December 14, 1889. 
THE GARDENING WORLD. 
237 
THE FORCING HOUSES. 
Figs. —Plants in pots started in November, should at 
the present time be kept at a night temperature of 50° 
to 55°, raising 5° or 10° during the day. With the 
advantage of sun heat (a rather scarce commodity at 
present) a little ventilation may be given during the 
middle of the day. If the temperature of the house is 
mainly kept up by means of fermenting material, 
examine the latter, and when the heat has declined to 
70°, press down the fermenting leaves and add a fresh 
layer that has previously been fermented and otherwise 
prepared. The best kinds for early work are the old 
Brown Turkey and White Marseilles. Syringe on 
fine days. 
Cucumbers. —Plants now in full bearing should be 
encouraged with copious supplies of liquid manure, at 
the same temperature as the atmosphere of the house. 
Maintain a bottom heat of from 75° to 85°, and 
remember that no greater strain should be placed on 
the energies of the plants than can be helped ; all full- 
grown fruits, i.e., ready for use, should be removed as 
they attain the necessary size. Avoid too great aridity 
in the atmosphere, as it is liable to encourage insect 
pests, while a very humid one will assist the spread of 
mildew. In the latter case, dust with flour of sulphur. 
THE KITCHEN GARDEN. 
Digging. —The recent severe weather put a stop to 
digging, although it afforded an opportunity for 
wheeling manure to the quarters about to be dug or 
trenched without the danger of cutting up walks or 
grass, or of conveying soil on to them. Digging should 
not, however, be commenced immediately after a thaw 
sets in, for the soil is then in a very unworkable con¬ 
dition, and if rendered pasty in the operation, will be 
productive of bad results to the crops grown there, 
owing to the impenetrable nature of the soil. 
Pruning. —This may be carried on during the middle 
of the day when not too frosty, and even after a thaw, 
when digging operations cannot with propriety be 
executed. The completion of the pruning of Red and 
Black Currants and Gooseberries, whether in the squares 
or on walls or borders, should be effected as speedily as 
possible. 
-- 
HORTICULTURAL SOCIETIES, 
Royal Horticultural.— Dec. 10th. 
The December meetings are never very large, as far as 
plants are concerned, but there is generally something 
of interest, and on this occasion the .chief interest was 
centred upon a number of new hybrid Orchids. Hybrid 
greenhouse Rhododendrons, Pelargoniums, Carnations, 
Grapes, Apples, and other things made up the rest of 
the exhibits. 
A Bronze Banksian Medal was awarded to J. S. 
Hodgson, Esq. (gardener, Mr. Evans), Lythe Hill, 
Haslemere, for a fine pan of Masdevallia tovarensis, 
consisting of 255 leaves, and 162 spikes bearing 346 
expanded blooms. Messrs. J. Yeitch & Sons, Chelsea, 
exhibited Lselio-Cattleya Pallas, Lselio-Cattleya Stella, 
Cypripedium Niobe, and C. T. B. Haywood, some of 
which were certificated. They are described on another 
page. Other exhibits by the same firm were Carna¬ 
tions Winter Cheer and Marie Louise, and fourteen 
trusses of hybrid greenhouse Rhododendrons, amongst 
which was Maiden’s Blush, blush-pink; Princess 
Alexandra, blush-white ; Taylori, rose-pink ; Princess 
Frederica, pale apricot; Eclatante, crimson ; Prince 
Leopold, orange-red ; Balsaminteflorum carneum, flesh ; 
and Little Beauty, bright red. Lord Rothschild 
(gardener, Mr. J. Hill) exhibited a fine plant of Vanda 
Amesiana, with a branching scape about 2J ft. 
high, bearing numerous flowers. The leaves and 
the whole plant exhibited great vigour. A Cultural 
Commendation was awarded. Baron Schroder (gardener 
Mr. Ballantine), The Dell, Egham, exhibited Cypri¬ 
pedium Galatea majus, a new hybrid ; and C. Ingram, 
Esq., Godaiming, showed another, named C. Lathamia- 
num, a hybrid between C. villosum and C. Spicerianum. 
The latter was accorded a vote of thanks. The former is 
described on another page. A basket of Orchids was 
shown by Messrs. F. Sander & Co., St. Albans, including 
Dendrobiumbigibbum,D. Statterianum, Odontoglossum 
nevadeDse, 0. Wattiana, Sophronitis grandiflora, S. g. 
rosea, and Aerides Savageana, the latter being a pretty and 
rather distinct species. A fine piece of Ccelia bella was 
staged by S. Malcolm Cook, Esq. (gardener, Mr. D. 
Cullimore), Kingston Hill. A plant of Oncidium 
Forbesii was shown by E. G. Wrigley, Esq. (gardener, 
Mr. C. Harris), Victoria House, Dukinfield, Chester, 
for which he received a vote of thanks, and a similar 
award for a plant of Lfelia albida, bearing seven spikes, 
together with some cut blooms of the same species. J. 
Carlton Parr, Esq. (gardener, Mr. C. J. Catt), Grappen- 
hall, Heyes, Warrington, exhibited Cypripedium 
Leeanum, and a finely spotted form of C. bellatulum. 
Messrs. H. Cannell & Sons, Swanley, showed two 
stands of Pelargoniums done up in large trusses, and 
exhibiting some fine tints of colouring. Handsome and 
distinct were Souvenir de Mirande, Richard Dean, Amy 
Amphlett, Hyacinth, Favourite, Dr. Tuckey, and Mrs. 
Wildsmith. They also exhibited Chrysanthemum 
Crimson and Gold, single, and Mrs. E. W. Clark, a 
large crimson Japanese kind with a rosy purple reverse. 
There was a box of the Chinese Primula blooms,and some 
plants of a variety named Punctata grandiflora. Messrs. 
Pitcher & Manda, 139, Barry Road, East Dulwich, 
exhibited some blooms of the new Chrysanthemum, 
Mrs. Alpheus Hardy, which received an Award of Merit. 
They also staged a plant of a Japanese kind named 
Shasta, with long, slender, quilled white florets. The 
plant was only 2^ ft. high. Anthurium burfordiense 
was shown bySirTrevor Lawrence, Bart. ,Burford Lodge, 
Dorking; the crimson-scarlet spathe is very intense. 
Messrs. Charles Lee & Son, the Royal Vineyard 
Nurseries, Hammersmith, exhibited a small group of 
plants of Bouvardia elegans variegata ; the plants varied 
from 6 ins. to 12 ins. high, and had their leaves 
margined with creamy yellow, fading to creamy white ; 
a vote of thanks was accorded them. Mr. F. Ross, 
gardener to Sir Geo. Macleay, Pendell Court, Bletching- 
ley, showed some flowering stems of Arundo mauritanica, 
with a gracefully branched inflorescence about 2 ft. 
long. A small group of the beautiful white Narcissus 
monophyllus was shown by Mr. T. S. Ware, Hale 
Farm Nurseries, Tottenham. Another group of 
Adiantum Capillus-Veneris imbricatum was shown by 
Mr. G. Masters, High Legh, Knutsford. The pinnules 
were broadly cuneate or half orbicular, deeply and very 
much lacerated. The fronds were developed somewhat 
similarly to those of A. Farleyense, and were semi¬ 
barren. He also showed Chrysanthemum Acquisition, 
some flowers of which were half and half yellow and 
pink. Mr. Miller, gardener to Lord Foley, Ruxley 
Lodge, Esher, exhibited a basket of Mushrooms, and 
also two boxes of blooms of Eucharis grandiflora, for 
which he received a vote of thanks. 
At the meeting of the Fruit Committee, Mr. ,T. H. 
Goodacre, Elvaston Castle Gardens, Derby, exhibited 
eight fine bunches of Lady Downes Grape, for which 
he received a Cultural Commendation. He also 
received a similar award for a basket of Ham Green 
Favourite Tomato. Mr. Ross, Welford Park, New¬ 
bury, showed a dish of Apples named Atalanta, and a 
Smooth Cayenne Pine Apple weighing 7 lbs. 81 ozs. 
To the latter fine specimen a Cultural Commendation 
was awarded. A similar award was made to the Rev. 
W. Wilks, Shirley Vicarage, Croydon, for a dish of 
fruits of the Tree Tomato (Cyphomandra betacea). 
Dishes of Remborough and King of Pippins Apple were 
shown by Mr. G. W. Cummins, gardener to A. H. 
Smee, Esq., The Grange, Wallington ; four dishes 
were exhibited by Messrs. W. & J. Brown, Stamford ; 
Mr. Willard, Holly Lodge, Highgate, showed some 
Apples ; and Mr. Doe, gardener to Lord Savill, had 
two dishes of Beauty of Stoke Apple. A Cultural 
Commendation was awarded to Mr. A. Harding, Orton 
Hall, Peterborough, for some splendidly'grown Brussels 
Sprouts named the Orton. Mr. H. Deverill, Banbury, 
exhibited some splendid samples of the giant Onion 
named Ailsa Craig, and quantity of the Improved 
Wroxton, a smaller kind. A Cultural Commendation 
was awarded in each case. 
National Chrysanthemum. — Dec. 1 1th. 
At the Floral Committee meeting held in the Royal 
Aquarium, on Wednesday, the largest exhibit was 
that of Mr. Robert Owen, Maidenhead. The varieties 
shown were mostly Japanese, and included Mrs. E. W. 
Clarke, a large crimson sort, with a silvery rose reverse; 
Mrs. J. Wannaraaker, rosy pink, and silvery white 
reverse ; Gaspard Rozain, rosy pink, and white in the 
centre ; Mont Blanc, a large incurved pink Japanese 
kind ; and W.W. Cowles,orange-crimson, and spreading 
similar to Val d’Andorra, but different in form. Mrs. 
Frank Thompson was notable for the great breadth of its 
incurved florets, red above, and silvery on the reverse. 
Mr. J. Brown was a spreading golden yellow sort, in the 
way of Sunflower. Thomas Cartleage is a singularly 
curious sort showing the nankeen-yellow reverse only ; 
the inner florets were incurved, the outer ones tubular 
and reflexed. Ada Spaulding, a pink and blush 
incurved variety, is rather loose at this season ; but 
another of this class, named Hermes, a silvery rose and 
neatly incurved, was pronounced quite a gem. Mrs 
Charles Pratt is a large Anemone in the way of Annie 
Lowe. He also showed Chinese Primula blooms, and 
received votes of thanks for several Chrysanthemums. 
Messrs. Id. Cannell & Sons, Swanley, exhibited Mrs. 
E. W. Clark, which was more sweetly scented than 
Progne. They also showed a single, named Crimson 
and Gold. Mr. Taylor, gardener to Sir John Lubbock, 
Bart, M.P., High Elms, Down, Kent, showed blooms 
of about fifty kinds in fresh condition. They con¬ 
sisted of Japanese, incurved, reflexed, large Anemone, 
and Pompon kinds. Not being grown specially for 
exhibition purposes, they were not large blooms, but 
the incurved sorts especially were neat and compact. 
He was accorded a vote of thanks. 
St. Albans and District Horticultural. 
Although very late in the year, this society succeeded 
in holding a very good show on Wednesday, the 4th 
inst. The exhibition was made still more attractive by 
good promenade concerts held in the afternoon and 
evening. The primary object of the exhibition was, if 
possible, to clear the society of the debt incurred at the 
summer show ; but few prizes were offered, and the 
show was largely made up of honorary exhibits. Mr. 
Beckett, gardener to H. Hucks Gibbs, Esq., staged a very 
fine lot of cut blooms of Chrysanthemums, amongst 
which George Daniels, White Ceres, Mr. Wellam, 
Etoile de Lyon, R. Brocklebank, Volunteer, Mrs. W. 
A. Harris, and Pelican were most conspicuous ; his in¬ 
curved and Pompons were also very fine and fresh, as 
were his trained plants. The same gentleman also 
staged a fine collection of fruit and vegetables, the 
latter collection consisting of thirty distinct dishes. 
Mr. Nutting, gardener to J. B. Maple, Esq., M.P., 
put up an effective mixed group, in which Palms and 
ornamental shrubs had a good effect; Mr. Whitelaw, 
gardener to Lord Grimthorpe ; Mr. Sconce, gardener to 
J. S. Hill, Esq., and H. Slade, Esq., also staged fine 
groups of Chrysanthemums. Messrs. Lane & Son, 
Berkhamsted, had a fine display of Apples. Amongst 
the prizetakers in the cut bloom classes, Miss Debenham 
and Mrs. Wilshin, both of St. Albans, took the lead. 
There was a very meritorious exhibit of vegetables 
from the cottagers, conclusively showing that a great 
improvement has taken place since the society was 
started some three years ago. There was a very credi¬ 
table lot of preserved fruits exhibited, for which special 
prizes were offered by Horace Slade, Esq. 
-—>K-- 
QUESTIONS AND ANSWERS. 
Cardoons.— E. Yeaman : Will oblige you next week. 
Insects. —II. Caudvxll: The Wood-leopard Moth, Zeuzera 
jEsculi. 
Tree of Paradise. — XV. IF.: We do not know any tree which 
bears this common name, but should imagine that the seeds you 
have received are those of the Tree of Heaven, Ailantus glandu- 
losa, a native of China, and quite hardy. 
Names of Plants. —IF. D. Marks: Pholidota imbricata. See 
p 236. 
Odontoglossum Insleayi leopardinom. — IF. N. : (1) is the 
more typical form of the O. I. leopardinum so far as the distri¬ 
bution of colour is concerned, and the large size of the flower ; 
(2) is a small flower like the type, and the blotches are also similar 
in shape, but much darker and richer in colour, the latter 
resemblingthe richness of the true O. I. leopardinum. You 
might grow both under the latter name, as we have seen inferior 
varieties grown as 0.1. leopardinum. 
Orchid Leaf. — C. Rann : The orange or rust-coloured mass 
of matter on the back ol the Oncidium leaf you sent us was 
some foreign matter, apparently the spores of some fungus, or 
more likely the pollen grains of some Composite. At all events, 
they had no connection with the leaf, and were doiDg no appar¬ 
ent injury beyond keeping the light from the leaf. The cells of 
the latter on microscopic examination showed no evidence of 
injury nor discoloration. The epidermal cells even were quite 
normal and healthy, each having its usual contents, and the 
interior of the leaf being well filled with starch. Wash the 
leaves with soft-soap and water, and we think you will see no 
more of it. Should it make its appearance again in the active 
state we should be glad to see specimens, and to help you. 
Communications Received.— J. C.—N. D.—T. N.—J. P.— 
F. H.—Perthshire—M. R.—R. O.-W. G.—C. A. G.—R. S.— 
T. C.—A. 0.—Crops—C. R. 
-►>=£<-- 
TRADE CATALOGUES RECEIVED. 
James Carter & Co., 237-S, High Holborn, W.C.—Seed 
Catalogue for 1S90. 
Norman Davis, Lilford Road Nurseries, Camberwell.— 
Choice New and Old Chrysanthemums. 
Putz & Roes, Erfurt.—Annual Trade Seed List. 
