December 9, 1893. 
THE GARDENING WORLD. 
227 
rays and large prominent disc render it very con¬ 
spicuous even at a distance. Madamoiselle Elise 
Dordan surrounded by a line of Miss Rose kept a 
circular bed near the Palm House gay for many weeks 
The Red Precocite is different from the other early, 
kinds bearing the same name in part. It is later in 
flowering and the blooms are crimson-red. 
-- 
TWO NEW APPLES. 
The new or recent impulse that has been given to 
fruit cultivation is not merely stirring up a greater 
activity in the culture of old kinds, but greater 
interest has been created in the raising of new 
varieties more suited to modern wants. There is 
reason to believe that the relatively few kinds 
brought before the public for approbation will 
increase as years roll on, and in proportion as fruit 
culture progresses and gives encouragement to its 
promoters. Amongst those that turned up at the 
meeting of the Royal Horticultural Society, on the 
28th ult.; were two varieties that were honoured with 
Awards of Merit. Efartlett’s Glory is a large fruit, 
similar in shape to Blenheim Orange, and having a 
greenish-yellow skin suffused with red on the exposed 
side. The eye is closed and seated in a deep basin. 
The flesh is juicy, crisp, and now very tender. It is 
in season from November to January, but may not 
last so long this year, if it behaves like the older 
kinds. The exhibitors were Messrs. W. E. Browne 
& Son, Wells, Somerset. 
The other new variety receiving an Award of Merit 
was Byford Wonder, a much larger fruit than the 
former. It is obtusely five-angled from the top to 
the base, or nearly so. The skin at this time of the 
year is of a dull golden yellow, with some red 
splashes, as a rule, on the exposed side. The eye is 
open or generally so, and situated in a deep cavity. 
It has the appearance of being a good keeper, and 
should it be a good bearer, the large size, and fine 
appearance of the fruit itself will be a great recom¬ 
mendation, and help greatly to popularise it. 
ORCHID NOTES AND GLEANINGS, 
Orchids at Broomfield, Sale. 
Visiting Mr. Wells’ collection the other day, I was 
much pleased to find in flower the renowned Cattleya 
labiata alba, concerning which there has been so 
much said in the columns of The Gardening 
World at different times. Up to this time I had 
not seen a white labiata, and rather doubted the 
existence of the albino, but I am satisfied now, and 
can say that it is a very chaste Cattleya indeed. Well 
may the owner and his gardener be proud of the 
possession of such a treasure, for pure whiie it is, 
and a fine healthy plant too. There can be no 
doubt about its being one of the importations of 
something like two years ago, as the plant has made 
two pseudo-bulbs in this country, a fact which, if I 
remember rightly, was doubted. Another grand 
Orchid in flower at Broomfield was Cypripedium 
insigne Wellsiana. This is one of the finest insignes 
I have yet seen, having a grand dorsal sepal and all 
parts well balanced. C. Leeanura superbum is a 
fine plant with a dozen flowers and grand in variety. 
The Cattleyas are looking well here, and I need not 
mention the varieties grown, but may say that they 
are all of the very best, and even include a fine 
healthy plant of the up-to-date C. Lord Rothschild. 
Much credit is due to Mr. Hinde, the gardener, for the 
way in which he manages the collection, everything 
being scrupulously clean and thrifty, which is one of 
the chief points to aim at in the cultivation of 
Orchids.—IE. H. 
The undermentioned Orchids received awards 
according to merit at the meeting of the Royal 
Horticultural Society on the 28th ult.:— 
Cypripedium insigne illustre. 
There seems no end to the variations to which this 
old species may give rise. Hitherto the spotting 
has been confined to the upper sepal or nearly so. 
That under notice has beautifully spotted petals ; 
they may be described as of a light yellow, shaded 
with brown, and spotted with rich brown markings 
all over the base, but in lines upwards, the apex 
only being merely netted. The upper sepal is, how¬ 
ever, unusually heavily blotched with large shining 
brown, clearly defined markings, with a cluster of 
small purple ones at the base of the terminal white 
portion. The lip is of a deep shining brown. The 
variety excels the Cambridge Lodge var. in the 
spotting of the petals by a long way. It turned up 
in an importation of the mountain type, and was 
exhibited by R. I. Measures, Esq. (gardener, Mr. 
Hy. Chapman), Cambridge Lodge, Camberwell, 
when it was accorded an Award of Merit. 
Habenarla clllarls. 
The terrestrial Orchids are very much neglected, 
notwithstanding the fact that many of them are very 
beautiful. That under notice comes from North 
America, and has leaves very similar in shape to those 
of Plantago lanceolata; but they are softer in 
texture with a red rib in the lower half. The stem 
is about zj ft. high and bears a few small leaves 
with a raceme of flowers on the top. The sepals are 
oval, the dorsal one being concave and lying over 
the flower, while the lateral ones are flat and 
reflexed. The linear petals lie under the upper 
sepal, and they, like the sepals, are of a deep apricot 
hue. The lip is linear with long fringes all round, 
and is a shade or two darker in colour. The specific 
name applies to this organ. Botanical Certificate. 
The exhibitors were Messrs. J. Veitch & Sons, 
Chelsea. 
Catasetum Danwinianum. 
The Catasetums are mostly very similar in the form 
and colour of the sepals and petals, but the greatest 
diversity prevails in the form of the lip. Here the 
oblong, concave, spreading sepals are deep shining 
brown tinted with purple externally, and spotted with 
purple on a greenish-yellow ground internally. The 
petals are similar in colour, but nearly flat. The lip 
forms a bluntly conical sac in the male plant, and is 
spotted with purple on both surfaces, but especially 
so internally, with abroad, revolute, white, shallowly 
fringed margin. Award of Merit. It was shown 
by Messrs. J. Veitch & Sons. 
Cypripedium Minos. 
This hybrid was obtained from C. Spicerianum 
crossed with C. Arthurianum. The leaves are 
ligulate and light green, and the whole scape to the 
top of the flower is only 6 in. high. The upper 
sepal is large, roundly oval and white suffused and 
netted with purple on the white ground lying around 
the basal green portion ; the midrib is also deep 
purple. The petals are deflexed as in the pollen 
parent, and yellow, suffused with brown, and having 
a much darker midrib ; the upper edges are wavy 
and yellow. The lip is of a deep shining brown 
with a yellow rim round the mouth. Award of 
Merit. Messrs. J. Veitch & Sons exhibited it. 
Laelia anceps Amesiana. 
Here we are face to face with a handsome and 
distinct new variety, notwithstanding the large 
number that are already named. The sepals are 
white with a faint blush of purple on the upper 
portion. The petals are broad, ovate, and white, 
gradually becoming deep purple at the tips. The 
interior of the tube is deep yellow, heavily lined 
with purple ; the side lobes have pale purple edges ; 
the terminal lobe is intense crimson tinted with purple 
at the edge, and constitutes the acme of the whole 
flower. The three-ridged crest is golden yellow. 
Though pale, with exception of the lip, this is 
certainly a striking variety. First-class Certificate. 
It was exhibited by Thos. Statter, Esq. (gardener, 
Mr. R. Johnson), Stand Hall, Manchester. 
Cypripedium Fairieano-Lawrencianum. 
According to the construction of the name, the seed 
parent in this case should be C. Fairieanum, and the 
pollen bearer C. Lawrencianum. The upper sepal is 
white, suffused, and heavily lined with purple and 
green at the very base only. In these respects it 
recalls C. Lawrencianum ; but the deflexed petals 
with wavy edges point to the other parent. They 
are green, ciliated with black hairs, purple round the 
edges of the upper half, and dotted with purple in 
lines. The lip is deep browish purple. The oblong 
leaves are green on both surfaces. Award of merit. 
The exhibitor was Thomas Statter, Esq. 
Calanthe Mylesii. 
This hybrid has been obtained from C. nivalis 
crossed with C. Veitchi, itself a hybrid. The sepals 
are oblanceolate, the petals oblanceolate, and all are 
directed upwards and recurved. The lip is four- 
lobed, and white, with a pale sulphur tint at the base 
of the lip. The flower stem attains a length of two 
and a-half feet or more. It is a handsome white 
Calanthe. Award of merit. Messrs. B. S. Williams 
and Son, were the exhibitors. 
Cypripedium Mary Lee. 
This may be described as a variety of the hybrid C. 
Leeanum. The round upper sepal is white, with 
numerous, small purple spots round the green blotch 
at the base. The petals are heavily shaded with 
brown on a yellow ground, and of a shining lustre as 
is the dark brown lip. Award of merit. W. R. Lee, 
Fsq. (gardener, Mr. T. Billington), Beech Lawn, 
Audenshaw, Manchester, was the exhibitor. 
Calanthe Victoria Regina. 
In this we have another hybrid which was raised by 
Sir Trevor Lawrence, Bart., probably from C. 
Veitchi crossed with Limatodes rosea. The sepals 
spread equally in triangular fashion, and are soft 
pink. The oblong-elliptic petals are of a shade 
darker. The four-lobed lip is pale, and fades almost 
to white at the base with a pale sulphur disc. Award 
of merit. The exhibitors were Messrs. F. Sander & 
Co., St. Albans. 
-- 
Large Vegetables and their Production. 
It cannot be possible for these to be grown by the 
ordinary mode of cultivation, yet, how many 
employers are dissatisfied with their gardeners 
because they do not produce such samples as find 
their way to the exhibition tables. Knowing some¬ 
thing of the amount of labour caused in growing 
these monstrosities, and the quantity of ground 
required for their development, a few remarks on 
their cultivation may interest some of your numerous 
readers. First of all, are these large vegetables 
profitable ? one is inclined to ask. In some instances, 
without a doubt, they certainly are, while in others 
they most assuredly are not. So that the cultivator 
has first of all to consider if he can afford the space, 
the time, and the means necessary to their require¬ 
ments, and if these can be answered in the affirma¬ 
tive, then he must set himself the task of finding out 
what food is best suited to their development, and 
having ascertained this he must apply it at the 
proper time and in suitable quantities, so that there 
be no check on the plants’ growth through over 
stimulation, or any lack through want of the necessary 
supply. 
We will take Onions as an example. Now these 
are profitable to a certain extent, for there is as 
much food produced on a given space of ground by 
having large bulbs as there is by smaller ones, but 
for those who have to keep up a supply through the 
winter the smaller ones are far preferable, as they 
keep sound much longer, their growth being more 
solid. To grow Onions to a very large size it is 
necessary that they have a long season in which to 
perfect themselves, and for this reason the seed 
must be sown under glass in January and the plants 
kept steadily growing till the end of the season. 
Some of the large Onions exhibited are sown in the 
autumn and kept growing till quite late the following 
season, so that by the time they are lifted they have 
occupied the ground thirteen months. It is not 
always safe to rely on these autumn sown ones, so 
that gardeners as a rule make a sowing in a pan or 
on a slight hot-bed, pricking the seedlings out when 
large enough, and finally transferring them to the 
open ground when the weather is favourable early 
in April. 
As the season has much to do with the develop¬ 
ment of plant growth, the cultivator must be 
prepared for any emergency that may be needed. 
The ground must be deeply dug and heavily 
manured in the first instance, and from time to 
time as growth takes place additional food must be 
given—^just as much, in fact, should be supplied as 
the plants are able to take up; room must also be 
allowed between each. If very large bulbs are 
desired, 18 in. between each will be none too much. 
The foliage must be tended with care so that it does 
not get broken down, and when it is necessary to 
throw the strength into the bulb, instead of bending 
the stalks down, as is often the case, a piece of 
matting should be tied round the necks. No amount 
of care, however, will be of any avail unless the plants 
receive their proper food, and this can only be 
determined on by knowing the condition of the soil, 
for as there is so much difference in this it is 
impossible to lay down any hard and fast rules for 
feeding, but lime is very essential to growth, so also 
is nitrogen and potash ,—Kitchen Gardener, 
