February 17, 1894. 
38? 
THE GARDENING WORLD. 
ORCHID NOTES AND GLEANI;<GS. 
By John Fraser, F.L.S., Kew. 
Lycaste Skinneri rubella. 
In a collection or an importation of this plant it 
very often happens that scarcely two are exactly 
alike in the colours and markings of the flower. The 
above plant in the nursery of Messrs. J. Laing & 
Sons, Forest Hill, acquires its name from the colour¬ 
ing of the petals. The sepals are broad, slightly 
concave, and white, with a faint flush of rose. The 
petals on the contrary are of a warm rosy-purple, 
and stand out in marked contrast to the rest of the 
flower. The lip is beautifully marbled or blotched 
with purple on a white ground, and the ridged, 
downy, tongue-like crest is creamy-white. In the 
dark varieties of the species, the lip is often of a dark 
crimson, but pale-lipped varieties may be quite as 
attractive as those that are rendered dull by the in¬ 
tensity of their colour, and that is practically the 
case with the variety under notice. The dark petals 
stand up between the pale sepals and the blotched 
but light coloured lip. 
Catasetum Naso. 
The species of Catasetum vary most in the form of 
the lip, which is often of very peculiar structure, as 
in the species under notice. The sepals and petals 
are shorter than those of many species that make 
their appearance from time to time in cultivation, 
and greenish marked with numerous transverse 
purple bars. They are neither bright nor particularly 
attractive, but the whole interest centres in the re¬ 
markable form of the lip. It is deeply concave and 
elongated at the base, making it almost semi- 
globular, or like an open bath ; the interior of this is 
of a dark crimson, and gives shelter to the curious 
antennae which serve to liberate the pollinia when 
disturbed by the visits of the insects which Carry 
away the pollinia unconsciously upon their back, and 
bring it in contact with the disc of the seed-bearing 
plant. Considering the force with which the pollinia 
are liberated, the beneficial insects cannot but be sur¬ 
prised when struck by them. The saccate portion of 
the lip is terminated by a curious oval thickened 
and fleshy structure of dull colour, and tinted with 
a mixture of green, yellow, and brown shades. The 
specific name refers to this peculiar appendage. 
Some flowers of it were recently sent by a corres¬ 
pondent. 
Trichocentrum tigrinum. 
Some of the species of this genus are very attrac¬ 
tive, but, unfortunately, they are comparatively 
seldom seen in cultivation. They belong to a class of 
plants that succeed best where the grower takes a 
warm interest in them, and gives close attention to 
their requirements as he would with other pet 
plants. That under notice thrives best on a block of 
wood, with a small quantity of sphagnum tied over 
the roots with a piece of copper wire. Some growers 
succeed better by growing it in baskets or small 
earthenware pans, with a small quantity of compost 
placed over an abundance of crocks for drainage. The 
plant should not be allowed toget thoroughly dry even 
in winter while resting, but liberal supplies of water 
must be afforded in summer during warm weather 
and while making growth. Division may be effected, 
but as the plant dislikes disturbance, young crowns 
only may be separated from the old plant and 
established on blocks of wood in a warm moist 
atmosphere for a time. The proper place for estab¬ 
lished plants is at the cool end of the Cattleya 
house; it is a native of Ecuador. The leaves are 
oblong, leathery, and of a rich shining green, more 
or less spotted with red. The flowers are produced 
singly or in pairs on drooping peduncles, and 
measure about 2 in. across, which is a large size for 
the genus. The sepals and petals are of a light 
greenish-yellow more or less blotched with crimson. 
The lip is very broad at its upper end, emarginate, 
and tapering towards the base in a fan-shaped 
manner; it is white with a large rosy-purple blotch 
on either side towards the base. The crest at the 
base is bright yellow, although not so large as to 
become very prominent. The small column is more 
or less shaded with purple. Altogether it is a very 
pretty species, of which the late Professor Reichen- 
bach spoke very»highly. A beautiful plate of it is 
given in the Orchid Album, pi. 484. 
Chysis laevis. 
Although originally flowered in this country fifty 
years ago, and brought home from Mexico along with 
C. bractescens, the above-named species is little 
known in this country. This is to be regretted in view 
of its distinctive features, and from the fact that it 
blooms in June and July, when other Orchids are 
mostly out of season and making their growth. 
The pendant racemes bear from six to twelve flowers 
similar in size and form to those in cultivation, but 
differing in colour; the sepals and petals are 
yellow at the base, passing into orange upwards, 
and copiously spotted with crimson. Both the 
lateral sepals and the petals are falcate. 
The three-lobed lip is pale yellow at the base, 
streaked inside with crimson ; and the lateral lobes 
are rolled over the column, which is beautifully 
spotted along the face. The terminal lobe on the 
contrary is bright yellow, and more boldly streaked 
and blotched with crimson. The flower scape arises 
from the base of the young growths made in summer, 
and the plant loses its foliage in winter when it 
should be kept cooler and dry. No more water is 
required at that season than just sufficient to prevent 
the spindle-shaped pseudo-bulbs from shrivelling till 
growth recommences in spring. When growing it 
should be kept in the East Indian house with 
plenty of heat and moisture, both at the roots and 
in the atmosphere. Hanging baskets and a compost 
of fibrous peat and sphagnum are also requisites, 
No shading is necessary at this time except during 
the middle of the day in very warm weather. There 
is a beautiful illustration of the species in the Orchid 
Album, pi. 482. 
Cymbidium ebunneum. 
This is one of the most beautiful of Orchids, and I 
know of no flower which is more justly admired, its 
purity of colour and sweet perfume rendering it most 
attractive. A variety of C. eburneum, C. e. Dayanum, 
which was purchased a few years ago, was speedily 
pulled to pieces and made into six plants, which 
started freely into growth, and soon filled their 
pots with roots. They flower very freely every 
season, and I find that they do better when pot- 
bound and fed lightly with a little of Thomson’s 
Vine and Plant Manure. They throw strong dark 
green leaves, making at the present time fine com¬ 
panions to Cattleya Trianae, which is also flowering 
freely. A season of rest during autumn prepares them 
for throwing up numerous flower spikes. I am glad 
to note that a plant so easily cultivated as this can be 
bought at moderate cost.— Stirling. 
-- 
BOUVARDIA CULTURE. 
Many growers will soon again be thinking about 
raising their stock of plants for flowering next 
season, and I should like to direct their atten¬ 
tion to a method of cultivation that is quite opposite 
to the old style, and which is fast becoming popular. 
I have myself had many complaints from people 
who have found themselves unable to do anything 
with this plant, but if anyone will follow the follow¬ 
ing directions, they need not be short of Bouvardia 
bloom from September to March. Take some old 
plants that have been slightly dried off, cut them 
back, place them in gentle heat, and water them 
carefully at first. When the young shoots have got 
fairly firm, take your cuttings and treat them as you 
would those of the Fuchsia, and your sole aim at 
first being to keep the cuttings on their legs, be 
careful not to fill the cutting pots, pans or boxes too 
full of compost. The temperature available should 
be from 6o° to 75°, and those who cannot command 
this heat should buy in a few plants later on. 
Bouvardia cuttings are rather apt to stand a long 
time before rooting, therefore don’: be in a hurry to 
pot them off, but when you have found that they 
are well rooted, po: them off firmly into 6o’s in a 
compost of good loam, leaf soil and sand. Put them 
back into heat for a week or two and then transfer 
them to cooler quarters. When they have been 
awhile in the last situation pinch off the tops to 
within two or three joints from the bottom. When 
the plants have fairly broke again and are growing 
freely, put them into 5-in. pots, which are quite 
large enough in a general way, and when they have 
fairly got hold of the new soil, turn them out into a 
cold frame or in some sheltered place outside, and 
plunge them up to the rim in coat ashes. Attend to 
them carefully with water and stop all strong shoots 
up to the beginning of July, but not later.— J. G. 
Pettinger, Strawberry Dale Nursery, Harrogate. 
fxram ©nrlti 
Immatu e Raspberry Canes.—The practice of 
several market growers of Raspberries in the United 
States, and the experiments made by the professors 
of the Cornell University Agricultural Experiment 
Station, would seem to prove that our belief and 
doctrines with regard to the maturing of the wood 
of fruit-bearing subjects does not always hold good. 
The practice of growers above mentioned is to pull 
up all the canes of the Raspberries made before mid¬ 
summer, and to rely upon the shoots made after that 
date to yield the next year's crop. To test the 
validity of this practice, the young canes of the 
Cuthber: and the Shaffer Raspberries were pulled 
up on the 6th July. The canes developed after that 
were left unpruned till spring, when they were found 
to be green, vigorous, and more advanced in growth 
than the canes in another plantation, and which 
were allowed the whole season to make and mature 
their growth. A row of Blackberries was also 
treated on the 6th July, but the canes in that case, 
and especially the late-developed ones, were badly 
injured or killed during winter. Those of them 
which came through the ordeal, produced fine but 
smaller fruit and in less quantity. The question 
about the Raspberries is whether the canes were 
hardier because immature, or whether they were 
really more mature and thus better able to withstand 
the winter, owing to their slower growth and 
greater firmness thereby attained. On the contrary 
those canes which have the whole season before 
them might have become dry, weak and compara¬ 
tively lifeless before the advent of winter, and being 
thus wanting in vigour are liable to succumb. The 
experiment is worthy of a trial somewhat earlier in 
the season in this country, for in some localities the 
canes are very liable to die during winter without 
any apparent cause except from the severity of the 
weather. 
The Eczema Plant.—By train to-day I am 
sending you a parcel of the plant you require for 
the cure of “ eczema.” I hope it will have the 
desired effect and cure the young lady you are 
sending it to. This plant is very plentiful here. My 
fields, which have not been cropped for a season or 
two, have any quantity of it growing in them, so 
that if your friend finds it is doing her good (which 
I am sure it will), I shall be glad to send her more at 
any time. My wife and I went out yesterday 
evening and gathered this parcel, and there is no 
doubt it cured her completely when doctors’ medi¬ 
cine failed. I might mention for the young lady’s 
information that the way my wife used it was this. 
She put a good lot of the plant into a large-size 
saucepan and boiled it well for a couple of hours, 
then poured off the liquid and put it into bottles, 
corked it up tightly and drank a wineglassful three 
or four times each day. There is no doubt it is a 
very valuable plant for any skin disease, and if it 
cures this young lady you are sending it to, you 
should write a letter to the papers, for I feel sure that 
hundreds who are suffering would find relief, and 
one always feels a great pleasure in being able to do 
something to relieve the sufferings of a fellow 
creature.—£. McLariy. 
[The above communication was sent by the writer 
living at Pinjarrah, West Australia ; to a friend at 
Perth in the same country. This latter gentleman 
says that Mr. McLarty deserves the thanks of the 
whole community for bringing this valuable plant to 
light. He says that he knows of two other persons 
besides Mrs. McLarty that have been cured of 
eczema by the plant. Unfortunately he gives no 
botanical name to the plant.— Ed.] 
Gloriosa superba.—The species of Gloriosa, of 
which G. superba is the most important, require a 
long season in which to develop, so that they may 
get strong before commencing to flower. Use a 
compost of peat and loam in about equal propor¬ 
tions with plenty of sand, and place the pots in a 
temperature of about 70®. The operation should be 
effected without delay. After the plants are fairly 
into growth, they delight in a high temperature with 
an abundance of moisture. Remove any offsets that 
may exist before potting, placing them in smaller 
pots. 
