672 
THE GARDENING WORLD 
June 22, 1889. 
Very naturally in the conversation concern¬ 
ing Orchids the recent publication of the 
terms of Professor Reichenbach’s will was 
referred to, and as it seems the desire in cer¬ 
tain quarters that the old German professor’s 
mantle should fall on to the shoulders of 
some of the Kew employes, it was equally to he 
expected that a plea in favour of their being 
regarded as the chief Orchid authority on 
classification and nomenclature was urged. We 
should entertain less objection to that course 
if it were not probable that all the informa¬ 
tion accumulated at Kew at the expense of the 
State would be marketed to the highest bidder, 
and reserved, as it were, for one particular gar¬ 
dening paper, rather than published in the Keio 
Bulletin for the benefit of horticulturists 
nationally. 
It is about time that the Kew employes 
learnt that they are servants of the nation at 
large, and not of a select circle. We do not 
know of any other Government department in 
which information obtained in the service of 
the Crown is openly sold to private persons, 
and it should not be allowed at Kew. There 
is much force, however, in the appeal for 
specimens, whether living or dried, of all 
properly named and classified Orchids where¬ 
with to enrich the collection at the Kew 
Herbarium, and we hope it will be generously 
responded to by Orchid growers. 
(IVrchid Extermination in their Native 
^ Habitats. —Just one more note on this 
very interesting Orchid gathering. We have 
in the past taken occasion to utter a word of 
warning as to the ultimate probability of the 
energy of collectors and agents resulting in the 
absolute clearing out of the stock of Orchids 
found in some favoured countries, such is the 
vigour of this particular trade. To that 
expostulation was, on the lltli inst., added the 
weight of a remonstrance of a similar character 
from Mr. Morris, the assistant director of Kew, 
who spoke on this matter with considerable 
force. Such a remonstrance should have 
great weight in the proper quarter; and the 
fact that it is made from Kew shows but too 
well that there are good grounds for its being 
made. 
It is difficult to see how any other result 
than a complete clearing out of the Orchid 
divisions of many of the most fertile countries 
can be anticipated, unless the Government of 
these countries speedily determine to place 
them under some sort of Wild Plant Preserva¬ 
tion Act. Such is the cupidity of collectors 
that they not infrequently allow thousands of 
valuable plants to die in their efforts to secure 
too large a consignment, and by so doing they 
are practically killing the goose which so far 
has laid for them golden eggs. The attention 
of the Colonial Governments concerned cannot 
be too soon called to this interesting matter, so 
that native Orchids may be saved to naturally 
continue to increase, ere it is too late. 
Mr. Morris expressed a hope that in time it 
might be found possible, through home-raised 
seedlings, and through those interesting efforts 
of hybridisation for which Messrs. J. Veitch & 
Son’s establishment is so famous, that needful 
stocks may be maintained. That is, we fear, 
a hope of not easy realisation. Still it would 
be a tremendous misfortune were our present 
Orchid fields to become exhausted. 
-- 
The Crystal Palace Rose Show.—His Majesty the 
Shah of Persia and their Royal Highnesses the Prince 
and Princess of Wales 'will visit the annual Rose show 
at the Crystal Palace on the 6th July. The entry list 
closes on the 2nd July. 
The Railway Rates Question.—In a circular letter 
which has been issued by the Board of Trade, it is 
intimated that the Board find that the objections 
which have been lodged divide themselves into two 
principal classes :—First, objections on principle, such 
as to the allowance of station and service terminals, to 
the short distance charges, and to maximum rates by 
passenger trains, Sepondly, objections on matters of 
detail mainly arising on the classification, and in 
general relating to the separate interests of each 
objector. The Board considers, as regards the second 
class, that time might be saved if discussions could take 
place between the objectors and representatives of the 
Railway Companies, and has invited the former to 
communicate with the , companies with a view to 
arranging, as far as possible, the differences arising 
upon the classification. 
The Caterpillar Pest.—It is many years since the 
blight was so bad in Cheshire as at the present time. 
The leaves of thousands of trees are literally riddled by 
caterpillars. The blight has got into the Damson trees, 
and the crop will be a complete failure in most parts, 
entailing very heavy losses on fruit-growers. 
Seliizantlius pinnatus.—Visitors to the late Whit¬ 
suntide exhibition at Old Trafford, who went through 
the society’s plant houses, could not fail to have been 
struck by the grand decorative character of the numer¬ 
ous specimens of this marvellously free-flowering and 
most beautiful annual, which Mr. Findlay had on view, 
and which, indeed, were more attractive to us than any 
feature of the exhibition. It is a great favourite with 
Mr. Findlay, who has done it well for some years, but 
never better than the present season. Its cultural 
requirements are very simple, and it is much to be 
regretted that more of those who have large conserva¬ 
tories to decorate do not grow it more extensively. At 
Old Trafford the seeds are sown in September, the 
young plants potted into 60’s, and wintered on a light 
shelf in a house from which frost is just excluded, 
until January, when they are potted on—some five 
plants in 12-in. pots in strong sandy loam—and kept 
growing on in a greenhouse temperature near the glass. 
Glorious Weather in Ireland.—Mr. W. J. Murphy, 
writing from Clonmel on the 18th inst., says :—“The 
weather, which affects so much the gardener’s craft, has 
been almost continuously all that could be desired in 
this, by nature, singularly-favoured island. True, 
about three weeks since we had a rather fierce gale, and 
in a few exposed gardens I noticed the always dis¬ 
tressing spectacle of Apples, Pears, and especially 
Cherries, with the fruit in the preliminary swelling 
stages, but almost without a single healthy leaf. The 
foliage was either swept clean off, or so bruised by the 
action of the boughs as to be now crisped and turned 
up by the hot sunshine. Otherwise the prospect this 
season has been a happy alternation of sunshine and 
showers. Roses are healthy, and singularly free from 
maggot and aphis—always the result of warmth and 
vigorous growth. Chrysanthemums I cannot remember 
to have seen more promising, and the rich emerald- 
green of the smiling fields, verdant lanes, retired and 
almost silent—our population, painful to say, is every 
year decreasing—lanes, lakes, and rivers, are attracting 
the tourist in search of what Goldsmith calls blest 
retirement, free from excitement. 
Abandonment of the Sugar Conventions Bill.— 
Mr. W. H. Smith stated in the House of Commons, on 
Monday, that looking to the state of public business, 
and having regard to the desire of the House generally 
that the session should not be unduly prolonged, and 
having also regard to the fact that for all practical 
purposes the Bill would be as operative next year as if 
it were passed in the present year, the Government did 
not think it necessary to press for the consideration of 
the measure this year. 
Floral Decorations. — The arrangements for the 
wedding breakfast of the Duke and Duchess of Port¬ 
land were on a grand scale. A spacious tent, 110 ft. 
by 40 ft., was erected over the garden at 17, Grosvenor 
Crescent, and most artistically decorated and draped, 
the roof being cunningly arranged in five sections. In 
the centre of each section was fixed a large umbrella, 
which formed a striking object, and was utilised to 
hide the ventilators placed above them, to allow the 
heated air to escape. Suspended from each of the 
umbrella handles was a gigantic bell, covered inside 
and out with beautiful white flowers, the clapper also 
being covered in a similar way. These floral bells are 
believed to be the largest ever hung on any similar 
occasion, and formed the feature of the whole decora¬ 
tion. On the west side of the tent the walls were 
covered at intervals with large mirrors, draped with 
green ; this drapery over the general prevailing colour 
—terra-cotta red—was extremely effective and in good 
taste. The opposite, or east side of the tent, was 
treated somewhat differently. Opposite each mirror 
on the west side an open window was fixed in the wall 
of the tent, through which the large green trees grow¬ 
ing in an adjacent garden were seen. A little below the 
window-sill was deftly plaped fi bpx of beautiful white 
flowers, interspersed with Maidenhair and other Ferns ; 
whilst the spaces between the mirrors were lined with 
stately palms, bamboos, &c. Each end of the tent was 
treated in a similar fashion, and all round—depending 
above the centre of each mirror—was a basket of white 
flowers and Ferns, the whole charming effect being 
repeated over and over by the mirrors, shedding rays 
of beauty at every turn we took. The floral decora¬ 
tions displayed great taste and refinement on the part 
of Messrs. Wills and Segar. 
-►>$<-- 
NEW BEDDING VIOLAS FROM 
SOLIHULL. 
It is not a little remarkable that our florists for years 
past have been labouring to the utmost of their ability 
to obtain in the show and fancy Pansy a perfectly solid 
blotch in the centre, without any rays breaking out 
from it, and towards this they have done very much 
indeed. Those who are engaged in raising new va¬ 
rieties of bedding Violas proceed in the very opposite 
direction, and they have been endeavouring for years 
to obtain flowers, not only without blotches, but 
without any lines whatever round the eye. What they 
assert is, that flowers to be effective for bedding pur¬ 
poses in the highest degree, should be strictly self- 
coloured, and so a white, a blue, or a yellow Viola 
should present to view simply a disc of one tint only. 
In order to show what is being done in this direction 
we have just received from Mr. William Dean, Mill 
Lane Nursery, Solihull, who makes a specialty of 
bedding Violas, some flowers of new varieties of an 
exceedingly attractive character, especially in the way 
of yellows. They are Golden Gem, rich bright deep 
gold, dwarf in habit, very free, and highly effective ; 
Primrose Perfection, bright yellow, of a very pleasing 
shade ; Primrose Beauty, paler in colour than either of 
the foregoing, the lower petals bright yellow, the upper 
yellow shading off to primrose; and Bridesmaid, 
sulphur-white upper petals, the lower shading off to 
soft primrose. The two last are of very dwarf and 
compact habits of growth and remarkably free. All 
these have self-coloured flowers without the slightest 
marking in the way of lines. Our Viola raisers are 
found paying great attention to habit, and, indeed, this 
is one of the first considerations in a bedding Viola. 
The foregoing appear to approximate closely towards 
perfection in the matter of a dwarf, close, free-branching 
habit of growth. 
With these came flowers of the best bedding yellows, 
hitherto cultivated for comparison, viz., Golden Prince, 
Golden Prince Improved, Golden Queen of Spring, and 
Bullion, all good and useful varieties, having only a 
few lines of colour round the eye. 
With the foregoing came also some very pretty 
blotched varieties in the way of Old Magpie ; they are 
Mr. John Pope, maroon, the lower and two wing 
or side petals margined with bright purple shading 
off to silvery grey or white ; the top petals maroon 
base, and pale mauve, shading off to silvery grey. 
Magpie Improved much resembles this old favourite, 
but is a better-shaped flower. The main colour is 
maroon, with pale blue and greyish white blotches on 
the edge of each petal. May Queen has the centre 
maroon, shading to bright claret, the lower and side 
petals being lobed with light purple, delicate mauve 
and white. These are all excellent bedders, and very 
free and effective. 
Three other new varieties vary somewhat in char¬ 
acter, but they are very pretty and highly effective. 
They are Mrs. Wildsmith, the lower and side petals 
shaded with purple round a small orange eye, and 
which pales or softens off to delicate silvery mauve, 
while the upper petals are greyish white, suffused with 
soft mauve. Mrs. Dransfield is a flower of a type Dr. 
Stuart, of Chirnside, introduced a few years ago. The 
colour is pink, shaded with maroon, becoming paler 
towards the margins of the petals, while with age the 
maroon shading appears to become withdrawn to a 
large extent. 
Gaiety is a variety that we scarcely think can become 
popular. It has primrose lower and side petals, with the 
upper petals primrose, shaded to delicate mauve, ap¬ 
parently very free ; aud Mr. Dean stated that it has so 
braved the thunderstorms and heat as to be a mass of 
flower in spite of them It is therefore strong and 
persistent, and is also sweet scented. 
There is no doubt that the Violas are vindicating 
their claims to be regarded as the most reliable of 
bedding plants, in a dry as in a moist season. _ There 
is no flower, perhaps, that so soon recovers itself after a 
storm ; as soon as sunshine falls upon the J iolas they 
throw up quickly numbers of pretty and attractive 
flowers to greet it. They who are seeking to improve 
the Viola, and extend the number of useful and reliable 
varieties, are doing a good work, and they deserve every 
encouragement, 
