492 
THE GARDENING WORLD. 
April 4th, 1885. 
THE 
DrrMtr (&xokm Cadmtmr. 
o 
Potting Lycastes, Dendrobes, &c. — The 
varieties o£ Lycaste Skinneri and most other Lycastes 
of that section now about to grow are in the best 
condition to re-pot, but any which have not yet 
gone out of bloom should be left until a little later. 
All the varieties of Laelia anceps, L. albida, and L. 
autumnalis which have not been done, but which 
require re-potting, could not be potted at a better 
time than now, but in the case of fresh imported 
plants they had better be crocked up for a while until 
they get acclimatized and are about starting to root. 
Fibry peat alone is the best potting material for all 
these plants. 
Dendrobium Wardianum, D. crassinode, D. pri- 
mulinum, and a large number of other winter and 
spring-flowering Dendrobes will now, after flowering, 
bi eager to push on their growths for next year, and 
such as require it should now be re-potted or basketed 
and placed in the warmest and moistest situation 
available, where with plenty of air and water they 
may push up strongly in the early part of the season 
so as to ensure a good stout well-ripened growth to 
bear the next crop of blooms. When the growth is 
got well on in early summer, the plants easily perfect 
them in almost any house in the autumn, whereas 
if not well advanced in spring, no amount of forcing 
can make up for lost time. 
Baskets are certainly most natural and suitable for 
all the heavy pseudo-bulbed Dendrobes like D. Wardi¬ 
anum, and in them they are safe with any ordinary 
amount of attention ; but if grown in pots, even the 
most skilful and successful are liable to have frequent 
accidents with them. Baskets which are shallow in 
proportion to their depth are the best. 
The present time is the best to take a general look 
through the whole collection, potting any plants which 
by their condition of root and growth indicate that 
their potting time has arrived. Whilst these odd 
plants are being attended to, a general review and 
cleaning should be done, as now is the time to destroy 
the aphis and other insects, and thus prevent that 
rapid increase which renders them so destructive in 
spring and summer. The temperatures for April 
should be— 
Warm House—East Indian. —65 degs. to 70 degs. 
by day, 60 degs. at night. 
Cattleya or Intermediate House.— 60 degs. to 65 
degs. by day, 55 degs. at night. 
Cool or Odontoglossum House. —55 degs. to 60 
degs. by day, 50 degs. at night. Deg. Fahr, 
Fires should be kept well in check, and air properly 
admitted, according to the weather .—James O'Brien. 
ORCHID NOTES. 
The Orchid Conference.— The arrangements for 
the Orchid conference to be held at South Kensington 
on the 12th and 13th of May, are now complete, and as 
many of our readers are interested in the subject we 
append the following details :—The Conference Com¬ 
mittee is composed of Colonel Beddome, Hon. and 
Rev. J. T. Boscawen, J. C. Bowring, Esq., W. E. 
Brymer, Esq., M.P., The Rt. Hon. J. Chamberlain, M.P., 
John Day, Esq., W. T. Thiselton Dyer, Esq., F.R.S., 
Sir Kathaniel de Rothschild, Bart., M.P., Prof. Michael 
Foster, F.R.S., Holbrook Gaskell, Esq., Geo. Hardy, 
Esq., Dr. Harvey, J. S. Hirst, Esq., Sir Trevor 
Lawrence, Bart., M.P., Wm. Lee, Esq. (of Downside), 
Major F, Mason, Rev. John B. Norman, Alex. 
Paterson, Esq., M.D., Fred. A. Philbrick, Esq., Q.C., 
Baron Schroder, and W. Thompson, Esq. 
The Exhibition will be open to Fellows of the 
Society at noon on May 12th, and at ten a.m. on the 
following day; and the subjects exhibited will be 
arranged in the following eight classes :— 
I. —Collections of Orchids in flower. With a view 
to economy of space, exhibitors are requested to 
show duplicates as little as possible. 
II. —Species and varieties of (1) the genera Cattleya 
and Laslia ; (2) the genus Odontoglossum ; (3) the 
genus Masdevallia ; (4) the genus Cypripedium. 
III. —Species and varieties of (1) the genus Onci- 
dium; (2) Epidendrum ; (3) Dendrobium ; (4) Vanda, 
Saccolabium, iErides, and Stanhopea. 
IV. —Single plants of any Orchid. 
V. —Hybrid Orchids, i.e., those raised by cross 
fertilization. It is hoped that the parents will be 
shown, if possible, with the hybrid. 
VI. —Orchids in fruit. 
VII. —(1.) Orchids indigenous to Great Britain. 
(2.) Hardy Orchids from any other countries. (3.) 
Cut flowers of Orchids. In order to ensure uniformity 
and accuracy, it is requested that the plants exhibited 
bear the labels which have been specially prepared for 
this Conference, and with which, through the kindness 
of Mr. Pollett, the Society is prepared to provide the 
exhibitors. Exhibitors are requested to apply for 
these at the Society’s Office, on or before May 1st, 
giving the exact name of the plants which they intend 
to exhibit. 
VIII —Materials, such as sphagnum and other 
mosses, peat and other soils, baskets, rafts, pots, 
pans, labels, &c., drc., used in the cultivation of 
Orchids. 
The Conference will commence on May 13th, at 
10.30 a.m., when the President will offer some intro¬ 
ductory remarks, to be followed by (1) Communication 
from Prof. Reichenbach; (2) Discussion on the 
Hybridization of Orchids, opening paper by Mr. 
Harry Veitch, F.L.S.; (3) Discussion on the Culti¬ 
vation of Orchids, opening paper by Mr. J. O’Brien ; 
(4) Discussion on the Nomenclature of Orchids. 
The Conference Committee have also arranged for a 
dinner to take place at the “Albion,” Aldersgate 
Street, on Tuesday, May 12th, at 6.30, for 7 o’clock 
precisely. 
Orchids in Flower at Oakholme, Sheffield.— 
The Orchids at Oakholme, the residence of T. Wilson, 
Esq., fill three good-sized houses; and at present 
there are in flower several plants of Phalienopsis 
grandiflora of the best type; Vanda tricolor, which 
is very distinct from the ordinary variety ; several 
plants of Odontoglossum Alexandra:, with fine broad 
petals ; O. cirrosum, many strong plants ; O. Hallii, 
O. luteo-purpureum, O. nebulosum, O. gloriosum, 
Saphronitis grandiflora, Trichopilia suavis, a fine 
plant with numerous flowers; Dendrobium Wardi¬ 
anum, D. nobile, and others which have a very 
pleasing effect in the flowering Orchid house. Mr. 
Wm. Hannah, the gardener, has at all times a feast 
for the flower-loving eye.— J. W., S. 
Cattleya Lawrenceana. —From what could be 
seen of the dried flowers and the plants offered for 
sale at Stevens’s Rooms on the 26th ult., there can be 
little doubt but that this new introduction from the 
Roraima is one of the most distinct Orchids imported 
of late years. It seems to us to form the connecting 
link between C. Eldorado from Rio Negro, and the 
C. superba from Guiana, and to possess many of the 
good qualities of both those species. A considerable 
amount of variation was noticeable in the plants, so 
that a considerable number of distinct varieties may 
be anticipated when the plants flower. There was a 
considerable number of buyers present, and good 
prices were realized, a few of the best being 10 gs., 
15 gs., 17 gs., 20 gs., £26 os., and £27 6s. 
Vanda Strangeana. —Prof. Reiclienback records 
in The Gardeners' Chronicle the flowering recently in 
Sir Trevor Lawrence’s collection of Vanda Strangeana, 
a species described by him in 1858, and named in 
honour of Mr. Strange, the well-known grower of 
Disa grandiflora, Sarracenias, Darlingtonias, Cattleyas, 
Ferns, &c., at Hamburgh. “ The lax inflorescence of 
four or five flowers is comparable to that of the blue 
Vanda Roxburghii. Sepals and petals inside at first 
greenish, afterwards ochre-coloured, tesselate with 
dark purple-brown.” It was sent home to Messrs. 
Sander & Co., from Assam, by Mr. Freeman, and it 
is believed that only ten plants were imported. 
Cypripedium Godefroyse. —This remarkably 
pretty introduction from Cochin China is well illus¬ 
trated in the March number of The Orchid Album. 
It is a dwarf evergreen species, with spreading dark 
green leaves, spotted with a lighter green. The sepals 
and petals are very broad, white, heavily spotted both 
on front and back with rich purplish-brown; the lip 
is white, more lightly spotted with brown. 
THE HIGHGATE NURSERY. 
Messrs. William Cutbush & Son’s Annual Spring 
Exhibition was opened to the public on Monday last, 
at the Highgate Nurseries, and will remain open for 
the next ten days. The Exhibition is arranged in the 
large conservatory, with a temporary canvas erection 
adjoining, in which the whole of the collections of 
Hyacinths and Tulips are staged. 
There are about 250 specimens of Hyacinths in 
most of the leading varieties, including many new 
introductions. The most conspicuous are such sorts 
as the following ;—Single Red : Garibaldi, Josephine, 
King of the Reds, Solfaterre, Von Schiller, &c. 
Single Lilac : De Candolle, The Shah. Single White: 
Alba maxima, Gigantea, La Grandesse, Lady Derby, 
Mount Blanc. Single Blue: Blondin, Czar Peter, 
Duke of Connaught, Grand Master, King of the Blues, 
Queen of the Blues, Marie, &c. 
The Tulips are very fine, as may be imagined from 
the fact that the firm took the first prize for twelve 
pots at the Royal Botanic Society’s Show, Regents 
Park, and the first prize for thirty-six pots at the Crystal 
Palace Show last week. The most showy varieties 
are the Pottebakker White, Red, and Yellow, Keizer- 
kroon, Joost van Vondel, Proserpine, Vermilion 
Brilliant, Queen of Violets, Ophir d’Or, &c. The 
Tulips are edged with a fine collection of Crocuses 
in full bloom. 
The conservatory itself is filled with miscellaneous 
spring-flowering plants, such as Azaleas indica and 
Mollis, Lilacs, Camellias, Cytisus, the beautiful sweet- 
scented Boronia megastigma, Magnolias, and the 
beautiful pure white Laurestinus, which was exhibited 
last week at most of the London Shows. 
Anyone interested in spring flowers will be well 
repaid by a visit to these Nurseries during the next 
ten days. 
—— 
PACKING CUT FLOWERS. 
From this time onwards for some months many 
gardeners as well as amateurs will be sending away 
flowers from their gardens to adorn the rooms of those 
who are not so fortunately placed as themselves, or 
who are living in towns where flowers of almost any 
kind are always welcome, so that a few hints as to the 
best methods of packing may not be out of season, as, 
judging from inquiries often made, this kind of work 
is not always performed in the best possible way. 
Since the advent of the parcels post, the majority of 
owners of small gardens have doubtless availed them¬ 
selves of this means of sending flowers to their less 
favoured brethren, and for so doing there is nothing 
to surpass the light wooden boxes which are specially 
manufactured for that purpose. Very useful boxes 
may also be bought very cheaply of grocers, and 
when thoroughly scrubbed out, removing the con¬ 
spicuously printed paper as far as possible, they 
answer the purpose very well. 
When it is anticipated that several lots of flowers 
may have to be sent away, a few boxes of different 
sizes should be kept in hand, and when the flowers are 
cut and laid on a bench or table, a little judgment 
should be exercised in the slection of a box of a 
suitable size so that it will just hold the flowers, 
without undue pressure, and so that over much 
packing material has not to be used. The sides and 
bottom of the box inside should be damped a little by 
dipping the fingers in water and sprinkling it on the 
box, but it should never be used to such an extent as 
that it will run through. A sheet of tissue paper 
should then be laid in the bottom and about the sides, 
after which the flowers may be placed, choosing the 
heaviest and coarsest for the bottom layer, that is if 
the box is sufficiently deep for two layers, and in no 
case should any more than two layers be put in. 
Those with the longest stalks also should come first, 
commencing close up to one end and continuing by 
placing one after another sufficiently close to avoid 
crushing till the layer is complete, finishing up the 
end with some short-stalked flowers. 
If the second or top layer of flowers is likely to be 
deep and heavy, it is a good plan to put a few sticks 
across, of sufficient length to fix themselves either at 
the ends or sides of the box; another sheet of tissue 
paper over the top of these will take the weight off the 
flowers and prevent one lot from injuring the others, 
but if the second layer is of light and delicate 
