476 
THE GARDENING WORLD. 
Narck 29, 1890. 
the extent of the exhibits. You will find this explained 
on page 12 of the society’s schedule sent herewith, 
i.e., that the space occupied by each collection of 
vegetables entered for these prizes must not exceed 
6 ft. by 4 ft. We hope this will be satisfactory to 
“ One who would like to Show,” and that we may have 
the pleasure of seeing him take part in the competition. 
—Sutton & Sons, Reading, March 22 nd. 
Apple, Armorel. 
The fruit of this new variety is small, globose, rather 
flattened on the top, pale yellow, and heavily suffused 
with pale russet on the exposed side. The eye is small, 
rather open, and seated in a wide, moderately deep, 
even basin, and the basal cavity is small and regularly 
rounded. The flesh was pale yellowish white, firm 
and sweet even when exhibited on the 25 th March, at 
the Drill Hall, by Mr. C. Ross, Welford Park, New¬ 
bury, to whom an Award of Merit was accorded for 
it by the Fruit Committee. 
Gardeners' Examinations. 
I have read with very great interest your remarks on 
this subject at p. 454 of your last issue. There is not 
the slightest doubt but that something on the lines 
you have laid down will have to be carried out in the 
future in order to ensure honesty of action. In a recent 
competition amongst the members of an association to 
which I belong, and which for obvious reasons I do 
not mention, it is rumoured that some of the prize- 
essayists were coached by abler men than themselves, 
with the result that those who acted fair and square in 
the matter were simply left out in the cold. The 
adoption of some such plan as you suggest would prevent 
a repetition of these practices in the future.— IV. 
Iris sindjarensis. 
The leaves of this Iris are lanceolate, tapered to a 
point, recurved, light green, and arranged in a double 
rank upon the stems, something after the style of I. 
caucasica. The flowers are of moderately large size, 
with oblong falls, dentate at the margin, lavender-blue 
or lilac with a yellow ridge along the centre. The 
standards are small, spathulate, and light blue, while 
the stigmas are much larger and of a deeper blue than 
any other part of the flower. The stem is about 10 ins. 
high, and hears several flowers. A plant was shown 
by Messrs. Barr & Son, Covent Garden, at the Drill 
Hall, "Westminster, on Tuesday last, and received an 
Award of Merit. 
Trillium discolor atratum. 
The stems of this Trillium vary from 3 ins. to 6 ins. in 
height, and bear three ovate dark bronzy green leaves, 
irregularly blotched with light greyish green markings. 
A solitary sessile flower is borne on the apex of the 
stem, close to the leaves, of a dark purplish brown 
colour. The outer segments or sepals are linear-oblong, 
while the inner ones or petals are twice as broad and 
elliptic. Plants were shown at the Drill Hall, West¬ 
minster, on the 25th inst., by Messrs. J. Veitch & 
Sons, Chelsea, who received an Award of Merit for 
them. , 
National Chrysanthemum Society. 
May I be allowed, through your columns, to invite 
the co-operation of Chrysanthemum growers throughout 
the length and breadth of the land, in the efforts that 
are now being made by the Catalogue Committee of the 
National Chrysanthemum Society, viz., Mr. Lewis 
Castle, Hotham House, Merton, Surrey ; Mr. George 
Gordon, 1, Stile Yillas, Wellesley Road, Gunnersbury ; 
and Mr. C. Harman Payne (hon. sec.), 60, Thorne 
Road, London, S.W., in the preparation of an entirely 
new edition of the N. C. S. Catalogue. The National 
Chrysanthemum Society has good reason to be satisfied 
with its last publication in 1888, both as regards the 
acknowledged advantages of its classification and other 
general information, and also the sale, which has 
considerably more than - balanced the cost incurred; 
but it is desired that this new edition should be 
even more complete, and it is proposed that 
several fresh features shall be introduced. With 
this end in view, I venture to ask for space for 
this note, in the hope that many who are interested in 
the work of the N. C. S. will lend us their assistance, 
by offering suggestions, and specially affording any 
information as to synonyms, or errors either of 
omission or commission in the previous editions. Such 
information will be welcomed by either of the gentle¬ 
men forming the committee, or by William Holmes, 
Frampton Park Nurseries, Hack'aey, London. 
ORCHID NOT ES AND G LEANINGS. 
L/elio-Cattleya Hippolyta. 
The sepals of this bi-generic hybrid are pale salmon- 
orange, the petals are darker and buff-orange. The lip 
is rather brighter coloured along the tube, while the 
undulated lamina has a reddish tint, owing to the 
numerous red veins with which it is reticulated ; the 
basal, tubular portion closely folds over the column, 
which is exposed at the base only and deep red. The 
pseudo-bulbs are fusiform, 3 ins. to 3£ ins. in length, 
and bears a solitary, strap-leaved, leathery deep green 
leaf about 5 ins. or 6 ins. in length. A specimen was 
exhibited by Messrs. J. Veitch & Sons, at the meeting 
of the Royal Horticultural Society on Tuesday last, 
and was awarded a First Class Certificate. 
Dendrobium Wardianum Baron Schroder's var. 
The most striking character of this noble and distinct 
variety is that the sepals are of a deep purple all along 
the outer face ; the inner face is somewhat paler, but 
intensified at the apex on both surfaces. The petals 
are white, with intense purple tips ; and the lip is 
large, with a golden yellow disc surrounded by a white 
band, with two crimson blotches in the throat and a 
purple tip. A plant was shown at the Drill Hall, 
Westminster, on Tuesday last, by Baron Schroder 
(gardener, Mr. H. Ballantine), The Dell, Egham, when 
a First Class Certificate was awarded it. 
Cattleya Trian^e Tautzianum. 
The sepals of this variety are pale lilac, and of the 
usual form ; but the petals, although similar in colour, 
are of great breadth, and nearly orbicular, with short 
claws like C. T. chocoensis, but fully expanded. The 
lip has a rose tube, and a broadly-expanded undulated 
lamina of an intense crimson-purple. The throat is 
orange, surrounded by a white line. The pseudo-bulbs 
are short and moderately stout. A specimen was 
shown by F. G. Tautz, Esq. (gardener, Mr. J. C. 
Cowley), Studley House, Hammersmith, at the last 
meeting of the Royal Horticultural Society, and received 
an Award of Merit, 
Gongora (Acropera) truncata. 
The sepals and petals of this species are streaked 
transversely with light brown on a creamy yellow 
ground. The lip is yellow in the lower part, and white 
upwards. It is of a singular structure, and it would be 
difficult to describe the morphological value of the 
various processes and outgrowths. The anterior and 
white portion bears a most striking resemblance to a 
swan, the head, neck, body, and the wings, even to the 
end feathers, being faithfully represented. The wings 
are half raised in the favourite attitude often assumed 
by that noble bird. A specimen has been flowering at 
Devonhurst, Chiswick, for some time past. 
CCELOGYNE SPARSA. 
Amongst the smaller species of more recent intro¬ 
duction, C. sparsa must rank as one of real merit and 
beauty. The flower stems arise from the base of the 
pseudo-bulbs, and stand out horizontally, or take an 
ascending direction, bearing a somewhat triangular 
raceme of four to six flowers, arranged in a two-ranked 
manner. The sepals and petals are straw-white ; while 
the three-lobed lip is also white, with an orange blotch 
at the base of the middle lobe, and brown markings 
on the lateral lobes. The flowers are fragrant, and 
overhung by the leaves, which are small, and com¬ 
parable to those of Odontoglossum Rossii. There are 
some neat and tidy pieces of this plant suspended from 
the roof of one of the Orchid houses at Clare Lawn, 
East Sheen. 
Odontoglossum triumphans, Devonhurst var. 
There are several very distinct forms of 0. triumphans 
at Devonhurst, Chiswick, but none of them approach 
the subject of this note in the depth of colouring and 
general excellence. The sepals are of an intense 
chocolate-brown, tipped with yellow, and have a few 
transverse lines of the latter hue. The petals are 
broader, slightly toothed at the margin, and more 
decidedly blotched with deep chocolate-brown than are 
the sepals, but the greater part of the area is covered 
with the exception of the tips. The lip is white on the 
lower half, and of an intense chocolate-brown upwards, 
the colouring forming a sinus around the anterior end 
of the crest, while the pointed tip is yellow. It is not 
foreshortened and rounded as occurs in many otherwise 
good forms of this species. The column is white with 
pale brown wings, and a dark brown anther cap. The 
flowers are of large size, and nine of them were scattered 
along a scape 18 ins. in length. 
SEASONABLE WORK IN THE 
GARDEN. 
Forced Azaleas. —Those who grow large quantities 
of Azaleas, and force them in different batches, would 
do well to attach a label of some kind to each plant, 
giving the date at which it flowered. Those that 
flower first will naturally be the first to flower next 
year, and will suffer less from forcing than later 
batches introduced to heat early. 
Lilacs, Forsythias, Viburnum, &c. —After these 
various subjects have done flowering they should not 
be placed in the open air if it can be avoided during 
such inclement weather as we have been visited with 
recently. To prevent the damaging of the tender 
fcliage a cold pit or cool Peach-house should be 
accorded them until the foliage gets hardened and the 
weather becomes more genial. 
Crotons. —With the lengthening of the day and the 
increase of sun power, plants of this class are now 
progressing favourably. The best results will be 
obtained if Crotons, Dracaenas, and similar subjects 
with highly coloured foliage are given full exposure to 
sunshine, as by that means the leaves assume a more 
leathery texture, and take on their best tints cf colour. 
Anthuriums, Calatheas, &c. —Plants of this class 
naturally delight in shade, and to obtain the deepest 
tints of olive or velvety green, purple or grey, the 
plants should be grouped together, so that the special 
treatment as to shading may be given them. This 
applies also to the species of Calathea, known in 
gardens under the name of Marantas, also to Alocasias, 
Spathiphyllums, and others of that nature. 
Allamandas. —The young shoots of these are now 
growing away vigorously, and will soon be showing for 
bloom at the tips. If they are required to be in flower 
at any particular time, this can be assured by pinching 
out the points of all the shoots about twelve weeks 
before they are required. This will cause a fresh de¬ 
velopment of buds, which, starting equally, will come 
into bloom at the same time, producing a fine display. 
Medinilla magnifica. —As the flower buds of this 
grand old favourite develop, so as to show distinctly 
what they are, the plant may be assisted with weak 
liquid manure, which will add greatly to the size of the 
pendent cymes of flowers and bracts. As growth goes 
on, look sharply after mealy-bug, which’ finds the 
tender flowers and their stalks much to its liking, and 
increasing with great rapidity, often does considerable 
harm. 
Ixoras. —Where these are grown for cut flowers, the 
young shoots may be allowed to proceed without let or 
hindrance, because side shoots will then develop, giving 
rise to succeeding crops of bloom. Should the plants 
be wanted for exhibition at any given date, they 
should be regularly stopped about twelve weeks before 
that time, and grown on in a strong stove heat, with 
plenty of moisture. 
Ferns. —It will be found convenient to apply light 
shading to Ferns where the young fronds are developing 
rapidly. This should only be done, however, during 
the warmest part of the day, drawing up the blinds 
some time before the sun declines. The young fronds 
of various kinds of Adiantum that develop warm rose 
or red tints enjoy a greater amount of sunlight than 
some of the other species. 
Peach House. —The fruits on the trees in the early 
house will now be of considerable size. Thinning 
should not, however, be practised too severely till after 
the stoning period, as many of the fruits may drop at 
that time. One fruit to every square foot of surface will 
be quite sufficient to leave at the final thinning, as that 
would constitute a crop heavy enough for the trees to 
bear. Shoots that are growing too grossly may have 
their tips pinched out, and then the remainder looped 
down to check excess of growth. 
Apples and Pears in the Orchard House. —When 
the trees are in bloom, maintain a dry atmosphere by 
avoiding the spilling of water about the house when 
those in pots are receiving the necessary supply. 
Ventilate freely during bright weather, and shake or 
tap the trees occasionally during the middle of the day 
to favour the distribution of the pollen. 
The Kitchen Garden. —Where Parsley is grown in 
frames the latter may be kept close to encourage 
growth, unless the sun is very powerful, when a little 
air may be given with advantage. Celery pricked out 
in boxes had better be kept in a vinery at work, to urge 
the plants to make good growth. Brussels Sprouts, 
Cauliflower and such things pricked out in frames, and 
which were raised in heat should be kept rather close 
till their roots take to the soil and commence growing. 
Ventilate very carefully during the prevalence of cold 
east winds. 
