June 28, 1890. 
THE GARDENING WORLD. 
677 
horizontal or drooping type, the least shake or handling 
of the flowers was sufficient to make them fall. Some 
commence flowering from the base upwards, and others 
from the centre outwards. The latter habit has its 
advantages, inasmuch as the outer flowers have plenty 
of room to develop without being crowded. The leaves 
in all the newer types are drooping or horizontal, so 
that the flowers rise clear above them, and form an 
unbroken mass. As the first flowers fade in the centre 
they may be entirely removed, unless wanted for seed, 
and the centre gets filled up again directly by the 
development of fresh flowers, crowding round the 
outside of those in bloom. 
The plants are in perfection the second year from 
seed, and few are retained beyond that time, as the 
flowers degenerate in size and decrease in quantity. 
There is a slight demand for the old-fashioned types, 
but beyond supplying that demand, such kinds are 
rigorously weeded out when they make their appearance. 
The finest and most floriferous white-flowered kind is 
Virginalis, with medium-sized flowers. We noticed 
blotch at the base of each segment. Another white- 
edged form is Duchess of Connaught, but the rest of 
the segments is of a deep crimson-scarlet. Mrs. Bause 
is an old type, with white flowers and a red band in 
the throat, and although very distinct, the newer types 
are greatly improved in form. 
The finest of the scarlet kinds is Nestor, with 
segments of a uniform fiery scarlet, and the throat with 
short purple lines and markings on a white ground. 
The segments of Orestes are velvety crimson with a 
slightly paler margin, and the habit of the plant is 
good. Flambeau has smaller flowers of a rich scarlet 
with a paler edge. The plant is exceedingly floriferous, 
and is still in fine condition, although it was exhibited 
at the Temple show in May. Mrs. J. Donaldson 
differs from the last in being more deeply shaded with 
crimson. A good kind for cutting is Neptune, on 
account of its long flower stalks. The blooms are 
scarlet shaded with rose at the margin, and remain on 
the stalks till they wither. The leaves of Irma are 
wonderfully small, but the lively scarlet flowers are set 
CLARE LAWN, EAST SHEEN. 
At almost every season of the year an interesting 
display of Orchids in bloom may be seen at Clare Lawn, 
East Sheen, Surrey, the residence of F. Wigan, Esq. 
A few kinds receive special attention, and are grown in 
large quantity ; but at the same time, a considerable 
number of species belonging to many genera are located 
in different houses upon the place, hence there is 
always something of interest to the specialist as well as 
others whose taste is not strictly confined to any one 
class of plants. Mr. W. H. Young, who a short time 
ago took charge of the Orchids, will see that the full 
number of species is kept up, and that every straggling 
member of the family receives its due amount of 
attention. 
The Cattleya House. 
Many of the specimens of C. Mossiae and C. Mendelii 
were past their best when we saw them, having been 
flowering for a long time previously. A beautiful 
variety of the latter had white sepals and petals, with 
A Modern Strain of Gloxinia : Messrs. Veitch’s. 
some two-year-old plants with two crowns, and the 
mass of flowers from each was simply wonderful. Purity 
has very large pure white funnel-shaped flowers, 
measuring 3§ iDS. across, with six and seven segments. 
All the other kinds were seifs, or more or less spotted, 
banded, or marked in an endless diversity of ways ; and 
in looking along the house in which they were grown, 
the effect was charming. Cordelia was spotted with 
purple on a white ground, and had a band of violet- 
purple spots within the margin. A popular kind is 
Orion, with dark violet lobes and a light blue margin. 
The Moor is a deep purple with a paler margin, and 
is notable for its great size. Cygnet is white, with a 
purple arc on each segment and a pale blue margin. 
Similar in its way is Elaine, with a darker purple arc 
and a bluish purple margin. A pale purple marbling 
runs down the segments of Delicata, round which is a 
red zone succeeded by a white margin. Linda is 
another tricolor, which is even finer, as the segments 
are scarlet, with purple shading at the base and a white 
throat. A charming light-coloured variety is Gazelle, 
with a white tube, deep rose-coloured segments, and a 
white margin. Much darker is Sylvia, having crimson- 
red segments, a white margin, and a violet marbled 
off to great advantage by the pure white tube. It is 
a free-flowering variety. A very curious arrangement 
of colours is seen in Triton, a quite new sort that has 
not yet been sent out. The flowers are of great size 
and deep purple, shaded with blue at the margins, and 
curiously reticulated with a darker shade of purple on 
the lower half of the segments, which number six or 
seven, and present a round and regularly-imbricated 
appearance. A violet-purple variety, named Miranda, 
with a paler margin, was notable for the quantity of its 
flowers and the length of its leaves, for the plant mea¬ 
sured 30 ins. across when the leaves were spread out. 
An unnamed seedling, an improvement upon Brunette, 
sent out about five or six years ago, had deep purple 
flowers, shaded with blue at the margin. 
The above kinds are fairly representative of the 
collection, but by no means exhaustive, as we have 
entirely omitted the unnamed kinds, with the above 
solitary exception ; besides which the named varieties 
are really very numerous. By naming those with 
decided and distinct colours the varieties are prevented 
from getting lost to cultivation, but a pinch of seed 
gives a batch of seedlings with wonderful diversity of 
colours. 
the yellow blotch in the throat of the lip extending on 
to the side lobes, and almost obliterating the white 
usually very prominent in this Cattleya. A fine piece 
of C. Warneri was flowering freely suspended from the 
roof in a basket. Two small pieces of C. Sanderiana 
also in baskets bore each a four-bloomed raceme, 
the flowers of which measured 8 ins. across the 
petals. The lip was also of great size and rich in colour. 
C. Sehilleriana is something in the way of C. Aclandi® 
in structure, but the spotting of the sepals and petals 
recalls that of C. guttata, and the lip is very different. 
The broad terminal lobe of that organ is closely lined 
alternately with forking lines of crimson-purple and 
white. C. maxima usually flowers in autumn, and we 
have so seen it at this establishment, but we noted a piece 
which will now be in full bloom. The lip is copiously 
marked with branching purple lines on a pale or white 
ground. The name is rather inappropriate, inasmuch as 
the flowers are by no means so large as those of most of 
the forms of C. labiata ; but it is a beautiful and 
distinct Cattleya. A piece of Laelia purpurata in bloom 
was notable for the rich colour of its lip. 
What a curiously constructed flower is Ornithoce- 
phalus grandiflorus, and what a remarkable arrange- 
