328 
THE GARDENING WORLD. 
January 23, 1892. 
grow most of these in the Cattleya house, but this 
season we have grown a batch in the cool house, 
which have done wonderfully well. They were kept 
in the cool house until November 20, and then 
removed to the Cattleya house. By this method we 
hope to prolong the flowering season of this lovely 
Odontoglossum. The temperatures, etc., mentioned 
in the last calendar will still hold good.—C. 
Cypripediums from Methven Castle. 
We are in receipt of some well-grown Cypripedium 
blooms from Mr. Peter Whitton, the Gardens, 
Methven Castle, Perth, N.B. Although he confesses 
he is not an Orchid specialist, yet the blooms sent us 
give evidence of very high cultivation, or of good 
cultivation, which practically means the same thing. 
The clear atmosphere of that part of the country no 
doubt greatly assists the cultivator, judging from the 
substance of the flowers themselves. They were all 
of common kinds, but such as are useful for cut 
flowers or decorative purposes, for which they are 
highly appreciated at this period of the year. Twin 
flowers on Cypripedium insigne make their appear¬ 
ance year after year, but Mr. Whitton does not 
think them any improvement for cut flowers at all 
events. The graceful appearance of the flowers is 
certainly spoiled, because one flower partly displaces 
the other to its disadvantage as far as effect is con¬ 
cerned. The flowers oi C. villosum were also of 
great size and substance, with rich shining brown 
petals. C. Harrisianum was very highly coloured, 
the upper sepal being of a dark purple shaded black 
on the veins and tipped with white. The upper 
longitudinal half of the petals were of a lighter and 
clearer shining purple, while the lip was of a claret 
hue. Owing to the great substance of the flowers 
they travelled well. 
Laelia furfuracea Lucas var. 
The sepals of this Laelia are lanceolate, recurved at 
the tip, of great substance, rosy lilac, and slightly 
paler at the base. The petals are similar in colour, 
but elliptic, very much broader, and;revolute at the 
tip. The lateral lobes of the three-lobed lip are of a 
delicate, pale lilac and rounded ; the middle lobe on 
the contrary is ovate, revolute at the tip and deep 
purple ; the crest consists of two stout white ridges. 
The column is very pale lilac, with a yellow blotch 
at the base, and a few small purple spots distributed 
over the yellow. Cut flowers were exhibited at the 
last meeting of the Royal Horticultural Society, on 
the 12th inst., by C. J. Lucas, Esq., Warnham 
Court, Horsham, when a First-class Certificate was 
awarded the variety. The warm colours of the 
flowers and the great substance of all parts were 
very noticeable. 
Lselia anceps Ballantiniana. 
The varieties of Laglia anceps are now getting very 
numerous, but that under notice is particularly ' 
meritorious, not so much on account of the size of 
the flowers as their rich and handsome colours. 
The sepals are lanceolate, recurved, and of the 
palest lilac except towards the tip where they are 
darker. The broad petals are ovate or rhomboid, 
deep purple in the middle, paler towards the base, 
but intensely purple at the tips. The three-lobed lip 
has a pale tube, deep purple lateral lobes, and the 
terminal lobe is wholly of a blackish crimson ; the 
crest is golden yellow, and the interior of the side 
lobes are striped with deep purple on a yellow 
ground. It was exhibited at the last meeting of the 
Royal Horticultural Society, on the 12th, by Messrs. 
F. Sander & Co., who exhibited it for G. Douglas, 
Esq., Dalkeith, Midlothian. A first-class Certifi¬ 
cate was deservedly awarded to it. 
Cypripedium Calypso Oakwood var. 
This hybrid was obtained by crossing C. Boxalli 
atratum with C. Spicerianum, and the progeny shows 
the characters of both parents, but is largely influ¬ 
enced by C. Spicerianum. The upper sepal is very 
large, roundly obovate, with a white ground heavily 
marked with purple blotches in lines following the 
course of the principal veins ; the midrib is of a rich 
purple, and the base is greenish in the centre show¬ 
ing the influence of C. Spicerianum. The petals are 
spathulate, undulate on the margin, and of a shining 
brown on the upper longitudinal half and paler on 
the corresponding half with a blackish midrib. With 
exception of the wavy margin, the other characters 
of the petals point to C. Boxalli atratum. The lip 
also points to the latter, and is of a shining yellow 
more or less shaded with brown in flowers taken from 
different individuals of the same batch of seedlings. 
The staminode is pale purple and green in the centre. 
It was shown at the Drill Hall on the 12th inst., by 
Mr. Murray, gardener to Norman C. Cookson, Esq., 
Oakwood,Wylam-on-Tyne, and received a First-class 
Certificate. 
Angrsecum Polyurum. 
Flowers only of this plant were exhibited owing to 
the cold, frosty weather. Twelve of them were 
borne on an arching raceme, and they were in two 
evident ranks as in the case of most species of 
Angrsecum. The sepals and petals are oblong, or 
the lateral sepals spathulate, deflexed and white. 
The lip is elliptic, slightly larger and of the same 
colour, while its spur is slender, cylindrical, reddish- 
amber, and about 2 in. or 2J in. long. The flowers 
were exhibited at the Drill Hall, Westminster, on 
the 12th inst., by Messrs. F. Sander & Co., St. 
Albans, and were awarded a Botanical Certificate. 
Cypripedium hybridum gigas. 
The parents of this hybrid were C. Lawrencianum 
and C. Harrisianum nigrum, the latter being the 
pollen plant. The upper sepal is very large, 
orbicular, of a deep shining brown with deeper veins, 
and white at the edge. In these respects we see the 
influence of the last-named plant. The petals also 
point to the same parent, as they are spathulate and 
of a deep shining brown on the upper longitudinal 
half, and paler greenish brown on the corresponding 
lower half. The lip is very large and of a deep 
shining brownish-purple. The staminode is of a 
pale purple or almost flesh colour. A plant of it 
was exhibited at the meeting of the Royal Horticul¬ 
tural Society, on the 12th inst., by Mr. Bond, 
gardener to Charles Ingram, Esq., Elstead, Godai¬ 
ming, when an Award of Merit was accorded it. 
Cypripedium Enfieldense. 
The parents of this hybrid are C. Hookerae and C. 
Lawrencianum. The leaves are oblong, very short, 
and beautifully tessellated with pale grey on a dark 
green ground as in the parents. The flower scape 
attains a height of 15 in., and is of a deep dull purple 
and pubescent. The upper sepal is roundish, 
heavily shaded with purple on a paler ground, with 
darker purple veins, and shaded with green in the 
central area of the base. The petals are spathulate 
and somewhat ;deflexed, with a few scattered black 
spots near both edges ; the upper third of their ■ 
length and the edges lower down are bright purple, 
the rest being greenish. The lip is of a brownish 
purple ; and the staminode paler purple with green 
spots in the centre. An Award of Merit was granted 
it when shown by H. M. Pollett, Esq., Fernside, 
Bickley, Kent, at the Drill Hall, Westminster, on the 
12th inst. 
Odontoglossum Rossii albens. 
Taken altogether this is one of the prettiest and most 
distinct^of the forms of O. Rossii. The sepals are 
white, closely blotched with a pale tawny-green, 
which nearly covers the whole surface. The petals 
are also white with a few pale, tawny-yellow blotches 
close to the base. The lip is large, triangular, 
beautifully crisped and indented at the edge, and 
pure white with exception of the usual yellow cup¬ 
like crest at the base. In habit and other char¬ 
acters the variety does not otherwise differ from the 
usual forms of O. Rossii. The washing out of the 
dull brown from the sepals and base of the petals in¬ 
creases the beauty of the flowers considerably. A 
plant was shown at the Drill Hall, Westminster, on 
the 12th inst., by Messrs. Charlesworth, Shuttle- 
worth & Co., Heaton, Bradford, Yorks, when it was 
accorded an Award of Merit. 
-- 
WHAT TO DO IN THE GARDEN, 
Soil for Potting. —A considerable quantity of 
soil will be necessary for repotting in the course of a 
few weeks, particularly for stove plants. A good 
supply should therefore be placed under cover if 
that has not already been done, in order to get it in 
good condition for the work. While dust dry soil 
is to be avoided, it must on the contrary be con¬ 
siderably drier when used than it would be if taken 
directly from the open air. Where it is to be used 
for potting plants in the stove, especially soft 
wooded plants, it should be kept in some warm 
house for a time, in order to raise the temperature 
more nearly like that in the pots. The principal in¬ 
gredients for composts will be fibrous peat and lotjm, 
leaf-soil, and well decayed manure, all of which 
should be got under cover at once. 
Achimenes.—A batch of these for early work 
should now be put into stove heat. The usual 
method employed and the best is to shake out the 
tubers from the old soil and place them in shallow 
pans specially prepared for the purpose. The com¬ 
post to be used should consist of finely sifted leaf 
soil with a small quantity of loam similarly treated, 
and plenty of sand. No water will be needed at 
first—unless the compost is very dry—till growth 
commences. After the young stems appear well 
above the soil, the plants may be potted off, using 
all the stronger ones in pots by themselves, or at 
least putting the small ones round the outside. 
Tuberous Begonias and Gloxinias. —A sowing 
may now be made of each of these subjects to get 
young plants into flower to succeed the old tubers. 
The seeds in both cases are so small that consider¬ 
able care will have to be exercised in preparing the 
pans for their reception. The compost on the sur¬ 
face, at least, should be finely sifted, and pressed 
both level and firm as a bed for the reception of the 
seeds, which should be sown thinly and sprinkled 
over with silver sand, not sufficient to cover them, 
but simply to keep them in position till germination 
takes place. 
Ten-week Stocks. —A pinch of seed sown now' 
will give plants that will be found useful in the con¬ 
servatory during the early part of summer to succeed 
Chinese Primroses and Cinerarias. They should be 
potted off singly, or transplanted into other boxes or 
seed pans to prevent damping. Successive repotting 
should be carried out before the plants become root- 
bound. 
Flowering plants for the Conservatory.— 
Besides the few Chrysanthemums that still remain, 
Camellias can be turned to good account, together 
with the early-flowering Azaleas, Clivias, Chinese 
Primroses, Cinerarias, and Cyclamens. Forced 
bulbs will include Roman and other Hyacinths, 
Paper White Narcissus, early-flowering Tulips of 
the Due Van Thol type, Lily of the Valley, and 
others. Then there is the winter-flowering subjects 
to fall back upon, such as Salvias, Sericographis 
Ghiesbreghtii, Libonias, Heaths, Epacris, and a 
host of others which will be found of great value at 
this season of the year when a display is to be kept 
up. 
Melons. —If Melons were sown as previously re¬ 
commended, they should now be ready for potting 
on. Give the seedlings a size or two larger pots and 
replace them from whence they were taken. Keep 
them near the glass, in a bottom heat of 75 0 to 8o°. 
In getting ready a compost for planting them out in 
beds later on, it will be well to remember that 
Melons like a good turfy loam that has been cut 
from a pasture the previous season and stacked so 
as to get mellow by the time it is required. 
Peaches. —The temperature of a house where the 
trees are in bloom should be kept about 55 s at night, 
with a rise of 5 0 by day or io Q if the weather is 
bright. No attempt should be made at hard forcing 
in dull weather. While the trees are in bloom, how¬ 
ever, a light and buoyant atmosphere should be 
maintained to ensure the thorough distribution of 
the pollen. The usual methods adopted to ensure 
this end should be resorted to. 
Eucalyptus globulus.— If a supply of plants of 
this useful sub-tropical bedding subject is required 
for the ensuing planting season, the seeds should be 
sown at once, 
Cannas.—A stock of these for planting out can 
be obtained from seeds if sown now so as to give 
them time to attain size. Old plants may be placed 
in heat for the purpose of increasing the stock, 
Divide them into single crowns with a sharp knife 
and pot up each piece separately. Place them in 
strong heat till fresh roots are produced and the 
buds commence to grow, after which they should be 
gradually inured to a greenhouse temperature and 
grown on slowly in such a house. 
©bituan?. 
There were laid to rest the other day the remains 
of Mr. Peter Moir, Don Cottage, Kemnay, Aber¬ 
deenshire. He was born at Blairdaff in 1S34, and 
from thence the family removed to Hill of Fetter- 
near, where he lived until a few years ago, when he 
and his sister removed to Don Cottage, Kemnay; 
(built for them by their brother, Dr. Moir, of the- 
