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the gardening world 
October 24, 1891. 
ORCHID NOTES AND GLEANINGS. 
Orchid Growers’ Calendar. 
There is now a good display of Orchids in flower, 
and every precaution should be taken to keep damp 
from the blooms, as in a moist atmosphere they 
soon become spotted and do not last long. The 
plants while in flower will not suffer if kept rather 
dry, and this will help to prolong the period of 
freshness. Disa grandiflora, the most showy and 
popular of the genus, may be potted now, as the 
young growths are starting. This plant requires 
very cool treatment to grow it satisfactorily. The 
best results I have had with it was when grown 
along with Heaths, where the house was seldom shut, 
except in frosty weather. The plants were grown in 
peat and sphagnum, with the addition of some horse- 
droppings, as prepared for a mushroom bed. It 
may also be successfully grown in cold frames, ad¬ 
mitting plenty of air at all times except in severe 
weather. It is a plant well worth taking care of, as 
when in flower it makes a grand display. 
Where only a few Orchids are grown, and they 
have to be accommodated along with other plants, 
there is no better way of securing good results than 
by growing the plants in baskets suspended from the 
roof of the house. Most of the epiphytal Orchids 
can be grown very successfully in this manner, and 
they also help to break up the ofttimes bare rafter, 
and give a more cheerful appearance to the house. 
Amongst the most suitable for this work will be the 
Dendrobiums, and if the plants are grown in a plant 
stove they can be removed to a cool, airy house 
and rest after completing their growth , and be intro¬ 
duced into heat according as they are wanted in 
flower. An exception to this treatment will be 
found in the nigro-hirsute section, which would in¬ 
clude D. formosum giganteum, D. Jamesianum, 
D. infundibulum, &c., which throw up their blooms 
on completing their growths, and require plenty; of 
heat and moisture until the flowers are opened. 
The Oncidiums, Odontoglossums, Epidendrums' 
such as E. atropurpureum, E. vitellinum majus, 
E. bicornutum, &-c., Laelias, including L. anceps, 
L. autumnalis and its varieties would all do well; 
indeed, it is doubtful if there be a better method of 
growing those plants, and a plant stove suits them 
admirably. y. ii;; . 
There are many other Orchids which can be very 
well grown in this way, and I would strongly recom¬ 
mend those growers who may have only a few, and 
where a house is not entirely devoted to their culture, ; 
to grow their plants in baskets. I often meet with 
cases where a few Orchids are placed in a corner 
of the house by themselves, away from the light. 
The consequences are that the plants fail to do well, 
and are then said to be difficult to grow ; but if the 
plants were kept well up to the light, much of the 
difficulty would vanish, and the culture of Orchids 
would become more general. 
With Orchids that require plenty of heat, we find 
as a rule the plants more successfully managed, and 
where only a few of the cool house section are , 
grown, as a rule the plants are in a bad condition. 
The cool-house section, consisting largely of Odonto¬ 
glossums, are generally grown in pots, but Odonto- 
glossum Alexandras, O. Pescatorei, O. cirrhosum, 
O. Hallii, etc., can be equally well grown in baskets 
suspended from the roof in the greenhouse. The 
plants will require plenty of moisture at the roots, as 
well as to be freely syringed over head once or twice a 
day during the time they are making their growths. 
Many of the Odontoglossums, I am afraid, are allowed 
to die for want of sufficient moisture. To those who 
may not have succeeded with their culture in pots, 
in a cool house, let me advise them to try them in 
baskets suspended from the roof. 
The temperature of the different houses may 
still be kept as recommended in last calendar, but 
should sharp cold weather set in, they may be allowed 
to fall a few degrees lower.— A. W. 
Vanda Hookeriana. 
Amongst many novelties and good things in flower 
at Parkfield, near Worcester, the seat of C. W. Lea, 
Esq., is the plant above named. A number of plants 
are grouped together, and some two dozen blooms 
being expanded I need not say how delighted I was 
to see this beauty in such perfection. Mr. Lea in¬ 
formed me that the same plants flowered last May ; 
so that it is evident Mr. Catt, his enthusiastic gar¬ 
dener, has hit upon the right mode of treatment. 
I was also struck with some very fine examples of 
Lselia pumila, prsestans and Dayana varieties, which 
were well flowered. The Pleiones are also grand, 
and shortly the rarely seen in flower but very beautiful 
Odontoglossum coronarium will be in perfection. 
Two well-grown plants, one with three and the other 
with two grand spikes, will be worth going a long 
journey to see. Those who have grown this plant 
so long with unsatisfactory results will, I doubt not, 
envy Mr. Catt his success.— A. A. 
Cattleya Warocqueana and its varieties. 
No one can for a moment dispute the value of any 
good Orchid flowering at this season of the year, and 
in the one above mentioned we have a gem. Amongst 
plants obtained from the earliest importations some 
extraordinary fine forms have appeared, and there is 
now in flower in the fine collection of the Right Hon. 
J. Chamberlain, at Highbury, near Birmingham, a 
variety which is identical in every way with the 
hitherto rare and beautiful ; autumn-flowering C. 
labiata. It has three fine flowers on one spikeyand 
standing out conspicuously as it does here amongst 
so many fine things, one can only say that it is one 
of the finest Cattleyas in cultivation.— Rusticus. 
Dendrobium Phalsenopsis and Statterianurn. 
These are likewise valuable additions to a grand 
family, and flowering as they do just now with such 
varied shades of colour, as seen at Highbury, they 
are indeed a welcome addition. Many of Mr. 
Chamberlain's plants are wonderfully attractive, and 
make a splendid feature in the show house.— Rusticus. 
Vanda unicolor. 
The flowers of this Vanda are nearly the size as 
those of V. insignis, and of similar form and texture, 
but of course altogether different in colour. The 
petals and the upper sepal have a rounded, wavy 
lamina, while the lateral: ones are oblong. All are 
suffused with pale brown, and reticulated with darker 
veins on a yellow ground, but the yellow is, of 
course, almost obscured, The three-lobed lip is 
different, the middle lobe being fiddle shaped,convex 
above and pale greenish, while the lateral lobes are 
nearly white externally and creamy-yellow internally, 
minutely dotted with purple and striated with lines 
of dots of the same -colour at the base. The short: 
stout column is whiter than any other portion of the 
flower, and being central, stands out conspicuously 
against the uniform hue. of the sepals and petals. 
It has recently flowered with Messrs. B. S. Williams 
& Son, Upper Holloway. 
Gomeza planifolia. 
The flowers of this Orchid are neither very large 
nor conspicuous individually, bnt collectively may 
be termed pretty. The sepals and petals are so dis¬ 
posed with the rest of the flower as to resemble a 
soldier in full dress. The lip is curved and does 
duty for the chest, while the column represents the 
head and head gear. The flowers are pale yellow, 
and produced in numerous arching or drooping 
racemes, and give out a strong but agreeable odour 
which is most powerful during the afternoon. The 
duration of the flowers is remarkable, for some plants 
have been flowering for weeks past at Devonhurst, 
Chiswick, and after being in bloom for some time 
some of them were taken to the dwelling house, and 
after serving their turn there were little the worse 
when brought back. The plants are grown in small 
baskets, and hung up near the glass in a house con¬ 
taining Odontoglossums, Lycastes, and Cypripediums 
requiring only a low temperature. 
_ 
SOCIETIES. 
Manchester Royal Botanical and Horticultural:— 
The exhibition of hardy fruits organised by this 
Society, and opened in the Town Hall, Manchester, 
on Tuesday, brought together a grand collection of : 
produce, and as the weather was on its best be¬ 
haviour, the attendance of visitors was extremely 
satisfactory. In Class i, open to all, for the best 
eighty dishes of Apples, six fruit of each, dissimilar, 
fruit grown under glass excluded, the Society's 
large Gold Medal was well won by Messrs. Geo. Bun- 
yard & Co., of Maidstone, with large and fine examples 
of the Red Hawthornden, Golden Spire, Cox’s 
Pomona, Peasgood's Nonsuch, Loddington, Queen 
Caroline, Sandringham, Lane’s Prince Albert, Rib- 
ston, King of the Pippins, etc. The second prize, 
the Society’s medium Gold Medal, went to Mr. 
John Watkins, Withington, Hereford, for a very 
good collection; including fine samples of Pott's 
Seedling, Gloria Mundi, Peasgood's Nonsuch, Du- 
melow’s Seedling, Herefordshire Beefing, very large 
Blenheim Orange, and others. The Silver Medal, 
for the third prize, went to Messrs. J. Cheal & Sons, 
Crawley, for a collection very little inferior to the 
second, only a few points separating them. Their 
best dishes were of Ecklinville, Peasgood's Nonsuch, 
Emperor Alexander, Blenheim Orange, Round 
Winter Nonsuch, The Queen, Beauty of Hants, ete.- 
For fifty dishes of Pears, dissimilar, fruit grown 
under glass excluded, the judges, after a very close 
scrutiny, gave the large Gold Medal to Mr. John 
Watkins; the medium Gold Medal to the Earl of 
Harrington (Mr. J. Goodacre, gardener), and the 
Silver Medal to Messrs. George Bunyard & Co., all 
of whom showed very fine examples of the leading 
varieties. Messrs. J. Cheal & Sons were the only 
exhibitors in the class for eighty dishes of Apples 
and Pears, grown under glass, and the collection 
being especially fine, well deserved the large Gold 
Medal awarded. 
In the Amateurs’classfor thirty-six dishes of Apples 
(fruits grown under glass excluded), a very strong 
competition took place, and the large Gold Medal, as 
first prize, went to Messrs, de Rothschild, Gunners- 
bury (Mr. G. Reynolds, gardener). His collection 
included fine dishes of Stirling Castle, Golden Noble, 
Peasgood’s Nonsuch, Merede Menage, Cc„ o Orange 
Pippin, &c. The medium Gold Medal went. to the 
Earl of Harrington, Elvaston ; and the Silver Meda 
to C. Lee Campbell, Esq., Glewston Court, 
Ross (Mr. J. Wright, gardener). For thirty-six 
dishes of Apples and Pears, grown under glass, the 
large Gold Medal went to the Earl of Durham; 
Lambton Castle (Mr. J. Hunter, gardener), for large 
and fine fruit, beautifully coloured — a superb.lot. 
He was closely followed by Sir J. W. Pease, Bar-t,,- 
Hutton Hall (Mr. J. Mclndoe, gardener), who took 
the medium Gold Medal; while the Silver Medal 
was awarded to Sami. Barlow, Esq., Llandudno, in 
whose collection was the finest dish of Apples in the 
exhibition, six superb Peasgood’s Nonsuch. 
For ten bunches of Grapes, not less than three- 
varieties, the large Gold Medal went to Mr. J. Good- 
acre, for a superb lot, his Muscats being fine examples 
of good cultivation, large both in bunch and berry;, 
and beautifully coloured. He had also fine Muscat' 
Hamburghs, Alnwick Seedling, Gros Colmar, and 
Black Alicante. The second prize was taken by 
Messrs, de Rothschild, Gunnersbur.y,- with two' 
bunches each of Muscats, Black Hamburghs, Treb- 
biano, Gros Maroc; and one each of Alicante and 
Chasselas Napoleon, The third prize went to Sir- 
J. W. Pease, for a collection of all Black Grapes,; 
For three bunches of Grapes, the prizes went to C. 
Lee Campbell, Esq., the Earl of Carnarvon, and 
Sir Joseph Whit well Pease. In the Glasses for- 
fruit grown within twenty miles of Manchester, the 
principal prizes went to A. Smith Barry, Esq., R. P. 
Gill, Esq., Ashton-on-Mersey, and Mrs. Grundy, 
Lymn. 
Her Majesty the Queen (Mr. O. Thomas, gardener) 
sent from Frogmore Gardens 250 dishes of Apples 
and Pears, and to this fine exhibit the Society's Gold 
Medal was awarded. 
The non-competing exhibitors made a very fine 
display, the largest collection, 200 dishes, being sent 
by Messrs. James Veitch & Sons, of Chelsea. These 
were admirably arranged, and formed quite one of 
the features of the Show. Messrs. Dicksons Limited, 
Chester, put up 130 dishes of Apples and Pears— 
a fine lot. Messrs. Richard Smith & Co., of Wor¬ 
cester, sent 70 dishes of Apples and Pears, and 
Messrs. Clibran & Son, of Altrincham, 50 dishes. 
Mr. J. Watkins exhibited 60 dishes of cyder fruit, 
remarkable for their high colour—a very interesting - 
collection. Mr. Crump (gardener to Earl Beau¬ 
champ, Madresfield Court) staged 24 dishes of Apples 
and Pears, the latter being some of the finest in the 
whole exhibition. J. Grant Morris, Esq., Allerton , 
Priory, Liverpool (Mr. J. Craven, gardener), put up 
a nice collection of Pears. Mr. J. Clarke, Farnham, . 
was awarded Special Prize for a collection of Grapes 
grown without fire heat. A First-class Certificrte was • 
awarded to Mr. A. J. Harwoode, Colchester, for a Black 
Bullace Plum, the cut branches being loaded with 
fruit. This should prove invaluable for preserving 
purposes. 
Royal Aquarium Autumn Fruit Show, October 14//;. 
- — This show, the first of its kind which has been in¬ 
augurated by the Royal Aquarium Society, turned 
out to be a great success, especially as far as Apples 
