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THE GARDENING WORLD 
July 27, 1895. 
tural Society’s Gardens at Chiswick : the cultural 
conditions accorded them there evidently suiting 
them down to the ground, to judge from the extreme 
healthiness of the foliage, and the large size and 
strength of the flower trusses. Indeed, the whole 
house is a blaze of colour, which, however, is well 
and suitably relieved by the rich dark green foliage. 
The collection boasts of a considerable number of 
the best varieties now on the market, the plants 
themselves in most cases being of dwarf and sturdy 
habit—in itself a no mean qualification for a Canna 
to possess. Among the large number of varieties to 
be seen the following seemed to us to be specially 
noteworthy, as evidencing the highest degree of 
excellence that we have yet reached in the improve¬ 
ment of the Canna, and its modification to suit 
general horticultural requirements. 
Bacchus is of exceedingly dwarf habit, whilst the 
flowers are of a fiery crimson hue, the segments also 
being broad, and of good substance. A really fine 
variety this. Phoebus is rather distinct on account 
of the peculiarity it exhibits of producing a flower 
truss, which, instead of being erect and boldly 
standing up above the foliage, droops downward. 
The blooms in this case are of a bright orange 
shade, the light green leaves being prettily mar- 
gained with silver. Amphion is another very fine 
sort growing to about 2 ft. 6 in. in height with a 
very heavy spike, which exhibits the marked 
peculiarity of having the lower blooms of a bright 
crimson scarlet, the upper ones displaying a decided 
orange flush. Between L. E. Balet and Antoine 
Barton, but little if any difference is observable, 
even although we closely compared the flowers of 
the two varieties. In habit and style of growth the 
same marked similarity was apparent. Both have 
veryjarge flowers, produced upon a long compact 
truss of bright yellow hue, heavily spotted, and 
mottled dull red. The blooms of Geoffrey St. Hillier 
are of a pretty crushed-strawberry tint. Somewhat 
like it in colour of bloom, but very distinct on account 
of the dark purple foliage, is Henri L. De Vilmorin. 
Other sorts boasting of this dark purple foliage, a 
few of which appear to great advantage when 
growing amidst a number of the green-leaved 
varieties are Paul Bert, which, although an old and 
well-known variety, must yet be included in any 
representative list, and President Carnot, which has 
rich crimson-scarlet blooms, and grows to a height 
of about four feet. Very fine is Madame Crozy, 
the blcoms of which are of a clear orange-vermilion 
hue, and the segments very prettily margined with 
gold. Konigen Charlotte well sustains its reputa¬ 
tion as one of the very best Cannas in existence, and 
well justifies the glowing reports that have been 
circulated concerning its beauty. Of vigorous and 
yet dwarfhabit the spike is large andheavy, and the 
effect produced by the bright orange-scarlet flowers 
deeply banded with gold is very brilliant. 
For a yellow-flowered variety Quassimodo is well 
worth growing, although the segments are not nearly 
so wide or of such good substance as those of the 
sorts previously mentioned. Still it has a most 
graceful appearance, and lacks a good deal of the 
heaviness characterising the larger flowers. Pro¬ 
gression has yellow blooms, heavily mottled 
brownish-red. Very distinct is Amiral Courbet, the 
leaves being long and acuminate, and charmingly 
margined with silver. It grows to a height of about 
three feet, and is of exceedingly graceful habit. The 
flower spike is long, and the blooms, which are 
loosely arranged thereon, are of a rich yellow hue, 
spotted crimson. Very large and fine are the blooms 
of Ulrich Brunner. Bright crimson-scarlet in hue, 
they appear to great advantage with the rich dark 
green foliage as background. Alphonse Bouvier 
bears remarkably large and well shaped flowers of a 
deep rich crimson shade, and is withal of free and 
vigorous habit. This variety is one of the very best 
of its kind and deserves extensive recognition. A 
good crimson flower is that of Comte Horace de 
Choisine, the segments being noteworthy for their 
width and good substance, whilst the habit of the 
plant is everything that could be desired, both for 
dwarfness and vigour. Somewhat like the last 
named in style of growth is Star of gr, but the 
flowers are of a rich orange-scarlet colour, occasion¬ 
ally banded with gold. It would also be impossible 
to pass by Paul Sigrist, with its large, rather loose 
spike of deep crimson-scarlet flowers, that are a 
marvel of richness and beauty. Comte de 
Germiny produces a close compact truss. The 
blooms are of a delicate crushed strawberry tint, 
flushed slightly with orange, and the margins inter¬ 
mittently edged with gold. Another standard variety 
is Paul Marquart, which has fine bright green 
foliage and flowers of a deep salmon shade, passing 
with age to rose tinted carmine. Very showy is 
Admiral Gervais, the bright scarlet segments being 
bordered and occasionally blotched with gold. This 
variety also beasts of a very dwarf habit. 
Indeed, both time and space would fail us to 
adequately describe the whole of the marvellously 
beautiful varieties, which afford so marked a testi¬ 
mony to the value attaching to the members of this 
showy genus, and which constitute an unmistakeable 
tribute to the labours of the florists, who, by the 
skilful manipulation of known species, have given 
to the horticultural public a race of plants which 
bid fair to become general favourites, if indeed 
they have not already attained to this enviable 
position. 
--- 
ORCHID NOTES AND GLEANINGS. 
By John Fraser, F.L.S., Kew. 
The undermentioned Orchids received Certificates 
from the Royal Horticultural Society on the 9th 
inst. :— 
Laelio-Cattleya D. S. Brown, Nov. hyb. bigen. 
—The seed parent of this bigeneric hybrid was 
Cattleya Trianaei, while the pollen bearer was 
Laelia elegans. The sepals are of a dark rosy-purple, 
and the elliptic petals are several shades darker. 
The orbicular, plicate lamina is rich purple, with an 
orange throat, shaded crimson, and the tube 
externally is paler purple. The habit of the plant 
is that of the seed bearer, and the flowers are 
showy. Award of Merit. Messrs. F. Sander & Co , 
St. Albans. 
Brassia verrucosa. —The sepals of this good old 
subject are 3 in. to 5 in. long, the petals about 2J in., 
and all are light yellowish-green, spotted with brown 
at the base. The lip is even more showy and white, 
warted with green. A huge and well-grown plant, 
carrying some fifteen spikes of bloom, was exhibited 
by De B. Crawshay, Esq. (gardener, Mr. S. Cooke), 
Rosefield, Sevenoaks. Award of Merit. 
Miltonia vexillaria Constance Wigan, Nov. 
var .—There is a charm about this variety inasmuch 
as the sepals and petals are white, overlaid with 
delicate pink. The lip is of great size, and white with 
a yellow base, from the centre of which three red 
streaks 'radiate. Award of Merit. Sir F. Wigan 
(grower, Mr. W. H. Young), Clare Lawn, East 
Sheen. 
Vanda tricolor planiiabris. —The sepals and 
petals of this grand variety are rich yellow, heavily 
blotched all over with a glossy brown. The lip is 
nearly flat and rosy, with a yellow base. It is one 
from the rich collection of R. I. Measures, Esq. 
(gardener, Mr. H. Chapman), Cambridge Lodge, 
Camberwell. Award of Merit. 
Masdevallia coriacea. —The campanulate tube 
of this species is fleshy and white, spotted with 
purple on both surfaces. The free portion of the 
sepals is short and ovate, ending in a tail J in. to 
J in. long. Botanical Certificate. R. I. Measures, 
Esq. 
Dendrobium speciosissimum. —The lanceolate 
sepals and elliptic petals of this species are white. 
The lip is similar in colour, with a yellow ridge 
along the centre, passing into red and thence into 
scarlet at the very base. Botanical Certificate. 
Exhibited by Messrs. F. Sander & Co. 
Dendrobium bractiosum. —The stems of this 
uncommon looking species are terete, about 18 in. 
long, and bear the flowers in dense lateral clusters, 
furnished with numerous rosy bracts, to which the 
specific name refers. The small sepals and petals 
are also rose-coloured, but curiously enough the lip 
is orange. Botanical Certificate. Messrs. F. 
Sander & Co. 
Lycaste Dyerianus, Nov. s/>.—The pseudobulbs 
of this Peruvian species bear two leathery leaves at 
the apex, and give rise to several flowers at the base. 
The sepals are oblong, the petals small and lanceo¬ 
late, and all are pale green. The lip is somewhat 
paler, and shallowly fringed along the edges. 
Botanical Certificate. Messrs. F. Sander & Co. 
Sarcanthus teretifolius.—The leaves of this 
species are 6 in. to 10 in, long, and terete, as the 
names implies. The flowers are borne in racemes, 
and have brown sepals and smaller petals of the 
same. hue. The lip is white with yellow tips to the 
la'eral lobes. Botanical Certificate. A. \V. Witt, 
Esq., Maida Vale, W. 
Eria Clarkii.—Two or three leathery leaves are 
borne at the apex of the ovoid, dark brown pseudo¬ 
bulbs of this species. The small but pretty flowers 
are borne in a dense, arching raceme, and have 
straw-coloured sepals and petals. The tbree-lobed 
lip, on the contrary, is clear yellow. Botanical 
Certificate. Messrs. W. L. Lewis & Co., Southgate. 
Masdevall a guttulata —The pale, creamy- 
white sepals of this Masdevallia are finely spotted 
with crimson on the face, and terminate in tails J in. 
to J in. long. Botanical Certificate. Sir Trevor 
Lawrence, Bart, (grower, Mr. White), Burford 
Lodge, Dorking. 
Trichocentrum hymenanthum. —The lanceo¬ 
late sepals of this little species are of a transparent 
white, and the petals are broader, but otherwise 
similar. The lip is oblong and concave, with two 
depressions at the base, and is marbled with light 
purple. Botanical Certificate. Sir Trevor Lawrence, 
Bart. 
Luddemannia Pescatorei var. —The dense 
racemes of bloom in this case are protruded from 
the bottom of the basket in which the plant is 
grown, in a similar manner to those of Acineta and 
Stanhopea. The flowers are half closed, and have 
yellow sepals tinted with salmon, while the petals 
and lip are golden-yellow. Botanical Certificate. 
Sir Trevor Lawrence, Bart. 
Or.cidium olivaceum Lawrenceanum, Nov. 
vav .—The flowers of this Orchid are borne in a 
simple or slightly branching raceme on a scape 
about 18 in. long. The sepals and petals are of a 
rich dark olive-purple, while the lip is clear purple, 
spotted with crimson, and has a large yellow crest. 
Botanical Certificate. Sir Trevor Lawrence, Bart., 
and Lord Rothschild (gardener, Mr. Ed. Hill), 
Tring Park, Tring. 
Polycycnis muscifera—The flowers of this 
species are small but exceedingly curious, and borne 
in racemes. The reflexed sepals are deep yellow, 
spotted and barred with crimson, and the petals are 
similar but narrower. The lip is yellow and hairy, 
while the terminal lobe is fixed in a curious way 
beneath the middle portion. The slender, clubbed, 
and green column is arched like a swan's neck. 
Botanical Certificate. Lord Rothschild. 
Promenea stapelioides.—The leaves of this 
tiny species are dark green, but only 2 in. long. The 
flowers are solitary, and their greenish-while sepals 
are transversely barred and streaked with purple. 
The petals are darker. The lip is of a blackish 
velvety hue, barred at the apices of all the three 
lobes, which are paler. Botanical Certificate 
Lord Rothschild. 
-I *- 
THE KITCHEN GARDEN. 
Turnips. —After the recent heavy rains that have 
been experienced all over the country the ground is 
in excellent condition for seed sowing, and no time 
should be lost in taking full advantage of this con¬ 
sideration. A large sowing of Turnips should now 
be made. Ground that has been cleared of Potatos, 
Cabbages, or any other early crop may be used for 
this purpose. Dig it well, and if woed ashes can be 
had the crop will receive much assistance by giving 
the ground a good sprinkling with the addition of a 
little soot before sowing. The lines may be drawn 
IS in. apart, the seed sown thinly and well trodden 
in, finishing off neatly with the rake. For sowing at 
this season, Dobbie’s Golden Ball is without doubt 
one of the best yellow varieties, and for flavour it is 
preferable in the opinion of many to the white sorts, 
of which Snowball and Dobbie's Model White are 
the best, but many cooks, however, object to the 
colour, and prefer the w'hite sorts, even at the 
expense of flavour. The present season has been 
one of the worst for obtaining tender and juicy 
Turnips during my experience, and here in the 
south no doubt the parched condition of the soil, 
which in this locality is rather light, accounts for 
this, but much of the difficulty has been overcome 
by lifting the crop as soon as the roots were full 
size, and burying them in a cool, moist place to be 
used as required# 
