444 
THE GARDENING WORLD. 
March 10, 1888. 
Peas for Exhibition in June. 
Many thanks to Messrs. Sutton & Sons and Mr. 
AY ildsmith for their kind replies to rny inquiry. At 
the same time, allow me to say that we seldom get 
Marrowfat Peas fit for the table early in June ; but as 
Mr. YVildsmith remarks, by using turves, troughs, 
pots, &c., and the accommodation of houses, pits, or 
frames, no doubt we could gather them earlier. My 
question had reference to outside treatment only, as 
many who grow Peas have not the advantage of houses, 
&c., in helping them to prepare for these shows against 
such growers as Mr. YVildsmith. The reason I asked 
the question was to find from someone’s experience 
whether these new Marrowfats, as they are called, were 
of a quicker growth than many of the older kinds. I 
admit the error as to the date of the show, but did not 
find it out until too late ; and even now there is no 
time to lose in getting these Peas ready by open-air 
treatment for the date fixed, July 3rd. However, I 
shall give them a fair trial, in order to see how long 
they are in coming into use.— J. L. P. 
A Determined Potato. 
A CURIOUS instance of a determined effort to grow, on 
the part of some specimens of a variety of Potato, we 
noticed the other day at Chiswick, in the gardens of 
the Royal Horticultural Society. Some Potatos that 
were not required for planting -last year w T ere left in 
the store room, and forthwith commenced to grow 
when the natural period for that arrived. This they 
were enabled to do from the store of reserve material 
in the tuber, no soil or other moisture of any kind 
being at their command, as we have still a strong 
recollection of the excessively dry summer which we 
experienced last year. Young tubers, necessarily very 
much smaller than those of the parent (say about 
the size of a marble), were formed at the buds or eyes 
of the old specimens ; and then, not being satisfied 
in having given birth to one generation, the latter 
re-commenced to grow, producing short stems in the 
second case. Instead of producing separate tubers the 
branches all along the short stems thickened, and 
developed into a tuberous condition. In all, then, we 
have three generations closely associated together; 
the second and third being produced without the aid of 
soil or the accession of fresh material. 
Cyclamen at Stumperlowe Hall, Sheffield. 
It is but seldom that we see favourable reports respecting 
this charming winter-flowering plant, excepting from a 
few of the market establishments. To see them well 
done in private gardens is quite an exception ; but 
calling at Stumperlowe Hall, the residence of H. J. 
Dixon, Esq., the other day, I was pleased to see such a 
display as I shall not be likely to forget. The plants 
filled one side of a span-roof conservatory, and to satisfy 
my curiosity I asked permission to count the number 
of expanded flowers on two of the plants; one occupied 
a 4-in. pot, and the other an 8-in. pot. The first 
plant had sixty-seven flowers, with a mass of fine 
very strong foliage; the second plant was bearing 200 
flowers. The latter plant was not the largest of the 
batch, as there are some occupying 10-in. pots carrying 
many more blooms. I was very much surprised to see 
such a mass of foliage and flowers from such compara¬ 
tively small pots. I ventured to ask a few questions 
respecting their management, knowing Mr. YYatson, 
the able cultivator, would conceal nothing that would 
be of any value to others who may be desirous of giving 
them better treatment. My first question was, ‘ ‘ How 
old are your largest plants” ? He replied, “Ten years, 
and they now occupy the 10-in. pots, which are only 
just large enough to hold the corms without touching 
the sides.” This is Mr. Watson’s guide at potting 
time, he gives them as small pots as they will go into 
without crushing against the sides. The operation of 
potting is only performed once a year, which is after 
they have been resting on a stage on the north side of 
a span-roofed house. Drying off is not practised at any¬ 
time, but during their flowering period they are treated 
as semi-aquatic plants, each having a saucer filled with 
water which is freely taken up by their thirsty mass of 
foliage and flowers. Mr. YYatson uses a rich compost, 
containing two parts loam, one part leaf-soil and rotten 
manure, with a little charcoal and sand to keep the 
whole porous whilst making their roots. Potting is 
performed in June, after which they are placed in a 
cold frame facing east, where they remain until the 
following October, when they are taken to a warm 
span-roofed house to yield their display of flowers. 
— Visitor. 
ORCHID NOTES AND GLEANINGS. 
Orchid Growers 1 Calendar. 
Shading. —All the houses should now have the blinds 
put in position, the quality of the material used being 
varied to suit the occupants of the houses. Ltelia 
anceps, L. majalis, L. autumnalis, and other plants 
usually grown with them require the very thinnest 
shading, the Cattleyas and Lielias and general inter¬ 
mediate house plants also prefer a shading not too thick 
in texture, and the Odontoglossums, Phalsenopsids, and 
East Indian things generally require the thickest 
material for shading. Phalsenopsids, indeed, while 
thriving admirably in a house of southern aspect, do 
best when their house is furnished with a double 
shading, a very thin one to let down when the sun is 
not very strong and often obscured by clouds, and 
another to let down over it when the sun’s rays are 
powerful enough to do damage. 
All Orchids like a good clear light, but when placed 
in glass structures for cultivation, direct sunlight is 
very injurious to many of them, and risky for all. At 
the same time it is well known that too heavy shading, 
or allowing the blinds to be down when not absolutely 
necessary, also brings its evils, such as lack of flowers, 
sappy growth, &c. Therefore, the roller blinds are the 
only good means of shading, and every house considered 
worthy to contain Orchids should be fitted with these, 
and as a matter of economy it is the best, for it is easy 
to lose the value of the blinds in plants killed or injured 
by the sun. YYhere the blinds do not reach, or on any 
parts of the houses where blinds cannot be fixed, 
the “Eureka Shading” sold by Mr. B. S. YYilliams, 
Holloway, N., is an excellent permanent shade. For 
the roller blinds, where it can be arranged for them to 
run on supports, so that when down they do not rest on 
the glass, it is advantageous .—James O'Brien. 
Cattleya exoniensis. 
As you will see by my note on the subject at p. 413, I 
do not agree with the writer of the paragraph at p. 428, 
that this is the result of a cross between Lselia 
purpurata and Cattleya Mossise. I, and other Orchid 
physiognomists, are agreed that it was between L. crispa 
and probably Cattleya Mossise, this view being 
confirmed to my satisfaction by the long pointed and 
frilled labellum of C. exoniensis, which in weak or 
badly'cultivated specimens approach very near in form 
to that of L. crispa. However, I am always willing to 
learn, and perhaps some of your correspondents can 
give a definite opinion. I believe the parentage of this 
plant, like that of many other hybrids, was not recorded 
at the time when the cross was made .—James O'Brien. 
Cypripedium insigne. 
It seems almost superfluous to make further comment 
on the cultivation of the Cypripedium, which is now 
understood by almost everyone. Nevertheless, a few 
cultural remarks may prove serviceable to any amateur 
who may be contemplating the addition of a few of 
these Orchids to his stock of plants. They are of easy 
cultivation, and thrive satisfactorily under the treatment 
of ordinary stove plants. One important point to be 
remembered in their culture is that Cypripediums have 
no pseudo-bulbs above ground to sustain them. Con¬ 
sequently, they should not be dried off in winter like 
most other Orchids, but be kept rather moist all the 
year round, and a liberal supply of water is essential 
during the warm summer months. Perfect drainage is 
absolutely necessary to their successful cultivation. 
The compost recommended for this species is composed 
of two parts good peat, one part of chopped sphagnum 
moss, one part of leaf-soil, sand, and a dash of bone 
meal. A quantity of charcoal is sometimes added, but 
this is immaterial. Re-potting should be proceeded 
with after the plants have done flowering, which they 
do during the winter months and early spring. After 
the plants have been potted, it is advisable to place 
them in a higher temperature than they flowered in, 
as this assists them greatly in again becoming es¬ 
tablished. In potting it is not necessary to elevate the 
plants like most other Orchids, although one frequently 
sees a batch of Cypripedes all raised 1 in. above the 
pot, and doing remarkably well. They can be potted 
in the same way as ordinary plants—on a level with 
the rim of the pot—and they will flower as freely as 
the elevated ones. As the Cypripedium belongs to the 
cool section, a high temperature is by no means essential 
to its successful culture; it can be grown in a cold frame 
during summer, and wintered in an ordinary greenhouse, 
the minimum temperature of which would be 40°. 
Owing to the lasting properties of the flowers, this 
species is rendered particularly valuable for decorative 
purposes. An exceptionally fine piece carrying about 
forty flower spikes can be seen in Messrs. Laing & 
Sons’ establishment at Forest Hill.— J. Peebles. 
Angr/ecums at Clapton. 
The great numbers of these grown in the nurseries of 
Messrs. Hugh Low & Co., Clapton, serves, in a measure, 
to illustrate the increasing interest that is being taken 
in the genus as a whole. A. sesquipedale, A. ebumeum, 
and A. falcatum are to be found in many gardens; but 
beyond these there is a wonderful variation in size, 
form, and number of the flowers, as well as in the 
dimensions of the whole plant. Some of them are real 
pigmies, and beautiful ones too, such as A. hyaloides, 
which flowered some time ago. Besides A. eitratum, 
already noticed by us, there is a fine lot of A. sesqui¬ 
pedale in flower, some of which measured 6 ins. across 
the petals. A. Leoni is a magnificent species, with 
Dighly fragrant flowers, and—like most others—pure 
white. The latter is the prevalent colour, but some¬ 
times gives place to green, as in A. ebumeum ; pale 
lemon, as in A. eitratum ; or brownish yellow, as in 
the spurs of A. caudatum and others. Another curious 
little species flowering at present is A. fastuosum, with 
broad, short, leathery leaves, long spurs, and white 
flowers. More attractive is A. polystachyum, with 
numerous white flowers, a short-spurred hooded lip, 
and the sepals and petals curiously incurved, catching 
the labellum, as it were, with so many hooks. Several 
species have not yet flowered, some of which may 
probably be new, and others have just finished blooming. 
Dendrobium Leechianum. 
YYhen at Clovenfords the other day, I was very much 
struck with the great beauty of this Dendrobe. I 
measured some flowers, and a good many were fully 4i 
ins. across, one with three flowers on a spike was 5J ins. 
as big as the largest D. YY r ardianum in flower beside it. 
I was also much pleased with a grand form of D. nobile 
in flower there, and which in my opinion beats the 
celebrated “nobilius” easily. Messrs. Thomson are 
lucky to have got hold of such a fine thing. I also 
noticed some very fine forms of Cattleya Triame ; one 
in particular, an extra fine variety named C. Triame 
Thomsoni, which for colour and size of flowers sur¬ 
passes anything I have yet seen. A very fine variety 
of C. Mendelii was also in flower, the lip measuring 2i 
ins. across, whilst the sepals and petals were equally 
broad and fine. A very finely spotted variety of 
Od. Peseatorei also came under my notice.— C. C. TV. 
Trichopilia suavis. 
Several distinctly-coloured varieties of this charming 
species are now flowering in Mr. J. E. Bonny’s collection, 
at Hextable, Kent. Of the several species in cultivation, 
this is one of, if not the best, on account of the size 
and pleasing colour of the flowers, the sepals and petals 
of which are spotted all ove.r with rosy purple on a pure 
white ground. The labellum is, notwithstanding, the 
largest organ of the flower and the most handsome, 
being richly spotted rosy pink internally, with a few 
large yellow blotches on a white ground. The flowers 
possess the odour of Hawthorn, and last about a 
fortnight in perfection. A cool house is all that is 
necessary to grow it successfully. 
Ccelogyne elata. 
A considerable number of the species of Ccelogyne 
are in cultivation, most of which are showy and really 
worth growing. None are more distinct in habit than 
the Himalayan C. elata, which produces its flowers on 
an erect and considerably elongated spike from the 
apex of the pseudo-bulb, not from its base as in the 
popular and almost universally cultivated C. cristata. 
The flowers are smaller than those of the latter, but 
drooping, and pure white, with a two-lobed orange 
blotch on the tip. Seeing that it occurs on the 
mountains near Darjeeling at elevations reaching from 
8,000 ft. to 9,000 ft., it should be grown in a cool 
temperature, although we have seen it grown pretty 
successfully in an East Indian house. Specimens are 
flowering freely in the nurseries of Messrs. John Laing 
& Sons, Forest Hill, London. 
Diurus maculata. 
Few of the species of this Australian genus have yet 
been introduced, and even those that have been are still 
very rare in gardens. YYe have some specimens before 
us of the species under notice from Mr. F. YY 7 . Moore, 
curator of the Botanic Gardens, Glasnevin, and we must 
confess that the structure or homology of parts is not a 
little puzzling at first sight. The two tails to which the 
generic name refers consists in the petals, which are 
very much longer than the other organs of the flower, 
and extend upwards and backwards, so as to appear in 
the position of sepals ; but a careful examination of the 
flower reveals the true structure, there being nothing 
