December 28, 1895. 
THE GARDENING WORLD 
271 
Angraecum pertusum—The leathery, strap¬ 
shaped, evergreen leaves of this species are very 
ample, and the scapes which spread out horizontally 
from amongst them are densely covered with small, 
white, sessile flowers in two rows. Award of Merit, 
and a Cultural Commendation for the large, well- 
grown plant. Sir Trevor Lawrence, Bart. 
Cypripedium Spicerianum. —This useful and 
free-flowering Cypripedium is now so well known 
that it is quite unnecessary to give any description, 
as all the readers of The Gardening World are 
familiar with it, Visiting W. H. Elliot's gardens at 
Selly Oak, Birmingham recently, I saw a display 
made with forty-five plants, that would be difficult to 
match in any part of the country, and being some¬ 
what curious, I counted the number of flowers there 
were on the plants, and to my astonishment there 
were upwards of 300 fine blooms.— J. McNab. 
Orchids from Balmedie, Aberdeen. —At no 
season of the year do Orchids in bloom look more 
cheerful than at mid-winter. A large boxful of 
Cypripediums has reached us from Mr. Wm. 
Hutchinson, gardener to W. H. Lumsden, Esq., of 
Balmedie, Aberdeen, testifying very plainly that he 
not only has a fine collection but that he can grow 
them. A large proportion of them consisted of very 
beautiful varieties of Cypripedium insigne and C. 
leeanum. The size and substance of the flowers 
were remarkable, and the spotting of the dorsal 
sepal both heavy and rich in colour; the apical 
portion and a broad margin of this segment were 
pure white, and in some cases the violet blotches so 
characteristic of C. i. Maulei were very clearly 
brought out. In some cases the blotches were few 
and large and in other cases very numerous and 
small. A bloom of a variety strange to us but which 
Mr. Hutchinson considers comes near to C. i. hors- 
manianum, has'been flowering with him for quite ten 
weeks past. The dorsal sepal has very pale blotches, 
and much white about it. 
The flowers of the hybrid C. leeanum were also 
notable for their size, texture and beautiful coloura¬ 
tion. Particularly so, was this the case with a variety 
which comes as near as possible to C. 1 . masereelia- 
num as described in our pages a little over three 
years ago. Almost the whole surface of the dorsal 
sepal was finely spotted with purple. Accompanying 
the others was a splendid bloom of C. lathamianum, 
so variable in the case of different seedlings as far as 
colour is concerned, yet agreeing with the type in 
form. Beautiful and interesting as C. fairieanum 
always is, it cannot be compared with the hybrid C. 
arthurianum, obtained from C. insigne crossed with 
C. fairieanum, and which is notable for the rich 
spotting of the dorsal sepal. A magnificent bloom 
of C. harrisianum superbum with its rich, dark 
purple-brown dorsal sepal accompanied the rest. 
It measured 5J in. across the petals. C. barbatum 
crossianum with its usual V-shaped mark on the 
dorsal sepal was pretty and in good form. The 
Selenipedium group was represented by one of the 
C. Sedenii and another of the C. dominianum group 
of hybrids. Mr. Hutchinson is to be congratulated 
upon the general excellence of his cultivation as 
evidenced by the flowers sent us. 
PLANTS RECENTLY CERTIFICATED. 
The subjects mentioned hereunder were certificated 
by the Royal Horticultural Society on the 10th inst. 
FLORAL COMMITTEE. 
Chrysanthemum Stresa.— This is a decorative 
variety with broad, bright yellow florets and a paler 
reverse. The variety is of vigorous constitution, 
producing branches very freely, and although no dis¬ 
budding is given, the stalks are sufficiently long to 
enable the flowers to be cut and used separately, if 
so desired. The plant has oak-laaf foliage and is 
very dwarf in habit. It is really a January variety, as 
H. Briscoe-Ironside, Esq., Cedar Lodge, Burgess Hill, 
Sussex, who was the exhibitor on this occasion, also 
showed a plant at a meeting of the Society in March 
last. A large bunch, consisting of some 200 blooms, 
all cut from two plants, and presenting an imposing 
and attractive appearance, gained the deserved 
honour of an Award of Merit. 
FRUIT COMMITTEE. 
Victoria Kale.— Amongst the numerous types of 
Borecole in cultivation this is truly a Scotch Kale or 
Curly, which has been carefully selected over a long 
period of years, and would seem to have reached the 
Ultima Thule of perfection in this particular class of 
vegetables. The leaves are densely and extremely 
finely folded and curled, some portions of the folds 
being blanched by others lying upon them. At a 
short distance the cut heads of Victoria Kale seem 
like a very fine sample of Parsley. Award of Merit. 
Messrs. Dobbie & Co., Orpington, Kent, and Rothe¬ 
say, N.B. 
The undermentioned Chrysanthemums received 
First-class Certificates at the meeting of the National 
Chrysanthemum Society, held in the Royal Aquarium 
on December nth :— 
Mrs. R. W. E. Murray.— This is a late flower¬ 
ing pure white Japanese variety, with rather narrow, 
incurving, and intermingling florets, with acutely 
pointed apices. The blooms shown of it were fully 
7 in. in diameter and about 5 in. in depth. —R. W. E. 
Murray, Esq., Blackford House, Edinburgh. 
Janette Sheahan is the most recent addition to 
the ranks of late flowering decorative varieties. In 
habit the plants are dwarf and sturdy, and very 
floriferous. The blooms are of a rich orange-yellow 
hue, slightly reflexed. It will no doubt be grown 
largely for blooming about Christmastide.—Mr. D. 
Sheahan, Harfield Road, Wimbledon. 
* 
Vines.— The shoots borne by the early pot vines 
will now be quite long enough to tie down. The 
bunches also will make their appearance in some 
cases. As soon as they are observed, the shoots 
bearing them may be stopped at the second joint, 
beyond the point of which the branch is to be seen. 
As growth proceeds a sharp eye must be kept upon 
the laterals which spring from the main shoots at 
the leaf axils. On no account should they be 
allowed to get too long before they are stopped, but 
they must have their points pinched out as soon as 
they have made the first leaf, by means of the 
finger and thumb. A temperature of about 60° 
Fahr. by night will be required, rising to 65 3 or 70° 
by day. Some cultivators advocate rather a higher 
temperature than this, but as to maintain this, 
requires the application of a deal of fire heat very 
little is to be gained in so doing, as the atmosphere 
becomes parched and arid, and very exhausting and 
deleterious to the young, delicate leaves. Syringing 
overhead will, as a matter of course, be discontinued, 
and the dampings-down will, as the result, have to 
be more frequent and copious. 
Early Permanent Vinery. —The temperature 
here should also be kept gradually upon the increase, 
and the thermometer may now stand between 50° to 
62° Fahr. by night, with a proportionate rise during 
the day. The buds, assisted by the regular shower 
baths, will now be commencing to burst, and soon 
the canes may be restored from the horizontal 
position in which they have been tied down, to 
insure their breaking equally, to their proper place. 
It is not advisable to delay this operation for too 
long, as after the young shoots have exceeded an 
inch in length they become especially brittle. Once 
the canes have been put right, disbudding may be 
recommended. No reckless removing of shoots 
must be practised, for no matter how careful the 
operator may be, growths will snap off sometimes 
during the tying-down process, and thus, if all that 
can be spared have been taken out before, an ugly 
gap is caused. 
General Work in the Vineries.— All the 
pruning and cleaning of canes, washing of houses, 
and top-dressing of b irders should be completed by 
the commencement of the new year, as after that 
work begins to multiply very rapidly, and it is some¬ 
times difficult to keep pace with it, especially where 
a great deal of early forcing has to be done. For 
the present, such houses may be kept as cool as 
possible, fire heat only being given to exclude fro c t. 
Where they are utilised for housing bedding stuff and 
greenhouse plants of various kinds a little higher 
temperature must be given for the sake of the plants, 
but undue excitement of the vines must be avoided 
as far as possible in any case. 
Figs. —If it is required to have ripe Figs fairly 
early in the year, say towards the end of April or 
beginning of May, no time must be lost in intro¬ 
ducing a few pot plants into heat. If re-potting is 
not needed the plants should have 2 in. or 3 in. of the 
surface soil taken out, and then be top-dressed with 
a compost of two parts of rich fibrous loam to one 
of well-rotted stable manure. Any pruning that is 
necessary may next be seen to, although this will 
chiefly consist in the thinning out of branches 
where they are observed to be too thick, or in the 
removal of others that are of no use. As the Fig 
will at all times bear a much higher temperature at 
the start than the Vine, the plants which are to 
furnish the first fruit, may be put in the early 
vinery to start, as a night temperature of about 52° 
Fahr. will suit them admirably. A bed of ferment¬ 
ing material may be made up upon the inside border, 
and the pots pluDged to the rims in it. They will 
thus get the same syringing as the Vines. Brown 
Turkey is the very best variety for forcing purposes, 
although White Ischia and St. John are also good 
reliable sorts for the purpoee. 
Peaches and Nectarines.— For the earliest 
house, which was started at the beginning of the 
month a night temperature of 42 0 Fahr. will be 
required. A proportionate rise during the day must 
be given, putting on a chink of air as soon as the 
thermometer indicates 50°. Continue to ply the 
syringe as advised in the last calendar until the 
flowers begin to expand, when a drier atmosphere 
must be maintained. Continue to prune, clean, 
where necessary, of scale, etc., and tie in the trees in 
the later houses. 
Cherries.— These are rather more difficult to 
grow well under glass than the majority of subjects. 
Nothing like hard forcing must be attempted in 
dealing with them, and draughts of all kinds must 
be studiously avoided. They must, therefore, be 
very gently dealt with, and allowed to come on 
very gradually. Cordons are the most handy style 
of trees, and if proper attention is paid to the 
stopping of the shoots in summer, the bases of the 
spurs should be well clothed with fruit buds. By 
starting the trees at the commencement of the New 
Year ripe fruit may be easily obtained by the begin¬ 
ning of May. A night temperature of 40° by night, 
rising 5 0 or 6° during the day, will be ample for the 
first week or two. Early Rivers is one of the very 
best varieties for forcing purposes, although the 
Black Tartarian and May Duke are also excellent. 
Strawberries. —In most gardens these have to be 
forced in considerable numbers for supplying the 
dessert table from early in the spring up to the time 
when they may be obtained in the ordinary course 
from outdoor plants. A batch should now be intro¬ 
duced into heat without delay. Although the number 
of varieties of Strawberries at our disposal is legion, 
the sorts that will bear early forcing well are rather 
limited. Either Keen's Seedling, Vicomtesse 
Hericart deThury, or Laxton's Noble, will, however, 
give every satisfaction. The temperature for the 
first week should not exceed 45 0 by night and 55 0 by 
day, but may be gradually on the increase at the 
rate of about 2 0 per week. The syringe should be 
plied amongst them at least once a day, and care must 
be taken to see that the roots do not suffer from lack 
of water. A shelf near the glass is the best position 
to give them, and they need all <he light they can 
get in order to make healthy and substantial 
foliage. 
The main stock of Strawberry plants must be 
sheltered in some way, if this has not been already 
done, for, although they are perfectly hardy with 
regard to cold, they will sustain a good deal of 
damage if they are allowed to get sodden at the 
root with the copious rains or snows that usually 
characterise the winter months. If any cold frames 
are vacant they may be stood in these, plunging the 
pots to the rims in ashes. The lights may be 
puded ofl entirely during fine dry days, and blocked 
up at the back during wet, mild weather, as the 
plants must not bi coddled in any way.— A. S. G. 
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miles nearer than California to Chicago and New York, tour 
to seven weeks earlier fruiting season. Ideal climate tor weak 
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full parti tulars, address—Mesilla Val.ey Irritation Colony, 34, 
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