine spikes of Vanda 
ccerulea, Lobelia amanda, L. elegans, L. Perriui, L. 
prfestans, L. Dayana, Cypripedium Spicerianum, C. 
Harrisianum, C. venustum, C. Roezlii, Cymbidium 
Mastersii, Pleiones, Oncidium O’Brienianum, O.Forbesii, 
Masdevallia chiimera, Cattleya gigas, Sarcanthus 
teretifolinm, and other rare and curious Orchids, the 
whole being well arranged with graceful Ferns and good 
plants of the fragrant Begonia nitida. The Phalsenopsis 
house has P. Sanderiana, P. Schroderi, P. rosea, P. 
Wightii, P. Lowii, very fine ; and P. Esmerelda, which 
did not resent being frozen in transit last year. The 
cool houses of Odontoglossums, Masdevallias, &c., are 
also in fine order and highly creditable to Air. G. W. 
Cummins, the gardener. 
Twin-flowered Cypripedium Lawrenci- 
anum.—It may be interesting to some of the readers 
of the Gardening World to learn that twin blooms 
of this beautiful Cypripedium have appeared in other 
collections besides the one at Redlands. Here at 
Penshurst Castle, Kent, we have a small plant which 
has produced twin flowers twice. Last year it flowered 
three times, twice with single blooms, and once with 
twin flowers ; this year it has produced twin blooms 
again. It has bloomed four times in eighteen months, 
and is a very good variety ; all the flowers have been 
perfect. — T. C., Penshurst Castle. [A similar specimen 
was exhibited at South Kensington on Tuesday, from 
Mr. B. D. Knox’s collection at Caversham.—E d.] 
The Gardeners' Calendar. 
THE PLANT HOUSES. 
Chrysanthemums are now just coming to their best, 
and notes should be made in the case of new varieties, 
as to habit, colour, and so on, when introducing them 
to the standard list; and at the same time, probably, 
some of the older varieties may be expunged, several 
of the newer kinds being decidedly superior. At the 
same time we notice, with regret, that true outline is 
being abandoned in the Japanese varieties fora mass of 
contorted petals, absolutely without form ; in fact, it 
appears that the more distorted the flower may be, the 
more desirable is it that it should be put in commerce as 
a “ novelty.” For my part, I think we have already too 
many of the same kindred. 
But to return to my subject: care must be taken that 
the plants themselves and all about them are kept 
scrupulously clean, or the flowers will not last in good 
condition for any length of time. As the houses in 
which they are staged must be kept fully ventilated, 
if the weather is foggy or wet, let the pipes be warmed 
nicely in the morning, which will keep the air buoyant 
for the day, and if the nights are foggy close the front 
ventilators, so as to exclude it as much as possible, 
nothing being more injurious to all the light-coloured 
varieties. If well cared for good blooms should be cut 
in quantity from now until Christmas. 
In the Stoves there are subjects which, if not quite 
so showy, are equally interesting. Zygopetalum 
Mackayi is now at its best, and if kept free from 
damp last fresh and clean for a long time, added to 
which its perfume is decidedly refreshing ; then, again, 
plants of C 3 7 pripedium insigne are opening their 
quaint slipper-like flowers, together with a stray bloom 
or two of C. barbatum. Calanthes, too, will now 
quickly open their first flowers, and these will serve to 
keep the houses quite gay until the new year. Next 
come Gesnerias and Tydreas, with their spikes of bright 
flowers, interspersed with Palms, Ferns, and other 
foliage plants, rendering it a most pleasant resort. 
Ccelogyne cristata is fast throwing out its spikes, 
and if insect pests are numerous, I would advise the 
pans being placed on rather small-sized inverted pots 
as a protection. Extra vigilance should also be used 
by those on duty at night, when intruders, in the shape 
of fat slugs, are abroad. 
Carnations. —AVe have shifted into 48’s our stock 
of Malmaison Carnations, consisting of about ten dozen 
nice young plants. These, with a good stock of 
Grenadin, Pride of Penshurst, and The Bride, will 
furnish us with a full supply of bloom throughout the 
season. After potting we staged them in a cold pit, 
quite close to the glass, where, in case of severe weather, 
they will be matted up at night ; while at all times air 
must be freely admitted, for if coddled they are sure to 
become infested with aphides. 
THE FORCING HOUSES. 
Forced Vegetables and Flowers. —Alueh fore¬ 
thought is now necessary, that a full regular supply be 
kept up both of forced vegetables and flowers, remem¬ 
bering that more time must be allowed now for things 
to start than is the case after the turn of the days. 
It is also very necessary in forcing, when the nights 
are so long, that a high temperature be avoided, it 
being a certain source of failure, Asparagus alone 
excepted ; but this should at all times be freely 
ventilated after growth has once commenced. We 
have introduced a few pots of early Narcissus and 
other bulbs to the forcing house, in which we have 
made up a hot-bed, consisting principally of Oak 
leaves, which give forth such a sweet and lasting heat. 
Such things as Deutzias, Azalea Alollis (which we 
have already in flower), Lilacs and the like, start so 
much more readily if plunged in a gentle bottom-heat. 
A few well-established Tea Roses should also be plunged 
in this bed ; the buds are so highly valued that it is 
worth while trying to have them as early as possible, 
that is, where there is not a house devoted entirely to 
their culture ; where such is the case, it is seldom 
indeed that a handful of buds cannot be cut. 
The. Early Peach House. —Let this be prepared 
for a start forthwith : before tying of the trees is 
commenced look very carefully over them, and should 
there be any trace of scale let them be gone over with 
a stiff brush, which will readily remove them. Do not 
tie too tightly, or in young vigorous trees there is 
much danger of cutting before the season is half 
through, and which causes much injury by being 
unnoticed while the foliage is on. When the tying is 
