232 
THE GARDENING WORLD 
December 8, 1888. 
ISCELLANY, 
“Smoky Jennets.” 
In your last issue you refer to the sad end that befel 
poor "Willis, a gardener in this locality, and which 
brought the “Smoky Jennets” under notice. Whether 
this Pear is known in other parts of this county I 
cannot say, but it appears to be a variety that was 
somewhat extensively grown in the vicinity of Droit- 
wich in the days of yore, as I have heard of many 
instances of the old trees having been cut down ; and I 
suppose through the inferiority of the fruit, and the 
fact of there being so many better varieties to select 
from, young trees have never been planted to take their 
place. In all the orchards around here I have failed 
to find one which contains a “Smoky Jennet,” and 
what few I have seen are growing in or close to the 
town of Droitwich. These, about six in number, are 
mostly of great size and age, and the finest tree that I 
know of is to be seen in the pleasure grounds connected 
with St. Andrew’s Brine Baths. This tree seldom 
fails to produce a heavy crop of fruit, and when seen 
hanging on the trees in June and July, have a very 
tempting appearance. In shape, size and colour the 
fruits resemble those of Louise Bonne of Jersey more 
than any other Pear I know, but the fruit is very dis¬ 
appointing, being of a very dry and insipid nature— 
some say with a smoky flavour. That it is the earliest 
Pear to ripen that 1 know of is proved by being some¬ 
thing like a fortnight earlier than Doyenne d’Ete and 
Citron des Carmes as grown in these gardens ; and 
through coming in so early, together with its tempting 
appearance, it finds a ready sale in the Birmingham 
markets.— R. Parker, Impney, Droitwich. 
I think it not unlikely that this Worcestershire Pear 
is that known as the Amire Johannet, or Joannet, or 
Jeannette, or Early Harvest Pear, and is one of the 
earliest summer varieties, ripening in July; but it is 
supposed to derive its name, Amire Johannet, from 
being ready for use in some parts of France about 
St. John’s Day (the 24th of June). It is a Pear of 
very old date ; one commentator thinks it is the Pira 
Hordeacca of the Romans, as it ripens about the time 
of the Rye or Barley Harvest, and it is thought the 
English name of Early Harvest was given for this 
reason. Supposing this to be the sort grown in 
Worcestershire (and it must be, like the above, an 
early ripener), it would be interesting to know how it 
came to bear the local prefix of “Smoky.” It has 
several synonyms — English, French, Swedish, &c:, 
but I cannot find one that appears to suggest the 
adjective “Smoky.”— Pyrus. 
The Tree of Heaven. 
In reply to your American correspondent, Mr. C. L. 
Allen, I can say that this tree is quite hardy in the 
south of England, grows quickly, and hears cutting in 
or heading back remarkably well. Some years ago I 
had occasion to head a tree back, which was over 30 ft. 
high, with a corresponding spread of branches. We 
headed it down to about 15 ft. or 16 ft., cutting all the 
branches off flat, and leaving the lower ones in a hori¬ 
zontal position. Late in spring it broke splendidly, 
and made growths 3 ft. to 5 ft. in length, with splendid 
foliage. We find it throws up suckers a considerable 
distance from the stem. If the timber is so valuable, 
planters should turn their attention to it, for being a 
quick grower, it would mean quicker returns, and I do 
not think it is fastidious as to soil. Ours is growing in 
clay and flints resting on chalk. Perhaps some of your 
correspondents would mention any fine trees about the 
country, and say if it has ever been tried as a town 
subject for street planting. I should think it would 
be worthy of a trial on account of its grand foliage, and 
the ease with which it can be kept within bounds by 
judicious pruning.— Southdown. 
Primroses and Polyanthuses. 
Cultivation, cross-breeding, and hybridisation have 
had a great effect in altering the natural period of 
flowering of these beautiful spring subjects. Some 
large bunches have just been sent us by Mr. G. W. 
Dutton, Summerfield, 15, Curzon Park, Chester, with 
whom they are now flowering freely. He also says 
that he has never been without blooms all this year. 
Out of doors, at least, we should think they would 
flower most freely during the spring months, and again 
when there was a continuance of cool moist weather. 
During the past summer, however, these conditions 
were pretty prevalent, and in the neighbourhood of 
Chester moisture is always tolerably plentiful. The 
fact that such handsome and fragrant flowers can be 
grown out of doors all the year round, and had in per¬ 
fection in December, even in exceptional years, should 
stimulate amateurs to give increased attention to their 
cultivation. Mr. Dutton has at present about 1,000 
old plants—namely, those from which the flowers have 
been culled ; and having saved seed from the best 
plants, and sown it immediately, he has now from 
4,000 to 5,000 seedlings pricked out. 
Francoa ramosa. 
This is a fine subject for the dry nooks of a rock 
garden, where, planted in light loam, it forms a 
handsome plant. That it is perfectly hardy, I am 
convinced by its standing the last two winters unpro¬ 
tected in the rock garden here ; and beautiful indeed 
was the inflorescence last August. For pots it is a 
useful addition to cool greenhouse flowers, the long- 
branched racemes (spicate) of white blooms being very 
graceful. At Aldenham House, Elstree, Mr. Beckett has 
managed to get a batch of plants in flower now, and 
very useful they are at this season of the year. 
The plants are in moderate-sized pots, each one 
carrying a fine lot of pure white flowers. F. appen- 
diculata is a useful companion plant, with pale red 
flowers. This species has proved quite hardy here, and 
the plants are as healthy as possible, quite a batch of 
seedlings growing near to the parent plants. The 
flowering season of this species is quite two weeks earlier 
than F. ramosa. F. sonchifolia is another species 
closely resembling F. appendiculata, differing in having 
a very decurrent petiole (or leafstalk), and a less 
compact inflorescence with light pink flowers. Probably 
it is as hardy as the two former species, but on this 
point I am not certain.— -J. IV. O., Pinner. 
Begonia Octavie. 
Tour, correspondent, “Alpha,” I find, is quite correct 
in saying that I was mistaken in describing this variety 
as a novelty. The word itself was used under a mis¬ 
apprehension, owing to my not having previously seen 
or heard of the variety. The misapplication of the 
word, however, does not detract anything from its 
merits, or from its appearance as seen at the Aquarium, 
and which was my principal object in noting it in your 
columns. It may, perhaps, be as well to record the 
fact that M. Malet lost it before he died, and strange 
to say, everyone else lost it too, but the Messrs. 
Cannell, and had it not been for them it would have 
been entirely lost to cultivation. Much more will 
doubtless be heard and seen of this variety in the near 
future.— J. Horsefield, Heytesbury. 
- ~>X<~ - 
ORCHID NOTES AND GLEANINGS. 
Cymbidium elegans. 
A handsome specimen of this rare and beautiful species 
was flowering finely the other day in one of Mr. 
'William Bull’s Orchid houses, at Chelsea. It is a 
desirable kind for several reasons, seeing that it blooms 
during late autumn, and furthermore possesses a distinct 
habit from other species in cultivation, reminding one 
of Ccelogyne Gardneriana, inasmuch as the flowers are 
half closed, and produced in long pendulous spikes. 
In the case of the Ccelogyne, however, they are white, 
but in this instance of a pale yellow. The lip is 
spotted with red internally, but this produces little or 
no effect on the general appearance of the flowers. The 
species is a native of Nepal and other parts of India, 
and is figured in Lindley’s Select Orchids, t. 14. 
L/elia anceps Amesiana. 
At Messrs. Protheroe & Morris’s Rooms <5n the 30th ult. 
we saw a flower of a new variety of L. anceps, the 
history of which will be of great interest to purchasers 
of imported Orchids. It is a broad, and remarkably 
handsome flower, white suffused with rose, and the tips 
of the sepals and petals feathered with rich rosy purple, 
much in the same way as those of Cattleya Triante 
Backhousiana. The petals are nearly 1J ins. broad. 
The crest is yellow, and the lip brilliant purplish 
maroon; altogether a most lovely form, and quite 
distinct from any known variety. It is one of Mr. F. 
Sander’s importations, and was sold to Sir. E. Harvey, 
of Liverpool, in 1883, as an unflowered plant, for 
Two guineas. It subsequently passed with other of 
Sir. Harvey’s Orchids into the hands of the Liverpool 
Horticultural Co., and has now been re-purchased by 
Mr. Sander, the price being 200 guineas. It is believed 
by Sir. Sander to be a solitary ’specimen like L. anceps 
Dawsoni—of which it is said that only one piece has 
ever been imported—and has been named after an 
American amateur, who is a true lover of Orchids. 
Cattleya Bowringiana violacea- 
The more we become acquainted with this useful 
autumn and winter-flowering species, the more we 
begin to recognise its value. As it becomes established, 
larger flowers, or a greater number of them, are pro¬ 
duced on the plants, and the flowering season, generally 
speaking, may be said to extend from September to 
December. As fresh importations come into bloom, 
the flowers are found to vary considerably in colour. 
The variety above mentioned may be seen in Mr. 
William Bull’s nursery, King’s Road, Chelsea. The 
sepals and petals are rosy purple, while the lip is deep 
violet-purple with a prominent white throat. 
Cycnoches chlorochilum. 
Although a considerable number of the Swan Orchids 
have been introduced from time to time, they are not 
at present very extensively cultivated. The species 
under notice was originally introduced from Demerara 
in 1838 ; but more recently there have been im¬ 
portations which have again made it possible to dis¬ 
tribute the species throughout the country. Within 
the last few years it has flowered in several collections, 
and W'e noticed a fine specimen of it blooming ifi the 
nursery of Mr. William Bull, King’s Road, Chelsea. 
The flowers are of great size, with greenish yellow 
sepals and petals, and a white lip with a curious large 
dark green blotch on it. 
Oncidium cucullatum and Varieties. 
The varieties of this cool Orchid are exceedingly 
numerous, and many of them have received special 
names. They flower at various seasons of the year, 
but are particularly' plentiful during winter and spring, 
when they are most appreciated. The more typical 
forms of the species are characterised by the body 
colour of the flower being purple, and it is generally' 
most conspicuous on the lip. The variety O. e. 
maculatum has the lip of a fine purple, closely spotted 
all over with markings of a very deep or blackish 
purple. Of this type there are many varieties. A 
more extreme form named O. c. Phalsenopsis is some¬ 
times regarded as a distinct species. The ground 
colour is white or nearly so, and it sports into a great 
number of sub-varieties, displaying in different in¬ 
dividuals beautiful brown, purple, yellow, and white 
markings. A batch containing the above-named 
varieties has been flowering for some time past, and 
will continue to do so, in the nursery of Mr. W. Bull. 
Platyclinis uncata. 
The four or five species of this genus which one 
generally meets with in cultivation are better known 
amongst cultivators under the name of Dendrochilum. 
They are well worth cultivating in a collection of 
Orchids for the gracefulness of their slender drooping 
racemes of flowers, rather than for the beauty of the 
individual blooms, which are small. The sepals and 
petals in all of them are of a straw-yellow colour, while 
the lip is generally different, and of a deep yellow. R. 
filiformis is notable for the extreme slenderness of the 
peduncle, which is bent below that part bearing the 
flowers, causing the whole raceme to appear suspended. 
All parts of P. uncata are, however, proportionately 
larger, yet the racemes assume a gracefully drooping 
position, imparting to the plant considerable decorative 
value. It may be seen in the nursery of Mr. W. Bull. 
Aerides Lawrenci/E. 
In general appearance this fine species resembles a 
giant A. quinquevulnerum, both in habit and in the 
markings of the flower ; but otherwise the latter more 
nearly corresponds to A. odoratum. The expanse of 
the sepals and petals is, however, greater, and they are 
of a beautiful waxy white when in perfection, tipped 
with rich purple. The lobes of the lip are adpressed 
to the column, and also tipped with purple. A fine 
specimen has been flowering in the nursery of Mr. 
William Bull for some time, constituting a conspicuous 
object amongst a great variety of Orchids now blooming, 
notwithstanding the unfavourable season of the year, 
especially with regard to light. The raceme is drooping, 
and attaining considerable length, the flowers have a 
fine effect. 
The varieties of Odontoglossum Insleayi. 
The type, together with two or more varieties of this 
beautiful winter-flowering species, may now be seen in 
Mr. William Bull’s nursery. In habit it bears 
some resemblance to Odontoglossum grande, which 
is also flowering at present, as well as some of its 
vaiieties ; but the pseudo-bulbs are louger, more 
compressed and ribbed. The flowers are, however, more 
easily distinguishable at any time, and the rich 
chocolate and yellow markings will always render this 
a valuable species for winter flowering. O. I. leo- 
pardinum, as the varietal name signifies, refers to the 
numerous blotches or markings of the sepals, petals 
and lip. The latter organ is bright yellow with various 
sized reddish crimson blotches forming a border within 
the margin. The sepals and petals are richly barred 
with the same rich colour on a yellow ground. The 
variety O. I. splendens differs in having the sepals and 
petals almost wholly of a rich shining brown, while 
the lip is blotched with purple. 
