March 24, 1894. 
THE GARDENING WORLD 
467 
ORCHID NOTES AND GLEANINGS. 
By John Fraser, F.L.S., Kew. 
Amongst the numerous Orchids which were ex¬ 
hibited at the meeting of the Royal Horticultural 
Society on the 13th inst., the undermentioned re¬ 
ceived awards according to merit. 
Dendfobium imperatpix, Nov. sp. 
In this we have a Dendrobe of the tropical Austra¬ 
lian type. The fusiform pseudo-bulbs are 2 ft. to 
4 ft. high, bearing one or more racemes of bloom 
from near the top, and about 18 in. long. The 
oblong, wavy and slightly twisted sepals are white. 
The petals are spathulate, but otherwise similar. 
The three-lobed lip is white, and beautifully lined 
with rosy-purple nearly all over the inner face, and 
bears a prominent crest on the middle. It may be 
described as pretty, but rather tall to suit the general 
cultivator. Botanical Certificate. Exhibited by 
Messrs. F. Sander & Co. 
Dendrobium Virginia, Nov. hyh. 
This new hybrid combines a dwarf habit, with a 
free flowering character. The parents were D. 
japonicum and D. Bensoniae, the former being the 
seed parent. The stems are about g in. high, bearing 
their flowers in clusters of two or three along the 
greater part of their length. The sepals are oblong, 
the petals broader and white. The lip is elliptic, con¬ 
volute at the very base, round the column, and white, 
with a maroon blotch on a pale yellow ground near 
the base. . First-class Certificate. Exhibitors, 
Messrs. J. Veitch & Sons, Chelsea. 
Phalaenopsis Vesta, Nov. hyh. 
The parents of this garden hybrid were P. Aphro¬ 
dite and P. rosea leucaspis. The former was the 
seed parent, and has contributed to the enlargement 
of the flowers of the pollen parent, while the latter 
gives its colour. The sepals are of the palest rose. 
The rhomboid petals are rosy-purple. The ovate, 
terminal lobe of the lip is deep purple, and tinted 
with reddish yellow at the base ; the tails are short 
and slender; the base of the lateral lobes, the crest 
and the claw are spotted and striped with orange. 
Award of Merit. Exhibitors, Messrs. J. Veitch & Sons. 
Dendrobium Cybele, Nov. hyh. 
The seed parent of this hybrid was D. Findleyanum, 
crossed with the pollen of D. nobile, and curiously 
enough, the habit of the plant and the stems are 
similar to the latter. The sepals and petals are 
white, with purple tips. The lip is unusually large, 
expanded, and white, with a maroon blotch at the 
base, and a small purple tip. Award of Merit. 
Exhibited by Messrs. J. Veitch & Sons. 
Phaius Marthae, Nov. hyb. 
The parents of this hybrid were Phaius Blumei and 
P. tuberculosus, the former being the seed bearer. 
The lanceolate, plicate leaves assume a spreading 
direction. Sepals and petals are similar, being pale 
yellow, slightly flushed with fawn. The lip is large 
and expanded, with a short open tube of an orange 
hue, variegated and lined with crimson ; the lamina 
is large, very pale or blush, and spotted with rose; 
three yellow ridges arising in the throat, and con¬ 
verging run nearly to the apex. First-class Certifi¬ 
cate. The exhibitors were Messrs. F. Sander & Co., 
St. Albans. 
Lycaste Skinneri Mrs. H. Ballantine, Nov. var. 
The sepals of this beautiful variety are white, or of 
the palest blush, while the petals are of a lively 
rose on the inner, paler externally, and white at the 
recurved tip. The lip is as nearly white as possible, 
with a small patch of purple on the edges of the 
side lobes, and a golden yellow crest. Award of 
Merit. Exhibitors, Messrs. F. Sander & Co. 
Odontoglossom excellens chrysomelanum. 
The sepals of this beautiful variety are golden- 
yellow, with a few bold, brown blotches about the 
middle. The petals are more broadly elliptic and paler 
at the base, but otherwise very similar to the sepals. 
The lip is also bright yellow, with a few reddish- 
brown blotches, sometimes united into a horse¬ 
shoe shaped band in front of the crest. First- 
class Certificate. The exhibitor was Sir Trevor 
Lawrence, Bart, (grower, Mr. W. H. White), 
Burford Lodge, Dorking. 
Masdevallia Gargantua. 
HE flower of this singular and striking species 
is of great size and fleshy in texture. The tube 
is widely cylindrical and greenish-yellow. The 
upper sepal is yellow and prolonged into a curved 
tail 2 in. to 2J in. long; the lateral ones are 
oblong, warted and of a dark maroon or brownish- 
purple hue, prolonged into yellow tails ij in. 
long. The small pale yellow petals are hidden 
in the tube as are the brownish purple, hairy lips. 
When first expanded the flowers exhale a disagree¬ 
able odour. First-class Certificate. Exhibitor, Sir 
Trevor Lawrence, Bart. 
Dendrobium Kingianum album. 
The stems of this dwarf species are only 3 in. to 
6 in. high, bearing two or three leathery leaves, and 
produce an arching raceme of flowers when they are 
two or three years old. The flowers are moderate 
in size, and white. The whole plant is dwarf, neat 
and pretty. Botanical Certificate. Exhibitor, Sir 
Trevor Lawrence, Bart. 
Pleurothallis Barberiana. 
The spathulate leaves of this small but pretty 
species are leathery, bronzy, and i| in. to 2 in. long. 
The sepals are spotted with purple on a nearly 
transparent ground, and have tails about J in. long. 
Botanical Certificate. Exhibitor, R. I. Measures, 
Esq. 
The Orchid Growers’ Calendar. 
Anguloas. —Plants that have been resting during 
the winter months and which are now breaking 
away strongly may be repotted ; we always repot our 
plants before flowering, as the young growths begin 
to root before they are very many inches high, and 
as they are very brittle it is risking a good deal to 
delay the repotting until they have made much 
headway. Always bear in mind that delays are 
dangerous. The compost we find best suited to the 
requirements of this genus consists of peat, partly 
decayed leaves, chopped sphagnum moss, and silver 
sand, thoroughly mixed together. The pots—and pot 
culture suits them best—must be well drained, as 
they require plenty of moisture at the roots during 
their growing season. Some growers advocate their 
being grown in the cool house all the year, and 
during the summer months this, no doubt, is the 
proper place for them, as they delight in moisture 
nd shade ; we winter ours, however, in the Cattleya 
house, placing them at the coolest end, where they 
keep plump enough without receiv ing scarcely any 
water. Sometimes the bulbs will show signs of 
decay by becoming spotted—first a little speck hardly 
discernible, but which gradually but surely gets 
larger until the whole bulb is affected. I have always 
attributed this to their being kept too cold and 
perhaps wet during the winter. Should there be 
any signs of spot cut the affected parts away and 
keep the plants moderately dry for a time. 
CoMPARETTiAS. —Given a shady position on the 
north side or end of the Cattleya house, and these 
prett} little South American Orchids will grow well. 
They take up but very little room, and will amply 
repay the cultivator for the attention bestowed 
upon them. They are best grown on blocks or in 
baskets in a compost that should consist almost 
entirely of sphagnum moss. If peat is used at all, 
all the earthy matter should be shaken out, using 
only the fibre. They may be said to have no season 
of rest, consequently must be supplied with plenty of 
moisture all the year round. It is a small genus of 
which perhaps C. macroplectron is the best. 
Oncidiums. —The majority of this beautiful family 
will do well in a temperature of 50'’ to 55'’ in winter, 
the exceptions being O. Lanceanum and O. Amplia- 
tum majus, which requires to be kept a few degrees 
warmer, or the foliage becomes spotted and the 
plants gradually dwindle away. The other 
exceptions are O. macranthum, O. tigrinum, O. 
Gardnerianum, the pretty little O. cuculatum, O. 
incurvum and O. Marshallianium which' does 
best in the cool house. The very best material 
should be used when repotting or reba sketing them, 
and this should be fibrous peat and live sphagnum moss 
in equal parts ; the plants, too, should be elevated above 
the pots or baskets, and plenty of drainage afforded, 
so that the water may pass freely away. The com¬ 
post should not be pressed too firmly around the 
large rooted kinds, but keep the plants steady and 
in position with a neat stake. They like liberal 
treatment as regards moisture when growing, to be 
followed by a season of rest, except O. macranthum, 
which is hardly ever at rest. Most of them are 
free flowering, and throw up large spikes for the size 
of the plants, and if allowed to carry them long the 
plants will soon go wrong. That is why we rarely 
see O. Marshallianum in good health after being 
in this country two or three seasons.—C. 
Cll^aninfls fcom fh^ Mluilb 
of Science. 
Expepiments with Potatos.— The Technical 
Education Committee of the Wilts County Council 
have been carrying on experiments with Potatos and 
Onions for the two past seasons at their Allotment 
Station, Christchurch, Warminster. As far as 
Potatos were concerned the experiments were made 
with the view of testing the best methods of cultiva¬ 
tion and the results of certain dressings for the 
purpose of checking the Potato disease. The 
report on those experiments has just been published 
in the form of a pamphlet. The primary object of 
the experiments has been " to afford to the technical 
instructor for the district an opportunity of giving 
practical as well as theoretical teaching.” 
Winter and Spring Planting.— Plots of 
Imperator, Reading Giant, and Early Kidney 
Potatos were planted on the i6th December (whole 
sets being used). The weather was mild at the 
time, but severe frost set in on the 24th December, 
and continued till January 8th. About half of the 
sets of Imperator and Reading Giant, and fourteen 
out of seventy-two sets of Early Kidney failed. Impera¬ 
tor gave a yield of 140 lbs., while the same area of 
ground planted on the i6th March gave 302 lbs. 
The winter planting of Reading Giant gave 119 lbs., 
against 309 lbs. from spring planting. Early Kidney 
gave 75 lbs. from the winter planting, and 85 lbs. 
from the spring planted plot. It is calculated that 
the yield would have be»n about the same in both 
cases if there had been no failures amongst the sets 
of Imperator and Reading Giant. On the contrary. 
Early Kidney would have given a larger yield from 
the winter planted lot, and it ripened about a week 
earlier than the spring-planted plot. 
Other Cultures. —Trials were made to determine 
whether close or wide planting gave the heavier 
return, Three perches of land were planted with 
120 sets at 22 in. and 15J in., giving a yield of 847 
lbs., while another three perches planted with 
72 sets at distances of 31 in. and 17J in. give a yield 
of 793 lbs. The previous season the results were 
reversed, so that no very definite conclusions can be 
drawn from it. The question is very much that of 
soil, and climate or rainfall for the season. Trials 
were also made to determine the yield on soil 
trenched to a depth of 15 in. as compared with soil 
that was merely dug. The subsoil was brought to the 
surface in the former case. Deep culture gave an 
increase of nearly 10 per cent above the plots dug in 
the ordinary way. One perch of trenched soil 
treated with Complete Chemical manure at the rate 
of 12 cwt. per acre, gave 318 lbs. of Potatos, which 
would amount to 22J tons per acre. Three perches 
under ordinary cultivation gave a return of 793 
lbs., and three trenched perches gave 870 lbs. 
Against this the cost of trenching has to be placed in 
order to determine whether the method of deep 
culture by hand labour would pay commercially. 
Different Kinds of sets. —Three perches were 
planted with whole tubers of different sizes to each. 
That which was planted with 6 oz. tubers gave 
143 lbs.; 4 oz. tubers gave 134 lbs.; and 2 oz. tubers 
gave 109 lbs A similar plantation of cut sets was 
made. That from 4 oz. sets gave 129 lbs. ; 2 oz. sets 
gave 125 lbs. ; and i oz. sets gave 53 lbs. These 
figures speak for themselves, and show that whole 
tubers of good size gave the heaviest return. A fair 
yield was given by the 4 oz. sets which were tubers 
cut in half, namely, 129 lbs. as above stated. The 
single eyes of i oz. in weight gave the poor return of 
53 lbs. A good sized whole tuber according to these 
experiments gave the best return in weight. 
Different Manure^.—A complicated series of 
experiments were made with manured and un¬ 
manured plots. Three perches of land planted with 
Early Kidney gave the following results :—Without 
manure 75 lbs. ; with farmyard manure, 8g lbs.; with 
Complete Chemical manure, 85 lbs. The results with 
Reading Giant were different. Three perches of each 
group were planted in this case, but taking the 
average of one perch for each, the results were as 
followsWithout manure, 244 lbs. ; with farmyard 
manure, 291 lbs; vvith Complete Chemical manure, 
305 lbs. per perch. In this last case the chemical 
manure gave the best yield, being equivalent to 21 
tons, 16 cwts. per acre. 
