January 13, 1894. 
THE GARDENING WORLD.’ 
311 
temperate parts of the world. There is nothing 
particular in the colouring of the flowers, but the 
length of time that some of them remain in perfec¬ 
tion is marvellous. The old C. insigne is a great 
favourite, for in winter it cheers and enliv'ens the 
otherwise dull period when few other Orchids are 
in flower. Most of the species thrive in an inter¬ 
mediate house, potted in peat and loam. Plenty of 
water must be given during the growing season, but 
during winter less will suffice. The plants are 
propagated by dividing the roots just as they are 
starting to grow. 
Masdevallias. 
Striking as are the grotesque shapes assumed by the 
flowers of some of the species of this order, still 
more so is the extraordinary brilliancy of the colours 
of others. Like the Odontoglossums, this group 
may be cultivated with but little trouble and 
expense. A few, however, must have a little more 
heat in winter. Such as M. tovarensis, for example, 
should not be allowed to be in a lower degree of 
temperature than 50° F., or they will lose their 
foliage. The plants must never be allowed to get 
dry at the roots, and, like the Odontoglossum, must 
be kept shaded in bright weather, or the foliage will 
be spoiled. Their cultivation is similar to that of 
the latter plant, they being best grown in pots with 
peat. 
Phaius. 
Some of the species of this genus were the first tropical 
Orchids introduced into this country. Some years 
ago P. grandiflora used to be exhibited in all collec¬ 
tions of stove-flowering plants. I have seen it with 
over 500 expanded flowers on it at one time. To 
grow this class well they should be potted in good 
fibrous loam and cow dung, and liberally supplied 
with both heat and moisture during the growing sea¬ 
son. Less water must be given during the winter, 
and the temperature maintained between 55° and 
65° F. 
Calanthes. 
No species has so much courted popular favour as C. 
Veitchii. This is the result of a cross between C. 
vestita and C. rosea; The long spikes of rose- 
coloured flowers are very effective in the dull months 
of November and December. Their culture is of the 
simplest, they being potted in loam and cow dung, 
and well provided with warmth and moisture while 
growing. They must be screened from the direct 
rays of the sun or the foliage will get scalded. There 
are several species of which vestita,*Veitchii, lutea, 
and Regnieri, are among the best. 
(To be continued.) 
--•*-- 
iSARDENlNG MISCELLANY. 
A FERN-LIKE CYCAD. 
Those who see Stangeria paradoxa for the first time 
readily take it for a Fern, so close is the resemblance 
in all its parts and their structure, except of course 
in the fruit. The genus includes only one species, 
but of that there are several forms, including S. p. 
Katzeri and S. p. schizodon, the two extreme forms 
of the species, the former being a diminutive and the 
latter a robust plant. There is a huge specimen of 
the large form in the Victoria house at Kew. The 
leaves are pinnate with the oblong pinnae irregu¬ 
larly incised and serrate, though occasionally they 
are almost entire in the case of the smaller ones. In 
many respects it recalls the Marattias amongst Ferns. 
A more remarkable feature of the leaves is their 
venation, which consists of forking veins arising 
from the midrib, and running to the margin in 
parallel lines similar to those of ferns. They are 
leathery in texture and dark green. The pale 
brown cones are however characteristic of the 
Cycads to which order the plant belongs. The 
specimen under notice has a large number of leaves 
proceeding from one crown with a spread of 5 ft. or 
more, and bears five yellowish brown cones more 
than a foot long. It is grown in a pot with its base 
just touching the water in the tank, but it is located 
here for convenience more than anything else owing 
to the space it occupies. The stove is really its 
proper place as it comes from the sub-tropical 
regions of South-Eastern Africa. A smaller speci¬ 
men or form of the species may sometimes be noted 
in the stove. 
APHELANDRA NITENS. 
Several of the species of Aphelandra are amongst 
the most choice of the occupants of the stove, but for 
many years the most widely and generally cultivated 
has been A. aurantiaca. So great a demand was 
there for it that seeds were readily obtainable from 
which to raise a stock of young plants annually. 
The most of the species in cultivation are highly 
ornamental, but the dwarf ones are the neatest, and 
because they require little space for their accommo¬ 
dation, they are reckoned amongst the gems of the 
stove by those who will take the necessary trouble 
to grow them well. That under notice is as dwarf 
in habit almost as A. aurantiaca, as it does not seem 
to exceed a foot in height to the top of the flower 
spike. The portion bearing the flowers consists of 
an ovate or subconical mass of bracts, each shelter¬ 
ing a flower bud in its early stages. A considerable 
number of blooms are fully expanded at the same 
time, so that the plant really becomes handsome. 
They are two-lipped and of a bright vermillion- 
scarlet, and owing to the three-lobed character of 
the lower lip, they remind one very forcibly of the 
Mexican scarlet Lobelias such as L. fulgens and L. 
splendens. Besides, the plant has another engaging 
characteristic in^he leaves, which are ovate, leathery, 
and of the richest dark shining green above, but 
vinous purple underneath. Plants in full bloom may 
be seen in the stove at Kew. The species is a native 
of Columbia, from whence it was introduced in 1867, 
but it is by no means so well known as its merits 
deserve. 
RUELLIA HERBSTII. 
Many of the Ruellias have uniformly-coloured and 
often uninteresting flowers, but a few commend 
themselves on account of their brightly-coloured 
corollas. That under notice possesses elegance and 
sprightliness on account of the long slender tube and 
white segments. The tube is long and remarkably 
slender, rosy purple in the lower portion, and sud¬ 
denly widened towards the mouth and deep purple 
there. The calyx is purple, and the flowers are pro¬ 
duced in clusters of three or five together towards 
the top cf the shoots. The plant grows about 18 in. 
to 2 ft. in height, and requires treatment similar to 
that given several other members of the same 
family, which are grown for winter flowering, such 
as Peristrophe speciosa, Sericographis Ghies- 
breghtii, and others of that class. It may be seen 
in the Begonia House at Kew. 
JASMINUM GRACILLIMUM. 
Few of the species of Jasmine give a better return 
for the labour expended upon them than J. gracilli- 
mum for winter flowering. J. Sambac may be more 
strongly scented, but certainly not more sweetly so. 
It was introduced from Northern Borneo in 1881, 
and has had plenty of time to get distributed 
throughout the land. For some years it was re¬ 
ceived with great eclat, but we seldom hear of it 
now. Doubtless it finds acceptance in many estab¬ 
lishments, but does not seem to get that attention 
which it deserves. While much is said about winter 
flowering Begonias, Sericographis Ghiesbreghtii, 
Eranthemum pulchellum, Ruellia speciosa, and a 
number of others that might be named, including 
the deserving Bouvardias, yet the best and most 
profitable of all Jasmines for winter flowering is 
overlooked. The individual flowers are larger and 
more substantial than those of the common Jasmine 
and other hardy species, with a greater number of 
overlapping segments, namely seven to eleven. 
They are not produced in straggling clusters of a 
few blooms, but in close bunches at the top and all 
along the sides of the shoots. The leaves are not 
divided like the common Jasmine, but for that 
reason they are more suitable for stove cultivation. 
If more divided they would be liable to be broken, 
and require more room for their accommodation. 
As it is, the plant can be grown in pots in small con¬ 
dition or allowed to fun up a pillar or trellis 
Grown according to the latter method they give a 
larger proportion of flowers for cutting purposes.— 
De facto. 
NEPHRODIUM DISSECTUM. 
Those who like to see bold Ferns, may safely in¬ 
clude this one in their collection. It may be grown 
to great size, but has the merit of displaying its bold 
character while still quite young. Seedlings may be 
raised in any quantity and shifted on as they grow, 
till they may be put in 48 size pots when they are fit 
for decorative purposes. The species is not very 
generally cultivated ; but those who see a batch of 
plants for the first time in 48 size pots, admire the 
species for its bold, substantial and effective appear¬ 
ance. The fronds are borne in compact tufts with erect 
stalks and spreading laminae. The latter is once or 
twice pinnatified with broad and massive-looking 
segments. Why it should have been called N. 
dissectum it would be difficult to say, for the bulk of 
the Nephrodiums are much more finely cut than that 
under notice. The plant is best known in gardens 
and nurseries under the name of Lastrea membrani- 
folia, under which name we noted it recently in the 
nursery of Messrs. B. S. Williams & Son, Upper Hollo¬ 
way. Another name is Nephrodium membranifolium ; 
but the use of this name seems more misleading than 
the other, for the fronds are anything but membra¬ 
nous as we understand it amongst Ferns. Although not 
leathery, yet the fronds are massive, firm and ever¬ 
green. They may be grown from i ft. to 5 ft. long 
and I ft. to 3 it. broad in strong, old plants. Such a 
size would be inconvenient to most growers, but that 
need be no drawback to its culture, seeing that 
young plants are so readily and easily grown from 
spores. 
THE BIRD'S NEST FERN. 
It is not every one who has the space to grow this 
noble Fern to its possible dimensions, for the fronds 
attain a length of 3 ft. to 6 ft. according to the 
variety. The type is a native of India and neigh¬ 
bouring countries, while there is a form named 
Asplenium Nidus musaefolium, whose fronds attain 
a length of 6 ft. under favourable circumstances. 
Both this and the type require stove treatment to 
attain their fullest proportions, although they are 
often grown in cooler houses, giving every satisfac¬ 
tion where size is not the object, nor, in fact, would 
be desirable in many cases on account of the space 
it would occupy. When grown to good size, how¬ 
ever, they are noble objects, and take rank in 
decorative effect with the large-leaved Anthuriums 
and smaller Musas, but with a neater habit. All the 
leaves spring from a crown close to the pot, as the 
stem never elongates, and they take a sharply ascend¬ 
ing direction so that they form almost a vasiform 
crown, or tuft open in the centre. The name Bird’s- 
nest Fern derives its application from this fact. An 
old specimen may be seen in the nursery of Messrs. 
B. S. Williams & Son, Upper Holloway, with fronds 
a yard long or more, and in many cases g in. wide. 
It is grown in an intermediate house with other 
species, many of which succeed perfectly in a green¬ 
house temperature, so that few need be afraid of 
attempting its cultivation on the score of tempera¬ 
ture. There is a variety A. N. anstralasicum, a 
native of Australia, and which succeeds perfectly 
in a greenhouse, although it remains of moderate 
size. 
FRUIT PACKING IN KENT. 
Following up the remarks on Osier-growing and 
basket-making which appeared in our last issue, 
“ Invicta ” writes :—I wish to emphasize the need of 
fruit-growers putting their choice Cherries and other 
good fruit into small, cheap, handy hampers, which 
can go from dealer to dealer right into the home of 
the consumer without the fruit being touched or 
measured or weighed from the time it leaves the 
fruit-orchard until it arrives in the consumer’s 
kitchen or larder. The English manufacturer of 
calico, or dress materials, or cocoa, etc., " sets off” 
his goods with a gilded paper band or a pretty card¬ 
board box, and thus pleases not only the consumer, 
but also the retail shopkeeper. Preserved fruit 
from California is also put up in bright, handy 
packages, but our splendid fruit grown in Kent is 
simply shot into half-bushel or larger baskets, which 
baskets are too costly to supply gratis with the fruit, 
as the makers of margarine, etc., give their baskets. 
Allow me to describe how some foreign fruit arrives. 
After seeing the French fleet, etc., at Portsmouth, 
I happened to leave Portsmouth by the midnight 
train, and thus saw unloaded at Waterloo Station, 
London, the fruit, butter, etc., wffiich had just 
arrived from Southampton and Portsmouth. The 
fruit and butter was packed in small, light boxes, 
each containing 2 lbs. or 4 lbs. These boxes were 
in light crates, each containing about thirty boxes, 
so that the porters and vvaggoners at Waterloo and 
at Covent Garden Market could quickly handle 
these crates, without injury to the cardboard or 
fragile boxes and baskets actually containing the 
fruit. I followed these crates to Covent Garden, 
and saw the salesmen sell the goods to the dealers 
and shopkeepers, who quickly took the fruit away 
