412 
THE GARDENING WORLD. 
February 28, 1891. 
ALBERT NURSERY, PEOKHAM 
RYE. 
A little over two years ago there were only two hot¬ 
houses in the Albert Nursery, 256, Peckham Rye ; now 
there are seven houses, each 100 ft. long, and close 
upon 28 ft. wide. Messrs. E. D. Shuttleworth & Co., 
Limited, have also another place at Fleet, Hants ; but 
they intend to increase the number of houses at the 
Albert Nursery as rapidly as possible. 
Palms and other decorative plants, such as Crotons 
and Dracaenas are the principal subjects cultivated ; and 
attention is also given to the forcing of Lily of the 
Valley (Berlin variety) and Azaleas, of the latter of 
which there is a good quantity of healthy young stuff. 
The Palms are particularly notable for their healthy 
and good condition. There are handsome plants of 
Kentia australis and K. Belmoreana, 2 ft. to 3 ft. 
high. The former is characterised by its spreading 
leaves, and broad pinnae, and the latter by its brown 
petioles. Licuala peltata has its fan-shaped leaves 
divided into six or eight deep segments, and is by no 
means a common Palm. A well-known and useful 
species for decorative purposes is Kentia Forsteriana, 
characterised by its long petioles and upright habit. 
K. Mooreana bears the same relation to the latter as 
K. Belmoreana does to K. australis in having brown 
petioles, but the pinnae are broad, like those of the 
latter. 
In one of the houses is a large quantity of the useful 
Areca lutescens, in various sizes, the larger of which 
are from 2 ft. to 3 ft. high. A contrast to these is 
offered by the seedlings of Cocos "Weddelliana, which 
have as yet only acquired a few leaves. A large batch 
of seedlings of Corypha australis is now in a suitable 
condition for decorative purposes, as the plants are 
sturdy pieces 12 ins. to 14 ins. high, and well furnished 
with leaves. Phoenix, reclinata and P. rupicola are of 
a useful size, the latter making handsome specimens 
about 18 ins. high. The seedlings of Seaforthiaelegans 
are small, but interesting. A useful Palm, and now 
being grown in larger quantity than ever, is Geonoma 
gracilis, of similar habit to Cocos Weddelliana, but 
hardier and equally as beautiful. The plants are 
healthy and 18 ins. to 24 ins. in height. The robust- 
looking Areca Baueri was also about 2 ft. high. We 
also noted Rhapis flabelliformis and the dwarfer and 
more graceful R. humilis. 
Some handsome pieces of Dracsena australis Doucetti 
were stood about in positions well exposed to light. 
The narrow leaves with their creamy white edges are 
very effective. D. Lindeni in plants of various sizes 
was also notable for the beautiful variegation of the 
leaves. The colouring of the foliage of Pandanus 
Veitchii is also well brought out. Notwithstanding the 
large demand there has always been for Aspidistra 
lurida and A. 1. variegata, a good stock of it has been 
got together and was being re-potted when we saw it. 
A bold, distinct, and hardy subject is Aralia Sieboldi 
variegata, to be seen here in some quantity, as well as 
A, Veitchii and A. gracillima. Ferns, such as Pteris, 
Davallia, and Dicksonia antarctica are also grown to 
some extent. 
Coditeums, popularly known as Crotons, may be 
seen about the houses in various sizes ; and the 
intention is to work up a large stock of them to meet 
the growing demand. Therearetwoformsin cultivation, 
known as C. interruptum, and the variety here has long 
narrow leaves with a crimson mid-rib, and sometimes 
a spiral twist in the middle. Baron James Rothschild 
is well known as a broad-leaved variety, exhibiting 
much of a red or crimson hue, as C. Andreanum is 
yellow. The lateral veins of C. rubro-lineatus are red, 
and the leaves themselves somewhat after the style of 
C. Veitchii. The old leaves of the popular Queen 
Victoria are variegated with crimson, the youDg ones 
with yellow. The variety is an old favourite for exhi¬ 
bition purposes. The rich colouring assumed by the 
foliage of Etna is particularly marked at certain seasons 
of the year when well exposed tc sunlight, but even in 
the dead of winter the rich crimson and yellow is not 
entirely lost. A graceful variety for table woik is C. 
angustifolium, with its long narrow leaves and central 
yellow band. A very singular variety is Croton 
Thompsoni, with large leaves, resembling those of 
Ficus elastica ; and from their being marked in the 
centre and towards the base with large yellow, irregular¬ 
shaped blotches, the whole resembles a huge Caricature 
Plant. On the other hand, C. Youngii has large leaves, 
but they are blotched with yellow in the centre, 
changing to crimson as they get mature ; the leaves 
are from 12 ins. to 18 ins. in length. The brightly 
coloured and narrower leaves of C. Laingii, form a 
striking contrast to the above. 
Flowering plants are represented amongst others by 
Orchids, including Ccelogvne cristata, Cypripedium 
insigne, C. venustum, C. barbatum, and C. Spicerianum, 
all grown for the sake of cut flowers. Some large 
plants of Phaius grandifolius are now furnished with 
strong spikes 2 ft. to 3 ft. long. Viburnum tinus is 
grown indoors for the sake of its beautiful pure white 
flowers. Plants of moderate size of Gardenia are 
grown in considerable quantity, looking clean and 
healthy. The same may be said of Eucharis grandiflora, 
and one huge potful had borne no less than twenty- 
eight flower scapes. 
-- >K ~ 
THE YOUNG MEN. 
I have been an interested reader of the various letters 
on the above subject. “Father Christmas” is to be 
commended for opening the matter, and for giving the 
young men sound, wholesome advice. No impartial 
person can read his last letter without coming to the 
conclusion that he has the welfare of the young gar¬ 
deners at heart, and that he has administered his 
philippic in no carping spirit, but solely with the desire 
to lead them onward and upward. 
I heartily concur with “Father Christmas” in 
condemning card-playing. Though the means of 
supplying quiet, innocent amusement at times, it is too 
often the cause of betting and gambling, and, like 
drinking, the habit of gaming once acquired is not 
so easily eradicated. How many young men have had 
their lives blighted through the evil effects of card- 
playing and drinking, for the two too often go together ? 
If you are ambitious of rising in the social scale, shun 
these evils, for there is no saying where they may lead 
to. These habits have no redeeming qualities ; they 
do not tend to increase the moral or physical well¬ 
being ; they have been and still are the cause of much 
misery and shame. Young men, take “ Father 
Christmas’s” advice, and eschew the card pack and the 
public-house. 
Concerning the subject of educational improvement, I 
will take the liberty of offering a few remarks. Young 
men are usually backward in attempting to improve 
their minds, and in making the most of their natural 
intelligence. Youth is the time for physical, as well 
as for moral and intellectual development. It is 
imperative that gardeners should have health and 
strength, and a natural buoyancy of disposition to 
carry them through their hard day’s work. To acquire 
these plenty of outdoor recreation is indispensable. 
Still, there is abundance of time for study. During 
the long winter evenings, when time usually hangs 
heavy on one’s hand, the young men ought to devote 
part of their spare time to mental improvement. They 
should carefully read up books and papers bearing on 
their profession, and discuss gardening matters with 
one another, so as to impress the subjects more deeply 
on their minds, and get more varied ideas concerning 
them. 
Their general education could be manifestly improved 
by a systematic course of study. Reading, writing, 
arithmetic and grammar are the most important sub¬ 
jects. These are easily to be learned without the aid of 
teachers, and a few shillings will purchase the necessary 
books. Let certain nights be set aside for pursuing 
these lessons, and at the close of winter the progress 
made will be both pleasing and beneficial. Those who 
are fairly well versed in the above might go in for more 
advanced branches of learning. At the present 
moment there is an excellent institution, the National 
Home Reading Union. It has for its object the encour¬ 
agement of home studies. There is a branch for 
working men, and the subjects taught include history, 
biography, literature, and political science. A maga¬ 
zine is published every month in connection with the 
Union. Short papers on the various subjects are 
given, and the lessons to be learned for the month are 
sketched out. Should difficulties occur, a note forwarded 
to the editor of the magazine elicits an explanation in 
the next issue. 
Anyone joining the Union and conscientiously 
reading up the lessons and accepting the advice proffered, 
would find the money and time well spent. I joined 
last year, and for the expenditure of about 14s. have 
been supplied with a number of books, besides the 
monthly magazine. The books are small, but treat 
the different subjects in a clear, masterly style. To 
give the young men an idea of the matter, I subjoin a 
list of my books : History—Tudors and the Refor¬ 
mation, Rowley’s Rise of the People, Social History of 
England, and Edward III. and his Wars ; Biography— 
Nelson and Scott; Literature—Westward Ho, Sybil, 
Marmion, and Hamlet ; Science—Astronomy and 
Physical Geography ; Political Science—Mill on Liberty, 
and Political Economy. It will be seen that the 
knowledge culled from these books would be of an 
interesting kind. In conclusion, I would urge on all 
who wish to rise in their profession the necessity of 
improving their education. This is a progressive and 
learned age, and the ignorant man has but a poor 
chance in the race for a comfortable competency.— 
Loch Long, 
ORCHID NOTES AND GLEANINGS. 
LYCASTE SkINNERI ROTUNDIPETALA, nov . car . 
The varietal name here given suggested itself on 
account of the comparative shortness and roundness 
of the sepals and petals, but particularly of the two 
lateral sepals. The latter are short, very broad, oval- 
rotund, very markedly cuspidate, and blush coloured, 
with yellowish tips ; the upper one is smaller and more 
concave, but similar in colour. The petals are roundly 
oval, and pale rose coloured, with deep red edges, but 
are somewhat paler near the tip, and within the 
margin. The lateral lobes externally and internally as 
well as the crest of the lip are of a deep crimson, while 
the terminal lobe is white, with a large blood-red 
blotch running along the centre for two-thirds of its 
length ; the tube externally is of a deep purple. The 
column is moderate in size, and white, suffused with rose 
on the face. Although the width of the flowers is 
rather restricted, owing to the shortness and breadth 
of the sepals, yet all parts of the flower are of good 
substance, and the variety is strikingly distinct in 
appearance. The leaves are about 24 ft. in length, and 
the plant exhibits considerable vigour. It has been 
flowering for some time past in the collection at 
Devonhurst, Chiswick.— J. Fraser. 
Well-flowered Ccelogynes. 
There are few Orchids better known than Ccelogyne 
cristata and its varieties, and there are few that are 
much more useful for decorative purposes, either cut or 
upon the plant. When visiting Mr. J. Saunders, at 
Sutton House, Clifton, Bristol, I noted two specimens 
of Cmlogyne cristata, Chatsworth variety, in 15-in. 
pans, one of which was carrying sixty-six fine racemes, 
with six and seven individual flowers on each raceme ; 
the other carried fifty-three racemes, with the same 
proportion of individual flowers as the one previously 
mentioned. Mr. Newbery conducts all gardening 
operations in this establishment with conspicuous 
energy and ability.— J. McNab. 
Dendrobium Griffithianum Guibertii. 
Both the type and the variety of this Dendrobium are 
rare, and seldom seen in collections. There is a healthy 
piece in the nursery of Messrs. Charles worth, Shuttle- 
worth & Co., at Park Road, Clapham. The stems are 
stout, bluntly tetragonal, suddenly narrowed to a 
slender stalk at the base, and bearing from two to five 
leaves of a leathery character and dark green colour, 
clustered near the top. The flowers are borne in pen¬ 
dulous racemes from near the top, the sepals and petals 
bright yellow, while the lip is orange. The variety 
under notice differs from the type in being more 
robust and larger in all its parts, while the flowers 
are deeper in colour. It flowered for the first time in 
Europe about the year 1876, in the collection of M. 
Guibert, an amateur of Paris. 
Zygopetalum crinitum. 
The flowers of this old-fashioned subject are not to be 
despised, and besides being in themselves beautiful, a 
batch of imported plants shows considerable variation 
in colour. A considerable number of them may be seen 
at present in the nursery of Messrs. Charlesworth, 
Shuttleworth & Co., at Park Road, Clapham. The 
scapes are dwarf, and carry on an average about six 
flowers. The lip is white, with lines of short and 
stiffish deep blue hairs all along the principal veins. 
The chief variegation is to be seen in the sepals and 
petals, having the ground colour of a greenish yellow, 
spotted and blotched in a variety of ways with brownish 
purple. A particularly fine and dark one which we 
noted had the colouring confined to a few very large 
and well-defined blotches. The plant flowers in winter 
or early spring, and is easily grown. 
Cypripedium Lathamianum. 
This beautiful hybrid is now fast rising in popular 
favour. It originated from C. Spicerianum crossed 
with C. villosum, and partakes largely of the character 
of both parents. The upper sepal is white, with a 
dark claret-purple midrib, suffused with purple on each 
side of this, and greenish yellow at the base, showing 
the influence of the seed parent. The midrib of the 
petals is also dark purple, and they are otherwise 
yellow, suffused with brown on the upper longitudinal 
half, and more or less undulated on the upper edge. 
The lip resembles C. villosum in form, but is paler in 
hue. The leaves are similar to those of C. Spicerianum 
in form, but are of a bright green, and almost devoid 
of the blackish purple spots underneath. A batch of 
seedlings was raised by Mr. W. B. Latham, of the 
Birmingham Botanic Garden, and several of them 
