July 14, 1894. 
THE GARDENING WORLD. 
728 
universal. The English dress the rice in their mills, 
and after the husks are taken off it is called paddy. 
The ordinary kind is grown in damp places not 
covered with water, but Water Rice is sown in 
places where water continues to cover the land for 
some time after a heavy rainfall. The Chinaman 
sells what he grows and buys from China. Bananas 
aregrownby the field. Ginger is also grown to a consid¬ 
erable extent by the gullies.wherethelandis naturally 
damp. Pineapples are also cultivated in some abun¬ 
dance ; they are planted in lines and kept clean by 
hoeing, while the suckers are kept down by the same 
rough and ready means. Some of the fruits grown 
by him, are Mangoes, Lemons, Oranges, Sweet 
Potatos, Tomatos, Pumpkins, &c. Many of them 
grow patches of the Ground Nut (Arachis hypogaea, 
up to an acre in extent. Water Melons sell well in 
Cairns during the warm, summer season. Cabbages 
are grown to a small extent, but they never form a 
good heart. Possibly they are Chinese Cabbages 
which do not seem to form a heart at any time and are 
practically the same as our wild Turnip. He does 
not grow Coco-nuts as there is no market for them 
in China. A deal of his produce he hawks about in 
Cairns and sells at a low figure. Under all these 
conditions he manages to save money which he takes 
back with him when he returns to China. 
The aboriginal inhabitants of Australia are a small 
black race living in utter barbarism and nakedness, 
even after all the examples set them by a modern 
civilisation. They are still fairly plentiful in the 
bush, away from the haunts of the white man, from 
whose example they benefit only in the slightest 
degree. They simply manage to live in a way, but 
are fast dying out. When the white men originally 
settled amongst them they never missed an oppor¬ 
tunity of in j uring or slaying the whites by their spears ; 
but a few exemplary raids upon them by the latter 
soon cowed them and sho.ved who was master. 
Hunting and fishing are their only methods of gaining 
a living. Occasionally a starving creature will chop 
a little firewood for the white people for a meal or 
some food to take away with him. War implements 
for their own use constitute the only industry in 
which they engage, if it can be called an industry. 
They neither till the land nor manufacture any sale¬ 
able commodity. Occasionally they will act as 
collectors of plants, insects or other occupation of 
that kind. They are now very peaceable where they 
know and dread the white man from previous ex¬ 
perience, but they are practically cumberers of the 
soil, and must soon cease to be, just as the Red 
Indians are disappearing in America.—Hr«ry Fraser, 
Craigiefold, Rosehearty, Aberdeenshire. 
ORCHID NOTES AND GLEANINGS. 
By John Fraser, F.L.S., Kew. 
Some Noteworthy Orchids. 
We received a box of Orchid blooms the other day 
from Mr. A. Wright, gardener to John MacMeekin, 
Esq., South Norwood Hill. Amongst them was a 
giant form of Cypripedium Hookerae Volonteanum, 
with a dark purple stem about 25 in. high, bearing a 
large flower measuring 5J in. across the petals, 
which were very highly coloured, the tips being dark 
purple and the middle portion heavily marked with 
black and crimson spots. A form of Odontoglossum 
crispum guttatum was beautiful in its way, being 
heavily blotched in the centre of each segment. 
Another form had attempted to develop a peloria 
inasmuch as the petals were ribbed representing the 
crest of the lip, and striped with yellow and purple, 
the latter stripes being short. The tendency was 
evidently to develop the petals like the lip. A 
variety of the supposed natural hybrid O. Wilckea- 
num was notable for the dark chocolate blotches on 
all the segments. O. Pescatorei had produced two 
almost perfect lips. All the other segments were 
normal, but the column was twice as wide as it ought 
to be, with very large wings, and two grooved 
faces in front of the column. On the whole, appear¬ 
ances led us to believe that the lips were really one, 
as they had a common origin at the very base and 
lay right and left of the column. The imperfect 
portions of the two lips were contiguous—another 
proof of the fission of one, A fine variety of 
Oncidium macranthum had dark brown sepals with 
a well marked yellow edge. The petals were golden- 
yellow except at the very base. 
Sobralia macrantha nana. 
About two years ago a huge specimen of this variety 
was brought over from Ghent, Belgium, and made 
its appearance at one of the Earl’s Court exhibitions. 
This was bought and retained in England, and if we 
mistake not, the same plant may now be seen in the 
Palm house at Kew. ft is a massive piece in a tub 
and has a spread of 6 ft. or more, while the stems 
are 2 ft. to 3 ft. long. The specimen has been 
flowering for the past six weeks, and looks as if it 
would bloom for some weeks longer, as fresh flowers 
from different stems are still appearing plentifully. 
The variety is not the best of its kind but still very 
pretty. The sepals and petals are soft purple, and 
the orbicular, crumpled lamina of the lip is deep 
purple. The throat of the lip is white, and the tube 
yellow internally and pale purple externally. 
Miltonia spectabilis. 
This species may be considered an old occupant of 
our hot-houses, for it was introduced about sixty 
years ago, and has to all appearance been in cultiva¬ 
tion during the whole of the intervening time. 
Within recent years M. s. Moreliana has probably 
been the most popular with cultivators. The more 
typical form is a variable plant bearing a large and 
solitary flower. The sepals and petals are usually 
white. There is a coloured illustration of the species 
in the Orchid Album, PI. 491, and in that instance 
the large, cuneate lip is of a rich purple fading to 
rose mottled with white round the apical margin. 
Vanda teres aurorea. 
Since Vanda teres was first introduced in 1829, 
several variations of it have turned up, but that 
under notice is one of the most distinct, although 
there will be differences of opinion as to whether it 
exceeds the type in beauty. There can be no doubt, 
however, that it is a valuable acquisition to those 
who already possess the type. The broad sepals are 
white, but the orbicular petals are very much 
broader, white, splashed with rose on the back, and 
spread horizontally so as to cover the greater portion 
of the lip. The short broad claw has a half twist by 
which the dorsal aspect of the petals are brought 
fully under the eye when looking at the face of the 
flower. The spur and side lobes of the lip are tawny- 
yellow, the side lobes being lined internally with 
deep purple spots ; the deeply bifid terminal lobe 
is pale rose, fading almost to white at the apex ; and 
its broad claw is ridged and furrowed, pubescent 
upon the ridges, and lined with dark purple spots in 
the furrows. A plant of the variety has been flower¬ 
ing in the collection of John MacMeekin, Esq., 
Falkland Park, South Norwood Hill, for some time 
past. It turned up unexpectedly amongst a batch 
of the ordinary form, and was notable from the fact 
that the petals were more strictly horizontal than 
those of the type. The variety was first described 
in 1884. 
Chondronhyncha Chestertoni. 
The generic name of this species would doubtless 
constitute a stumbling-block to most gardeners, but 
judging from a coloured illustration in the Lindenia, 
PI. 405, a flowering plant is both curious, interesting, 
and pretty. The leaves are linear, grass like, deep 
green, and spring directly from a fibrous rootstock. 
The large flowers are produced singly on stems that 
are shorter than the leaves, but rise sufficiently high 
for the foliage to form a background. The oblong 
sepals and broader, ovate petals are pale yellow, the 
latter being more or less deeply fringed at the 
margin. The lip is somewhat fiddle-shaped, being 
deeply constricted at the sides about the middle, and 
deeply fringed all round the margins but most con¬ 
spicuously so at either end. It is pale primrose 
yellow, except round the base, which is golden- 
yellow, richly ornamented, transversely or in a 
concentric manner, by short crimson stripes. It is a 
native of New Granada and was originally described 
by Reichenbach in 1879. 
Laelia Juvenalis. 
In this we have a hybrid between L. Perrinii and L. 
pumila, the former being the seed parent to whjch 
it bears a considerable resemblance in many respects. 
The sepals and petals spread in the same way and 
are of the same rosy-pink hue. The lip has a pale 
tube, but is white in the throat and internally. The 
short, rounded lamina is deep rose-carmine extend¬ 
ing round upon the side lobes forming a broad 
border to them, and the margin is finely crisped. It 
was raised by M. A. Bleu, of Paris, and is figured in 
the Lindenia, PI. 415. 
THE VEQETAiLE iARQEN. 
Early Potatos. 
Owing to the hot, dry weather of the past two 
weeks, these will now be ready for lifting. Those 
intended for seed should be taken and spread out in 
a dry airy shed, so that they may become hardened 
before being stored away. The most suitable place 
for keeping early Potato seed is a cool, light, airy 
place at the back of a north wall, where they can 
be spread out thinly, for in such a place it is seldom 
that growth commences till the turn of days after 
Christmas. The shoots made then are robust and 
produce stout haulm, without which it is impossible 
to grow good crops. With us the early kinds have 
been exceptionally good this season, free from 
disease of any kind, and this in a great measure we 
attribute to the proper preparation of the sets before 
planting, and the careful cultivation of the soil. 
Ashleaf was very good, giving us about one and a 
half bushels to the perch of useful tubers. 
Turnips. 
Those who store these for winter use would do 
well to make a sowing now of some of the later 
kinds. If the ground from which the Potatos have 
been lifted be forked over and dressed down, no 
better place could be found for them. The seed 
should be sown in drills from a foot to 15 in. apart, 
according to the variety and the quality of the soil. 
Should the ground be very dry it will be necessary 
to give a thorough watering after sowing to cause 
the seed to germinate freely. Afford them a dressing 
of artificial manure when they have made a good 
start, for the quicker all such vegetables are grown 
the more tender will they be. Most cooks, however, 
prefer small roots from the open ground all through 
winter, and where such have to be provided sowing 
should be deferred till the beginning of August, 
otherwise the roots will be overgrown, and there¬ 
fore not able to resist the frost, should the winter 
be severe. For these late sowings we prefer the 
the Black Stone or Green top Stone, as they are 
more hardy. 
Carrots. 
A SOWING of these should now be made on a warm 
border to stand the winter. Where the soil is 
shallow the early short kinds may be grown, but if a 
deep free sandy loam, then those which root deeper 
can have the preference. The ground previous to 
sowing should have a dressing of newly-slacked 
lime which ought to be forked in. Soot also will 
greatly benefit the young plants in showery weather. 
The crisp young roots are greatly preferred to those 
that have been stored away, so that every endeavour 
should be made to grow them well. It will not be 
necessary to thin these too severely, as they will not 
make an extra amount of foliage unless the autumn 
be very mild and the soil rich, in which case the 
cultivator must be guided by circumstances, for if 
allowed to stand too thickly together they are more 
likely to suffer should the winter be very severe. 
Hardy Cos Lettuce. 
A SOWING of these ought also to be made now, as 
from these, good hearts may be had till Christmas, 
they being more hardy than the summer varieties. 
We have found that Hick’s Hardy White Cos sown 
now comes in most useful in November, and the 
Brown Cos will succeed them. The plants must, 
however, be planted out in rich ground when they 
are quite small and have attention till established. 
Salads. 
Sow Onions for drawing when young on rich soil 
and continue to make sowings of Radishes frequently 
till the middle of the next month, after which time 
they will not become strong so soon. Plant out 
Endive and make other sowings as needed, for these 
will no doubt be in great demand later on. Ridge 
Cucumbers will need watering should the dry 
weather continue, or the crop will be short; only 
sufficient, however, should be given to keep the 
plants growing, as too much would cool the soil and 
therefore check growth. Keep all fruit cut as they 
become large enough for use, otherwise the plants 
will become exhausted.— Kitchen Gardener. 
The Amateur Orohid Grower’s Guide Book. By H. A. 
Burberry (Orchid (Grower to the Rt Hon. J. Chamberlain, 
M.P.). Containing sound, practical inlormation and advice 
for Amateurs, giving a List with Cultural Descriptions of 
those most suitable for Cool-house, Intermediate-house, and 
Warm-house Culture, together with a Calendar of Operations 
and Treatment for each Month of the Year. In Cloth (Crown 
8 vo. 5 by 7i), price 2s. 6d.; post free, zs. gd. Publisher, Garden¬ 
ing World, i, Clement’s Inn, Strand, London, W.C. 
