562 
THE GARDENING WORLD. 
May 2, 1890 
tiful and well-known variety is Rose Laing, the 
ground colour of which varies from white to delicate 
pink of a translucent character ; the ribs are always 
darker. 
A First-class Certificate was awarded to Comtesse 
de Brosse some time ago in recognition of its hand¬ 
some character. The rich rose leaves have sunken 
nerves of a handsome reddish-carmine. The crimson 
veining is also a special feature of Comtesse Ferdinand 
de Lesseps, the ground colour being rosy-red. The 
golden-yellow of Princess Royal forms a beautiful 
setting for the crimson centre. The variety is 
admirably adapted fcr exhibition purposes and very 
telling. The green ribs running through the delicate 
pink ground of Purus make the leaves of a highly- 
ornamental character. A first-class exhibition variety 
is Mrs. Laing, which has large white leaves with 
deep rosy centre and ribs, the whole being bounded 
with a green margin. Ibis Rouge can hardly fail to 
be appreciated for decorative purposes on account 
of its beautiful dark rose leaves, the veins of which 
are carmine and form a handsome network. The 
creamy leaves of Guil Mar are tinted with salmon, 
and are very distinct in their way. The light 
golden leaves of Golden Queen are also very distinct, 
and form a beautiful contrast with the brighter 
coloured and darker sorts. It is by contrast that the 
distinctive features of the various kinds are brought 
into prominence. 
Very striking are the greenish-yellow leaves of 
Gartendirector Gireaud, banded with ivory-white 
ribs and spotted with reddish-pink. The sub-trans¬ 
parent varieties are now getting very numerous, 
but they generally occur amongst the lighter- 
coloured sorts. Mons. Deglos forms an exception, 
for the leaves are crimson-red. Another belonging 
to that type is Madame Mitjana, but the crimson 
leaves with a rose centre are very different in general 
aspect. The dark red blotches on the greenish-white 
ground of Madame Imbert Koecblin supplies another 
and very distinct type. The shining green and 
yellow of Luteum auratum, blotched with reddish- 
brown in the centre, is also strikingly distinct. 
Argyrites is well known for its small silvery-white 
leaves. A handsome companion for it is Le Nain 
Rouge, of the same dwarf habit, with small carmine- 
red leaves. James H. Laing is suffused pink and 
rose with darker veins. Jaguaruna is suffused with 
dark red on a creamy-yellow ground, and is both 
handsome and strikingly distinct. 
The above include only a very small proportion of 
what may be seen in all stages of growth and size in 
the Stanstead Park Nursery, Forest Hill. Those 
who are .in the neighbourhood should not miss 
seeing them while they are in the pink of perfection. 
--*«- 
PROFITABLE CUCUMBER GROWING. 
Although competition is exceedingly strong the 
demand for a Cucumber of fine quality and appear¬ 
ance is as keen as ever. Those growers who are 
using the knife at the present time will obtain good 
results. 
Just a word or two on varieties. There is at 
present a grand selection in the country ; inferior 
sorts of Cucumbers are not nearly so plentiful as is 
the case with so many other market crops. Lockie’s 
Perfection is at all times a great favourite, though 
perhaps not an ideal market Cucumber—I mean for 
that grower that requires quantity, and we are all, I 
think, a trifle grasping in that way. Its great point 
comes out when the fruits are placed against coarser 
or less shapely ones. Of course, I know shape is no 
object when the fruit has to be cut up. However, 
this is one of the many little whims of the buyer, 
and we must not discourage it. If he prefers paying 
sixpence for a straight Cucumber of good appear¬ 
ance rather than threepence for a frame-grown fruit, 
although the difference in flavour (the main consider¬ 
ation) is apparently small, let him do so. 
As to other sorts, Telegraph, procured from a 
reliable firm, will answer all purposes. 
The temperature in which the plants are grown 
should never fall below 6o° Fahr., and may rise to 
75° or 8o° with safety. Giving air will strengthen 
the plants, and consequently keep them in bearing 
longer, while the opposite kind of treatment will 
weaken and soon finish them off. Good rich loam, 
as rough as possible, for the purpose of keeping the 
bed open to allow the roots to run, should be 
employed if procurable. Never use a dry structure 
of any kind r growing Cucumbers in, and if 
possible clear miscellaneous subjects out. When 
good root action is observed don’t neglect stopping. 
I always stop for the first time at the fourth joint, 
allowing three breaks to come. Train these one at 
either side, and the remaining one in the middle. 
The practice of letting them reach the first wire 
before pinching is not the way to get fruit early or 
one to recommend for any purpose. By early stop¬ 
ping you get three main stems close to the bottom ; 
and by judicious top-dressing and placing the material 
well round the necks of these stems they make roots 
and afford considerable aid to the plants after they 
have found their feet, as it were. Keep growths 
stopped one joint above all fruits, and take weak 
shoots out altogether.— J. G. Pettinger, Strawberry 
Dale Nursery, Harrogate. 
•-- 
CLARE LAWN, EAST SHEEN. 
Orchids. 
In the way of orchids there is always something in¬ 
teresting in bloom at Clare Lawn,East Sheen, the resi¬ 
dence of Sir F. Wigan. The place has been noted for 
many years on account of the Phalaenopsis, but the 
winter and spring flowering kinds are now making 
their growth. One of the leading features at present 
is Cymbidium lowianum, in the rockery house. 
Twelve large plants carry in the aggregate sixty- 
eight racemes, and 1,050 individual blooms giving an 
average of fifteen flowers to a raceme. We 
noticed some of the latter carrying twenty-four, 
twenty-six, twenty-eight, and thirty-two blooms 
each, thus indicating unmistakeable evidence of 
good cultivation. Several of them are good 
varieties. 
Looking into the Phalaenopsis house, we noted 
some healthy plants of P. ludemanniana, with long 
spikes just commencing to flower. Rather an un¬ 
common species is P. Boxallii with yellow sepals 
and petals, blotched transversely with brown, but 
ultimately fading almost to yellow, the change being 
very marked. The curiously formed lip is like an 
anchor with several processes on the base. Two 
plants of Eulophiella Elizabethae, in baskets, were 
flowering beautifully. Their fleshy, white flowers, 
tinted with pink, are all turned to the upper side of 
the arching racemes, like those of a Freesia. Strange 
to say, the flowers at the tip of the spikes are largest. 
This is also the case with Angraecum sanderianum. 
The golden yellow flowers of Spathoglottis kim- 
balliana, with crimson spots on the lip, are very 
handsome. It may interest some to know that the 
young flowers of this species go to sleep about 
11 a.m., and the brighter the sun the more decidedly 
they close up as if dozing. 
The Cypripediums, occupying the central and side 
benches of this house, are always a feature. At 
present C. rothschildianum bears large "and hand¬ 
some flowers. One plant of C. chamberlamianum 
has been flowering continually for the last sixteen 
months, there being one, or sometimes two flowers 
open at a time ; one bloom lasts a month. A very 
choice thing is C. bellatulum album with pure white 
flowers, the plant being now in bloom for the second 
time here. Large pieces of C. lawrenceanum are 
notable for their fine foliage. A hybrid named C. 
delicatulum was raised here by the Orchid grower, 
Mr. W. H. Young ; the petals are tipped with rich 
rose and pretty. The Selenipedium group is re¬ 
presented by C. Perseus superbum with rosy sepals, 
darker petals, and a rich rose lip. Another fine 
thing is C. macropterum, a hybrid between C. hay- 
naldianum and C. superbiens, and having long 
purple petals spotted on the lower half. One of the 
side benches is covered with soil, and a portion of it 
is planted with C. barbatum, and the handsome C. 
b. magnificum. The plants increase very fast, and 
at the present time they are a mass of bloom. 
Practically they flower twice a year. This style of 
cultivation might well be adopted on a large scale, 
for the sake of cut flowers. 
Several things have commenced to bloom in the 
cool Odontoglossum house; and amongst those 
expanded we noticed O. crispum, O. c. andersonia- 
num, O. maculatum, O. constrictum, the orange Ada 
aurantiaca, Lycaste Skinneri, and several others. 
The Cattleya house contains a considerable variety 
of plants ; and on the occasion of our visit we noted 
C. Skinneri, C. citrina, C. Schroderae, with a curious 
coppery blotch in the throat, and C. lawrenceana. 
The latter bore six flowers on one spike; and the 
lip was of an intense magenta purple. C. Trianaei 
was flowering on lately imported plants. The deli¬ 
cate sepals and petals with the rich lip of C. 
intermedia were very pretty. Very handsome and 
effective was a plant of Trichopilia suavis alba in a 
basket bearing fourteen fine flowers. Fourteen plants 
of the beautiful Aerides crassifolium, one of the best 
of the genus, were showing for bloom Ae. Fieldingii 
is in the same condition. The large, but short and 
deep purple flowers of Sobralia Ruckeri are very 
showy. 
The Cypripedium house contains a great variety 
of subjects, independently of the Cypripediums. C. 
barbatum nigrum is notable for its large, very dark 
lip. Very interesting and pretty was a group of the 
closely allied C. niveum, white, C. concolor, pale 
yellow, and C. bellatulum, with its richly-blotched 
flowers. Six plants of C. niveum were notable for 
the unusual size of their flowers. Probably the best 
plant of Coelogyne pandurata in the country is to be 
seen here. It is a large and healthy plant on a raft, 
and bearing three spikes of bloom that will expand 
in due course. The rosy blotch at the base of the 
petals of Miltonia Roezlii rosea is very distinct. 
Choice and valuable is a variety with intensely dark 
purple blotches at the base of the petals. The 
foliage of Eranthis Leonis resembles that of a dwarf 
Iris, but the flowers are pure white. A most singu¬ 
lar looking Orchid is Magaclinium falcatum with a 
row of small flowers on either side of a flattened 
flower stalk. Dendrobiums are represented by D. 
Phalaenopsis Schroderianum in variety. Very 
choice is a form with deep purple petals fading to 
white at the base; the triangular lip is dark crimson 
and pure white in the throat. Another variety has 
the petals turned up like a mouse’s ear. D. fimbri- 
atum, D. f. oculatum, and D. chrvsotoxum are useful 
well-known kinds. Rare and beautiful is D. velu- 
tinum, of a golden yellow with a velvety pale green 
lip. 
A range of cool houses on a northern aspect con¬ 
tains many beautiful and interesting subjects, some 
of which are rare in cultivation. The pretty Helcia 
sanguineolenta has a white lip striped with purple. 
A strong plant of Ornithocephalus grandiflorus will 
soon be in bloom. The green of the lip makes a 
handsome contrast with the white of the other parts 
of the flower. The structure is very singular. The 
rare Cymbidium tigrinum is about to flower. A 
large collection of Masdevallias constitutes a feature 
of one of the houses. M. Shuttleworthii is always 
pretty and interesting. Compared with it, M. 
xanthocorys is paler in all its colours. Useful and 
well-known sorts are M.ignea, M. Roezlii, M.Veitchii, 
M. Chelsoni, M. ignea Eckhardtii, and others in 
bloom. Epidendrum hastatum has white flowers 
with a hastate lip, Two plants of Nanodes Medusae 
are about to flower, and though allied to Epidendrum, 
their flowers are most singular in structure. 
Another division of this range is devoted to 
Odontoglossums, of which several are flowering, 
including the charming white O. Oerstedi with an 
orange eye-like spot. It is grown in pans close up to 
the glass. The rosy flowers of O. Cervantesii Morado 
are exceedingly neat and choice. Here also are the 
sweet-scented white O. pulchellum, O. crispum in 
variety, and Masdevallia muscosa with the strangely 
sensitive lip. 
A variety of Cattleya Trianaei, recently imported, is 
notable for its unusually broad petals. In the same 
house with it is a huge piece of Dendrobium 
chrysotoxum in a basket. It has unusually long 
pseudobulbs. There are also some flue pieces of 
Laelia purpurata in bloom. A bloom on one plant 
presented a distinct case of peloria# It had three 
sepals and three lips, and presented a semi-double 
appearance. 
Mr. Young takes great interest in the numerous 
and varied subjects under his care, and some or 
other of them keep alive the interesting character 
of the collection at all seasons of the year. 
Other Plant Houses. 
The fruit houses and those containing flowering 
plants of various kinds, as well as the kitchen garden 
and many other departments of the establishment, 
are under the care of the gardener, Mr. Want. The 
early spring-sown Cucumbers have been fruiting for 
some time past. The stove contains a collection of 
fine foliage as well as flowering plants, amongst 
which we noted a huge piece of Anthurium 
scherzerianum, as well as smaller pieces in bloom. 
A Continental hybrid, named Francis Joseph, bears 
large, soft red, and shining spathes. The Camellia 
