September 6, 1890. 
THE GARDENING WORLD. 
7 
An opening ceremony took place at 4 p.m., when 
Mrs. W. J. Evelyn, the wife of the Lord of the Manor, 
declared the exhibition opeD, and a concert followed. 
A very handsome Certificate, contributed by the Agri¬ 
cultural and Horticultural Association, was awarded to 
Mr. T. Bannister for having taken the greatest number 
of prizes. Such a social movement as that going on in 
connection with the Welcome Institute, including the 
flower show, seems to be so beneficial in its operation 
as to deserve the best wishes of all who have at heart 
the welfare of the labouring classes. The duties of 
secretary to the flower show committee were ably 
discharged by Mr. R. D. Brett, of Messrs. J. Stone & 
Co.’s works. — Pi. D. 
-*>X<-- 
THE MARKS TEY ORCHID 
NURSERY. 
The Orchid-growing establishment of Messrs. Fred 
Horsman & Co. at Marks Tey is about five miles from 
the beautiful and old-fashioned towD of Colchester. 
The situation is therefore perfectly free from smoke ; 
indeed, the complaint is that owing to the elevated 
nature of the ground upon which the houses are built 
the atmosphere in the houses is apt to be rendered too 
dry for the Orchids when high winds prevail. The 
pure atmosphere has, however, a telling effect upon the 
Orchids, judging from their green, healthy and clean 
appearance. Some credit must, however, be given to 
the growers for the neat and orderly way in which 
everything is kept. 
Masdevallia House. 
In a low lean-to house, with a northern aspect, a large 
number of Masdevallias in the best of health are 
located. Notwithstanding the fact that few Orchids 
are in season at present, a number of Masdevallias were 
in bloom, including the beautiful M. ionochaiis, with 
bell-shaped white flowers, densely spotted with purple at 
the base, and having yellow tails. The curious little M. 
ochthodes has been flowering for the past fifteen years, 
a single spike taking months to complete and expand the 
last flower. An interesting little flower is M. nidifica 
with pale flowers marked with purple along the veins, 
and having tails from 1 in. to 2 | ins. long. Similar 
in habit, but altogether different in flower is the 
floriferous M. Simula. M. triaristella and M. triehffite 
are nearly always in flower, and are gems, both pretty 
and curious, that should not be omitted in a collection. 
Here, too, the rare M. muscosa finds a congenial home. 
The mossy scapes and the sensitive lip of this species 
will always make it an interesting and desirable plants. 
The quickly closing action of the lip is most remark¬ 
able. A new species with yellow and purple flowers 
and tails 3 to 4 ins. long is M. irrorata. The late Mr. 
John Day’s plant of M. leontoglossa has found its 
way here, and is making fine leaves 6 ins. to 8 ins. 
long. The flowers of this species are bold and striking, 
being richly spotted with purple along the veins. A 
charming Masdevallia is M. Carderi with campanulate 
white flowers, densely spotted with brownish purple at 
the base. M. Hincksiana is a hybrid between M. 
tovarensis and M. ignea, with clear buff-yellow flowers, 
and is described as a yellow M. tovarensis, the flowers 
being about the same size. 
Odontoglossum and Allied Kinds. 
A varied assortment is located in the cool house simply 
because the conditions are suitable, and space valuable. 
Such species as Odontoglossum crispum, 0 . Pescatorei, 
0 . polyxanthum, 0 . Wilckeanum, 0 . W. pallens, 0 . 
bictonense album, and 0. maeranthum are staged in 
quantity. The specimens of the latter have already 
long flower scapes and will come into bloom as 
early as Christmas. They were transferred here from 
the Masdevallia house, where those recently imported, 
and not showing flower are still kept, in order to be 
perfectly cool. In that house also, 0 . Edouardi and 0 . 
undulatum are making growth. A large quantity of 
0 . Insleayi is now becoming finely established in the 
next compartment, having a temperature suitable for 
Cattleyas and many of the Ccelogynes. 0 . Marshal- 
lianum, grown on a raft in another house close by, has 
long panicled spikes and will be in bloom shortly. 
In the cooler house, quantities of various interesting 
subjects are grown. Such things as Sophronites grandi- 
flora, S. g. rosea, the rare S. cernua and the pretty S. 
violacea are grown in small pans in considerable 
quantity, and suspended from the roof. The leaves of 
S. grandiflora rosea are twice as broad as those of the 
type, and many of the pieces are notable for their great 
size. 
The spikes of Oncidium pyramidale are panicled and 
erect, with yellow flowers barred with brown at the base. 
An unnamed species nearly in bloom when we saw it 
may prove to be new. In another compartment was 
the typical 0. reflexum with reflexed sepals and petals 
richly barred with brown. 0 . concolor and 0 . Forbesi 
in healthy pieces are grown in small baskets suspended 
from the roof. The last of Miltonia vexillaria had just 
flowered with blooms of huge size compared with 
several of the smaller and dark flowered varieties which 
usually flower late. 
Cattleya, Lilias, &c. 
A quantity of recently imported Cattleya Loddigesii 
Harrisonire violacea is now starting finely into growth. 
The type itself is grown in quantity, and some of the 
plants were in bloom. A chaste and choice thing is C. 
crocata alba in close proximity to C. Eldorado, both in 
bloom. The autumn flowering C. Bowringiana is 
grown in quantity and gives promise of a good display 
presently. C. Dowiana aurea is also in sheath and of a 
healthy green appearance. The same may be said of C. 
Mendelii, some of which are already showing sheath, as 
are specimens of C. Mossise. In the same house with 
the above were healthy pieces of the supposed hybrid 
C. Hardyana, also C. maxima, C. gigas, C. labiata, and 
C. Gaskelliana. The latter is sweet scented, and many 
were in bloom. The warm rosy mauve sepals and 
petals serve to show off the rich colours of the lip. The 
flowers were also notable for their size. 
In a basket suspended from the roof was the true 
Lselia autumnalis alba. L. furfuraeea is grown in 
greater quantity. The greater number, of Laelias are, 
however, grown in a lean-too house by themselves. Of 
L. anceps, there is a houseful of dark varieties. The 
forms of L. purpurata have made stems from 12 to 
15 ins. high, with rigid leaves 12 ins. long and 3 ins. 
broad ; it is not yet twelve months since they were 
imported, although one specimen is in sheath and many 
others of the same batch are now sheathing up. 
Many Dendrobiums are scattered about in different 
houses to get the temperature that suits their respective 
requirements. In the cool Odontoglossum house, D. 
Jamesianum is grown in baskets from the roof. 
Similarly treated are D. Wardianum, D. crassinode, 
and others in one of the Cattleya houses, and the 
growths they have made are splendid. The same may 
be said of D. Findleyanum, batches of which may be 
seen in different houses. They look as though they 
would develop a fine quantity of bloom in season. 
A number of species of Cymbidium is located in the 
warm end of the Odontoglossum house, including C. 
Lowianum, C. eburneum Dayanum, C. elegans, and C. 
Mastersii, C. Lowianum is finely established, although 
only imported six months ago. A specimen that 
cropped up amongst C. Mastersi promises to be some¬ 
thing different, and its flowering is anxiously awaited. 
In another compartment close by the sweet-scented 
Angraecum falcatum was flowering freely. On the 
benches were the pretty yellow Spathoglottis Fortunei, 
with a brown striped lip, and Vanda Roxburghii. The 
latter has a violet-purple lip, and the other parts of the 
flower chequered with olive-brown. A new Lycaste is 
L. Youngii, having citron-yellow flowers as large as 
those of L. Skinneri. Other species we noted were 
Coelogyne Rossiana, C. nitida fusca, and C. speciosa, the 
latter was in flower as it nearly always is at what season 
soever. The pretty little Prominea citrina was sus¬ 
pended in pans from the roof of a house along with 
Oncidium concolor and others, in small pans. 
— -- 
FORESTRY AND FRUIT-GROW¬ 
ING IN SCOTLAND. 
On Saturday, August 23 rd, the special class of rural 
teachers, who were then “ camping out” for a mouth’s 
drill in the field of agricultural science, under Professor 
"Wallace, at the Edinburgh Universitjq had an excursion 
to Liberton Mains and Bridgend, in the outskirts of the 
City. These two farms are held—the former as a fruit 
farm and the latter as a nursery—by Messrs. Dicksons, the 
senior and highly respected firm of seedsmen in Edin¬ 
burgh. The class was headed by Professor Wallace, 
and the party was also accompanied by Professor 
M’Alpine, the botanist to the Highland Society. 
Unfortunately, the weather was bad, and the frequent 
heavy showers of rain greatly marred the enjoyment 
of the excursion. Unfortunately, too, Mr. Welsh, the 
head of the firm, was unable to be present, but Mr. 
Herd, as representing the firm, accompanied the party, 
as also did Mr. Davidson, the nursery manager, and 
both these gentlemen were indefatigable in furnishing 
the teachers with every information respecting the 
varied operations of the fruit farm and Dursery. 
The party first visited the irrigation meadows, and 
saw how land of comparatively little value naturally 
can, by the judicious application of sewage which would 
otherwise have run into the German Ocean, be made to 
produce from £20 to £30 worth of grass annually. 
The immense amount of money lost, therefore, to the 
nation by the common, but very wasteful plan of 
running the sewage into the nearest river or into the 
sea was made apparent to all. Thereafter the party 
visited the dairy at Bridgend, which is let to a dairy¬ 
man, and the system of feeding the cows and handling 
the milk was explained to them. They then proceeded 
to the nurseries, and examined the breadths of forest 
trees, fruit trees, Roses, &c., together with the stocks 
for budding. The operation of budding was one which 
interested the students greatly, the whole subject being 
a novelty to most of them. Fruit trees, if grown direct 
from seed, will invariably sport into endless varieties, 
and they are never true to name if so propagated. By 
this method, however, the careful grower can frequently 
light upon a new variety of a very superior kind, which 
can then be propagated by budding or grafting in the 
usual way ; but several years of careful trial are required 
before a new variety can be sent out with a warranty 
as being of a superior kind. Messrs.jDiekson have for 
many years been experimenting in this way, and have 
produced several new varieties, some of which are 
already well known to growers ; while several others, 
which are at present in hand, give every promise of 
remarkable excellence. Messrs. Dicksons find that the 
demand for fruit trees and bushes is still increasing, 
which shows that an increasingly large number of 
farmers are now grafting a little fruit-growing on their 
other branches of business. 
The numerous and neatly arranged beds of young 
forest trees next engaged attention. Unlike the fruit 
trees, these are all raised direct from the seed, with the 
exception of Willows and Poplars, which can also be 
grown from seed ; but that process is so slow in their 
case, that propagation, by means of slips, is usually 
preferred. These forest trees at Bridgend are all grown 
from hand-picked seed grown in the forest of Strathspey, 
and other parts of the north, as trees from north- 
country seed are always more robust than those grown 
from seed produced; in more southern districts. The 
Messrs. Dicksons are finding that their orders for young 
trees for forest planting this year are enormously greater 
than in any previous year in the history of the firm. 
The advantages of having agricultural and grazing 
land sheltered by belts of trees is getting to be better 
appreciated by proprietors in general ; and it is also 
becoming clear that, for the time to come, waste land, 
which is worth only a shilling or two per acre for 
grazing, will yield a handsome return if planted with 
forest trees, especially as the supply of timber from the 
New World is every year becoming more and more 
exhausted, until a timber famine has become one of the 
certainties of the near future, unless prompt steps are 
taken to avoid such a calamity by judicious planting. 
Dr. Salmon, the chief of the Department of Agriculture 
in America, who is presently on a visit to this country, 
is most emphatically of opinion that the supply of 
timber from the United States cannot be maintained 
much longer at the same rate of export, especially as 
that country has greatly neglected planting whilst 
harvesting its timber crop. The facts are [now being 
borne in upon the public mind, and the inferences from 
them are so patent that they cannot be overlooked or 
gainsaid. In fact, it seems probable that the 
Government will before long take into its own hands the 
task of planting the. waste lands of this country by way 
of providing against a timber famine. 
Another matter which interested the students very 
much was the immense amount of jam made every year 
on the farm at Liberton Mains. A large part of the 
best of the fruit is carefully picked for being made into 
preserves, and only the best of cane sugar (Sankeys’ 
Chips) is used for its manufacture. This kind of sugar 
is very much dearer than the ordinary kinds, but it is 
also much finer and purer. As a consequence of using 
only the very best fruit, and the very finest brand of 
sugar-cane in the manufacture of this jam, the product 
is of the most superior quality, and meets a ready sale 
at quite twice the usual retail prices of ordinary shop 
jam. The jam retailed by grocers is usually pribed at 
from tiff, to 9 d. per 2 lbs. pot, whereas this jam meets 
a ready sale among the best families in Modern Athens at 
Is. 4 d. per 2 lbs. pot. The students all agree in 
regard to this, that it was better policy to produce a 
first-class article, and charge a good price for it, rather 
than produce an article that was “ cheap and nasty 
From the North British Agriculturist. 
