678 
THE GARDENING WORLD 
.June 28, 1890. 
raent of its deep green and pure white flowers, the 
green being confined in the shape of a large blotch at 
the base of the petals, and to the singular-looking crest 
and base of the lip. Close by, suspended from the roof, 
was a piece of Cryptophoranthus Dayana, a plant 
allied to Masdevallia, with roundly ovate, bronzy 
purple leaves, shaded with violet on the under¬ 
side. A fine piece of Platyclinis filiforme, with 
its exceedingly graceful, pendent racemes of 
flowers, was fast approaching the flowering stage. 
Amongst Dendrobiums were D. Jamesianum and D. 
Devonianum, the latter having stout, pendulous stems 
from 3 ft. to 44 ft. in length, wreathed with blossom 
for more than half their length. 
Cool Orchids. 
One house is mostly filled with Odontoglossum crispum 
and 0. Pescatorei, but only a few were in flower. The 
others are now, however, commencing to throw up their 
flower spikes. In a house chiefly devoted to Masde- 
vallias, we noted M. ephippium, otherwise known as 
M. Trochilus ; also M. coccinea Harryana and M.jignea 
Eckhardtii. In the Lycaste house a few things were in 
flower, including a magnificent piece of Oncidium 
pulvinatum, with panicled flower stems, 6 ft. or 7 ft. 
in length, and laden with bloom. A piece of Den- 
drobium primulinum album had white flowers, with the 
exception of a primrose-yellow disc on the lip, and a 
few purple lines on the claw. 
Thf. Stove. 
Stove plants proper are largely grown in this house, but 
Orchids have to a great extent usurped their place. 
Two pieces of Yanda teres, with their roots in pots and 
stems attached, and rooting upon pieces of Fern stem, 
were in full bloom, the size of their flowers being 
astonishing. They stand close to the glass without 
the slightest shading, and get well syringed. The tall¬ 
stemmed Dendrobium moscliatum was also flowering. 
A fine form of the Butterfly Orchid (Oncidium Papilio) 
stood on the front bench, and was notable for the 
broad brownish orange band surrounding the yellow 
centre of the lip. Near it was a strong piece of the 
powerfully fragrant Aerides odoratum. A very distinct 
Yanda is V. Denisoniana, with creamy white flowers, 
having the terminal lobe of the lip of a pale yellow, 
and two small brown spots near the mouth of the tube. 
Dendrobium Bensonire, flowering in another house, 
was here represented by D. B. xanthinum, with two 
pale brown in place of black blotches on the golden 
yellow disc. 
Cypripediums are represented in this house by fine 
forms of C. barbatum, C. ciliolare, C. Dominyanum, 
C. hirsutissimum, C. Godefroyae, and C. bellatulum. 
The variable nature of the two latter was amply attested 
by the plants here grown. Curiously enough, the 
latter proves to be the more vigorous of the two, for 
the foliage of C. Godefroype is liable to damp if water, 
by any means, gets into the crown. A batch of 
Miltonia Roezlii and M. R. alba is now in full bloom. 
Some pieces of Angraacum Scottianum, on rafts sus¬ 
pended against the partition between this and another 
house, have now commenced to bloom, and will soon 
be gay. 
> The Phalxnopsis House. 
No matter at what time we visit this house, there 
seems always to be a continuous display, both of 
Phalrenopsids and Cypripediums. All the former are 
grown in rafts and baskets, the latter of which are sus¬ 
pended from the roof. Those in flower at present 
include P. amabilis, P. Sanderiana, P. Luddemanniana 
and the beautiful P. speciosa with its violet blotched 
and white flowers. The huge Moth Orchid, P. 
grandiflora, as grown here seemed more deserving of the 
title P. g. aurea, than did that variety itself which was 
flowering alongside. The latter has a fair amount of 
yellow on the lip, with fewer purple spots than the type, 
but the unusually large-flowered specimen under notice, 
and which recently received a Cultural Commendation 
from the Royal Horticultural Society, has the tendril¬ 
like appendages of the lip of a bright yellow, whereas 
those of P. g. aurea are white. In the latter then we 
have another instance of a misappropriated name. The 
deep rose flowers of Saccolabium rubrnm, better known 
perhaps as S. ampullaceum, are very pretty even if they 
are small. 
The house itself is a low, span-roofed structure, but 
it stands against a high wall. The bench next this wall 
is occupied by Cypripediums, while the various species 
of Phalienopsis display their arching racemes to greater 
advantage by being suspended from the roof. Of the 
former, C. niveum, C. superbiens, C. ciliolare, and C. 
Curtisii were in bloom, and the three latter were con¬ 
spicuous by the size of their flowers. 
The Show House. 
As described on a former occasion, the interior of this 
house contains some curiously and elaborately designed 
rockwork, by Mr. Pulham, of Broxbourne. It is now. 
gay with the young foliage of Ferns, Pandanus 
graminifolia, and other plants, largely intermixed with 
Orchids in bloom. Many of the latter we have already 
mentioned in other houses, but, in addition to those, 
we noted Miltonia vexillaria, Cypripedium Swanianum, 
Lielia majalis, Aerides crassifolium, Lycaste consobrina, 
L. aromatica, Dendrobium Parishi, D. thyrsiflorum, 
Masdevallia leontoglossa, and a grandly flowered piece 
of Dendrobium Falconeri giganteum. 
-~>3r<-=- 
PEAS. 
The last sowing of this valuable legume will in many 
places have been committed to the ground, while in 
favoured districts this operation will be in contemplation. 
For late sowing there is no variety yet introduced that 
supersedes Veitch’s Perfection or the He Plus Ultra ; 
the former carries the palm for robust and free- 
bearing qualities, while the latter, though having 
similar qualities, has the fault of growing too tall, 
frequentlyforming a heavy cropon the top of 6-ft. stakes, 
and hanging over on either side, thus lose the 
benefit of any sunshine we may have while they are in 
bearing. Not only so, but the height of this variety 
lays it out for the equinoctial gales, and it rarely pulls 
through these without serious damage, unless where 
exceptionally well sheltered. Otherwise it is a Pea of 
the first order, and has the great merit of pleasing 
everybody. 
Mildew being the dreaded enemy of our late-sown 
Peas, all the efforts to sail clear of it that can be made 
should have consideration. Its appearance anywhere is 
always the subject of conjecture, and it is attributed to 
all sorts of causes ; but I am inclined to think that in 
nine instances out of ten, the sole cause is dryness at 
the roots. I have come to this conclusion after years 
of careful observation in various soils and situations, 
through being favoured (?) here with a superabundance 
of moisture, and the entire absence of mildew in any 
form outside ; Roses not excepted. 
For late sowings of Peas on thin sandy soils, no better 
method obtains than sowing in trenches. These are 
simply made one spade in width, and perhaps a spade 
and a half in depth, in the bottom of which should be 
placed a good layer of short manure, breaking the corners 
off the trenches to cover this to the depth of an inch or 
two. On this sow the seeds (which if dry weather 
prevail should be immersed in water several hours 
previous to sowing), and cover with about 3 ins. of soil. 
It will thus be observed that there is a furrow for 
water if required, even when earthed up ; but with a 
good mulching of short manure, covered over with 
grass mowings after staking, it must be a drier summer 
and autumn than we in these islands usually have if 
they give much trouble in watering. In ground deeply 
trenched in the orthodox fashion, and well manured, 
the drills cut out with the spade instead of drawing 
them out with the hoe, greater depth is given to the 
seeds, practically putting them beyond the reach of 
drought ; and earthing up with the hoe in the usual 
way, and mulching as described above, will almost 
invariably prevent mildew making its appearance. On 
the other hand, in adhesive badly-drained soils, raising 
ridges and sowing thereon is preferable to sowing in the 
ordinary way ; and mulching lightly keeps the soil 
from baking and opening- into fissures. The mulching 
may be partially removed with a rake after very heavy 
rains, thus admitting air and perhaps sunshine to 
partially dry the soil, replacing with the back of the 
rake when considered dry enough. We practice sowing 
on trenched ground, and annually prepare a piece or 
pieces specially for Peas, and in this way maintain a 
constant daily supply from early in June to the middle 
of November, if early frosts are not too severe. In 
1886 we had Peas right up till the end of November 
from Veitch’s Perfection sown at the end of June. 
To use sulphur or any other mildew antidote on Peas 
is simply time thrown away, as any of these pre¬ 
parations rarely arrests its spread ; but its further 
progress may be prevented, if early observed, by giving 
a thorough watering, and using weak liquid manure, 
thus stimulating the plants, and further showing that 
weakness, accelerated by dryness at the roots, has 
brought about the malady. In most cases of mildew 
that have come under my immediate observation I have 
usually attributed drought as the cause. Where is the 
man who has not observed, in digging ground after the 
crop has been gathered, that where the rows of Peas had 
grown the ground was dust dry, while the spaces 
between the rows were in good working order, and that, 
too, in showery weather perhaps ? It must be apparent 
that the few stakes required to keep them up did not 
contribute to this altogether, nor did the haulm itself 
prevent the rains reaching the roots entirely. The 
hypothesis may safely be summed up in the moisture 
they require to keep them growing, and especially so 
when the pods are swelling. At this stage it is clear 
there must be an enormous strain on the plants, which 
is noticed on carefully scanning the numerous pods. 
The podding period will in most instances be found 
when mildew appears ; if it does so at an earlier stage 
there is something radically wrong in the composition 
of the soil, the sowing and after management, or 
perhaps a combination of the three. There is no 
preventive for mildew like well-trenched ground, with 
plenty of good manure, thus encouraging the roots 
away out of the reach of drought and its sure con¬ 
sequences. They evidently enjoy a cool rooting space, 
as I have observed that in a soil of a burning nature, 
when the sun shines on it, they do not seem to revel in 
it, nor indeed will they grow satisfactorily in such a 
soil, neither will their pods fill throughout. 
Early Peas are usually sown or planted'on herders 
with a southerly exposure, and frequently upon a con¬ 
siderable slope. Such borders, from their position and 
sometimes their elevation, are not easily kept moist in 
dry weather ; in fact, early and late Peas, where so 
placed, will be found troublesome and unsatisfactory, 
and will always have a tendency to mildew ; indeed, 
this fungus will, in ordinary cases, assert itself master 
of the situation, in the position described, before half 
of the crop is gathered, unless exceptional measures are 
employed. The evil does not end here. This position 
is usually chosen for the express purpose of having them 
early, and the result is that when they begin podding 
they gradually become enfeebled, and finally refuse to 
swell hall of their peas, thus frustrating the original 
design. I have for years sown and planted early Peas 
in open quarters sheltered from north and east winds, 
gathering them equally as early as I used to do off the 
southerly exposed, finely-sloped borders, apd Peas, too, 
of far better quality and certainly greater quantity. 
We sow our earliest (Carter’s First Crop) early in 
February, in boxes, and place them in a temperature of 
45° or 50°, hardening off and transplanting when 2 ins. 
or 3 ins. high, perhaps about the middle of March, 
staging at once to ward off cold winds and frosts, and 
we invariably gather from the 8th to the 15th of June. 
The first sowing outside, made about the middle of 
February (William I. or Kentish Invicta), is succeeded 
by another just as it breaks the ground,, and so on in 
like manner till the end of June. 
I have no belief in the usual advice of “sow every 
fortnight or three weeks,” but we proceed as described, 
and never know the meaning of a glut, or the reverse, 
throughout the season. Now that the Pea season is 
with us, it may not be amiss to remark that great 
damage is frequently done by the uninitiated in not 
gathering with both hands free. One hand should 
grasp the haulm firm, or at least a hold taken of the 
stem or footstalk of one pod with the left hand ; the 
pod is then drawn with the right, filling the hand in 
this way. Not only so, but the haulm should never be 
ruthlessly drawn about, as that ‘ 1 knees ” or breaks it, 
and checks growth, which simply means impeding the 
further swelling of the Peas in the remaining pods. 
Again, to draw the haulm carelessly with one hand, 
without steadying it with the other, may draw the 
plant up by the root, or break and otherwise per¬ 
manently ruin it. It thus devolves on those most 
interested to have the person or persons entrusted with 
the daily duty of gathering thoroughly initiated in 
this important operation.— J. Proctor, Glenfinart. 
-- 
THE ACACIA. 
During the past week or so the Acacias, as they are 
termed, have been simply magnificent in West Middle¬ 
sex, the branches literally robed in the pendulous 
racemes of fragrant white flowers. Its botanical term 
is Robinia pseudacaeia, the genus having been named 
after J. Robin, a French botanist. Pseudacaeia 
means Bastard, and it has come to be known as the 
common Acacia, though the true Acacias belong to a 
genus of trees and shrubs appertaining to the Mimosa 
tribe. According to Dr. Prior, Acacia is derived from 
a Greek word, signifying guilelessness—good-natured— 
a name given by Dioscorides to a small Egyptian tree, 
but now transferred in popular language to the Common 
Robinia. 
