December 6, 1890. 
THE GARDENING WORLD. 
221 
flowers are liable to suffer during the prevalence of fog ; 
and while the atmosphere is heavy and wet, the air of 
the house should be kept as dry as possible, to prevent 
the damping of the flowers. 
As winter gives place to spring the showy S. ges- 
rerteflora comes into bloom. The leaves are cordate- 
ovate, hairy above, woolly beneath, and plentifully 
produced, while they are retained all through the 
winter, setting off the flowers to advantage when they 
appear. The flowers are about 2 ins. long, bright 
scarlet, and shaggy, although less densely so than 
S. fulgens, which it closely resembles in many 
respects. The lower lip is large and conspicuous, and 
the tube is also largely inflated in the middle. the 
plant is a native'of Columbia, and grows on an average 
about 2 ft. high. The Mexican S. fulgens flowers 
later, but the blooms are less plentifully produced, so 
that where the collection is limited S. gesneraeflora 
should have the preference. 
When S. gesneraeflora gives over flowering, and spring 
gives place to summer, another very useful and showy 
Salvia commences to flower, and keeps up a display for 
many months. This is S. elegans, a native of Mexico 
and Guatemala, with deep red flowers of moderate size, 
but produced in great numbers on freely branching 
stems. At present it is not very widely cultivated, 
but highly esteemed by those who have made its 
acquaintance. The main stems grow about 3 ft. high, 
and their numerous branches terminate in racemes 
4 ins. to 6 ins. long, thickly arranged with flowers. It 
makes an elegant and floriferous bush without any 
special training or culture, and is well worthy of a trial 
by those who like variety in the conservatory even 
when the commoner sorts are plentiful. 
-- 
SOMETHING ABOUT SPARROWS. 
Much indeed has been said against .the sparrow, not, 
however, without cause ; for there is no lack of evidence 
to show that the damage done by these omnivorous and 
industrious little birds is of such a character as to 
bring down the curses of most farmers and gardeners 
upon their heads. In a recent number of the Gardeners’ 
Chronicle, Mr. Chas. Whitehead, F.L.S., F.Z.S., 
dwelt, in passing, on the immense damage done to 
fields of Wheat, Barley and Oats by sparrows, which 
was in some cases pronounced to exceed that done by 
the dreaded Hessian Fly. After mentioning their 
partiality to various seeds, the same gentleman says: “No 
one can estimate the enormous amount of injury caused 
by sparrows in picking out the buds of fruit trees 
during the winter, not only in gardens and orchards, 
but also in fruit plantations away from houses and 
buildings. They are particularly fond of the buds of 
Gooseberries and Red Currant bushes, and of Cherry 
and Pear trees. Peach trees also suffer from their 
depredations.” He also mentions that Fig=, Plums, 
Apples, Peaches and Pears suffer, when ripening, from 
their repeated pecks. Peas, Cabbages, Beetroot, 
Spinach, Lettuces, are often destroyed wholesale. “In 
short,” he writes, “unless the habits and destructive 
ways of these birds are carefully noted, no one can have 
a conception of the losses they cause in kitchen and 
market gardens as well as in flower gardens, in taking 
seeds and in picking off the first leaves of young 
plants.” 
The Rev. T. Wood, in one or two of his interesting 
books, endeavours to show that the good deeds of the 
sparrow counterbalance the evil, and after summing 
up the various forms and kinds of evidence, both for 
and against, leaves the jury to pronounce a verdict of 
not guilty, or, in other words, far from deserving 
persecution at our hands. He says that he can find no 
confirmation of their bud-destroying propensities. 
F urther, that though of an advanced Liberal character 
in political opinions, the destruction of Primrose 
blossoms may be ascribed rather to the presence therein 
of a little beetle, Eusphalerum primulae, than to party 
spite. On the whole, he considers that the good they 
do in destroying insects, and seeds of weeds, far more 
than compensates for the harm they do us. 
In fact, their position towards us he describes as 
analogous to that of the army, navy, or police, justly 
requiring fair pay for considerable services. From 
what I have seen, I cannot but agree with many others, 
that sparrows do an enormous amount of injury to 
agriculturists and gardeners ; at the same time 
admitting that in the breeding season they use a vast 
number of insects for rearing their young broods. Dr. 
Green says they destroy large numbers of moths ; but 
he does not think the young are reared entirely on a 
diet of insects. I have noticed that they are very 
fond of the little garden ant, Formica nigra, which 
they pick up with wonderful rapidity. Still, I feel 
sure that, considering the sparrow will thrive on 
almost every sort of food, as is shown by keeping them 
in confinement, it is natural to suppose that whatever is 
most easily procurable forms their staple article of 
diet in the wild state, and this is only too often young 
vegetables, Peas, and seeds of any kind. A flock of 
sparrows and chaffinches will utterly ruin a fine bed of 
young Carrots in the seed leaf, during the small space 
of a few hours. Most of us have heard that when 
busy amongst rows of Peas, they are perhaps in quest of a 
little insect called Sitona lineata, but the percentage 
of ordinary garden crops attacked by this weevil, to any 
degree, is small. The sparrow, however, is seldom if 
ever absent, and, with wonderfully accommodating 
taste, confines its attentions to the vegetable. 
The theory that birds only touch such buds as 
are inhabited by insects, is, I think, rather absurd, and 
difficult of positive proof. It is certain that a small 
amount of insects are consumed with the buds ; but 
that the bird should deliberately select those infested 
only, seems incredible. In any case, if the grease 
banding of fruit trees be everywhere adopted in the 
course of the next few years (which does not seem quite 
imnrobable), and the sparrows still continue with 
undiminished vigour their attacks on the buds, either 
the defenders of the birds, or the advocates of this 
method for preventing the attacks of winter moths 
by trapping the female, will have to moderate their 
opinions ; and as experience is beginning to show the 
efficiency of the latter system, the former will possibly 
have to yield. 
Then, besides the thefts of what is valuable to us and 
them for the sake of edibleness, which we might over¬ 
look since they are perpetrated often merely to support 
life, we must consider the wanton mischief in which 
they freely indulge at our expense. This latter cannot 
be excused or defended on any plea, even by their 
would-be champions, some of whom might perhaps be 
considered illusionists, supporting the proclaimed 
opinion as to the beneficence of the sparrow in the 
vain though laudable desire of preserving this variety 
of the feathered race from the destruction that yearly 
threatens it. I have watched these birds picking out 
the hearts from young Carnation plants for na possible 
purpose but amusement, leaving the foliage in small 
bits on the ground. 
Sparrows owe their present position in the universe 
to their omnivorous and pugnacious natures. They 
breed early and late, high and low, almost everywhere, 
apparently possessing what phrenologists would term 
the bump of philoprogenitiveness. A protection is 
further afforded to this bird by its somewhat dingy 
coat, wild habits and poor song, which prevent a fate 
too common to goldfinches, bullfinches, and other more 
attractive British birds, thousands of which are caught 
with lime, net or trap for the everlasting demand in 
town and country. However, everything considered, 
it may safely be asserted that the good done by the 
house-sparrow is considerable, though the evil is 
inestimable ; and with prejudice and ignorance on one 
side, it is easy to ignore the one and magnify the 
other.— M. 
-- 
ORCHID NOTES AND GLEANINGS. 
The Orchid Growers’ Calendar. 
Where there is anything like a good collection of 
Orchids, well managed, there will be a display of 
flower, increasing in bulk and beauty for many months 
to come. Already we hear on all sides of the Mexican 
Lselias proving attractive objects, and there are now 
enough varieties of them to make a respectable show of 
themselves. Lmlia Gouldiana is extra free in flowering 
this year at most of the places I have visited, while of 
the various forms of L. anceps, as well as L. autumnal is 
and L. albida, flower spikes are seen in profusion, and 
if we can keep out of the way of that great enemy of 
Laelias, London fog, we shall be rewarded for some of 
our care by the sight of the flowers ; but those who 
live within the fog radius cannot reckon on all the 
buds developing into flowers, because we have watched 
choice varieties attain to opening stage in former years 
only to be curled up by a noxious fog. May this not 
be the case this year ! 
Cattleya Percivaliana and C. Trianae, now pushing 
up rapidly, will soon add to the general display, and, 
with the aid of Calanthes, Coelogynes, Cypripedium 
iDsigne in variety, Barkerias, early-flowering Dendro- 
biums, Masdevallia tovarensis, and various other things 
will make the flowering house quite cheerful during 
the short dull days, without interfering with the cool 
house display in any way. In fact we do not consider 
it advisable to remove either cool Odontoglossums or 
heat-loving Cypripediums, Phalaenopsids, &c., into the 
flowering house, which is kept at Cattleya - house 
temperature. 
A good stock of Adiantum cuneatum and Cocos 
Weddelliana, or some other graceful Palm for associ¬ 
ating with the occupants of the flowering house, when 
arranged with discretion, add much to its beauty, and 
are really often quite necessary, especially when the 
plants in flower are destitute of leaves, or but recently 
imported. A trio of small-flowering but very pretty 
and interesting Odontoglossums are now open, these 
being 0. Hunnewellianum, 0. Schillerianum, and 0. 
Arnoldianum, each of them little gems in their own 
way, and well worth growing if strong pieces can be 
obtained. Miserable scraps seldom are satisfactory, for 
in buying imported or established Orchids the old saw 
cuts well, “ A good start is half the battle.” 
It seems pretty certain that heat-loving Saccolabiums, 
Aerides and Vandas are not quite so popular as formerly, 
but there are two Vandas of rather recent introduction, 
V. Amesiana and V. Ivimballiana, which amply repay 
any outlay and attention spent on them, for they 
appear to be uncommonly good doers. Even small 
plants, less than a foot high, grown in pots filled with 
crocks with a layer of sphagnum at the top, produce 
very beautiful flowers at this season of the year.— IV. P. 
Cypripedium Niobe. 
This very handsome and rare Cypripedium is now in 
flower in Mr. Vanner’s collection, at Camden Wood, 
Chislehurst, as well as the better known C. leucorrho- 
dum, C. Io grandis, C. cardinale, and the popular C. 
Spicerianum in quantity.— IV. P. 
Cypripedium, Muriel Hollington. 
The upper sepal of this hybrid is creamy white, 
suffused with purple in lines and dotted with purple 
near the base, while the upper part is pure white. The 
petals are oblong and creamy white, suffused with pale 
purple on the lower part of the upper side. The lip is 
white, suffused with light purple, and slightly com¬ 
pressed laterally. The staminode is triangular, trun¬ 
cate at the lower edge, with a tooth in the small notch, 
and white, with a large yellow blotch in the centre. 
The plant was shown at the Drill Hall, Westminster, 
on the 11th ult., by A. J. Hollington, Esq. (gardener, 
Mr. Ayling), Forty Hill, Enfield, when an Award of 
Merit was granted it. 
CCELOGYNE MASSANGEANA. 
The large quantity of flowers produced by this species 
render it a pleasing and interesting addition to a 
collection. It seems also to have no fixed time of 
flowering, for it may be had in bloom at almost any 
period of the year. Owing to the pendulous habit of 
the flower scapes, and their great length, the plant is 
essentially adapted for basket culture ; indeed, aDy 
other method of culture would fail to give the plant 
justice. We noted it recently in Mr. P. McArthur’s 
collection at the London Nursery, Maida Vale. The 
sepals and petals aro pale yellow, and the lateral lobes 
of the lip are of a rich brown. The flowers are fragrant, 
and being produced in large numbers upon a spike, 
they make their presence felt in a house. 
Angr/ecum pellucidum. 
Although possessed of no striking or showy characters, 
still the flowers of this species in the aggregate are 
pretty. The leaves range from 6 ins. to 12 ins. in 
length, and 1J ins. to 2 ins. in breadth. The scapes 
hang down perpendicularly to a length of 6 ins. to 
15 ins., according to their vigour, and are covered with 
flowers for the greater part of their length, and which 
lie closely against them. The sepals and petals are 
spreading, white, but slightly tinted with straw-yellow 
along the centre ; the latter are also toothed at the 
margin. The lip is triangular, fringed or irregularly 
toothed at the edge, and of the same colour as the 
other segments. The whole flower has a delicate and 
semi-transparent appearance about it which is not 
unattractive. The species comes from Sierra Leone, 
requires warm treatment, and should be grown in a 
basket. We noticed a fine plant of it recently in the 
warm division of the Orchid house at Kew. 
Cyperorchis elegans. 
The specific name of this Orchid well describes its 
character, for although elegant it can hardly be con¬ 
sidered showy, owing to the lack of striking or showy 
colours. The plant is allied to Cymbidium, has the 
same habit, and sometimes goes under that name. 
