838 
THE GARDENING WORLD. 
January 25, 1896. 
The Christmas Roses are. and have been flowering 
for a long time past. The long succession of bloom is 
due to the fact that the collection contains all the best 
varieties, aided, of course, by the character of the 
winter. Helleborus niger altifolius, also widely 
known as H. n maximus, is the earliest, and was 
past its best when we saw it. The beautiful H. n. 
angustifolius, also known as St. Brigid, does not 
seem to differ from the Brockhurst var. In any 
case they are characterised by green leaf-stalks and 
peduncles, white flowers, and bloom profusely and 
contemporaneously. H. n. major, or the Devonshire 
variety, is also a form of H. n. angustifolius, but 
differs from the type in having purple-spotted 
flower-stalks. H. n. ruber is a form of H. n. alti¬ 
folius, differing in having the sepals tinted with rose, 
so that the English name, Peach Blossom, is aptly 
applicable. A variety named H. n. caucasicus, and 
recently imported froih the Caucasus, is also a form 
of H. n. altifolius, but flowers later, and is notable 
for its glaucous foliage. H. n. Madame Fourcade 
has small but very numerous flowers, red stems, and 
the leaf-stalks are also red up to the base of the seg¬ 
ments of the leaves. Taken together they form a 
very valuable collection. 
The Houses. 
A brief inspection of the fruit room showed a collec¬ 
tion of Apples in splendid condition ; but we noted 
only a few of the favourite varieties to be met with 
in Devon. Cornish Aromatic has a firm, white, and 
sweet flesh, but it should be tasted before Cornish 
Gilliflower, the rich, aromatic, crisp, and tender 
flesh of which at once singles it out as an Apple of 
rare quality. Its lack of colour alone, we imagine, 
prevents it from gaining a wide popularity with the 
British public ; but this should not count in private 
establishments. Dutch Mignonne has a yellowish- 
white, crisp, and juicy flesh, and is attractive to 
look at. The fruits of D’Arcy’s Spice are small and 
green, but crisp, deliciously sweet, and aromatic. 
Newtown Pippin fruited well here on pyramidal 
trees. The white flesh is firm, very close in the 
grain, and of an extremely aromatic flavour. There 
seems no reason why it should not be widely culti¬ 
vated in the warmer parts of Britain, at least. We 
noted a standard Peach tree in the open, and which 
fruited well last year. 
In one of the greenhouses is a collection of 
Himalayan Rhododendrons. Bamboos are also a 
prominent feature, and include such beautiful and 
graceful species as Bambusa aurea, with golden 
stems, B. palmata, 6 ft. high, Thamnocalamus 
viridi-glaucescens, ore of the most handsome for 
outdoor work, T. Ladekeri and T. nobile. Passing 
into another house we noted a collection of Orchids, 
amongst which Laelia anceps, L. a. alba, and others 
were flowering. Crimson, white, rose, and blush 
Cyclamens with large flowers show the strain to be 
a good one. 
Another house contains a collection of Cypripe- 
diums, including varieties of C. leeanum, C. venus- 
tum, C. insigne, and others in bloom at the time we 
saw them. They are grown in Jadoo Fibre, into 
which they root like weeds. Saintpaulia ionantha, 
like a Violet, was flowering beautifully. Hanging 
from the roof is a rare and interesting specimen of 
the hoary or silvery-gray Tillandsia argentea in good 
health. The next house is filled with Palms, more 
Bamboos and Strelitzia Reginae in flower. Then come 
Bamboos again, including Bambusa Hindsii and B. 
Simonsii. Tall Camellias, planted out, are full of 
flowers and buds The next division contains 
Bambusa violascens, B. viminalis (Kumasasa), B. 
disticha, B. nigra, with black stems, B. tessellata, 
with broad leaves, .and the graceful Thamnocalamus 
apathiflorus. Many of them are recent additions to 
the collection ; hence the r ason for being located 
here. They are hardy in favourable districts. 
In a greenhouse Sibthorpia europea grows like a 
weed. The hoary and shrubby Convolvulus 
Cneorum is also a noticeable, though rare species. 
Many fine plants of the beautiful Lotus peliorhyn- 
chus are suspended in pots and hang down grace¬ 
fully. Grevillea Preissii has red and white flowers. 
Statice Butcheri, still in flower, is one of the best. 
Very fine is Coleus Beauty of Exeter, with a mixture 
of some half-a-dozen colours. 
Those of our readers who chance that way 
should pay a visit of inspection, and we are sure 
that Mr. P. C. M. Veitcb, the head of the firm, will 
give them a warm welcome and courteous attention. 
ORCHID NOTES & GLEANINGS. 
Bv the Editor. 
The following were certificated by the Royal 
Horticultural Society on the 14th inst. :—- 
Phaiocalanthe Sedeni albiflona, Nov. hyb. 
bigen. —The seed parent of this bigeneric hybrid was 
Phaius grandifolius, and the pollen parent Calanthe 
Veitchi, itself a hybrid. So completely have the 
two parents been fused in the progeny that a keen 
eye would fail to find any resemblance to either. 
The flowers are of large size, and like a Calanthe in 
form. The sepals are broadly elliptic, and white 
with a rosy base. The smaller petals are obovate, 
but similar in colour. The four-lobed lip is white 
and very large. The plant is dwarf in stature, 
and altogether handsome. First-class Certificate. 
The exhibitors, Messrs. J. Veitch & Sod, Chelsea, 
are to be congratulated on this fresh acquisition. 
Cypripedium Euryades, Nov. hyb. —Linder this 
name two very distinct forms have each received an 
Award of Merit. Both were obtained from C. 
villosum Boxallii, crossed with the pollen of C. 
leeanum, itself a hybrid. One of them has the 
upper sepal interruptedly variegated with rich 
purple on a white ground, and of a mahogany 
colour at the base. The wavy petals are of a 
mahogany-brown with yellow edges. The lip is of a 
brighter mahogany colour and shining. The other 
is equally beautiful, and has the upper sepal heavily 
blotched with dark purple on a white ground along 
the central portion, and pale apple-green at the 
base. The petals are pale brown, netted, and glossy. 
The lip is of a pale mahogany colour. Both are 
genuine acquisitions to this class of Orchids. 
Messrs. J. Veitch & Sons. 
Cypripedium Schroderae candidulum, Nov. 
hyb. —This was obtained from the hybrid C. Sedeni 
candidulum, a choice and well-known hybrid, crossed 
with the pollen of the long-tailed C. caudatum 
Wallisii. The upper sepal is white and netted with 
green. The petals are much twisted, white, suffused 
with pink, and 4 in. long. The lip is soft purple 
and spotted with purple all over the infolded sides 
and the interior as well. It is choice and beautiful. 
Award of Merit. Messrs. J. Veitch & Sons. 
Vanda Charlesworthii, Nov. var. —Whether we 
regard this as a new species or a variety of V. 
caerulea it is certainly very distinct and choice. 
The sepals are obcvate and white, the lateral ones 
being much broader than the dorsal one. The petals 
are white, faintly tinted with rose along the centre 
and at the apex. The lip is oblong, three-ridged, 
and washed with soft violet. Award of Merit. 
Baron Schroeder (gardener, Mr. H. Ballantine), The 
Dell, Egham. 
Cypripedium Minnie Ames, Nov. hyb. —This 
was obtained from C. Curtisii crossed with C. con- 
color, and the progeny bears evidence on the face of 
it. The upper sepal is pink, tinted with green in the 
centre. The petals are rosy with darker lines along 
the veins. The upper portion of the lip is of a dark, 
dull purple, and the lower portion is creamy-white. 
Award of Merit. Messrs. F. Sander & Co., St. 
Albans. 
Laeliocattleya C'cero, Nov. hyb. bigen. —The 
seed parent of this bigeneric hybrid was Cattleya 
intermedia, and the pollen bearer Laelia elegans. 
The sepals are soft purple. The petals are oblong 
and of a darker hue but clear and clean. The lip 
has a pale lilac tube, and a dark crimson lamina; 
the interior of the tube is white with a purple band. 
The colours are remarkably clear considering the 
pollen parent. Award of Merit. C. L. N. Ingram, 
Esq. (gardener, Mr. T. Bond), Elstead House, 
Godaiming. 
Cattleya percivaliana Ingram's van., Nov. 
var .—The sepals and petals of this handsome variety 
are soft purple, but the lip is the most telling organ 
of the flower. It has a broad orange and crimson 
band across the base of the lamina, a rich crimson 
blotch in the centre, and broad lilac edges. Every 
part of the flower is of good substance, pointing at 
least to good cultivation. Award of Merit. C. L. N. 
Ingram, Esq. 
Cypripedium Calypso Stand Hall var., Nov. 
var. —The upper sepal of this fine variety is richly 
blotched with purple on the lower two-thirds of its 
length, with a claret rib, a dark base, and the rest 
white. The petals are of a rich brownish-yellow, 
and paler yellow on the lower longitudinal half. 
The large lip is of a purplish-brown. Award of 
Merit. Thos. Statter, Esq. (gardener, Mr. R. John¬ 
son), Stand Hall, Manchester. 
Cattleya 7 rianaei alba.—Several plants of 
this were showD, and the flowers were pure white 
with the exception of a small, pale yellow blotch in 
the throat. All will grant that this is a choice and 
select Cattleya. First-class Certificate. Mr. Wm. 
Bull, 536, King's Road, Chelsea. 
Masdevallia polysticta.—The flowers of this 
species are small, white, spotted with purple, and 
have short golden tails. They are borne in racemes. 
Botanical Certificate. Sir Trevor Lawrence, Bart, 
(grower, Mr. W. H. White), Burford Lodge, 
Dorking. 
Masdevallia polysticta purpurea, Nov. var .— 
This differs from the type in having much larger and 
darker spots, which become amalgamated into solid 
blotches at the base of the segments. Botanical 
Certificate. Sir Trevor Lawrence, Bart. 
Masdevallia striatella—The flowers in this 
case are produced singly on the stems, and are white 
with three purple lines to each segment. The tails 
are short and brown. Botanical Certificate. Sir 
Trevor Lawrence, Bart. 
Masdevallia ludibunda.—Here again the stems 
are one-flowered, but the triangular blooms are 
decidedly pretty. They are bright purple with 
golden tails 2 in. to zj in. long. Botanical Certifi¬ 
cate. 
Oncidium cheirophorum.—The small flowers 
of this species have greenish-yellow sepals, a yellow 
lip, and, being scented like Hawthorn and produced 
in panicles, they are both pretty and desirable. 
There were eleven spikes on the plant shown by 
R. I. Measures, Esq. (gardener, Mr. Hy. Chapman), 
Cambridge Lodge, Camberwell. Botanical Certifi¬ 
cate. 
Lycaste trifohata.—-The sepals are greenish, 
the petals white, and the lip is deeply and finely 
fringed and creamy-white. Botanical Certificate. 
The Hon. Walter Rothschild (gardener, Mr. E. Hill), 
Tring Park, Tring. 
Masdevallia abbreviata—The flowers are 
small, produced in racemes, white, spotted with 
purple internally, and have short yellow tails. 
Botanical Certificate. S. Courtauld, Esq. (gardener, 
Mr. Alf. Wright), Bocking Place, Braintree 
Masdevallia caloptera -The small flowers of 
this species are white with dark purple blotches at 
the base of the segments, which are furnished with 
thickened, golden-yellow tails about half an inch 
long. Botanical Certificate. S. Courtauld, Esq. 
THE PLANT HOUSES. 
The Stove. 
Although plants under glass are, in a great measure, 
independent of outside climatic conditions, still they 
are, to some degree at least, influenced by them. 
The abnormal mildness of the opening part of the 
new year will, without doubt, have not a little effect 
upon plants in the stove, particularlyin inducing them 
to commence starting away rather earlier than usual. 
At this time last year it will be remembered we 
were almost in the middle of a sharp attack of 
winter in real earnest, from which we have up to the 
present time escaped. Every care must be taken, 
however, to see that the plants are not robbed to any 
extent of the rest which should rightfully be theirs, 
Things generally should be kept as quiet as possible 
until the end of the present month. The house, there¬ 
fore, may be kept at the same temperature by night as 
mentioned in the last calendar—viz., 60 Fahr.— until 
the appearance of February, when a rise of a couple 
of degrees may be given 
The flight of time also reminds us that we are 
upon the verge of the potting season. It is necessary 
to overhaul the whole of the plants at least once a 
year, shifting some, top-dressing others, or clearing 
the drainage of those that do not stand in need of 
fresh soil. The system of doing this in spring is 
pretty generally adopted throughout the country, as 
experience has proved that the majority of plants 
can be bandied then with less fear of their sustaining 
injury than at any other time For general purposes 
a start may be made about the middle of February, 
although if there is a lot to do, and few hands to do it, 
work may be commenced a couple of weeks earlier. 
Everything should be done now to forward operations 
presently. Any plants that require heading back or 
