March 7, 1891. 
THE GARDENING WORLD 
425 
to the inside of the pot; and in order to secure them 
as much as possible from injury, it is best to break the 
pot, carefully chipping it to pieces with a hammer, and 
it is much better to err on the side of under rather than 
over-potting. When a plant is over-potted, it may get 
into a state of bad health, and never quite recover 
again. Newly imported plants should be put into as 
small pots or baskets as the roots can readily be 
crammed. I have potted hundreds of Orchids, newly 
imported, but never erred in under potting them ; and 
years of experience have taught me not to err on the 
other side. 
Collecting and Importing Orchids. 
I have said this much about the treatment of Orchids, 
and may now briefly comment on their production. 
Our Orchid houses are furnished in two ways : by im¬ 
portations through collectors from their native country, 
and by cross-breeding in England. Most gardeners 
and amateurs are well aware of the immense number of 
Orchids annually imported ; few are aware of the 
difficulties and dangers the collectors have to go 
through before they can obtain the coveted plants. I 
remember in my boyhood days, the Newhaven fish¬ 
wives perambulating the streets of Edinburgh in their 
picturesque costumes, and their plaintive cry of “ Buy 
fish, ladies and gentlemen, it’s na fish ye’re buying, it’s 
honest men’s lives ! ” This applies much more truly to 
Orchid collectors ; the importers may truly say when 
offering their precious consignments, “ It’s not Orchids 
you are buying, it’s honest men’s lives. ” 
The number of countries traversed by collectors is 
very great. At an Orchid conference held in London 
in 1885, the president of the conference stated that the 
number of countries covered by the collectors of one 
firm comprised the Argentine Republic, Borneo, Brazil, 
The Guianas, Ceylon, Costa Rica, Ecuador, Guatemala, 
British Honduras, British India, Upper Burmah, Java, 
Jamaica, Labuan, Madagascar, Mexico, Nicaragua, 
Panama, Penang, Malay Peninsula, Singapore, The 
Philippines, Trinidad, San Salvador, the United States 
of Colombia, and Venezuela. Besides the dangers 
from savage animals, and men more savage, the mere 
hunting for a particular Orchid is often work of the 
most laborious kind, and one might give an interesting 
lecture on this subject only, but one or two instances 
will suffice. 
Cattleya Lawrenceana was introduced in this way. 
Mr. Fred. Sander, of St. Albans, found in the British 
Museum a drawing of a distinct-looking Orchid, made 
by the celebrated traveller, Sir Robert Schomburgk, in 
British Guiana. Sir Robert also described an Orchid 
he found there, near the Roraima Mountains, as 
Cattleya Mossise. Mr. Sander knew it was not likely 
to be that plant, and instructed one of his travellers, 
Seidl, to go and look for it. Seidl went at once, and after 
a most laborious and dangerous journey he reached the 
place, but after hunting about for six months returned 
to England without the plant he went to seek. 
Nothing daunted, he went out a second time and was 
successful, bringing home to England a quantity of the 
plants. 
The beautiful Cypripedium Spicerianum has also a 
history. It was sent in the first place from Assam to 
Mr. Herbert Spicer, of The Woodlands, near Godaiming, 
who flowered it for the first time in England in 1878. 
The few plants were highly valued ; fifty guineas 
were readily given for small plants ; but the collectors 
were soon on its track, and a good consignment was 
sent to Messrs. Sander by Eorstermann, who found it 
after wading to the waist in muddy swamps for nearly 
two weeks. Many of the collectors are men reckless of 
their lives. It is related, but I could not find the 
reference to it, that one collector in Madagascar was so 
rash as to shoot at an idol, and paid for his temerity 
with his life. He was caught, saturated with some 
kind of oil, and burned alive. 
Cross-breeding and Hybridisation of Orchids. 
Cross-breeding is now carried on in many public and 
private establishments with the most satisfactory 
results. I believe the first to hybridise Orchids in 
England was that good man and excellent gardener, 
the Hon. and Rev. Wm. Herbert, Dean of Manchester. 
In an article communicated by him to the Royal 
Horticultural Society in October, 1846, he states that 
he produced plants from seeds of Bletia, Cattleya, 
Herminium, and Ophrys. Dean Herbert did not live 
long enough to see the full fruition of his labours in 
this direction, and this, as well as much more valuable 
work in hybridisation, was lost to science. 
Seven years later, in 1853, the work of hybridisation 
was begun by the late Mr. John Dominy in Messrs. 
Veitch’s Exeter nursery, at the suggestion of Mr. John 
Harris, a surgeon of that place. [Here, again, I must 
not venture into elaborate details, except to say that 
Orchids are as easily hybridised as any other plants. 
It is easy enough to obtain seed pods, with plenty of 
the seeds resembling dust in the sunbeams, but in 
some cases not one seed in ten thousand will be fertile. 
This'was soon found out; but patience and perseverance 
are the natural attributes of Englishmen, and the 
raisers of seedling Orchids require in them these 
attributes in an uncommon degree. The first seedling 
Orchid to flower in England was Calanthe Dominii, 
a beautiful thing that is now very uncommon ; and if 
any gardener present would like to repeat Mr. 
Dominy’s feat, he must cross Calanthe masuca with 
C. furcata. It is worthy of remark that when the late 
Mr. James Veitch showed this plant to Dr. Lindley, in 
October, 1856, he exclaimed in despair, “You will 
drive the botanists mad.” 
The first Cattleya to flower was C. hybrida, now lost 
to cultivation. The first Cypripedium was C. Harrisi- 
anum, even now a well-known plant, and the parent 
of many fine varieties ; it was named in honour of 
the Mr. Harris aforesaid. Some groups and genera of 
Orchids are much more easily hybridised than others ; 
the most easily managed are Calanthes, Dendrobiums, 
Cypripediums. Phaius, Cattleyas, Lrelias, &c. Bi¬ 
generic hybrids have also been raised, that is, the 
hybridisation of one distinct genus with another. Mr. 
Seden in Messrs. Veitch’s nursery at Chelsea has been 
most successful in this direction. Cattleya has been 
crossed with Sophronitis grandiflora, and has produced 
flowers constituting an entirely new genus, Sophro- 
cattleya. 
The genus most difficult to cross in England is 
Odontoglossum ; it is easy enough to obtain seed pods, 
but the seeds have either not proved to be fertile or 
they have not had the right cultural conditions to 
induce germination. The only ease I know of plants 
being raised in this country was that of Mr. Norman 
Cookson, of 'W'ylam-on - Tyne, who raised a few 
plants, but they all perished in a small state. A 
cultivator in France has not only raised but flowered 
seedling Odontoglossums. He crossed 0. crispum with 
the pollen of 0. hystrix or 0. luteo-purpureum, and 
produced 0. Wilckeanum. I need not say more, for 
our subject has been commenced, but once fairly started 
one scarcely knows when or where to stop. I believe I 
have said enough to start a discussion on this most 
interesting subject ; and if my paper may prove to be 
interesting or instructive to the humblest cultivator or 
admirer of Orchids, I shall feel amply rewarded for the 
little 'trouble it took to prepare it, and the pleasant 
journey to Reading to read it. 
-- 
ORNAMENTAL HEDGES. 
There are few more pleasing features in pastures or 
pleasure grounds than ornamental hedges, when seen 
in vigorous growth and trimly kept; and taking into 
consideration the attractions belonging to them, when 
most other charms of outside gardening have 
disappeared, they are well worthy of any extra 
attention to cultivation and high keeping that may be 
bestowed upon them. Of Holly, Yew, and Boxwood 
hedges there are a few notable examples which occur to 
me as I write. The most prominent of the former I 
was wont to admire in bygone years at Colinton 
House, Midlothian, and at Monerieff House, Bridge 
of Earn, Perthshire. 
As it is seldom that a Boxwood hedge of very 
remarkable proportions is to be seen, I send you a note 
of the dimensions and particulars as to the soil, &c., 
connected with one which forms the boundary line of 
two outside sections of the gardens here. This hedge, 
which is said to have been planted about sixty years 
ago, is divided into two sections, each 700 ft. in extent. 
Each of these sections run parallel with, and at a 
distance of some 30 ft. from the southern garden wall 
for 350 ft. Then at right angles they stretch south¬ 
wards for a like distance, divided by a walk and 
herbaceous border on either side of the same. The 
upper part of the hedge is trimmed in ridge form, the 
measurement of the various parts being as follows : 
Height from ground line to lower part of the ridge, 5 ft. ; 
lower part of ridge to apex, ft. ; average through 
measurement, 9 ft. 
The soil in which this hedge is growing may be 
described as a brownish loam of medium texture, 
which on recent examination I found to be fully 2 ft. 
in depth. Ample and careful drainage was provided 
throughout a considerable radius of the site of the 
hedge. I should be glad to hear of any more remark¬ 
able example of a Boxwood hedge. — D. Mackie, Mont¬ 
gomerie Gardens, Tarbottom, Ayrshire. 
iltjatuttijs tjrtmt lip U(ar(b 
ulj jStirutf. 
Vegetable Symbiosis.—Mr. A. W. Bennett, in 
Nature, has called attention to cases of symbiosis 
between fungi and the roots of flowering plants. It is 
only about eight years since the doctrine of symbiosis 
was propounded, and then it was concerning the 
animal kingdom, or, at any rate, the animal and 
vegetable kingdoms together. It seemed a novel idea 
that certain animals actually had lowly-organised forms 
cf vegetation living within their tissues, so that 
reciprocal benefits ensued. Also that lowly-organised 
animals associated with more highly-organised ones 
for mutual benefits. Such co-operation was fitly teimed 
symbiosis — “living together.” Mr. Bennett now 
considers the fact to be sufficiently established that a 
considerable number of our forest trees do not draw their 
nourishment directly from the soil, but through the 
medium of an investing layer of fungus-mycelium. 
Dr. Frank has proved this by discovering that the 
roots of Oaks, besides Chestnuts, Hazels, &c., are 
covered with a fungous growth, now called Mycorhiza. 
Through it alone such trees get their nourishment from 
the [soil. Dr. Frank thinks that the well-known 
partiality of the natural order Cupulifera for soils rich 
in humus is now explained. The fungous growth first 
makes its appearance at the lateral rootlets of young 
seedlings, and is constantly replaced by fresh formation 
on older roots .—Science Gossip. 
The Otaheite Gooseberry.—Such is the name 
given to Cicca disticha, a member of the Euphorbia 
family, and a native of India. It has, however, been 
introduced to many other tropical countries where it 
will flourish. The fruits are green, and resemble those 
of the Gooseberry in size. The natives of India eat 
them raw, or cook them in various ways. Europeans 
makes pickles and preserves of them. In the markets 
of Java they are sold at the rate of 3 d. per gallon. The 
tree has also found its way to Dominica, in the 'West 
Indies, where it is now quite common. There the 
fruits are produced in great abundance, and are chiefly 
used for making jams and other preserves. There it is 
spoken of under the name of Gooseberry, which of 
course is very misleading to Europeans, as it has no 
relationship with our Gooseberry. 
The Tree Tomato.—Various attempts have been 
made from time to time to popularise this Solanaceous 
plant in this country. It can certainly be grown and 
fruited easily enough in a warm greenhouse temperature, 
and is certainly not only interesting, but ornamental. 
The fruit may also be put to various culinary purposes 
with advantage, but it is highly questionable if the 
same quantity could be grown as cheaply as the common 
Tomato. Whether it could be cultivated fit for dessert 
purposes is very questionable. It might, however, be 
preserved in the same way as it is treated in Jamaica, 
where it is stated to resemble the colour and flavour of 
the European Apricot. There it fruits all the year 
round, but only at an elevation of 3,000 ft., where the 
mean temperature of the year is 63°. It may therefore 
be considered as a warm temperate plant. 
Weather and Crops.—Heat and moisture are 
two well-known factors in the production of an 
abundant crop, either in the garden or field. In 
ordinary culture, however, this is almost invariably 
overlooked. Further, it is an established fact that the 
weather has more direct influence upon the growth of 
plants than all the manure that can be applied, whether 
natural or artificial. Take an acre of ground, for 
instance, and mark it off into any convenient number 
of plots all of equal size, and manure each piece with 
the same quantity but of different kinds of manure, 
with the exception of one plot, which should be left 
unmanured. A naturally moist but well - drained 
portion of ground should be selected for the latter ; 
and if the season happens to be a dry one the facts will 
be the more forcibly brought out. Now all the plots 
should be sown or planted with one kind or variety of 
plant, so as to make the trial a fair one. Other 
conditions being equal, the crop taken from 'the 
naturally moist but unmanured plot will be the 
heaviest. Paradoxical as this may appear, it is 
explainable, that although the manured plots were 
known to be most fertile, yet the plants were unable 
to avail themselves of this fertility through the lack 
of moisture to render soluble and convey the nourish¬ 
ment by way of the roots to the seat of growth. 
