408 
THE GARDENING WORLD. 
February 23, 1889. 
POULLET LODGE, TWICKEN¬ 
HAM. 
Viewed from the river Thames, the front of Poullet 
Lodge, the residence of J. S. Nicholson, Esq., has a 
very fine effect, but especially so in the summer time, 
when the beds on the well-kept lawn are occupied, and 
the large vases along the river bank are gay with 
flowers, while the trees are in full leaf. At present one 
must be content with an examination of the indoor 
department, and Mr. Bates, the gardener, has much 
w’ith which to entertain the visitor in the well-stocked 
range of houses, and the admirably efficient way in 
which every department is made to do its own duty. 
The stove is occupied with a mixed collection of 
plants, amongst which are some large and healthy 
Palms located on the central stages. A fine plant of 
Phcenix rupicola has leaves about 6 ft. or 7 ft. long, 
while the Cabbage Palm (Euterpe edulis) has a 3 ft. 
stem, bearing a fine head of leaves. Then there are 
large plants of Kentia Belmoreana, and a piece of 
Rhapis flabelliformis with eight stems. The plume¬ 
like leaves of Cocos Romanzoffianus are 10 ft. long, 
reaching from the floor almost to the roof. Other 
foliage plants consist of Pandanus Veitchii, in all stages 
of growth, so as to be suitable for different purposes. 
Asparagus plumosus and A. p. nanus receive the 
attention they well deserve. There is no diffieultv in 
distinguishing the two, nor in seeing the superiority of 
the latter for decorative purposes. The pieces in 48- 
sized pots are most useful, but the beauty of a piece 
4 ft. to 5 ft. through in a 12-in. pot cannot be ignored. 
Amongst table plants, Croton augustifolium, and 
the rich bronzy red and crimson-leaved Draccena 
elegantissima, are well suited for the purpose. Anthu- 
rium Andreanum was flowering, as well as the 
sweet-scented Toxicophlfea spectabilis. Equally at¬ 
tractive is the red-berried Rivinia humilis, which keeps 
in good condition all the winter. 
This house is very singular in shape, affording great 
variety of aspect, and accordingly it can accommodate 
different classes of plants. One rather shady end is 
occupied by a rockery planted with varieties of Begonia 
Rex and Nephrolepis exaltata, which are very effective 
in summer. The Orchids are also accommodated here, 
including two large pieces of Sobralia macrantha, and a 
large piece of Harpophyllum giganteum, which here 
flowers regularly and is now in sheath. Amongst 
those in flower are Dendrobium nobile, Lfelia anceps, 
Coelogyne cristata, C. c. Chatsworth variety, Den¬ 
drobium Pierardii on rafts, Cypripedium barbatum, 
C. villosum, and others. The Harpophyllum is kept 
with its roots very much confined, and after completing 
its growth it is allowed to rest till it commences to 
throw up its flowers. 
The Camellia house contains some very large speci¬ 
mens of the old Alba plena, which is still one of the 
best, if not the best white Camellia. They, as well as 
others, are flowering. A large plant of Marechal Niel 
Rose gives great satisfaction trained over the roof of 
this house, and affords a large quantity of flowers for 
cutting. Near by is a huge piece of Clivia miniata in 
a tub. The greenhouse proper is occupied with flowers 
of another class, including Azaleas, Aphelexis, Draco- 
phyllum, a large trained piece of Daphne odora, the 
flowers of which perfume the whole house, and some of 
the showy hybrid greenhouse Rhododendrons, such as 
Countess of Sefton, Countess of Haddington and R. 
Edgeworthii. Another small span-roofed greenhouse 
is gay with Cyclamens in many colours, and a gayer 
lot even of Chinese Primulas. The old Double White 
is very floriferous, as is Chelsea Rose, a very attractive 
rosy pink sort. Others exhibit white, crimson, red, 
and other shades of colour, and all are of fine quality. 
Useful Azaleas in flower are A. indica alba, A. amcena 
and Deutsche Perle. 
There are four vineries, all forming one range, and 
divided by glass partitions. Curiously enough, the 
earliest vinery is farthest from the boiler, and the main 
pipe runs through the backs of the other three. Inde¬ 
pendently of the main, there are six rows of 4-in. 
piping in all the houses, and by means of stop-valves 
Mr. Bates can make any of the houses the earliest one 
at will. The plans for these were drawn up by himself, 
and the efficient way in which they work says much 
for his skill. It may here be stated that the whole of 
the hothouses are heated from the same stokehole, 
which contains two boilers that may be worked con¬ 
jointly or separately. 
The earliest vinery is now well advanced, and contains 
Black Hamburgh, Foster’s Seedling, and Buekland’s 
Sweetwater. The house next to this contains the 
first two kinds only. The third house contains 
Alicante and Lady Downes. The first is the best 
flavoured, but Lady Downes keeps better. There are, 
however, bunches of both kinds in bottles, with the 
berries as firm and the dense glaucous bloom as fine as 
when ripening was finished in autumn. The fourth 
house is entirely devoted to Muscat of Alexandria. In 
the vineries are large quantities of bedding plants, 
together with the zinc vases already filled with Pelar¬ 
goniums in readiness to be dropped into position in 
the stone vases on the banks of the river. 
The trees in the earliest Peach house are already in 
bloom. One of the earliest is Dr. Hogg, which has 
large pink flowers and bears heavily. Stirling Castle 
is another good bearing kind, and is more popular here 
than Alexander. Lord Napier Nectarine is considered 
the best of its class. Another range near the vineries 
is occupied with a varied collection of Peaches, Nectarines, 
Apricots, Plums, and Cherries. The last two kinds 
are grown as single upright cordons on the back wall. 
The most popular Plum is Coe’s Golden Drop, which 
fruits very freely under glass. Transparent Gage is 
also good, but is less certain as a cropper. The Pine 
Apple house is a three-quarter span structure, but at 
the time of our visit they had been removed to another 
house while their own received a thorough cleaning 
and repair. Two kinds only are grown—namely, 
Smooth Cayenne and Queen. The plants are now in 
excellent condition, and although the house is only of 
moderate size, about eighty fruits are ripened in it 
yearly. There is also a structure for Melons and 
Cucumbers. 
The garden round which the houses are built is 
small, but the kitchen garden is a piece of ground cut 
off from the park on the opposite side of the road 
leading through Twickenham. Here are some fine 
trees of Cupressus Nutkrensis, C. Lawsoniana, and 
Araucaria imbricata ; but the glory of the park is a 
magnificent Cedrus Libani, about 85 ft. high, and 
girthing 17 ft. 2 ins. at 3 ft. from the ground. The 
north and east aspect walls of the garden are entirely 
covered with Plums, Morello Cherries, and Pears, the 
former two being a fine sight owing to the vigorous 
growth they make, although on a wall facing due 
north. The Plums that do best under these conditions 
are Coe’s Golden Drop, Kirke’s, Yictoria, and Green 
Gage. They are fan-trained, but Pears are also trained 
on the cordon system. Apples are grown as standards, 
and bear well. Wellington, Blenheim Orange, Cox’s 
Pomona, Cox’s Orange, and Sandringham do well. 
The latter is a culinary sort, but comes in well for 
dessert at this season of the year. 
-- 
OTES ON IJrUITS. 
Lane’s Prince Albert Apple. 
Amongst culinary Apples, this is a great acquisition 
on account of its high quality and excellent keeping 
properties, being in season from October to March, and 
is therefore still plentiful at places where it is grown. 
Although fruited as early as 1857, its merits do not 
seem to have been recognised by the British public as 
they might have been, until recently. It cannot be 
described as a showy Apple, but even in this respect it 
will compare favourably with other culinary kinds, 
where colour is altogether of secondary importance. 
With regard to size and shape it is quite handsome. 
In colour it varies according to the district in which it 
has been grown. Those matured under the more 
favourable southern skies are pale green, becoming 
yellowish, and more or less heavily flushed and splashed 
with red on the exposed side, while in northern 
counties where maturity is not carried on to the 
same perfection, green is the more prevailing shade. 
The fruits, even in the latter case, keep sound till 
March. The flesh is greenish white, but tender, crisp 
and juicy. The tree bears regularly and heavily. 
Rosemary Russet Apple. 
The flavour of this Apple is excellent from November 
to February. It is only of medium size but regularly 
shaped, pretty, and very distinct in outline. From a 
broad base it tapers gradually to a blunt point where 
the eye is small and sunken in a shallow even basin. 
In colour it varies considerably, but generally it is pale 
yellow, more or less heavily flushed with red on the 
exposed side, and suffused with russet round the eye and 
stalk. In fact, the russet is so little noticeable that the 
name is hardly applicable when we compare it with 
most other kinds to which the name Russet is applied. 
The flesh is tender, crisp, and of a pale yellow tint, and 
during the early months, while in season, it possesses 
a highly aromatic flavour. Even now the flesh is 
still crisp, sweet, and very agreeable to the palate. Of 
course, it is a dessert kind, presenting a very distinct 
appearance. It succeeds well over a wide range of 
Britain. 
ORCHID NOTES AND GLEANINGS, 
Cattleya Trian^e delicata. 
A three-flowered spike of a grand form of this 
variety has been sent us by Mr. F. Exell, The Gardens, 
Misarden Park, Cirencester. There are numerous forms 
in cultivation that pass muster under the above name, 
but many of them are rather indifferent sorts compared 
with the specimen under notice. The pseudo-bulb that 
bore the flowers is only 6 ins. in length, whereas the 
flowers are of unusual size, and all three equally good. 
The petals measured somewhat over 5 ins. across, a size 
reminding us of the flowers of C. Mossi*. Each was 
2f ins. across, beautifully undulated at the margin, and 
pure white, as were the sepals. A long-tubed lip is 
very characteristic of C. Trianse, which has generally a 
short lamina ; but in this case, from base to apex, it 
measured close upon 2j ins., while the lamina itself 
was 2 ins. each way, undulated and crisped at the 
margin, delicate lilac-pink, with a large two - armed 
yellow blotch extending and tapering to the base of the 
tube. With the exception of these tints, which make 
the name C. T. delicata applicable, the rest of the huge 
flower is pure white, and Mr. Exell may be congratu¬ 
lated on the possession of such a fine variety. 
Dendrobium Brymerianum. 
The long fringes on the lip of this curious and beau¬ 
tiful species is sufficient to distinguish it from any 
other, whether fringed or not. They consist of an 
interlacing or overlapping mass of much-branched 
filaments, as if the greater portion of the terminal lobe 
of the lip had been reduced to the venation, skeleton¬ 
ising it, as it were. The lateral lobes are much more 
shallowly fringed. The sepals and petals are oblong, 
and the whole flower is of a golden yellow. Of a plant 
in the nursery of Messrs. Shuttleworth, Carder & Co., 
there can be no doubt as to its being the best 
form, as it is in every way superior to the self-ferti¬ 
lising variety D. B. histrionieum ; the latter every 
grower knows is worthless for decorative purposes, there 
being little or no fringe to the lip, while the flowers 
seldom develop properly. 
L/elia furfuracea. 
I send you the spike of an Orchid one seldom sees, 
Laelia furfuracea. My gardener says it is an exception¬ 
ally fine variety. This plant I bought from the 
Liverpool Horticultural Co., Limited, in May, 1887, as 
a newly-imported piece. It made fourteen new growths 
that season, five of which carried flower-spikes with 
one bloom upon each. This last summer (1888) it 
made wonderful growths, most of the bulbs being half 
as large again as those which it developed in its native 
forests. It has been in flower here for the last five 
weeks, and is consequently past its best now .—Robert 
Twiss, Birdhill House, Birdhill, Limerick. [The two- 
flowered spike sent us exhibited evidence of good culti¬ 
vation, for although three blooms on a stalk may be 
produced under certain circumstances, one is the more 
usual rule. At first sight, the appearance of the flowers 
reminds us of L. autumnalis, to which it is most closely 
allied ; but on closer inspection it proves to be very 
distinct. One thing that strikes the observer strongly 
is the short, broad, rhomboid, or diamond-shaped 
petals, and the latter, together with the sepals, were of 
a warm rose-purple colour, while their thick and fleshy 
character may be compared to that of Cattleya citrina. 
To this their long-lasting qualities are to be attributed. 
The side lobes and the tube of the lip are very pale, 
while the terminal lobe is the darkest part of the whole 
flower. The specific name is said to have been sug¬ 
gested by the brown scurfy scales on the ovary ; but 
Lindley, who named this species, might have alluded to 
the mealy powdery-looking substance covering the 
whole of the lamellte or ridge-like plates running along 
the labellum, and which appears to give rise to the 
peculiar odour emitted by the flowers.—E d.] 
Dendrobium Devonianum. 
A fine form of this pretty species has reached us from 
Mr. George Walker, gardener to H. Druce, Esq., The 
Beeches, Circus Road, St. John’s Wood. It occurs in 
a batch that was imported last March, and is noticeable 
for the size and richness of colour of the various blotches 
that characterise the species. The orange-yellow eye¬ 
like blotches of the lip, and the purple tip of the 
latter, as well as of the petals, are very dark and 
richly coloured. The latter organs exhibit a tendency 
to a purple venation, as occurs in D. D. rhodoneurum, 
but not sufficiently to constitute a distinct variety. If, 
however, the plant be grown strongly so as to produce 
strong stems for next year, it will flower equally finely 
again, and prove a very valuable form. 
