248 
THE GARDENING WORLD. 
December 15, 1888. 
and coke, I am, nevertheless, still disposed to believe 
that this sort of accident is more apt to occur with 
Anthracite, and the cause of this I attribute to the 
caking nature of the coal, for when it is well burned 
through it cakes and lies much closer on the fire-bars 
than either ordinary coal or coke. Perhaps there are 
different qualities of Anthracite, and one sort that is 
more given to caking than another. However, be that 
as it may, Anthracite is certainly excellent fuel, and 
cannot be too highly recommended for horticultural 
purposes. I am not sure if it can he recommended for 
household purposes, because on one occasion when a 
small quantity was taken to the kitchen I received 
strict orders from the cook not to send any more there, 
because it had almost spoilt all that she had in hand 
for dinner that day. I was informed that the fire-bars 
to which I referred when I wrote last had stood three 
or four years firing with ordinary coal or coke, and 
that shortly after Anthracite was used they were 
melted out. Certainly, insufficient boiler power and 
piping has much to do with the heating of houses, and 
when the water boils in the boiler, and the pipes are as 
hot as can be made, while the temperature keeps low, a 
catastrophe is inevitable sooner or later. On calling a 
friend’s attention to the paragraph on p. 224, he 
informed me that when he was under gardener in a 
situation in the neighbourhood of Wimbledon, he had 
the management of the fires there, and found it 
absolutely necessary to go to one furnace every half- 
hour, it being impossible to maintain the requisite 
temperature, simply because of insufficient piping, 
and for many nights in succession he had to stay up 
till two o’clock in the morning. Then the head 
gardener would get up at four o’clock and go on 
stoking !— J. Peebles. 
Lilium candidum. 
I saw a batch of this Lily coming into flower early in 
November in the nursery of Mr. Eccles, Belmont, 
Southport, and as I have no recollection of having seen 
such a sight at that time of year, it may be worthy of 
record in your columns. The flowers are always sale¬ 
able, and Mr. Eccles grows large quantities to supply 
his depot in Southport Market. Practically speaking, 
Mr. Eccles has had flowers of this beautiful Lily for the 
last twelve months by growing successional batches, 
and those that I saw have not come now as a mere 
accident, but are the results of a well-planned scheme. 
— P. [We beg leave to doubt the well-planned scheme, 
in so far that we question if Mr. Eccles can again 
repeat the scheme, whatever it may be, with success. 
French-grown bulbs of Lilium candidum have played 
other growers the same trick, that is to say, from some 
cause or other—a check at some time, or too hard 
forcing—the imported bulbs have first thrown small and 
poor flowers, and immediately developing fresh crowns, 
have come into flower again, more strongly than before, 
and of course out of season. Such early flowers are the 
result of accident, and cannot, we believe, be produced 
at will.— Ed.] 
Davallia Assamica. 
The species of Davallia are fairly numerously repre¬ 
sented in this country ; but the species under notice, 
which comes from Assam, does not appear to have been 
introduced to this country previous to its appearance 
in the nursery of Messrs. Hugh Low & Co., Clapton. 
The fronds are very different in general aspect from 
those of other species in cultivation, and being lance¬ 
shaped bear considerable resemblance to those of a 
Nephrodium. They are bipinnate and toothed, dark 
green, opaque, with a purplish red flexuous midrib, and 
grow from 12 ins. to 15 ins. in length, assuming a 
gracefully arching or drooping habit. They are also 
equally pretty on the under surface owing to the 
presence of numerous bright orange spores, which the 
plant has only become strong enough to produce quite 
recently. At present it is grown in a pan ; but from 
its habit it would no doubt form a very appropriate 
subject for basket work. 
Laportea moroides. 
The Laporteas or Nettle Trees number some twenty- 
five species, few of which have, however, been in¬ 
troduced to this country—a matter that is not greatly 
to be regretted, seeing the difficulty that there is in 
handling them without exercising the greatest care in 
order to avoid being stung. They belong to the Nettle 
family, and although the members belonging to it that 
sting are comparatively few, yet many of the Laporteas 
are very virulent in their action, the irritating effects 
continuing for many days. Some of the species have, 
however, large and ornamental leaves suitable for stove 
decoration, and on that account merit cultivation. 
The species under notice is known as the Poison Tree 
of Queensland, and has obliquely heart-shaped and 
peltate leaves of no particular beauty certainly, and 
any ornamental value to be attached to this plant 
depends upon the fruit, which is borne in long pendu¬ 
lous panicles, consisting of clusters resembling in no 
small degree Raspberries. They are of a rosy flesh 
colour, and the specific name is derived from the fact 
that they have been likened or compared to a Mulberry. 
The fruit really consists of clusters of flowers, the 
perianth of which has become fleshy. A fruiting 
specimen may be seen in the stove at Kew. 
Garrya elliptica. 
Specimens of this plant in flower, sent us by Mr. 
James McDonald, Yiew Yale Gardens, Bannockburn, 
again remind us of the beauty of this hardy ever¬ 
green shrub, which might be more extensively planted 
than it is, notwithstanding its being more generally 
cultivated than any of its congeners hitherto introduced. 
About a half only of the known species, together with 
a hybrid, is in cultivation in this country, and although 
some of them may be tender, G. elliptica may be grown 
with perfect freedom in the open air as far north as the 
Moray Firth. The flowers being small, and greenish 
white or yellow, are by no means conspicuous indi¬ 
vidually, but the long, drooping, catkin-like and 
compound spikes of the male flowers are very attractive, 
suspended as they are from the tips of the branches 
and from amongst the cheerful-looking evergreen 
leaves. The specimens were gathered from a hedge 
running east and west. The species of Garrya were 
formerly placed in an order by themselves, but the 
Garryaceae now form a tribe of the Dogwood family 
(Cornaceae). The chief distinction lies in the male and 
female flowers being on separate plants. 
Begonia, John Heal. 
This is certainly an acquisition, and in all probability 
it is destined in a short space of time to become very 
widely known. In going through Messrs. J. Yeitch & 
Sons’ Nursery, at Chelsea, a short time back, I had the 
pleasure of meeting with it for the first time, and shall 
not easily forget such a massive and charming sight as 
was presented by a large batch of plants then in flower. 
The latter are of a beautiful bright rose-carmine in 
colour, and are produced in loose racemes on drooping 
scapes well above the foliage, being individually from 
1& to 2 ins. across, and are said to be very persistent, 
in itself a valuable property. For decorative purposes 
at this time of the year, I do not doubt that it will 
become highly popular when better known, and as an 
indication of its value for this kind of work, one may 
mention the fact that it is free flowering, and of easy 
culture and propagation. The whole of the plants in 
flower at the time of my visit were rooted from cuttings 
so recently as July and August. Unquestionably such 
bushy plants, a foot or more high, loaded with flowers, 
and furnished to the rims of the pots with dark healthy 
green foliage, would lead one to suppose that obscurity 
is impossible and that it will ere long become a 
great favourite with market"growers. Thejvariety is a 
cross between B. Socotrana and a seedling of the 
tuberous section, the hybridiser and raiser being the 
estimable man whose name it bears.— J. Eorsefield, 
Heytesbury. 
Insufficient Boiler Power. 
Allow me to endorse the remarks of your corre¬ 
spondent, “W. B. G.,” at p. 224, especially as to the 
boon that would be conferred on the gardening 
fraternity by the rather summary demolition of inefficient 
heating apparatus, puny boilers and too little piping. 
I am afraid that in heating horticultural buildings the 
old adage about “spoiling the ship fora ha’porth of 
tar ” too frequently holds good ; expense is with many 
a serious item, though in such cases first economy is 
dearest in the .end. A puny boiler and insufficient 
piping are about as bad as anything a gardener has to 
contend with, and that I have proved, having had to 
stoke into the small hours of the morning during severe 
weather, and then got up half afraid that Jack Frost 
had gained admittance. Hard driving means ruin to 
the boiler, waste of fuel in half the heat going up the 
chimney, and the production of red-spider. Stoking 
is a subject on which much has been said and written, 
and it is work that is mostly performed in a slovenly 
manner. That “ a clean stoker makes a good forcer,” 
is a very true saying, but too many young gardeners 
consider being “on duty” a bore; they have other 
attractions, and very frequently perform their “banking 
up ” without a light, or even taking the trouble to go 
into the structures under their charge, to ascertain the 
heat in the pipes or the state of the temperature. 
Stokeholes should always be drained, particularly those 
well-holes which are necessary for some boilers, as 
water is always a nuisance when it finds its way through 
the brickwork into such places, which it is sure to do 
in such districts where the soil is so heavy that the 
water cannot freely percolate away. Drains should be 
put in when the boiler is set, and should form an item 
in the contract, as it is often difficult to get it done 
afterwards. Having had to do with not a few forms 
of boilers, had 1 the preference, I should certainly 
imitate the market men, by going in for the make 
most popular with them.— Pathfinder. 
-o-X-o- 
ORCHID NOTES AND GLEANINGS. 
Cypripedium venustum by Night. 
As a rule, little value is attached to this old-fashioned 
plant, owing to the dark and dull colour of its foliage, 
and also to its dusky and green-veined flowers. By 
daylight the petals appear tipped with a rather dull 
purple, but by artificial light they appear of a brilliant 
crimson for about one-third of their length. On this 
account the plant may prove valuable for decorative 
work at night, and if so it would be rescued from the 
oblivion into which it is falling. C. insigne is now 
being grown in large quantities for cut flowers, and as 
C. venustum is equally hardy and easily grown, it 
would form a suitable companion, as it has before in 
many a greenhouse or vinery throughout the country. 
The yellow glandular organs on the claw of this species 
are very curious, and the interior of the pouch is covered 
with a dense coat of hairs, that. are nearly always 
tipped with a gland or globular mass of clear fluid. 
These hairs obviously perform some important physio¬ 
logical function in the economy of the plant. The 
species is now flowering at Devonhurst, Chiswick, where 
Mr. Wright noticed the effect of candle light on the 
petals. 
CCELOGYNE GARDNERIANA. 
This is by no means a plentiful species in this country, 
although originally introduced in 1837 from Kashia. 
A striking peculiarity of the plant is the long bottle or 
flask-shaped pseudo-bulbs, which are different from 
most if not all other species in cultivation. We noticed 
about half a dozen plants of it in the nursery of Messrs. 
Hugh Low & Co., Clapton, and which were in full 
bloom. It is naturally a winter-flowering species, and 
very suitable for suspending on a piece of tree Fern 
stem, where the drooping raceme of flowers will be seen 
to best advantage, and where it will have free play for 
extension without coming in contact with the staging 
or other objects surrounding it. The flowers are com¬ 
paratively large and drooping, but nearly closed, and 
pure white with the exception of the crest which is 
lemon-yellow. Cymbidium elegans is another plant 
with a very similar but longer inflorescence. 
Cypripedium Haynaldianum. 
There is a considerable resemblance between this 
species and C. Lowii, but a little close observation will 
serve to show that they are abundantly distinct. The 
most noticeable feature is, perhaps, the upper sepal, 
which is larger than that of C. Lowii and far more 
brightly coloured, being suffused with white and purple 
with a green base. The petals are greenish yellow, 
plentifully marked with large purple blotches, and 
having a rosy purple upper end where they are slightly 
twisted. C. Lowii, on the other hand, has a greater 
profusion of smaller purple spots, and can readily be 
distinguished by these markings, while the petals are 
rather narrower. Both species are extremely handsome 
and choice in their way and should never be absent 
from a collection of Orchids. One or other or both are 
nearly always in flower, and we noticed both the other 
day in the nursery of Messrs. Hugh Low & Co., Clapton, 
where they are grown in great numbers. 
Cypripedium Sanderianum. 
In this we have indeed a rival to the long-tailed 
Selenipedium caudatum, and when the plants get 
thoroughly established in this country, we may reason¬ 
ably expect that the petals will be equally long. 
Even during the present unfavourable time we measured 
the petals of C. Sanderianum 19J ins. in length, in the 
nursery of Messrs. Hugh Low & Co., Clapton. Petals 
have already, however, been measured 25 ins. to 27 ins. 
long on other plants some time ago, while 30 ins. is 
generally considered about the maximum in Selenipedium 
caudatum. The nearest ally of C. Sanderianum in 
