August 11, 1894. 
THE GARDENING WORLD. 
Stanley Road, 2nd. With six blooms, Mr. A. W. Jones 
was first, and Mr. W. Spencer, second. 
The class for six yellow grounds, brought eleven 
competitors, and Mr. C. Harden, Ash, Dover, was 
first, with Nellie Bath, Annie Douglas, Stadtrath 
Bael, Countess of Jersey, Romulus, and Dodwells, 
g6i; Mr. T. E. Henwood, was second. 
Single blooms were shown in large numbers, but 
we can only notify the fact, and not furnish par¬ 
ticulars. The premier self was Mr. R. Sydenham's 
Ruby. The premier fancy. Cardinal Wolsey, 
(Douglas.) The premier Picotee, L. Ro. E., Mrs. 
Payne, shown by Mr. Phillips, and the premier Y. G. 
Mr. Henwood. 
Certificates of merit were awarded to Mr. Douglas, 
for Y. G’s., Mrs. Douglas, Ladas, and Mrs. Dran- 
field and for seifs, and fancies Mr. Audrey Campbell, 
Duke of Orleans, Cardinal Wolsey and Hayes 
Scarlet. 
- - t - 
fiE visiTAiLE mmm. 
Winter Spinach. 
Where a variety of vegetables are required in 
winter this is indispensable, and should be grown in 
quantity in all gardens where there is room, for it 
can be kept in good condition for a long time and is 
therefore very useful to fall back upon when such 
things as French Beans and Peas are scarce. In 
order that the supply be sufficient to last till that 
sown in spring is ready for use, two sowings should 
be made, one early in August and the other at the begin¬ 
ning of September. The first sowing usually grows very 
quickly owing to the ground being warm, and will be 
large enough for use by October or early in Novem¬ 
ber. The other will make but slow progress till 
spring, when growth will be veiy rapid, particularly 
if a dressing of artificial manure be given in 
February. For the first sowing the ground should 
not be too rich for, as we sometimes get a great 
quantity of rain in October, this causes a succulent 
growth that is not able to resist the frost, and this 
would be greatly accelerated if the soil were very 
rich. 
It is the custom with us to make the first of these 
sowings on a piece of ground from which Straw¬ 
berries that have become exhausted had been 
destroyed. On such ground Spinach does not make 
such sappy leaves as it does on richly-manured 
ground. The prickly-seeded kind is that mostly 
sowed in the autumn, as it does not go to seed so 
soon in spring. The round-seeded kind is quite as 
hardy, but it is apt to bolt sooner than the other. 
These autumn sowings ought to be made in drills 
drawn at least 15 in. apart, for the hardier the plants 
are grown the better ; there should always be 
sufficient space to walk between the rows without 
treading on the leaves. In some districts it is 
necessary to sow rather thickly, as birds are very 
fond of Spinach just as it is coming through the 
soil. Here whole rows have been cleared out in a 
few days. Thinning should be resorted to as soon 
as it is necessary, but at first this should be done spar¬ 
ingly, leaving the plants about 2 in. apart. When 
the leaves touch each other in the row, thinning 
should take place again ; this, however, may be done 
by degrees, as the plants drawn will be very useful 
in the kitchen. If every other be taken out as 
required, by the time the plot has been gone over 
the leaves will touch again, so that if strong foliage 
is to be had there must be a further reduction in the 
number of plants, which would leave them 8 in. apart 
—this being the distance at which they should be 
allowed to remain. 
As the second sowing, unless the winter be very 
mild, will not make much progress till spring, no 
thinning will be needed unless the plants get over¬ 
crowded, in which case draw only sufficient to give 
them room to grow till all danger of severe frost is 
past, when they may have their final thinning at 
the same time as a dressing of manure is given in 
spring. Where Spinach is treated in this manner 
on an open piece of ground it is seldom that the 
severest winters destroy the plants, though the 
foliage is sometimes crippled during very severe 
weather. 
Shallots. 
These should now be lifted and spread out on a 
hard gravel walk to dry. When thoroughly har¬ 
vested store them away in a cool airy shed, for the 
cooler and drier they are kept the longer they will 
keep firm. A lattice work shelf is a good place to 
store them on, as in such a position the air can cir¬ 
culate freely amongst the bulbs. Should there be 
any signs of decay in any of them such ought to be 
discarded, as they will only tend to spoil the rest. 
The smallest should be picked out, as these will be 
the best for pickling, and, where space is limited, will 
give more room to those that have to be stored. 
Parsley. 
Parsley is one of those things that require special 
attention, not that it is difficult to grow, but being 
in such constant demand a good stock is needed. 
Where the soil is cold and heavy the plants are apt 
to go off in winter, therefore it is well to plant some 
now on a warm border where it can be protected in 
case of need. It is usually about March when 
Parsley runs short, very little growth having been 
made during winter,while on the other hand they have 
been constantly denuded of their foliage. By planting 
now there is time for growth to be made before frost 
sets in, and if this be protected plenty of good leaves 
may be had during the dull months. By planting 
about 9 in. apart each way the leaves made will be 
stout, and having short leaf stalks will be close to 
the ground, so that protection can be more easily 
given, as a few boards put round the outside will be 
high enough to rest any old lights or pieces of wood 
on to prevent the covering from touching the leaves, 
No attempt however should be made at protection 
till there is danger of frost.— Kitchen Gardener. 
ORCHID NOTES AND GLEANINGS. 
By John Fraser, F.L.S., Kew. 
Cypripedium Dallemagnei. 
The seed parent of this plant was C. Spicerianum 
and the pollen bearer C. Lowianum. The progeny 
is intermediate between the two parents, partaking 
largely of both. The upper sepal and the dull 
greenish brown lip are those of C. Spicerianum; the 
former is white except a purple midrib and some 
broad veins of the same colour proceeding from a 
green base, which is spotted with purple. The 
petals are oblong, slightly drooping, and partake of 
the character of those of C. Lowianum ; their tips 
are deep purple, but all the rest is bright green 
spotted all over with blackish-purple. The plant 
also partakes of the vigorous habit of the pollen 
parent, and as in that case the deep purple flower- 
stems bear three or more large blooms. Altogether 
both plant and flowers are much larger than those 
of C. Spicerianum, and more effective when in 
bloom. A coloured plate of it is given in the 
Lindenia, pi. 411, and which certainly gives one a 
good impression of the plant. 
Odontoglossum cordatum aureum. 
Within the last few years many varieties of Orchids 
belonging to different species, and fro m which the 
brown colouring matter so prevalent has been 
washed out, have turned up in different collections 
and been highly appreciated. This has occurred 
most frequently amongst the Cypripediums and 
Odontoglossums. The advantage is that the flowers 
are generally of clear and pleasing colours. That is 
so with the Odontoglot under notice. The sepals 
and petals are yellowish-white and banded with 
greenish-yellow, or this latter colouring takes the 
form of blotches on the petals. The lip on the 
contrary is pure white. It is beautifully figured in 
the Orchid Album, pi. 489. 
Palumbina Candida. 
The small but beautiful flowers of this species were 
likened by the late Professor Reichenbach to white 
doves on the wing, and the likeness is not too far¬ 
fetched. The flowers are moderate in size and pure 
white with exception of the yellow crest, and they 
are slightly suspended above the foliage on slender 
dark purple stems. One of their peculiarities is the 
trowel-shaped lip, which is drawn out into an 
oblong point. The linear, channelled leaves are 
evergreen, and arise from compressed, oblong 
pseudo-bulbs. Structurally the flowers are closely 
similar to those of Oncidium, and Lindley did, in 
fact, include it under that name. In any case it is 
a distinct-looking plant, and coming as it does from 
Guatemala it likes the warmest end of the cool 
house. There is a colo ured plate in the Orchid 
Album, pi. 490. 
1^1 
fmxn th^i 
Hair-splitting Botanists. —Before the era of 
Darwin, when most botanists were of opinion that 
plants in a state of nature were permanent forms, as 
if created so, we could understand why a botanist 
should be eager to describe and put on record every 
new or slightly different plant form which he should 
discover. Since Darwin's time and teaching, how¬ 
ever, the monographer seems as much inclined as 
ever to go into the minutest, hair-splitting detail 
with regard to slightly varying forms of plant life. 
We are reminded of this by a monograph of the 
British Hawkweeds in the Journal of Botany for the 
present month. The author describes 103 species 
of Hieracium, which more than trebles the number 
recorded by Charles Cardale Babington in his 
“ Manual of British Botany.” That author belonged 
to the old school, and described thirty-two species, 
as well as a large number of varieties of Hawkweed, 
as natives of the British Islands. As a contrast to 
this. Sir Joseph Hooker, in “The Student's Flora, 
of the British Islands,” reduces the number to eleven 
species, with many sub-species and varieties. Taking 
these things into consideration, we are puzzled to 
know what leads the monographer above mentioned 
to elevate so many to the rank of species. It is 
evident that we are as far off as ever from a defini¬ 
tion of what should constitute a species. Some of 
the older botanists made a collection of the British 
Hieracia, and cultivating them all under the same 
conditions, found that it became exceedingly difficult 
or almost impossible to distinguish a great many of 
them from one another. 
British Rubi. —In his day, Professor Babington 
was renowned for his famous monograph of the 
British Rubi (Raspberries, Brambles, and Cloud¬ 
berries). He described forty-five species and many 
varieties, besides one or two recorded as British. 
This extraordinary number was reduced to four by 
Sir Joseph Hooker, who considered the bulk of them 
only as forms of the Bramble (Rubus fruticosus). 
Of this, however, he gave twenty-one sub-species, 
besides many varieties. Even this is remarkable 
considering how plentiful some forms are in the 
southern counties of England (including R. fruticosus 
discolor), and that others are much less frequent or 
even rare. In view of what has befallen the Hawk- 
weeds, we can hardly speculate as to the fate of the 
Rubi when the next monographer takes them in 
hand. We are not surprised that most beginners in 
plant collecting should fight shy of the Hawkweeds 
and Brambles. 
British Roses. —The study even of this small 
section of the British Flora is attended with con¬ 
siderable difficulty, for we well remember the 
exceeding variability of the Roses in a northern 
county. Before commencing the systematic study 
of them, there seemed to be very few and easily 
recognisable kinds, but after that hardly two of 
them seemed identical on close examination. 
Professor Babington gives eleven species and many 
varieties, but this number sinks to five in “ The 
Students' Flora,” which follows the monograph of 
Mr. J. G. Baker, of Kew. In this there are twenty- 
eight varieties of the Dog Rose (Rosa canina), with 
many varieties, which seem plain and easy on paper, 
but in practice are very difficult to distinguish. To 
such an extent have the Roses been split up in some 
cases that certain students have affirmed that two 
varieties may sometimes be cut from the same 
bush. 
The Grasses,— If anything, the British Grasses 
are less confused and more easy to define than the 
Sedges, yet they afford ground for considerable 
differences of opinion. "The Students' Flora” 
describes 107 species of Grasses, of which five are 
only naturalised exotics, and all are included under 
forty-one genera. On the contrary. Professor Ba¬ 
bington makes out fifty genera with 138 species, 
although this number includes twenty-one which are 
only naturalised or occasionally crop up on British 
soil. All this serves to show what differences of 
opinion still exist in the minds of the most compe¬ 
tent authorities as to the limits of species. But we 
should have expected a different treatment of the 
Hawkweeds after the broad views of Darwin have 
been so widely promulgated. 
