October 4, 1890 
THE GARDENING WORLD. 
77 
bore four flowers upon the stem, and pointed to a 
similar origin as the last. The throat of the flower was 
beautifully striped with black and white lines. The 
throat of a pale lavender variety was marked with three 
blackish purple bands, made up by the amalgamation 
of several lines more or less distinct at the base. There 
were many white varieties, some of which were of large 
size, and all striped with violet, purple or blue in the 
throat. Out of a large number of scapes bearing twin 
flowers, scarcely two such flowers exactly resembled any 
other two, so that the range of variation is considerable. 
Mrs. Pince’s Black Muscat Grape. 
I AM very glad that Mr. Napper (p. 36) has spoken out 
about this fine autumn Grape and given its true history. 
I always knew that the seed was sown by the late Mrs. 
Pince, that it fruited in 1862, and that Mr. Pince 
gracefully named it after his wife, who had died a year 
or two previously. The first bunch was exhibited at 
South Kensington in 1862, and I tasted the very first 
berry of that bunch, and on the spot gave it a testimo¬ 
nial, but there were not sufficient members of the Fruit 
Committee present to award it a certificate, and it was 
in September, 1863, that it gained that distinction. I 
have great pleasure in speaking well of it still, for 
its flavour is superb. It was only this very week that 
I had to test its flavour against all the kinds in the 
garden here, and the ladies preferred Mrs. Pince. My 
experience is that it requires to be kept warm at setting 
time, and that the shoots should be allowed to run 
more freely than in the case of most kinds, as it pro¬ 
duces sparse foliage, and the deficiency in colouring is 
simply due to its freeness in fruiting, and to too many 
bunches being left on. I have only one Vine here in a 
late house, and it has seventy-one bunches on it, 
averaging 1£ lbs. to 2 lbs. eaeh ; and in the same 
house grows Lady Downe’s, which I shall ultimately 
clear out, and let this one Vine of Mrs. Pince fill the 
whole house.— J. Rust, Ericlge Castle. 
Herbaceous Cut Flowers. 
Yucca recurva, alluded to by me at p. 54, is placed 
amongst herbaceous plants in Messrs. James Backhouse 
& Sons’ catalogue of herbaceous plants, and the late 
Mr. James Backhouse and Mr. Potter, the manager of 
the herbaceous plant department of the York Nurseries, 
are well-known authorities on these plants. —A Per¬ 
plexed Judge. [We should disqualify the plant all the 
same if exhibited as herbaceous.—E d.] 
Lilium speciosum rubrum (true). 
Looking in at Highbury recently, this grand variety, 
amongst many other Liliums, stood out conspicuously 
on account of its very bright colour and good smooth 
petal, each with a distinct margin of white. Amongst 
the coloured varieties this is the gem of all, and Lilium 
speciosum Kratzerii must be regarded as the best of the 
whites, of dwarf habit, and very free blooming. Mr. 
Cooper has a very fine strain of Celosia pyramidalis 
plumosa (a pale rose-coloured variety especially), and 
Griffinia hyacinthina is blooming freely. In the long 
corridor the old Cassia corymbosa is in full bloom, its 
golden-coloured flowers telling effectively amongst so 
many other plants trained up the sides and across 
the top. Specimen Chrysanthemums are here by the 
hundred, looking well, and seem to point to another 
success at the Birmingham Chrysanthemum Show in 
November next. Well, we shall see then'; but we 
hear of other strong lots about the district getting ready 
for the show.— IF. D. 
Potato, Tbe Major. 
This is really a remarkably heavy cropper. It is a late 
kidney with well formed tubers. We lifted three shaws 
on the 26 th ult., and they had in all ninety-two 
tubers, eighty-four of which were fit for table. It has 
the great advantage of being quite free of disease, at 
least, that is the case here, where all our other varieties 
have been more or less affected. It boils dry and 
mealy, and ought to be more grown. —Peter McCowen, 
Hamilton House, Perth, N.B. 
African Marigolds. 
Referring to your comment, and Mr. Alexander 
Dean’s observation thereon on African Marigolds, it 
will be interesting to your readers in the south to know 
that in Scotland, where Marigolds are grown more 
extensively and better than anywhere else, strains 
which come varied are everywhere avoided, especially 
by exhibitors. The difficulty has always been to keep 
them pure. It is the easiest thiDg in the world to get 
them diversified by growing and seeding the pure 
Lemon and the puro Orange varieties in close proxi¬ 
mity. — IF. C ., Rothesay. 
Gooseberry, Berry’s Early Kent. 
This is a somewhat new, or at least little-known variety 
of the Gooseberry, which is being strongly recommended 
as a first early variety for market work. This par¬ 
ticular variety was selected from some seedlings some 
years ago, and the grower has acres of it, and it is 
stated that it comes into bearing seven to ten days 
before any other Gooseberries. One of his statements 
is to the effect that “ in 1886, though prices were low, 
I cleared £120 nett per acre from Berry’s Kent alone, 
(having standard trees over) ; after deducting my 
expenses, 52s. per bushel in 1888.” It is recommended 
as a variety for private gardens, and invaluable for 
market.— R. D. 
Rose Little Pet. 
What a glorious autumn Rose this is, when seen in a 
mass, with its myriads of small white flowers ; we have 
a small bed of it containing twenty plants, massed close 
together, and just now it is the gem of the flower 
garden, carrying, as it does, at least 6,000 buds in an 
opening and full open state. I took the trouble to 
count the buds on an ordinary single shoot and found 
150, nearly one-half of which were full open (what a 
prize for her Ladyship’s scissors) ; oh, sacrilege, why 
can’t they be content to worship Nature’s idols at her 
shrine ? Seen as it is growing here make me wonder 
why it is not more grown and more generally known. 
The first time I saw it in quantity was in the nursery of 
Mr. Forbes, Hawick, where it does well. It undoubtedly 
deserves a corner in every garden ; its dwarf compact 
habit and free-flowering qualities, stamp it as one of the 
best of its class, either for pots, beds, or massing on the 
lawn, where it shows off to advantage. We cut it hard 
back to the stool every year, giving the bed a good 
mulching with manure in the autumn, which both acts 
as a stimulant and protector. I strongly advise any¬ 
one, who may not have this fine cluster Rose, to give it 
a trial, and they will be amply rewarded, for as its 
name denotes, it is a genuine Little Pet.— O. 
Tbe “ National” Exhibition of Preserved 
Fruits, &c. 
Can the Council of the Royal Horticultural Society be 
aware what is the meaning of the term national in this 
case ? Do they not know that it applies solely to the 
products of a nation, and thus it would be interpreted 
as applying solely to the fruit products of Britain ? 
But Ireland even is not Britain, whilst in each 
class of the schedule jam and preserves of all kinds 
from colonial and foreign fruits are especially invited. 
In such case how can the exhibition be a “ National ” 
one ; the suggestion is foolish. Clearly the exhibition 
is to be an “ International ” one, as it is open to the 
whole world. Why is not that fact fully recognised in 
the title 1— Critic. 
Pyrethrum uliginosum. 
How very finely is this herbaceous plant blooming just 
now. It revels in the sunshine, and the flowers expand 
in rapid succession, so that the heads of bloom are 
perfect. A more charming hardy Marguerite can 
scarcely be conceived. The disk is of a greenish yellow, 
and slightly raised, the white florets and petals are 
long and narrow, and the whole gives a very pleasing 
flower. These are borne on large erect stems, 
and are all that can be desired for cutting. This 
Pyrethrum comes into bloom in excellent succession to 
the Giant Daisy Chrysanthemum lacustre, and keeps 
its blooms fresh from lower buds until the end of 
October. Naturally tall, it presents a remarkably 
telling plant for shrubbery borders. It strikes readily 
from cuttings, even after the shoots are 3 ft. high. 
Such plants will bloom dwarf, and make extra fine 
flowering specimens the following year.— A. D. 
Weigela Abel Carriere. 
Among the fine varieties which have been obtained from 
this hardy deciduous Chinese shrub, Weigela rosea, 
introduced from China about 1844, the above is worthy 
of mention. It is a form with a fine bold habit of 
growth, and produces numerous racemes of rosy crimson 
flowers of a showy colour. The Weigelas do well 
planted against walls and fences, as in such positions 
they can display their floral charms to the best ad¬ 
vantage, without their being hidden by their neigh¬ 
bours, as frequently happens when the Weigela is 
planted in mixed shrubbery borders.— R. D. 
ORCHID NOTES AND GLEANINGS. 
The Orchid Growers’ Calendar. 
Although wo are glad to see a continuance of fine dry 
weather with mild dewy nights, we cannot ignore the 
fact that we are now within a short distance of the time 
when cold nights may be expected, and therefore the 
first opportunity should be taken to transfer such plants 
as may have been enjoying cooler treatment for the 
summer months, back to their winter quarters. Many 
growers allow their plants of Miltonia vexillaria to 
occupy a place in the Odontoglossum house from May 
till October, and where this is the case, they should now 
be shifted. Ours grow in the cool end of the Cattleya 
house all through the year, except during tbe flowering 
period. Miltonia Roezlii and M. Phalsenopsis should 
now be found a place at the coolest end of the stove, as 
they require more heat than does M. vexillaria. 
Masdevallia tovarensis is another very useful plant 
which is likely to lose its leaves if allowed to stay in a 
very cool house all the winter, as it dislikes being below 
50°, while the Chimera section of Masdevallias, com¬ 
prising Backhouseana, Wallisii, Chimiera, &c., should 
be shifted from the cool house without delay, after 
having thoroughly cleansed them from their greatest 
enemy, yellow thrip. 
Lycastes, Anguloas, Zygopetalums, Houlletias, Odon¬ 
toglossum grande, O. Insleayi, and O. Schleiperianum, 
which occupy the cool house, should have the warmest 
and driest end, if such a place can be made for them, as 
they cannot endure so much moisture combined with low 
temperature as can the ordinary occupants, such as O. 
crispum and 0. Pescatorei. Young tender flower 
spikes of Oncidium varicosum and its major form now 
prove exceedingly tempting to the slugs, and a good 
look-out is necessary to gain their security. 
Such Dendrobiums as nobile, heterocarpum, Ains- 
worthii, Leechianum, splendidissimum, Freemanii, 
cretaceum, primulinum, &c., are safe at present in an 
airy structure where the temperature does not go below 
45°, and as some of the buds of D. nobile and D. 
heterocarpum will soon be pushing, it is a good time 
to dip all the plants into tobacco-water and sponge 
them over before the buds get so far advanced as to 
make the operation one attended with risk to the 
future crop of flowers. 
While the external air is so genial it should be 
admitted freely in all the houses, but especially in the 
Cattleya house, where there should always be a 
chink of air left on, except in very frosty or foggy 
weather. 
The Temperatures for October are East Indian 
house, 70° to 75° by day, 68° at night. Cattleya 
house, 65° to 70° by day, 60° at night. Cool or Odon¬ 
toglossum house, 55° to 60° by day, 50° at night.— 
IF. P. 
Vanda Sanderiana. 
This superb Vanda is now in bloom in the Botanical 
Gardens at Birmingham. It is an exceedingly healthy 
plant, with a gorgeous spike of ten exquisite flowers—a 
model of good culture, worthy of a place in any 
collection. The gardens under Mr. Lathom’s able 
management look extremely well for this season of the 
year, having benefited greatly from the recent fine 
weather, and are well worth visiting by everyone 
interested in horticulture.— J. McNab. 
An Amateur’s Orchid House. 
It is really surprising what can be accomplished in a 
small house when the owner possesses a genuine love 
of Orchids. When in Leek recently I paid a visit to 
Mr. Samuel Eyre, who has been an ardent cultivator 
for upwards of thirty years. The little house measured 
12 ft. by 8 ft., in which I counted twenty-four fine 
spikes of Lidia anceps, Oncidium varicosum Rogersii, 
six spikes of Odontoglossum Alexandra, eight spikes of 
O. maculatum, six spikes of Oncidium incurvum, eight 
spikes of Epidendrum vitellinum majus, and two spikes 
of Odontoglossum grande,—not poor worthless spikes, 
for many of them would be a credit to a much larger 
establishment.. The old adage holds good in this case, 
“Where there’s a will, there’s always a way.'”— J. 
McNab. 
Odontoglossum Insleayi Splendens. 
This, as now seen in bloom in Mr. Chamberlain’s 
Highbury collection, is very beautiful, with its rich 
pale yellow labeilum with border of crimson spots. 
It is truly a gem amongst the 0. grande section of 
Odontoglots.— D. 
