294 
THE GARDENING WORLD 
January 7, 1888. 
attend to tying down the shoots as before. Harden off 
the plants so as to fit them to stand out of doors early 
in May, selecting a sheltered but light position ; should 
the weather be frosty, they must be protected by some¬ 
thing in the way of light canvas. By the second week 
in June they should be shifted finally into 12-in. pots. 
A wire hoop painted green, placed round them 6 ins. 
from the pot, is the best means of training the shoots. 
Stopping should be discontinued by the first week in 
July, or poor flowers will be the result if left later. 
“Pompons” for fine flowers are best struck in 
February, and stopped once or twice during the spring; 
disbudding must not be practised to such a large 
extent as in the case of large-flowering sorts, but a 
moderate thinning out of the buds will always repay. 
Manure-water. 
Many kinds of manure-wat;r have been advised, but 
I have found nothing to suit them so well as the 
following :—In a large tub or cistern place one bushel 
of soot tied securely in a thin bag, one barrowful each 
of fresh cow-manure, and fill with soft-water ; stir the 
whole well up before using, and strain through a i-in. 
sieve ; then dilute to the colour of weak tea. Recharge 
when the strength of the liquid becomes exhausted. 
Occasionally give them a change of weak guano-water. 
Wood & Son’s Universal Liquid-manure Powder is un¬ 
doubtedly a first-class stimulant, both for foliage and 
flowers. The two latter manures must be applied with 
great care and discretion ; if carelessly used great 
damage may be done. 
Diseases and Enemies. 
I have always noticed there are blind and deformed 
buds after a long spell of hot dry weather, such as we 
experienced during the last summer. Mildew is sure 
to make its appearance, notably so on some varieties 
more than others. As a preventive, dust occasion¬ 
ally with flowers of sulphur. When in a young state 
the common green aphis is often very troublesome, 
attacking the points of the plants ; strong tobacco- 
water is the safest and best remedy. Earwigs are also 
a troublesome pest from the time the buds are forming 
till the flowers expand, doing great damage to the 
petals as they unfold. These must be watched for 
night and morning. Beanstalks cut in lengths of 
about 6 ins. make capital traps. Another insect, 
commonly known as the “Jumper,” does a lot of 
mischief to the young points and buds. But the most 
destructive of all that I have met with is an insect 
resembling a black aphis, becoming a light green later 
on, and at this stage travels round the roots very 
rapidly when disturbed, and when fully developed turns 
to a soft-brown fly ; I know of no remedy for this 
except catching and killing it. Dust the points 
occasionally with tobacco-powder during the season. 
- ->Z<- - 
ERROL PARK, PERTHSHIRE. 
In the fertile valley of the Tay, near Perth, and 
situated in that part known as the Carse of Gowrie, on 
the north bank of the river, is Errol Park, the seat of 
W. 0. Dalgleish, Esq. It is close by the village of 
Errol, and beautifully embowered amidst a rich col¬ 
lection of trees, some of which have already attained a 
great age ; while ornamental Conifers of more recent 
plantation show by their vigorous growth that soil and 
locality are equally suitable to their well-being. They 
were planted about eleven years ago, after the re¬ 
building of the present mansion, the old one having 
been destroyed by fire about fourteen years ago. Abies 
nobilis and Nordmann’s Silver Fir (A. Nordmanniana) 
of that age are now about 25 ft. high, and perfectly 
pyramidal in shape ; while the Douglas Fir (Pseudo- 
tsuga Douglasii), of the same age, has attained a height 
of 30 ft. There are also fine trees of the Red Wood 
(Sequoia sempervirens), Araucaria imbricata, Lawson’s 
Cypress, the beautiful frosted silver - leaved Picea 
Parryana glauca, and Cedras atlantica glanca. The 
two latter trees should be in every collection, on 
account of the contrast they furnish by the silvery grey 
tint of their foliage to the more sombre hues of Conifers 
generally. The large and aged trees consist chiefly of 
Beech, Birch, Horse Chestnut, Larch, and Pavia flava, 
amongst which we noted a grand specimen of the Fern- 
leaved Beech, about 100 years old, and doubtless one 
of the most aged in cultivation. 
The range of glass houses is quite new, or com¬ 
paratively so, having been built about three years ago, 
and have a clean fresh appearance externally ; while a 
visit of inspection assured us that the internal arrange¬ 
ment and management were perfectly satisfactory and 
in clean condition, reflecting great credit on Mr. 
Urquhart, the gardener. 
At the time of our visit the latest of the Grapes were 
finishing off nicely, and showed by the size of the 
bunches and berries that their cultivation is both 
understood and attended to. The earliest house con¬ 
tained Foster’s Seedling, Buckland’s Sweetwater, and 
Black Hamburgh only ; but in another vinery running 
parallel with it, were fine examples of Madresfield 
Court and Muscat of Alexandria, both having large 
bunches and berries. Muscat Hamburgh, known here 
as Venns’ Black Muscat, is a first-class Grape as to 
quality, but keeps in condition for a short time only 
after becoming perfectly ripe. The latest house was 
occupied by equally well-grown samples of Gros Colmar, 
Lady Downe’s Seedling, and Alicante. The fine bloom 
characteristic of well-finished berries of the latter, was 
being developed in a very satisfactory manner. Mrs. 
Pearson and Mrs. Pince, a white and black Muscat 
respectively, contributed variety to the other well- 
known and standard kinds mentioned. The Peaches 
were almost finished ; but some fruits of Lord 
Palmerston, measuring 12 ins. round, showed what can 
be done in the culture of this kind of fruit. 
A corridor runs the whole length of the range, and 
against the south wall of the garden. The houses, run¬ 
ning parallel to one another, stand at right angles to 
this corridor, which connects the whole, and not only 
affords a means of conveying plants from one to the 
other without taking them into the open air, but it is 
also very effectively used as a conservatory, against the 
back wall of which, and over the roof, greenhouse 
climbers of all descriptions are trained, growing and 
flowering in great profusion. Thibaudia acuminata, 
when grown in a pot, requires training to keep it 
within proper bounds ; but here it proves amenable as 
a w r all climber, and flowers freely planted out. Another 
plant now very popular for conservatory decoration is 
Cobiea scandens variegata, which seems capable of 
reaching any height, from which beautiful leafy and 
flowering sprays hang down in a very charming way. 
The popular Boule de Neige Abutilon is also at home 
treated in this way, because less restriction is put on 
its rampant growth by this method than when grown 
in pots. The rosy purple floivers of Swainsonia 
Ferrandi are rendered bright and cheerful by the 
presence of a large white blotch at the base of the 
standard. One of the oldest of hybrid Passion¬ 
flowers, namely, Passiflora ccerulea racemosa, becomes 
popular, as a rule, wherever tried in a greenhouse, from 
the profusion and succession of violet-purple flowers 
which it produces. An equally beautiful and much 
rarer plant is Tacsonia insignis, ivith gigantic flowers 
of a charming rose colour. The leaves are ovate, of a 
leathery texture, and covered with a rusty tomentum 
underneath—characters that are by no means common 
in the family to which it belongs. It grows with great 
freedom, festooning the roof of the corridor, and has a 
striking and novel appearance from the fact of its being 
an uncommon plant in the country ; but why it should 
be so is difficult of explanation. 
In the conservatory proper, a span-roofed structure, 
were some healthy Camellias that must now be flower¬ 
ing freely. Climbers are apparently great favourites 
at this place, as we found some more of them adorning 
the roof of this house. Boussingaultia basseloides is 
notable from the resemblance of its leaves to those of 
Basella alba, another smooth, fleshy-leaved climber. 
The flowers of Tacsonia mollissima, also trained on the 
roof, are large and of a soft rose colour, but not very 
freely produced until the plant attains considerable 
height, which is, in fact, the case with a great many 
rapid-growing climbers. Lapagerias, both red and 
white, are popular everywhere and not neglected here. 
No plant, perhaps, gives greater satisfaction in its way 
when allowed plenty of root-room and freedom to 
develop than Begonia fuchsioides, which is here grown 
to a large size and flowers all the year round, proving 
a very useful and ornamental greenhouse subject. 
Solanum jasminoides is an old-fashioned, almost hardy 
and very graceful climber, producing sprays or trusses 
of pure white flowers in great abundance when well 
established. Although grown indoors at Errol Park, 
we have seen it in the open air many miles further 
north, where it got killed, however, in the extra¬ 
ordinary severe winter of 187S-79. 
Orchids were out of season, with few exceptions, of 
which the late-summer and autumn-flowering Cattleya 
Gaskelliana might be mentioned as sustaining its usual 
reputation. Oncidium flexuosum bore it company, and 
is, indeed, frequently seen in flower at this season in 
collections or in decorative groups at exhibitions. In 
the stove we noted some useful specimens of Nepenthes 
Hookeri and N. Hookertc, two of the most free in the 
production of pitchers. 
In the kitchen garden was a fine crop of Apples and 
Pears, testifying to the rich and fertile nature of the 
valley of the Tay. Here, also, a large healthy bush of 
Laurus nobilis, 12 ft. in height, would seem to indicate 
a mild climate. Autumn flowers were gay, and in 
some cases appeared late, as Aconitum Napellus, flower¬ 
ing here in perfection, had succumbed to the heat 
several weeks previously in the sunny south. Various 
forms of Helianthus annuus and H. cucumerifolius bore 
evidence of the popular taste, at the present time. 
Kniphofia uvaria and Anemone japonica alba were 
plentiful everywhere, and resplendent, each with its 
own respective colour, and constitute hardy decorative 
subjects of the first order, and indispensable in the 
hardy flower garden in autumn. 
-->Z<-- 
THE CULTURE OF CATTLEYAS 
AND LJEHjIAS.* 
The two genera, Cattleya and Laelia, were founded 
by Dr. Lindley. Both are natives of tropical America, 
and are found growing under nearly similar climatic 
conditions, though distributed over an immense extent 
of territory. The only species not found on the 
American continent is Laelia monophylla, a native 
of Jamaica, which grows at an altitude of from 3,500 to 
5,000 ft. above the sea-level. 
The two genera are nearly allied, and resemble each 
other very closely both in flower and foliage, while 
some of the species are frequently placed in one or the 
other genus by different writers. To botanists they 
are distinguished by Cattleyas having four pollen 
masses in each flower, while Loelias have eight. 
Bentham remarks that, ‘ ‘ Laelia is so closely allied in 
every way to Cattleyas, that one has great hesitation in 
accepting the technical distinction of the eight pollen 
masses in two series instead of the single series of fours, 
especially as hybrids are so readily produced in cul¬ 
tivation in which the number of pollen masses is 
variable.” Not only do the species of the two genera 
intercross freely, but they also cross with allied genera, 
one of the most interesting hybrids being between 
Sophronitis grandiflora and Cattleya intermedia. This 
was raised by the Messrs. Veitch, of Chelsea, and the 
result of mixing these two genera was the production of 
a Laelia. It was named by Professor Reichenbach Laelia 
Batemanniana, but is now changed to Sophrocattleya 
Batemanniana to indicate its parentage. 
Amongst Orchids, the flowers of Cattleya and Laelia 
rank highest as being the most showy, and in which 
the richest combination of colours is to be found. 
Especially striking is the labellum or lip, which, in 
many varieties, is remarkable for the sparkling richness 
and depth of colour in its anterior lobes, and for the 
beautiful pencillings and markings in the throat. All 
the species of Cattleya and Laelia may be grown 
together in the same house ; but it is preferable to 
have a separate division for some of the Mexican Laelias, 
as they require less heat and more air and sunshine 
than the Cattlej'as from Brazil and Colombia. 
The best form of house is a span-roof running north 
and south, and should be 18 ft. wide, 10 ft. or 11 ft. 
high in the centre, and proper length to accommodate 
the number of plants to be grown. The side frame¬ 
work should not be more than 22 ins. above the top of 
the stage. The breadth of the house will admit of a 
stage in the centre 6 ft. wide, and side tables about 
3 ft. wide. Between this and the walls a space of 
2 ins. should be left to allow a free circulation of air 
and a better distribution of heat from the pipes. Of 
the latter enough should be put in at first to keep up 
the required temperature without having to keep them 
at roasting heat. 
The stages should be double, the under one formed 
of slate, cement, or corrugated zinc, which are cheapest, 
to hold gravel or other material that will give off 
moisture freely when watered, and a second one of 
sparred wood 9 ins. above it; this affords great facility 
for damping, and allows a better circulation of air 
amongst the plants. As the flowers of Orchids are not 
seen to the best advantage when looked upon from 
above, the stages should be higher than for other 
plants, 3 ft. 2 ins. being a good height. The stage 
supports should be of cast iron, and if those supporting 
the upper one are placed in saucers to hold water, it 
will prevent woodlice, slugs, and other vermin reaching 
the plants. The astragales and rafters should all be 
grooved on the inside to carry away condensed 
moisture, and so prevent drip, which is very injurious. 
One or two strong wires may be stretched along the 
* Read by Mr. A. Laing, Salisbury Green, before tie Scottish 
Horticultural Association, Edinburgh, December 6th, ISS7. 
