732 
THE GARDENING WORLD 
July 18th, 1885. 
THE 
©rrbitr (folium ffdwbar. 
Cattleya maxima Backhousei is a dwarf 
compact evergreen plant, having pale green stems 
and foliage, in which peculiarities it is distinct from 
all others. The sepals and petals are of a light 
magenta, and the lip is of the same grand colour, 
but distinctly veined with deep magenta-purple. It 
blooms after the growth is completed, from a sheath 
at the top of the just matured stem, the flowers 
being produced during the winter and spring months, 
and continuing in beauty for two or three weeks. 
This variety comes from Peru. We find this plant to 
do well at the warm end of the Cattleya-house, where 
it should be placed as fully in the light as possible, 
with but little shade, merely sufficient to keep the 
bright sun from scorching its foliage. It will thrive 
■well in baskets, or equally well in pots suspended 
from the roof, and also when placed on the stage -where 
there is plenty of light. It requires good drainage, 
which may be secured by filling the pots three parts 
full of crocks, and placing some sphagnum moss over 
them to keep them from getting clogged. This is one 
of the chief objects, namely, to secure perfect 
drainage, so that the material does not get in a sour 
or unhealthy state. If the soil is allowed to go bad, 
that is to get into a stagnant, soddened condition, the 
plants often suffer through the decay of the roots, 
which causes the stems and buds to shrivel, and 
when that is the case, the plants often dwindle away, 
or, if not, they take a considerable time to bring 
them back into a healthy state. If this unhealthy 
condition should unfortunately overtake any of the 
plants, it is the wisest plan to take them out of the 
soil and wash their roots, after which they may be 
placed in fresh material in a shady part of the house, 
until they begin to plump up and make fresh roots, 
and then they may be put nearer the light. These 
instructions apply to all Cattleyas when they get into 
a bad state. Take care, however, not to rub the 
leaves or bulbs, but should any insects have appeared, 
be very careful of the plants in removing them. The 
best material for potting we find to be rough fibrous 
peat, and live sphagnum moss; or they will do in 
either. We prefer a few lumps of charcoal mixed 
with the other material, as it helps to keep it open 
and more free for the moisture to pass away ; besides 
which, the plants will be greatly benefited by the 
material being kept sweet, which the charcoal will 
aid in doing.— B. S. Williams, in The Orchid Album. 
Zygopetalum rostratum. —Some fine specimens 
of this rare and showy Orchid are to be found in Mr 
J. E. Bonny’s collection, at Downs Park Road ) 
Hackney. The plant is of much the same habit as 
Z. maxillare, and seems in its native habitat to attach 
itself to stout tree Fern stems, which must necessarily 
be well shaded from the sun’s rays by the foliage 
above. The flowers, which are generally borne in 
pairs, are of great beauty, and all the more to 
be desired that they are delicately fragrant and last 
a month in bloom. The labellum is 2J ins. in 
length and 2 ins. in width, pure white, with a few 
violet lines at the base, sepals and petals 2 ins. in 
length, white tinged with green. The plant grows 
well along with Odontoglossum Roezlii, Pescatoreas, 
&c., in a moist, shady house. It should receive an 
abundant supply of rain-water when growing, and 
enough to keep it plump after the bulbs are matured. 
-- 
Cattleya speciosissima. —This lovely form of 
the labiata section of Cattleyas is flowering well at 
Birchfield, Fallowfield, the residence of A. Heine, 
Esq. Some two years ago a number of plants were 
received direct from its native habitat. Many were 
put into pots, some also were made up in baskets and 
suspended from the roof. Under both conditions they 
have done well; and during the spring and at the 
present time, as the young growths have come the 
sheath and then spikes have appeared, so that many 
have opened flowers of good form and substance. I 
have before me one flower measuring over 8 ins. 
across, the petals in their widest part being 2J ins. 
This is by no means the largest, still the dimensions 
are good. The colour of the sepals and petals is of a 
soft blush shade, the labellum being of an intense 
amethyst, beautifully veined with white and yellow 
markings ; the throat a deeper yellow, with bright 
streaks of the amethyst. The open circular lip closed 
towards the base always gives to this species a most 
distinct characteristic. Mr. Craggs finds it requires 
plenty of light during the growing season, and that 
with a good share of heat and moisture it should be 
induced to make its growth as quickly as possible, 
then having flowered, sometimes will make a second 
growth, and flower later in the autumn. There 
are several fine varieties, but it is mostly in the 
intensity of colour in the lip and throat that the 
difference consists.— W. S. 
Odontoglossum vexillarium Measure- 
sianum. —This chaste variety, exhibited by R. H. 
Measures, Esq., of The Woodlands, Streatham, at the 
Royal Horticultural. Society’s last meeting, appears 
to be the nearest to pure white of any of the 0. 
vexillarium. The substance of its flowers is good, and 
the only colours in it are a clear yellow tinge, and a 
small crimson mark in the centre. 
Odontoglossum vexillarium Cobbianum.— 
The true variety of this was exhibited by Mr. Walter 
Cobb, of Silverdale Lodge, Sydenham, at South 
Kensington, last Tuesday, and was generally voted 
to be far superior to that often seen bearing the name. 
The flowers are large and well-formed, lip clear white* 
with crimson marking at the base, petals pink, 
edged with white. Altogether it is a charming and 
distinct variety. 
Thunia Marshallii. —This charming Orchid is 
flowering freely in the collection at Broomhall Field, 
Sheffield, under the fostering care of Mr. Walker. 
The flowers are freely produced; the sepals and 
petals are pure white, the large fringed lip stained a 
delicate lemon colour and pencilled with fine lines of 
crimson shading to purple. This species should be in 
every collection. 
Odontoglossum vexillarium is also well grown 
at the same place. Although the stock at present is 
very limited, there has been a display of about seventy 
panicles of flowers in varying shades of rose-pink to 
very pale mauve.— J. Udale. 
——- 
NOTES ON GARDENS. 
Pickering Lodge, Timperley. —I send you a 
few notes taken a few days ago, when looking over 
the well-kept gardens of George Hardy, Esq., at 
Pickering Lodge, Timperley, Cheshire. There is a very 
pretty entrance lodge, surrounded with a low rockery 
well filled with Alpine plants, Pansies, &e., and the 
carriage-drive to the mansion is a nice sweeping road, 
with a belt of grass on each side, and instead of bed¬ 
ding out plants there is a very fine and extensive 
collection of gold and silver Hollies, many varieties 
of Yews, Thujas, &c., all well-kept pyramids from 
9 ft. to 12 ft. high, and beautifully coloured. In front 
of the house is a circle of well-kept lawn, and at the 
end of the house a few choice beds of Rhododendrons ; 
in fact everything is of the first quality. The first 
plant-house entered is the show-house for the flower¬ 
ing Orchids, and a grand sight awaited me there, 
about 1,040 spikes of Odontoglossum vexillarium 
arranged across the house, intermixed with Maiden¬ 
hair Fern, on a raised stage in tiers, so that nothing 
could be seen but a bank of perfect beauty, many 
of the flov'ers measuring 5^ ins. by 3^ ins., and many 
very fine deep-coloured varieties. The next house 
contains many fine specimen Cattleyas, including 
a very fine plant of C. Skinneri alba, some fine 
varieties of Cattleya Sanderiana, one with forty flowers, 
and a small plant of the same variety with a beautiful 
spike of six flowers, a dark variety. Another house 
of Dendrobiums, Eucharis, &c., contains a fine plant 
of Dendrobium Paxtoni, making thirty-five fine 
growths, and a great number of healthy plants of 
D. Devonianum grown in shallow baskets. 
An imported Eucharis, of the purest white I have 
yet seen, and in size between E. Sanderii and E. 
candidum, is also in flower. There are also several 
more houses, containing Odontoglossum Alexandras, 
Masdevallias, Sophronitis, Ac., all in the best of 
health, and a few nice plants of Dendrobium Ains- 
worthi. There is only a small kitchen garden here, 
and three vineries, two of which are newly planted, 
and have made good stout canes of short-jointed 
growth, and a lean-to house of Tomatos, grown in 
pots, and bearing a heavy crop of fruit. Everything 
grown here seems to be specially well cared for, and 
the visit to me was a very instructive one .—Joshua 
Atkins, The Gardens, Tatton Park. 
POTATOS AT PENGE. 
That well-known amateur cultivator of Potatos, 
Mr. McKinlay, has so long been associated with them, 
both as a grower and as a successful exhibitor, that 
any information bearing upon his system of culture 
and the probable yield of his season’s crop can hardly 
be wanting interest. Mr. McKinlay has but a limited 
area in which to grow his tubers, but his soil is 
admirable and has been deeply cultivated for several 
years, but always growing Potatos ; in fact it has pro¬ 
duced scarcely anything else, as these are to the 
grower objects of special interest. In previous years 
the ground has been heavily dressed with short 
manure, chiefly horse droppings from the London 
streets, very superior material well calculated to 
produce not only fine but clean tubers. 
As one result, in most seasons the top or plant 
growth is usually exceptionally robust; indeed we 
have seen tops from one row not only 4 ft. in height, 
but as much in width, literally a mass of growth that 
seemed to be out of proportion to any possible pro¬ 
duce. Certainly such was not the case, because the 
root crop was invariably an enormous one, although 
giving many tubers much too large for exhibition 
purposes, and also very often many diseased. Last 
year one strong-growing new kind, Chancellor, was 
staked and found to reach a height of 6 ft., altogether 
out of proportion to ordinary requirements, as such 
kinds always thrive best in soil of moderate quality, 
and when top growth is not unduly forced. 
This season, prior to planting, Mr. McKinlay deter¬ 
mined that he would add no fresh manure, and would 
rely entirely upon deep working and such nutritive 
properties as the soil had remaining over from pre¬ 
vious years, and although we have had a dry season, 
yet so far the growth generally is excellent, not so 
rank as last year, but still first-class, and such as 
indicates that a capital crop of tubers will be lifted 
presently. Generally the rows are 4 ft. apart, though 
some of the strongest growers get a little more room ; 
but still it is evident even now that none too much 
room is given, for the tops in all cases are finely 
developed, and there is better prospective balance 
between crop and top than has been seen in previous 
years. 
With a desire to obtain that full and complete 
knowledge of progress in Potato novelties which is so 
essential to one occupying the position of Secretary 
to the International Potato Exhibition, Mr. McKinlay 
grows what new kinds he can obtain for comparison 
with the best older kinds; indeed his labour and 
ground is far more completely applied to work of 
this sort than in producing Potatos for consumption, 
as, ■were the latter the case, of course fewer kinds 
would be grown. As it is, we see at Penge, in one 
garden alone, some fifty to sixty kinds, and in another 
garden, tenanted specially for the production of 
Potatos, are many others, with duplicates of those 
in the home ground. 
In some cases the growth of various so-called kinds 
enables comparison to be obtained as to distinctness 
or otherwise that is also very useful later on. Thus 
no honest grower can ever put up Reading Russett and 
Red Russett as distinct, and, as far as top is con¬ 
cerned, the resemblance between Woodstock Kidney, 
Ashtop Fluke, and Miss Fowler is remarkable. 
Curiously, this latter new kind has done badly, not 
only here but in other gardens, coming not only very 
late, but badly. Very robust growers are Fidler s 
Success, formerly Beauty of Eydon, and Fidler s 
Prolific, late Hughes’ Prolific ; Gladstone (Ironside’s), 
a round kind, having dark, Ashtop foliage ; Sukreta, a 
