April 7, 1894. 
THE GARDENING WORLD 
499 
ORCHID NOTES AND GLEANINGS. 
By John Fraser, F.L.S., Kew. 
Awards according to merit were granted to the 
undermentioned subjects when exhibited at the 
meeting of the Royal Horticultural Society on the 
27th ult. 
Dendrobium Euryalus, Nov. liyb. 
The number of hybrid Dendrobiums continues to 
be augmented with sorts that are great improve¬ 
ments upon the originals from a garden point of 
view. Another fact is that they are often of more 
vigorous growth, and more easy to cultivate than 
the imported wild forms. The seed bearer in this 
case was D. Ainsworthii, and the pollen bearer 
D. nobile. The habit of the progeny does not. there¬ 
fore, exhibit anything new. The sepals are suffused 
with purple on a white ground, and the petals are 
of a deeper purple mottled with white. The lip is 
very large, hooded at the base, with the large 
maroon-purple blotch of D. Ainsworthii, surrounded 
by a comparatively narrow, white band, and purple 
at the tip. First-class Certificate. Exhibited by 
Messrs. J. Veitch & Sons, Chelsea. 
Dendrobium sup?rbum Huttonii. 
The Dendrobe with which gardeners are most 
familiar under the name of D. macrophyllum 
exhibits some variation evidently amongst imported 
specimens. This variety first came before the 
public in 1869, but is comparatively little known. 
The oblong sepals and ovate petals are white, the lip 
is very pubescent and white, with exception of a 
large, purple, bilobed blotched in the throat. Con¬ 
trasted with the type it forms a distinct and beautiful 
variety. First-class Certificate. Exhibited by Sir 
Trevor Lawrence, Bart, (grower Mr. W. H. White), 
Burford Lodge, Dorking. 
Chysis bractescens. 
A LARGE and well-flowered piece of this old plant 
grown on a block of wood, was exhibited by W. C. 
Walker, Esq. (gardener, Mr. Cragg), Percy Lodge, 
Winchmore Hill. The waxy flowers were pure 
white with exception oP the lip ; the inner face of 
the side lobes of that organ was yellow, fading to 
white at the tips, and the middle lobe was yellow 
with some darker markings. The face of the 
column was also bright yellow. First-class Certifi¬ 
cate. 
Odontoglossum elegans Sander’s var., 
Nov. var. 
In this we have a beautiful new variety of a 
supposed natural hybrid, between O. cirrosum and 
O. cristatum. The sepals and petals are lanceolate, 
and have the long, slender, revolute points of the 
former. The sepals are pale yellow with several 
large chocolate blotches over them ; the petals are a 
shade paler with a large blotch above the middle 
and a few down each side. The lip is yellow at the 
base with a chocolate blotch in the middle, and a 
long recurved tip. Award of Merit. Exhibited by 
Messrs. F. Sander & Co., St. Albans. 
Odontoglossum sceptrum Waltonense, 
Nov. var. 
Considerable variation exists amongst importations 
of O. sceptrum, which is indeed only one of the 
numerous forms of O. luteo-purpureum. Several 
very fine forms were exhibited, including that under 
notice. The moderate sized round flowers have 
elliptic sepals of a dark shining chocolate with a 
yellow tip and base. The petals are slightly smaller, 
with a large blotch above the middle and several 
small ones towards the base on a pale yellow almost 
white ground. The lip is incurved at the sides, 
fringed, and pale yellow, with a large crescent 
shaped blotch in front of the crest. Award of 
Merit. The exhibitor was W. Thompson, Esq. 
gardener, Mr. Stevens), Walton Grange, Stone, 
Staffs. 
Eria aeridostachya. 
The stems of this species are arching, rain, to 16 in. 
long, and bear lanceolate, fleshy, deep green, and 
persistent leaves about 6 in. to 8 in. long. The 
inflorescence is terminal and seems generally to 
consist of three racemes, each 3 in. to 6 in. long, and 
all arising from one point. They are drooping and 
bear very numerous small flowers. The sepals are 
pale yellow; but the petals are almost transparent 
with a few purple spots. The three lobed lip is 
toothed at the edges of the terminal lobe, and 
creamy, spotted with purple. Botanical Certificate. 
Exhibited by Sir Trevor Lawrence, Bart. 
Camaridium sp. 
A PLANT shown under this name bore a strong 
resemblance to a Maxillaria in habit and form, and 
was indeed labelled M. Lawrenciana by some one. 
The long slender rhizomes attached to a raft were 
furnished with small, oblong pseudo-bulbs at 
intervals, bearing a pair of linear leaves at their - 
apex. Smaller leaves were borne by the terminal 
shoots. The sepals were palest yellow, spotted 
with purple, and the petals creamy-white. The lip 
was obsoletely three-lobed, and black, with a pale 
creamy tip and a black tongue. Botanical Certifi¬ 
cate. Exhibited by Sir Trevor Lawrence. 
Odontoglossums at Westmount Kelvinside, 
Glasgow. 
Few gardeners throughout the United Kingdom 
hold a higher reputation for the culture of Odonto¬ 
glossums than Mr. David Wilson, gardener to H. 
Stevens, Esq. Visiting this establishment recently, 
I enjoyed a great treat, for there was literally a 
forest of spikes. In a span-roofed structure not of 
gigantic proportions, I counted upwards of 500 
superb spikes. Some of the plants were carrying as 
many as eight, and one O. Pescatorei was carrying 
upwards of 200 individual flowers. Mr. Wilson is 
proud of his plants, and one cannot wonder at him. 
—y, McNab. 
The Orchid Growers’ Calendar. 
The Season.— -But for the fact that we are 
running short of rain water, owing to limited storage 
room, the weather of the past fortnight has been all 
that could be desired. Most plants have responded 
to the invigorating influences of the bright sunny 
days, helped by the extra amount of moisture put 
about the stages and floors of the houses necessary 
to keep the atmosphere sufficiently humid, by 
making fresh roots and breaking away freely. 
Cattleya gigas. —Our plants are breaking away 
wonderfully strong this season after a good long rest. 
If appearances go for anything it should be a fine 
Cattleya year. A thorough soaking, to give them a 
send off, should be afforded, afterwards only 
sufficient to keep them plump until the sheath is in 
sight is all that this species requires. Too much 
water at this stage would cause spot, which attacks 
this particular Cattleya more than any other. 
Growers differ as to the best time to repot this fine 
Cattleya; with us the best results have been noted 
when this operation has been done after the flower¬ 
ing season is over, as they root freely at this stage 
even when kept dry, a state of things necessary to 
insure a long season of rest. 
Laelia elegans. — Plants now rooting freely 
should be afforded some fresh material for the young 
roots to work into. The best peat should be selected 
for them, with the addition of a small quantity of 
live sphagnum moss. If the peat is extra good, I 
would not use moss with it, believing that they do 
best and the roots keep alive longer in peat alone. 
Laelia Perrinii, too, must now receive attention. 
This, like L. anceps, begins to root at the same 
time as it starts into growth, and, as I have before 
pointed out, when the roots are most active is the 
time to afford fresh material. 
Seedling Orchids. —For the first two seasons 
these are ticklish customers to handle, and unless 
there are special facilities provided for their benefit 
the chances are that a lot of them may be lost, not 
that I think they like coddling any more than the 
parent plants. We have a good batch of Laelia 
anceps and Sopronites seedlings, which at present 
are doing well; the seed was sown when ripe on the 
seed bearing parent Laelia anceps, where it 
germinated beyond all expectation. So far all well 
and good, but the time had come when some new 
material must be given the parent plants to root 
into, for being specially fine varieties we could not 
afford to risk anything in this respect. The question 
then was were the young seedlings large enough to 
handle. After due deliberation we decided to 
transplant them to other plants that had been newly 
potted ; a pointed stick was the implement called 
into use for the purpose, with which they were 
dibbled round the edge of the baskets and by the 
side of bits of crock. This was done some weeks 
ago, and to-day the little fellows are looking as perky 
as possible. Woodlice are fond of them and must 
be trapped by placing pieces of Potato scooped out 
in their haunts, which should be looked over every 
morning. 
Syringing.— This may now be increased in each 
division as the days lengthen. The Odontoglossums 
would be benefited by being lightly sprayed over¬ 
head on all bright afternoons without wetting those 
that are in bloom which in a few weeks will be 
plentiful with us. 
Temperatures.— These may be allowed to go up 
slightly both night and day. Draw the fires on all 
bright mornings, except in the very warmest 
divisions, which may be slowed down until the sun 
is on the wane.— C. 
-- 
QH^aninga Jcom Puilti 
0f Srtcnc^. 
Annual Growth of Trees. —For many years 
past it has been a current belief -that the number of 
concentric rings in the trunk of a tree denotes its 
age in years. There has been a growing inclination 
to dispute this point, not only in this country, but in 
America, particularly where a considerable amount 
of attention has been given the subject. Our con¬ 
temporary, the Daili/ Chronicle, says unreservedly 
that " not unfrequently there are in this climate 
several (rings) in one season, due to partial checks 
and stimuli to growth. Not unlikely, for instance, 
the English trees last summer will have displayed 
this peculiarity, owing to the intervention of ten 
weeks of drought just at the period when the sap 
had begun to ascend and the woody rings to form.” 
This we very much doubt, for, although in some 
parts of America there are two well marked seasons 
of growth and rest in a year, when two distinct 
layers of wood may be formed, yet we are not at all 
inclined to think that in our temperate climate with 
a well marked winter and summer, that is, a well 
defined period of partial rest and growth, two or 
more layers of growth can be formed in a year. 
That there are partial checks to growth in dry 
summers like the past, none will deny who have any 
knowledge of plant growth, but we cannot imagine 
that the check is so complete as to produce two 
distinct rings. We have seen Oaks, Limes, and 
other trees, including fruit trees and Vines, produce 
a second or even a third series of shoots in a single 
season ; but it is our belief that the result of these 
shoots is just as partial, local, and limited in its 
influence as are the young growths themselves. 
Small shoots are formed as a result of this second 
stimulus to growth, but we regard it merely as 
extension whether of root or branches, and we know 
that root extension may take place at any time of 
the year when the conditions of warmth, air, and 
moisture favour it. Even when a tree produces 
many young shoots by second growth, the plastic 
food material produced is not sufficient to affect the 
trunk of the tree in any appreciable degree, so that 
the whole product of a tree made in the course of a 
distinct period or season of growth goes to form the 
ring of wood seen in transverse section of the trunk. 
The checks produced by drought in this country are 
only partial, for even in the driest times of summer 
the leaves are producing fresh material under the 
influence of sunlight. How, then, can two or more 
distinct rings be formed ? 
Width of Annual Rings. —The editor of the 
United States Monthly Weather Review has been 
describing the width of the annual rings of two 
Oaks, each 134 years old, and is evidently under the 
impression that they indicate the climatic conditions 
of the country during that period. The narrow- 
rings he considers as evidence of a dry summer, and 
the wide ones of a wet summer. Thus six very 
narrow rings would indicate as many extremely dry 
years, eight more very dry, nineteen dry, seventeen 
average, eighteen wet, sixty very wet, and six 
extremely wet. All this simply proves the theory to 
be valueless as an indication of the weather during 
the long period of 134 years, for it does not accord 
with actual experience nor with the records of rain¬ 
fall in any part of the globe. .As a matter of fact 
the Oak is a tree of very slow growth, and the 
primary rings of wood particularly must necessarily 
be narrow. The growth of succeeding years would 
depend upon many circumstances, such as soil, 
moisture, the growth of surrounding trees, shelter, 
exposure, the vigour of the trees, etc. One tree 
might attain stately dimensions in 50 or 100 years, 
while another might be a stunted bush. 
