470 
THE GARDENING WORLD. 
March 23, 1895. 
ORCHID NOTES AND GLEANINGS. 
By John Fraser, F.L.S., Kew. 
Amongst the numerous Orchids exhibited at the 
meetiDg of the Royal Horticultural Society, on the 
12th inst., the under-mentioned received certificates 
according to merit:— 
Sophronites grand iflora —The large and 
richly-coloured flowers of this Orchid, as well as the 
small size and accommodating nature of the plant, 
are well known to every Orchid grower and Orchido- 
phile. Seldom is any attempt made to grow it to 
large size, but the specimen exhibited by Sir Trevor 
Lawrence, Bart, (grower, Mr. W. H. White), 
Burford Lodge, Dorking, filled a large-sized pan and 
carried sixty-three fully expanded flowers of good 
size and glowing scarlet. First-class Certificate. 
Dendrobium Apollo grandiflorum. Nov. hyb. 
—The seed parent of this hybrid was D. nobile pul- 
cherrimum crossed with the pollen of D. Ainsworthii 
splendidissimum, itself a hybrid. The habit of the 
plant is similar to that of D nobile, as might be ex¬ 
pected, and the slightly compressed stems often 
carry leaves till flowers are produced. The flowers 
are of remarkable size, and the oblong sepals are 
dark rose on the back and pink on the face. The 
petals are oblong-ovate, undulate, and creamy-white 
with a rich purple tip extending down the centre. 
The huge lip is orbicular and the most conspicuous 
part of the flower ; about half of it is occupied with a 
rich purple blotch, and the rest is white with a 
purple tip. First-class Certificate. Exhibited by Mr. 
James Cypher, Cheltenham. 
Dendrobium euosmum virginale. Nov. var. 
—The seed bearer in this case was D. Endocharis, 
itself a hybrid from D.japonicum crossed with D. 
aureum. The pollen parent of the variety under 
notice was D. nobile intermedium. The club-shaped 
stems vary from 6 in. to 12 in. in length, and bear 
their flowers in clusters towards the top. The oblong 
sepals and narrowly-ovate petals are pure white. 
The lip is ovate and creamy-white with a large 
purple blotch at the base. The snowy purity of the 
flowers contrasted with the blotch on the lip, and 
their fragrance combine to make this a gem of quiet 
beauty worthy of the cultivator’s attention. Award 
of Merit. Exhibited by Messrs. J. Veitch & Sons. 
Chelsea. 
Laelio-cattleya Myra. Nov. hyb. bigen.— The 
seed parent of this bigeneric hybrid was Cattleya 
Trianaei crossed with the pollen of Laelia flava which 
has largely influenced the progeny. The pseudo¬ 
bulbs at present are only i in. to 2J in. long, and 
taper each way somewhat like that of L. albida or 
L. autumnalis, whereas the stems of L flava are 
5 in. to 8 in. long and swollen into pseudo-bulbs at 
the base. Each pseudo-buib in the present case 
bears a solitary, oblong, rigid leaf, 2 in. to 3J in. long. 
The terminal scape is elongated and bears one or more 
flowers about the size of those of the pollen parent. 
The sepals are ligulate, but the petals are oval, three 
times as broad, and all are of a pale creamy colour. 
The lip is somewhat funnel-shaped, with a creamy- 
white, undulated lamina, a lemon-yellow throat, and 
striated with purple lines down in the tube. Though 
the colours are pale and modest in aspect, both plant 
and flower are very distinct, neat, pretty, and cannot 
fail to find admirers. Award of Merit. Exhibited 
by Messrs. J. Veitch & Sons. 
Phaio-calanthe irrorata rosea. Njv.var .—P; 
irrorata itself was raised from Phaius grandifolius 
crossed with Calanthe vestita Turneri nivalis. That 
under notice was a reverse cross from Calanthe vestita 
gigantea, fertilised with the pollen of Phaius grandi¬ 
folius. The sepals are oblong-lanceolate and of a 
beautiful rose colour, as is the whole flrwer. The 
petals are obovate. The lip has a large, dilated 
lamina turned up at the sides on either hand of the 
column. The leaves are lanceolate and plaited. Of 
the three forms of this Phaio-calanthe now in culti¬ 
vation, the present is undoubtedly the mrst highly- 
coloured, and in our opinion the prettiest. Award 
of Merit. Exhibited by Messrs. J. Veitch & 
Sons. 
Cypripedium Fowlerianum. Nov. hyb. —This 
was raised between C. Harrisianum superbum and 
C, bellatulum, the latter being the pollen parent.The 
upper sepal is roundly-oblong, of large size and of a 
dark purple with darker veins and a white edge. The 
petals are also large, oblong-spathulate, and 
brownish-purple, but darkest on the upper longitu¬ 
dinal half. The lip is of a dull, dark purple, but of 
quite a different shade from the rest of the flower, 
and greenish at the lower end of the pouch. Award 
of Merit. Exhibited by Messrs. F. Sander & Co., St. 
Albans. 
Cattleya Percivaliana magnifica. Nov. var. 
— The sepals and petals of this variety are of a 
warm rose, the petals being ovate, and beautifully 
crisped at the margin The lip has abroad, much un¬ 
dulated and crisped lamina, pale lilac on the margin, 
but of a deep rich purple in wards,intensified to crimson 
on the lower half. The interior of the tube is orange. 
Both for size and intensity of colour this may be 
reckoned amongst the finest of its class. Award of 
Merit. Exhibited by Fred. Hardy, Esq., Tyntesfield, 
Ashton-on-M ersey. 
Dendrobium Cassiope, Ashworth's var Nov. 
var .—The parents of this variety were D. nobile albi- 
florum and D. japonicum, the latter being the pollen 
bearer. The terete stems are gin. to 12 in. long, 
bearing flowers in clusters of two or three together. 
The oblong petals are white as are the ovate-oblong 
petals with exception of a pale purple tint at the apex. 
The side lobes of the lip are wide open and 
creamy-white with a downy purple blotch 
at the base; the terminal lobe is remarkably 
long with a pale purple tip and constitutes the 
most striking feature of the flower. Award of Merit. 
Exhibited by E. Ashworth, Esq. (gardener, Mr. H. 
Holbrook), Harefield Hall, Wilmslow, Cheshire. 
Masdevallia Fraseri.—The parents of this un¬ 
common hybrid were M. ignea and M. coccinea better 
known as M. Lindeni the latter being the pollen 
parent. The hybrid is intermediate, and of a high 
order of merit, recalling some of the most highly- 
coloured forms of M. Harryana. The short tube is 
dull orange-red The lateral lobes of the sepals are 
obliquely oval, of a rich reddish purple with darker 
veins, and terminate in short cusps. The upper one 
is small, pale yellow, tinted with red, and prolonged 
into a tail in. long. Award of Merit. Exhibited 
by Sir Trevor Lawrence, Bart. 
Dendrobium undulatum — This Australian 
species seems to be getting more common than it has 
ever been before. Thestemsareverystoutandin their 
native habitats attain a considerable length, bearing 
great rigid leaves, but in cultivation they produce 
flowers while yet relatively short. The sepals are 
oblong and the petals are similar but much longer, 
and all are pale brown with yellow edges and are 
much undulated or even twisted. The side lobes 
are pale yellow, striated with brown, and the small 
terminal lobe is much darker with a three-ridged, 
white crest on the disc. The flowers are borne in 
long racemes and may be described as pretty. 
Botanical Certificate. Exhibited by J. Forster Alcock, 
Esq., Northchurch, Hants, and by C. J. Lucas, Esq , 
(gardener Mr. Duncan), Warnham Court, Horsham. 
Coelogyne sparsa.—On the whole, this is a very 
small species but very floriferous and really pretty 
on account of the abundance of its neat flowers. 
The sepals are lanceolate, the petals linear and white. 
The inner face of the side lobes of the lip are 
beautifully netted with brown ; and across the base 
of the terminal lobe, joining the base of the lateral 
ones, runs a conspicuous, orange-brown band. 
Botanical Certificate. Exhibited by C. J. Lucas,Esq. 
Cattleya Trianaei The Countess, Nov. var .— 
The sepals of this beautiful variety are pale lilac. 
The petals are only a shade or two darker, but they 
have a blotch at the apex formed by a netting of 
dark purple; they are also remarkable for their 
width, being almost triangular, but rounded at the 
apex, and sufficiently clawed at the base to allow 
them to expand properly. The tube of the lip is 
long and comparatively slender, as is frequently the 
case with the forms of C. Trianaei, and it is con¬ 
siderably darker in colour than the petals. The 
lamina is remarkably short, bifid, crisped, much 
eroded at the margin, and of a rich dark purple, 
more or less tinted with crimson towards the base. 
The usually orange-yellow disc is here reduced to a 
very pale band, forking at the apex like the letter Y, 
while the tube is almost white and tinted with the 
softest lilac. The varieties of C. Trianaei are now 
very numerous, but that which has been named 
"The Countess ” is handsome, of good substance, 
and has been admired by not a few. This beautiful 
variety was brought under our notice by Mr. P. 
McArthur, The London Nurseries, Maida Vale, W. 
FRUIT UNDER GLASS, 
Vines. —In the earliest houses where the rapidly 
swelling berries entail a great amount of strain upon 
the canes, care must be taken that these latter are 
treated liberally with regard to the water supply. If 
the borders are well drained it is surprising what 
an immense quantity cf water strongly-growing 
Vines will take. The rock which has, perhaps, most 
frequently been the cause of the shipwreck of the 
hopes of the Grape cultivator in the giving of in¬ 
sufficient driblets of water which, while they fail to 
soak the lower strata of the soil in the border, 
impart a moist appearance to the soil near the sur¬ 
face, and if only a superficial examination of the 
border is given the results are that although damp 
upon the surface, the Vines are really suffering for 
lack of water. 
The evaporating pans may now be kept filled with 
manure water, and thus quantities of the health- 
given ammonia will be given cff. This is a practice 
which, although it has much to recommend it from 
the grower’s point of view, will, however, scarcely 
find favour with those who possess a delicate sense 
of smell. A night temperature of 70° Fahr. must be 
maintained in the advanced houses, the later ones 
being accorded the same treatment as before recom¬ 
mended for Vines in the early stages cf growth, in 
brief, a gradually increasing temperature as growth 
proceeds, and plenty of moisture both at the roots 
and in the atmosphere, the amount of atmospheric 
moisture being, of course, reduced when the plants 
are in flower. Where this is the case, it will be 
necessary to give the rods several light taps in the 
middle of the day to assist the work of pollination. 
Strawberries. —As soon as the fruit has been 
plucked from the plants they should be straight¬ 
way removed to make room for others. If no 
further use for them can be found they should be 
consigned to the rubbish heap without delay, thus 
setting the pots at liberty. If, however, a few of 
them are needed for filling up gaps in outdoor 
plantations, they should be placed in a cold frame 
for the present or in a sheltered corner outside 
Thin out the fruit of plants which have just " set " 
to eight or ten to a plant, and as the best usually 
result from the first opened flowers, the later flowers 
should ba pinched off before they expand. 
Melons and Cucumbers. —Those plants which are 
being grown in houses and trained to trellises in 
the usual w-ay must be stopped as soon as they 
have made about a foot of growth after reaching the 
trellis. Where the obtaining of early fruit is the 
object, the first female flower produced should be 
pollenised. In such cases, it will only be possible to 
obtain one fruit from a plant. If two are desired, 
however, the operator must wait until two female 
flowers are open at the same time on the one plant, 
and these should be pollenised on the same day. It 
is often a matter of difficulty to induce Melons to 
swell equally, one fruit often outstripping the rest 
in size and thus robbing them of a great portion 
of their rightful nutriment. .Where the roots of the 
plants have begun to make their way through the 
surface of the soil, as they should be doing if they 
are growing freely, a top dressing of rich loam 
should be given. This must be made as firm around 
as practicable by means of a wooden rammer. 
Where Melons are grown in pits or frames and 
allowed to run over the surface of the soil from lack, 
perhaps, of more convenient places in which to 
accommodate them, the fermenting material should 
receive especial care in preparation, for upon it 
the cultivator has to depend for the maintenance of 
the necessary heat. It should consist of a large pro¬ 
portion of leaves mixed with stable manure containing, 
if possible, a goodly quantity of horse droppings. 
A sufficiently high as w'ell as a lasting heat will 
thus be obtained, and every grower of Melons 
knows that this is one of the most important points 
claiming attention in Melon culture. In making up 
the bed it should be borne in mind that a good depth 
of fermenting material is also necessary if the bed 
is to keep up the required heat long enough to mature 
a crop of Melons. Tread firmly, therefore, and 
bring the manure as close to the glass as practicable 
or the plants will be very much farther removed 
from the light than is good for them, from the sink¬ 
ing of the material consequent on decomposition.— 
A. S. G, 
