December 2, 1898. 
THE gardening WORLD. 
211 
honours with splendidly grown and flowered plants 
of Rosinante and Nelly Rainford. Mr. Gauly was 
first for a specimen trained otherwise than on 
upright stakes with an attractive example of Mr. 
Bunn. 
Amateurs’ exhibits were in several instances of a 
highly meritorious description, and included many of 
the most popular varieties, more especially in the cut 
bloom department. Among nurserymen and florists’ 
exhibits Messrs. Danielson and Bryden had well got- 
up tables. On that of the latter firm a fine collection 
of winter-flowering Heaths were most notable, and 
among winter-flowering plants for competition the 
Cyclamens from Bourtreehill, Irvine, were ex¬ 
ceptionally well done. Fruit was fairly well repre¬ 
sented. 
Mr. Burns, the enthusiastic secretary, as well as 
the committee, are to be congratulated upon the 
excellent management which enabled them to 
complete the arrangements of the various exhibits 
in so orderly and effective a manner, which is 
becoming no easy task considering the growing 
requirements of the -show together with the limited 
area at their disposal in the building where it is at 
present held.— M. 
ORCBID NOTES AND GLEANINGS, 
Orchid Growers’ Calendar. 
The Cattleya House. —Laelia arceps: This fine 
winter blooming Laelia is just opening its handsome 
flowers, and will continue so to do with us until 
after Christmas, as we have a good batch of them 
in various stages of development. To make an 
effective display it is necessary to train the spikes so 
that when they are in flower the blooms all face one 
way. If this be done a week or ten days before the 
blooms open they will right themselves by the time 
they expand. We hardly expected to have so many 
spikes this season, as all our best varieties were 
broken up with a view to increasing the stock, but 
they have not felt the shift in the least. Small 
plants with three and four old bulbs have made 
splendid bulbs, which are carrying large spikes. 
*' You have got a lot of spikes,” was the remark of a 
gentleman who owns a large collection, when look¬ 
ing round the other day. I attribute these satis¬ 
factory results to judicious feeding of the plants 
when in active growth. A pinch of guano in the 
water when dipping the plants is what they get, and 
what they like, too. And to show that given in weak 
doses it cannot harm the weakest plant, I may say 
that we have watered plants that have been sown 
with Orchid seeds, and though I did not think the 
seeds would prove to be fertile, to my surprise they 
germinated in quantity and are doing well. Of 
course we withhold manure water during the winter 
months, as it is useless to plants in a dormant state. 
Cool House. —The constant use of hard water 
during the summer has caused the foliage of the 
Odontoglossums to be covered with a kind of green 
fungus or mould, which must be sponged off with 
clear tepid water, for if left on the plants will suffer, 
as owing to the reduced circulation of air during 
winter, it encourages its growth to the detriment of 
the plants. 
Watering. —Although Odontoglossums do not 
care to be without water for any length of time, 
they on the other hand should not be drowned. We 
keep ours drier during the winter months than most 
people, but when we do water it is done 
thoroughly. Once a week during winter is generally 
sufficient, but this will all depend on the weather, 
and if hard firing is necessary, the plants nearest the 
hot water pipes will dry up quicker. The Sphagnum 
Moss will indicate the state of the plant. If of a 
whitish colour, you may be sure the plant is dry. 
We like to take advantage of a bright day for 
watering, as the water in the pipes is then cold. 
Odontoglossums do not like the steam which arises 
from the hot pipes when made wet. 
SoPHRONiTis GRANDiFLORA. —This is now making 
a show in this house, where we grow ours all the 
year round. It is of easy culture, and takes up but 
little room. It likes plenty of moisture at the roots 
when growing, and should never be allowed to get 
dust dry. 
Temperatures. —Warm division 6o° at night 
during open weather, with a rise of io° by day. 
Cattleya house, 55° at night; cool house, 50° at 
night, with a rise of 10® by day.—C. 
Bankeria Lindleyana. 
The more correct name of this Orchid is Epiden- 
drum Lindleyanum, but amongst gardeners the more 
familiar name is Barkeria. The latter constitues a 
section of the genus, which it is to be regretted is 
not more frequently represented in gardens. There 
seems to be some difficulty in managing the plants 
of this section, as they usually dwindle away after a 
few years. How long Barkeria Lindleyana may be 
kept in a vigorous, thriving condition at Clare Lawn, 
East Sheen, the residence of F. Wigan, Esq., re¬ 
mains to be seen, but hitherto the nine plants grown 
there have made remarkable progress, and flowered 
beautifully. For sometime past they have been a 
source of great attraction and delight to all who 
have seen them. There are six to nine stems to each 
plant, most of which bear a slender terminal flower- 
stalk 2 ft. long, and carrying three to seven, or more 
flowers. The lanceolate sepals and petals are of a 
deep rosy-purple, fading much paler in others, for 
scarcely two of the plants seem to bear flowers ex¬ 
actly alike. The lip is similar with a white disc, 
but sometimes the colour is intensified near the 
apex, while the rest is pale. Some of the named 
varieties may be picked out amongst them. 
The habit of growth is very peculiar. The young 
stems grow out from the sides of the old oues, 
somewhere above the middle, so that the plants get 
taller and taller every year. From the base of each 
new growth a mass of stout, gray, air roots is 
developed, adding much to the singular appearance 
of the plants. Mr. W. H. Young, the grower, has 
located and grown the plants in a narrow passage 
between the rockery house and the Phalaenopsis 
house. Some hot water pipes run beneath the 
floor, otherwise no arrangements have been made for 
the heating of this narrow house, and the tempera¬ 
ture consequently often falls very low, while the 
glass gets crusted with ice. The plants were bought 
two years ago in May, and are grown in small pans 
suspended from the roof. They therefore get a 
maximum of light at all times, and this year seems 
to have suited them. After flowering is over, or even 
from now till March, no water will be given them till 
they commence growing again. 
Cypripedium Niobe. 
Hybrid Cypripediums, as everybody knows, are now 
exceedingly numerous, but some of them stand out 
pre-eminently from the rest, including the subject of 
this note. The more it is seen the more it is 
admired. The seed parent was C. Spicerianum, 
and the pollen was taken frcm C. Fairieanum 
which has marked its stamp indelibly upon the 
progeny. The upper sepal is nearly orbicular and 
lightly suffused with purple on a white ground as 
well as lined and netted with dark purple. The 
dark midrib recalls the seed parent, C. Spicerianum. 
The petals are strongly deflexed and wavy on the 
upper edge as in C. Fairieanum, they are more or 
less lined with purple on a yellowish ground. The 
lip is brown with a yellow edge, and presents nothing 
that is uncommon or very striking. The beauty and 
fascinating character, of the flower are concentrated 
in the upper sepal and the petals. Theplant is very 
dwarf, and neat habited. It is now in fine condition 
in the collection of F, Wigan, Esq., Clare Lawn, 
East Sheen. 
Laelia Arnoldiana. 
Such is the name given to a Laelia being dissemi¬ 
nated in gardens, but it would puzzle a keen eye to 
detect a difference of any material consequence 
between it and L. furfuracea. This latter species 
was at one time described as bearing only one 
flower upon a peduncle; but is now admitted as 
bearing from one to three or more flowers. L. 
furfuracea itself differs comparatively little from L. 
autumnalis except in its smaller flowers, without the 
long revolute tips to the sepals and petals as seen in 
the latter. The sepals and petals of the so-called 
L. Arnoldiana are rosy purple, as is the terminal 
lobe of the lip ; the basal half of the lip, including the 
side lobes, is white or nearly so, but all these 
characters apply to L. furfuracea. The two lamellae 
on the lip with the slender ridge between them is 
also a characteristic feature of the latter species 
L. Arnoldiana, or what is sold as such, has been 
flowering for some time past in the Orchid houses at 
Falkland Park, South Norwood Hill. 
Odontoglossum Kramenl. 
This species must be reckoned amongst the rarer 
species of Odontoglossum in cultivation. When 
originally introduced from Costa Rica, it was said to 
be restricted to one locality on the mountain slopes, 
facing the Pacific. Since then it has been almost 
exterminated by the clearing of the forests for agri¬ 
cultural purposes. It has been flowering for some 
time past in the collection of R. I. Measures, Esq., 
Cambridge Lodge, Camberwell, under the care of 
Mr. Henry Chapman, his able and intelligent 
gardener. The sepals and petals are faintly shaded 
with violet on a white ground, or the sepals are often 
almost pure white. The lip is the most showy organ 
of the flower ; its lamina is bilobed at the apex, and 
pale violet with a wavy orange line traversing the 
white ground at the base. The crest consists of a 
bright yellow, bilobed process, marked with a few 
small orange spots. The temperature of the Cattleya 
house suits the species best, because when kept 
between 55'’ and 65°, it most nearly accords with the 
climatic conditions which the species enjoys in its 
native habitas. 
Some Good Vegetables Worth Knowing. 
Beans. —Sutton’s Triumph is the finest dwarf 
variety that has ever come under my notice. This 
kind for size of pod, length of time it remains fit for 
use, productiveness and good constitution is far in 
advance of anything I have seen. Dwarf beans as 
a rule, owing to the delicate texture of their pods, 
soon become stringy, but this kind holds its own for 
some time. The pods with me grew from five to 
six inches long, and about three-quarters of an inch 
broad, and were of the thick fleshy character of the 
runner kinds. The seed too is not at all like those 
of the dwarf varieties, being broader and more pulpy. 
The plants are very dwarf, not growing more than a 
foot high, and are literally covered with pods. 
Chelsea Giant White Runner was the largest 
and most fleshy kind that I grew last season. Some 
of the pods were a foot or more in length, even 
when quite young, and not the least sign of a seed in 
them. Though not one of the most handsome, on 
account of the roughness of the pods, it is one of the 
most prolific, for the flowers set more freely than 
those of the more delicate kinds. Its robust constitu¬ 
tion and enormous bearing qualities cannot be too 
well known to those who have to provide quantity. 
Kale : Sutton’s Favourite, a rather curious 
variety of the Asparagus type, grows very freely, 
and is quite hardy, but like all others of its class 
requires good ground, and an open situation for it to 
be of the greatest service, for the stronger the plants 
provided they are thoroughly matured, the greater 
the bulk of the crop. 
Savoy: Late Drumhead. —When all others are 
over this one comes in handy, for its compact curly 
hearts are very serviceable at a time when such things 
are getting short. To have a late supply the seed 
should not be sown before May, when if planted out 
on some good ground in an open situation as soon as 
the plants are large enough, allowing plenty of room 
between them, serviceable hearts may be had from 
Christmas onward till spring. 
Carrots : Veitch's Model and Veitch’s 
Matchless. —The former as a mid-season kind, and 
the latter for winter and spring use. Model is of the 
Horn type, but grows much larger and has but very 
little core. Matchless is a long handsome kind well 
adapted for exhibition purposes, its dark red colour 
and even shape making it very attractive. 
Lettuce : Golden Queen, Sutton's Mammoth, 
AND White Heart are all good. The first named 
is a cabbage variety with pale yellow leaves. It is 
very useful for growing in frames on hot beds, when, 
if planted about five inches apart each way, a good 
supply may be had in a short time. For an early 
crop on a warm border it is also useful. Sutton’s 
Mammoth is a large cos variety well adapted for sum¬ 
mer use, as it withstands the dry weather much better 
than most other varieties. The hearts are compact and 
crisp. White heart is an earlier variety well adapted 
for spring sowing. It does not grow so large as 
Mammoth, but is equally good in other respects. 
Radishes : The Sutton is a long kind, having 
a bright crimson skin, but the flesh is white, very 
tender and crisp, lasting a much longer time in use 
than any other long variety. Its handsome shape 
and colour will no doubt cause it to become a great 
favourite. 
Shallots : Veitch’s Exhibition is by far the 
largest kind I have grown, a dozen bulbs weighing 
5^1bs. The skin is dark brown, bulbs rather rounded, 
foliage very dark green, quite distinct from any 
other that I have grown. The bulbs turning in very 
quickly are on that account very serviceable where 
these are in great demand .—Kitchm Gardener. 
