February 14, 1891. 
THE GARDENING WORLD. 
377 
years ago, and Mr. Wm. Woodley, the gardener, having 
been in charge of the garden for over fifty years, was 
naturally enough not versed in Orchid culture. The 
collection, however, continues to reflect credit upon his 
success. About five years ago, two houses (one of which 
is divided into two compartments) were expressly built 
on modem principles to accommodate the Orchids. The 
benches are supported on iron framework, and consist 
of galvanised iron, covered with cement, so as to form 
shallow trays for the retention of water to maintain a 
continuously moist and cool atmosphere. The pots 
containing the plants are, of course, supported by 
others, so as to keep them clear of the water. Tanks 
are also formed underneath for the reception of rain 
water. 
The cool Odontoglossum house contains but few 
plants in flower at present, because they are drafted 
away into other houses as soon as they come into 
bloom. The most advanced are Odontoglossum Eossii 
majus and O. maculatum. One house is notable for 
the continuous display of Cypripedium*, some of which 
greatly when at its best. Suspended from the roof 
were some pieces of Dendrobium crassinode and D. 
Findlayanum, the latter being a recent addition now 
showing bloom. In the cool division were some very 
pretty varieties of Odontoglossum Eossii majus, tinted 
with rose and blotched with purplish brown on the 
sepals and base of the petals. Standing amongst them 
was a richly blotched piece of 0. Insleayi, the red and 
brown of which stands in marked contrast to the 
shiniDg yellow ground colour. Although now late in 
the season, Masdevallia tovarensis was in its best con¬ 
dition when we saw it, bearing about three dozen 
blooms on a comparatively small plant. A less common 
and more interesting, although less showy subject was 
Stelis micrantha, having small straw-yellow flowers. 
The pan in which it was grown was very small, but it 
was, notwithstanding, laden with flower scapes, and 
the blooms on the point of expansion. The larger and 
more showy flowers of Sophronitis grandiflora command 
more universal attention ; the plants are grown in 
small pots and Orchid pans. 
THE HORSE-CHESTNUT. 
We have been favoured by a correspondent with a 
photograph of a very handsome Horse-Chestnut tree, 
similar in general outline and appearance to the one 
shown in the accompanying illustration. Given an 
open space or isolated position in deep, sandy, but well 
watered soil, and the Horse Chestnut (rEsculus Iiippo- 
castanum) will inevitably develop its natural habit, 
characterised by a broad spreading head, rather flattened 
on the top, with long drooping branches, the lowermost 
of which are often of great thickness. The rich alluvial 
soil of the valley of the Thames exactly meets its 
requirements, and we have many fine samples on 
different estates. On the other hand the tree seems as 
much at home in many of the northern counties of 
Scotland, where, associated with the Sycamore (Acer 
Pseudo-Platanus), it often forms a striking feature 
in avenues, whether covered with blossoms or laden 
with its prickly and imposing fruit. The latter 
it ripens freely even in the north, and fresh plan¬ 
tations are made from the seedlings as easily as from 
\ 
The Horse Chestnut (iEscuLus Hippocastanum). 
are always in flower. Some forms of C. Boxallii are 
bearing a heavy crop cf bloom and are characterised 
by the rich dark, more or less confluent blotches 
on the upper sepals as well as its white margin. The 
whole flower has the lustrous or shining appearance 
which characterises C. villosum. The upper sepal of 
C. nitens is also richly spotted, but the blotches do not 
lun into confluent masses. C. callosum is notable for 
the large size of its upper sepal. With it are also C. 
ITookeros, 0. Crossianum, and C. longifolium. The 
great number of flowers produced by the latter keep up 
a succession for a great length of time. A number of 
Cypripediums are also kept in the next compartment, 
which is cooler, and amongst those we noted were C. 
insigne and C. i. montanum, the plants of the latter 
being newly imported. The beautifully spotted C. 
Sallieri is a hybrid between C. villosum and C. insigne, 
showing the influence of the latter, which is the pollen 
parent, in the spotting of the upper sepal and much of 
the colouring of the other segments. 
In the warmer compartment a number of Cattleyas 
are grown, and those in flower at present are C. 
Percivaliana and C. Triante. The former by its pre. 
cocity generally suffers from the London fog. The 
same statement applies to Lcelia anceps, which suffered 
The vineiy has been laid under impost to receive 
the overflow of plants from the Orchid houses proper ; 
and not only are the plants rather crowded in the 
latter but also in the vinery. As more plants continue 
to be added to the collection so must room be found for 
them. On the central stage are seme very large pieces 
of Ccelogyne cristata, and also of the Chatsworth 
variety. The latter is characterised by the yellow or 
straw-coloured hue of the buds, and the greater 
substance of the flowers. A piece of Cymbidium 
Lowianum with four scapes carried in the aggregate 
sixty-six flowers nearly ready to expand. In the same 
house was a piece of the pale-hued Cattleya Trianse 
delicata. 
An Orange tree about 18 ins. high or thereby carried 
eleven fruits of a rich dark orange hue. On the lawn 
not far from the Orchid houses are to be seen two fine 
specimens of the Black Mulberry. Both are in fine 
shape with large heads, notwithstanding the fact that 
about half of one of them was blown down some years 
ago. The trunks from the ground to where the larger 
basal limbs are given off, measure from 18 ins. to 21 ins. 
in diameter. Neither of the trees can be very young, 
for it is rarely we see such fine specimens in the 
neighbourhood of London. 
the native Scotch Tine. This cannot be said of 
the Sweet Chestnut (Castanea sativa), hailing from 
Asia Minor, as it ripens fruit in the south of England 
only in favourable seasons. The Horse-Chestnut is a 
native of Asia, and was first brought to Europe by the 
Turks, to whom also we are indebted for some other 
trees, the Tulip, and several other ornamental subjects. 
From Constantinople it came overland by way of 
Vienna, in the latter part of the sixteenth century, 
to Italy and France, finally reaching this country in 
1629. The beauty of the tree when in bloom is admired 
by everybody, and the tree itself has been compared 
to a huge candelabra, set all over with lighted wax 
tapers. Our trees are noted for the amount of red 
blotches and tints in the flowers, whereas the con¬ 
tinental trees, especially in Germany, have only white 
flowers. With the botanist the tree is notable for its 
large buds, with highly developed leaves, even before 
expansion, and the rapidity with which those leaves 
unfold and the growth is completed. As a town tree 
proper, it is unsuitable on account of its spreading 
habit, and the difficulty of getting moisture. As proof 
of this we have seen trees flowering for the second time 
in the first week of September, in some of the streets of 
Paris, where they had been allowed to get dry during 
the summer. 
