713 
THE GARDENING WORLD. 
July 6, 1889. 
ORCHID NOTES AND GLEANINGS, 
The Orchid Growers’ Calendar. 
A good plant of Oneidium splendidum was considered 
a rarity a few years ago, and comparatively few persons 
had seen it in bloom, but the recent importations have 
made it tolerably plentiful, and most collections of 
Orchids contain plants of it at the present time. It 
flowers in early spring, and lasts two months in beauty 
if kept tolerably dry. Then after flowering it should 
be kept in a light position where it can enjoy the sun 
along with Oneidium tigrinum and Odontoglossum 
grande while at rest, being shaded only during the 
hottest part of the day. The young growths are just 
pushing up, and will soon require a good deal of 
moisture at the roots, and the plants should always be 
kept as near the glass as possible to ensure the growths 
forming solid bronzy bulbs which will not fail to 
flower. It succeeds admirably on a piece of board 
(J in. deal) if made secure with copper wire at the 
start, or it will do equally well in pots filled with clean 
crocks, with just a layer of peat and sphagnum on the 
top. 
Now that the plants are being thoroughly cleansed 
it is a good opportunity to attend to any that do not 
seem happy in their surroundings, for frequently a 
plant may be re-invigorated by removing it from the 
pot, or off the block or basket, washing the old stuff 
away from the roots, and placing it in a smaller pot 
than before. Any that are insecure should be firmly 
fixed, as they cannot thrive while unstable, and if 
young roots are pushing out, the rocking about of the 
plants soon makes short work of them. Any plants of 
Cattleya Mendelii which require re-potting will soon be 
fit, as well as C. Lawrenceana, C. Mossice, and C. 
Wagneri, for which nothing equals good brown fibrous 
peat. The pots should be first filled three parts full of 
crocks, with a layer on the top to make the drainage 
secure. 
Trichopilias having flowered are now commencing 
growth, and appear to do better in pans or baskets 
where they can be hung up near the glass, as the 
flowers can be seen to more advantage than when grown 
in pots. They should be elevated well above the rim 
of the pan to allow the flower spikes to come from the 
base of the bulbs without any hindrance. T. suavis, 
T. s. alba, T. crispa, T. c. marginata and T. lepida are 
the best. 
Ccelogynes of the cristata section will now take an 
abundance of water, and C. barbata will derive benefit 
by being stood over a water tank or pan of water, as it 
resents being kept dry at any time of the year, and it 
requires copious waterings daily at this season, shade 
and moisture being also necessary to grow it well. 
Miltonia vexillaria may be moved into a cool house 
as they go out of flower, and when they start growing 
again may be re-potted. Bearing a heavy crop of 
flowers for five or six weeks takes a lot of strength out 
of them, but if they have been kept free from thrips 
they are well able to bear the strain, and will break 
away again shortly. A good dip in weak tobacco- 
water fortnightly now that they are out of flower will 
keep them clean and healthy. 
Now is a good time to order Orchid peat, as it will 
be new and dry, and it will be ready for use in the 
autumn if not required before. 
The Temperatures foe July are East Indian 
house, 75° to 80° by day, 70° to 75° at night. 
Cattleya house, 70° to 75° by day, 65° to 70° at night. 
Odontoglossum or cool house, 60° to 65° bv day, 60° at 
night.— W. P. 
Orchids at Lowfields, Burton-in-Lonsdale- 
Amongst Auricula and Tulip growers the Rev. F. D. 
Horner’s name is familiar as a household word, but it 
is not generally known that he is also an enthusiastic 
Orchidist. The notes appended, however, will serve to 
show that he stands in the foremost rank as a successful 
cultivator. It is only a few years since Mr. Horner 
turned his attention to this interesting class of plants, 
and the results have been most gratifying to him. If 
there is one thing more than another to which his 
success is due, it is the pure air from off the Yorkshire 
hills, though cleanliness is also an important factor. 
It is only those who have grown Orchids in the 
metropolis who really know what a dense fog is, with 
its attendant evils. Method is the order of the day at 
Lowfields, and a diary is kept of all the species and 
varieties as they come into bloom, with the length of 
time they remain in flower, and also whether they are 
good varieties or not. This system cannot be too ex¬ 
tensively adopted ; every plant then has its history, 
which tends to increase the possessor’s interest and 
pleasure in the things he grows. The range of Orchid 
houses at Lowfields is small, being about 40 ft. long 
and 9 ft. wide ; but as will be seen from the record of 
plants in flower during the past six months, the display 
has been a gorgeous one. In January, thirty-six 
species flowered ; February, forty-five species ; March, 
fifty-six species ; April, fifty-eight species ; May, sixty 
species ; June, sixty-one species ; and in many cases 
there were six plants of the same species in flower 
together. I noted a few fine things at present in 
bloom—viz., Ccelogyne Massangeana, a good specimen, 
with three racemes ; Stanhopea tigrina superba, 
carrying two extra fine blooms ; Nanodes Medusas, 
with numerous flowers, a fine healthy piece ; Cattleya 
Trianas Schrodene, C. Acklandire, and Masdevallia 
Chimasra ; also many others too numerous to mention. 
It is needless to say that Orchids, as well as Tulips 
and Auriculas, find a happy home at Lowfields.— 
J. McNab. 
/Granthus grandiflorus. 
The two known species of this genus are epiphytical 
Orchids from Madagascar, closely allied to Angraeeum, 
but separable by the articulated lip. The flowers are 
usually described as green or greenish yellow ; but a 
specimen now flowering at Kew is white, slightly tinted 
with yellow. The blooms are produced singly at the 
apex of long, slender, pendent scapes, and are singu¬ 
larly curious in structure. The sepals are ovate and 
drawn out into long narrow tails, and the petals are 
similarly elongated ; but the broad portion suddenly 
becomes contracted, ending in a few teeth with the 
middle portion only continued into a tail. The lip is 
ovate, acuminate, auricled at the base, and prolonged 
behind and beneath into a large spur, curiously thickened 
at the tip. The leaves are arranged in a two-ranked 
manner. Angnecum sesquipedale is sometimes classed 
under iEranthus. 
Bulbophyllum (Sarcopodium) Dearei. 
So closely is the group of plants (of which the above is 
a type) allied to Dendrobium on the one hand and to 
Bulbophyllum on the other, that the species are 
sometimes classed under the name of Bulbophyllum, 
occasionally under Sarcopodium, and again under the 
latter name as a section of Dendrobium. The plants 
are more or less creeping in habit, with pseudo-bulbs 
arising at intervals from the rhizomes. The flowers are 
large and produced singly on the scapes. One of their 
chief characteristics is the peculiar form of the lip, 
which is attached by a moveable hinge to the long, 
curved foot of the column. The species under notice 
has a large upper sepal heavily reticulated with tawny 
orange on a straw-yellow ground ; the lateral sepals are 
mottled with purple on a yellow ground. The petals 
are reflexed and reticulated with pale orange on a 
yellow ground. The lateral lobes of the curious lip are 
pubescent and purple. There is a flowering specimen 
at Kew. 
Cirrh/Ea saccata. 
The species of this genus are seldom seen in cultivation, 
for although they may be regarded as pretty they can 
hardly be described as showy. The species under 
notice is now flowering at Kew in the cool division of 
the Orchid house. The pseudo-bulbs are short, while 
the leaves are somewhat similar to those of a Stanhopea. 
The plant is grown in a basket and suspended from the 
roof, while the long racemes of flowers are pendent and 
purple. The sepals are of a dull brownish colour, 
while the uppermost one is closely reflexed over the 
ovary. The spathulate petals and three-lobed lip are 
yellow ; the lateral lobes of the lateral organ are erect, 
and the disk is concave or saccate, possibly suggesting 
the specific name. In habit the plant may be com¬ 
pared to a species of Gongora. 
Variability of Stanhopea Wardii. 
Besides what may be termed the typical form of this 
species, there are at least three named varieties, differ¬ 
ing chiefly or almost solely in colour and markings. 
S. W. graveolens is a form with dirty white flowers, 
passing into yellow in the centre. S. W. aurea is a 
fine variety of a golden yellow, deepening in the centre ; 
and S. W. venusta is another, but less beautiful uni- 
colorous-flowered form. The type is characterised by 
the large number of pale purple, star-shaped blotches 
on the sepals and petals, and a greater profusion of 
deeper purple dots all over the greater part of the 
labellum. On the sides of the large fleshy cavity at 
the base of the labellum are usually two large blackish 
purple blotches, like eye spots. In some instances these 
blotches are entirely absent, just as we have also seen 
in the case of S. oculata itself, while in other cases the 
spots are enlarged. A very striking form was recently 
sent us, having the two typical blotches present, and 
in addition a large horse-shoe-shaped or almost orbicular 
blotch of the same colour in a central position at the 
very base of the lip. All these markings are notably 
conspicuous, but unfortunately are not constant. 
-- 
The Gardeners’ Calendar. 
THE STOVE. 
Anthuriums. —As soon as the spathes of Anthurium 
Scherzerianum become too shabby to be of any decorative 
value, they should be removed, and the plants put into 
stove heat, in order to develop young foliage in pre¬ 
paration for next year’s display. The plants will start 
into growth readily if they have previously been kept 
in a cool house. The atmosphere of the latter should 
be kept in a tolerably moist condition while the leaves 
are young, and at this stage the house should be 
shaded during bright sunshine. 
Gardenias. — The batches intended for early 
flowering should be encouraged to make their growth, 
so that they may become ripened off and set for 
flowering. Young plants that require shifting on may 
be potted now. It will be greatly to their advantage 
that the young shoots should be hardened somewhat in 
a cooler and more freely ventilated house after the com¬ 
pletion of their growth in length. When again intro¬ 
duced to heat, they start away more readily after this 
preparatory process, and flower more freely than it is 
possible for them to do from soft immature wood. 
Ixoras. —When the first crop of bloom has been 
removed, the plants need not be stood aside, because if 
kept growing strongly in stove heat, and especially 
should the pots be plunged in fibre with bottom heat, 
they will continue to throw up flowering side shoots for 
weeks or even months to come. As a class of hard- 
wooded subjects they enjoy more heat perhaps than is 
generally afforded them. 
THE GREENHOUSE. 
Roses in Pots. —Plants intended for forcing should 
now be overhauled and re-potted in the case of those 
requiring it. H. P’s enjoy a larger amount of root room 
than Tea-scented kinds. Should it be undesirable to 
increase the size of pots for large plants, the ball of soil 
may be reduced, and the same sized pots used again. 
Some growers will, perhaps, prefer to grow on batches 
of young plants to take the place of the old ones, except 
when large specimens, of course, are desired. This, 
however, will seldom be the case where plants are 
grown for forcing. If considered necessary, shading 
may be given for a day or two after this operation ; 
but after becoming established, they may be fully 
exposed to the sun in the open air, till required for 
forcing. 
Vallotas. —-These, in many instances, are throwing 
up their flower-spikes, according to the temperature in 
which the plants are grown, and when this is the case 
weak doses of liquid manure may be given two or three 
times a week. The strength of the flower-spike and 
the size of the blooms will be greatly increased by this 
practice. Being evergreen the plants should always be 
exposed to light, but more so when making growth 
than at any other time. While they last in bloom the 
flowers of Vallota certainly constitute one of the leading 
features of the greenhouse. 
THE FORGING HOUSES. 
Vineries. —As the crops in the earlier houses get cut, 
the ventilators should be thrown open as previously 
advised. In the earliest house the laterals should now 
be firm and of a clear brown colour, and when such is 
the case no more artificial heat will be required until 
the houses are again closed for forcing. During the 
present bright and dry weather keep the syringe or 
garden engine freely playing upon those Vines from 
which the crop has been cut in order to destroy red- 
spider, which often increases with such rapidity at this 
season as to cause the leaves to drop. Black Grapes 
now in a ripe state should be kept as much shaded as 
possible by means of their own leaves. In some cases 
it has been found necessary to shade them artificially, 
so as to retain the bloom in the best possible condition. 
The case is different with white Grapes, which take on 
their delicate tints better if fully exposed to light. 
Tomatos. — A sowing of Hackwood Park and 
Nisbett's Victoria, if done now, will come into bearing 
in the autumn, and keep up a succession till Christmas. 
After the seedlings have become established in small 
pots, they may be stood out of doors until room can be 
found for them in the autumn in some Melon or 
Cucumber pit, or they should be taken indoors at least 
before there is danger from frost. 
