September 17, 1892. 
THE GARDENING WORLD 
41 
severe frost seemed to have left us, cut the strong 
growers back to the fourth eye and the tender 
growers to the second. A fortnight after pruning go 
over the beds and give each plant a trowel full of 
slaked lime. This would repay the trouble and 
would set free all the ammonia in the manure not 
previouslv absorbed at the roots. As the young 
shoots began to grow it was necessary to keep them 
well tied to the sticks. Use weak liquid manure for 
feeding. Keep a watchful eye on suckers, for if neg 
lected they would soon ruin the best of plants, A 
suitable insecticide sprayed over the trees would 
clear away small caterpillars, which disfigured the 
foliage and skeletonised the leaves. As to protection 
he advised a full supply of zinc protectors. These 
would last a lifetime fixed to sticks two or three feet 
long. Each protector should be about five inches 
diameter. A useful discussion followed, and the 
meeting was also rendered the more interesting and 
instructive by the exhibition of a number of season¬ 
able flowers and vegetables. 
ORCHID NOTES AND GLEANINGS. 
The Orchid Growers' Calendar. 
The Cool House. —The wet weather experienced 
here since writing my last calendar has enabled us to 
get everything in readiness for repotting the Odonto- 
glossums, and no time will be lost in getting those 
that require it attended to, so as to give them every 
chance to get established in the new compost before 
the weather gets cold and we shall be obliged to use 
fire heat at night to keep the temperature from fall¬ 
ing below 50°. As I write the temperature outside 
is very low indeed for the first week in September, 
the thermometer standing at 37 0 last night, Sunday, 
or only 5 0 above freezing point. 
The compost used by us, and in which we have 
grown the beautiful O. crispum most successfully for 
a number of years, is two parts of the best fibrous 
peat and one part of fresh sphagnum moss, added to 
which should be some coarse silver sand and pot¬ 
sherds broken up small. But good peat cannot 
always be procured at any price, and when such is 
the case we have to make the best of an inferior 
article, as we are doing now. We shall, however, we 
hope, successfully overcome this difficulty by using 
less peat and more moss, and by varying our usual 
mode of potting (which is to insert a tuft of moss 
here and there between the peat as the potting pro¬ 
ceeds) by placing a thin layer of peat first and 
finishing off with a layer of fresh moss completely 
covering the peat. 
We always make it a practice with all plants to be 
repotted, to allow them to get moderately dry at the 
roots before doing so. This may not seem at first 
sight to be of much importance, but we have found 
that if repotted when the roots are in a sodden state 
they invariably die and the new growth is weakened. 
The old material should be carefully removed with¬ 
out damaging any of the roots. Any old, decayed 
bulbs or roots are cut away, and the plant potted in 
a suitable sized pot according to the quantity of 
roots and the general condition of the plant, but do 
not over-pot. The pots should be thoroughly clean, 
together with the crocks, with which they should be 
filled to within 2 in. of the rims, beginning with a 
large crock over the hole and finishing off with 
smaller ones. We do not favour high potting for 
Odontoglossums ; if the plant when finished is about 
an inch above the pot it will be quite sufficient. 
This allows the compost to be pressed more firmly 
about the plants, which they like. 
Of course it must not be assumed that we pot all 
our Odontoglossums now, for some are in bloom and 
some just showing spikes and to re-pot these now 
would be madness. These were done last spring, and 
will go round again till next spring. The best stage 
in our opinion in which to pot Odontoglossums is 
when the growth is about 6 in. high, and just ready 
to push out new roots; all those in this stage or near 
it may be done with advantage, but those beyond it 
would be better left until spring unless they are in a 
very bad state, in which case we would not delay re¬ 
potting a single day. They will require very little 
water for a fortnight other than just enough to keep 
the sphagnum fresh, unless the compost when used 
is rather dry. 
Temperatures. —The East India House should 
not be allowed to go below 70° at night, Cattleya 
House 6o° at night, Cool House should not go below 
50°, with a good circulation of air in all depart¬ 
ments by leaving the bottom ventilators open.— C. 
Amongst the numerous Orchids shown at the meet¬ 
ing of the Royal Horticultural Society on the 6th 
inst., the undermentioned were considered worthy of 
awards. 
Laelia Turneri superbissirr.a. 
The sepals are of the palest purple, tinted with pale 
green. The oblanceolate or spathulate petals are 
wavy at the edges and of a pale, dull purple. The 
tube of the lip externally is of the palest purple bor¬ 
dering on white ; the lamina is the most conspicuous 
part of the flower, and is oblate, emarginate, toothed 
at the edges and of an intense purple, the latter 
colour running down the tube with a broad band. 
The side, lobes have a deep purple blotch on a paler 
ground, while the side portions extending to the base 
of the tube are yellow. It was exhibited by Thos. 
Statter, Esq. (gardener, Mr. Robert Johnson), Stand 
Hall, Manchester, and received an Award of Merit. 
Cattleya speciosissima Sanderiana. 
The pseudo-bulbs of this Cattleya are fusiform, 
slightly ribbed, and 3 in. to 6 in. long, bearing a 
solitary, oblong, terminal leaf. The sepals are 
oblong and pure white, as are the petals, which are 
broadly ovate and spreading above the middle. The 
lip is bifid, dentate at the edges, and white with a 
pale yellow blotch extending across the throat and 
running down the tube with an arm. Altogether it 
is a handsome white Cattleya. It was shown by 
Messrs. F. Sander & Co., for W. R. Lee, Esq. 
(gardener, Mr. T. Billington), Beech Lawn, Auden- 
shaw, Manchester, and was awarded a First-class 
Certificate.. 
Cattleya Oweniana. 
The sepals and petals of this bold Cattleya are 
creamy-white, with the palest flush of pink at the 
tips. The lamina of the lip is a bold feature of the 
flower, and is of an intense maroon-crimson reticulated 
with gold from the throat for some distance down 
upon the lamina. It belongs to the same group as 
C. Dowiana, the beautiful varieties of which are now 
getting numerous. It received a First-class Certifi¬ 
cate when shown by Messrs. F. Sander & Co. 
Aerides Augustianum. 
In this we have a moderately tall growing species 
with the flower stalks about 18 in. long, bearing a 
close raceme of flowers 6 in. long. The latter are 
moderate in size, with a shining waxy appearance. 
The sepals and petals are oblong and white, flushed 
with the palest rosy-lilac. The lip is darker and 
three lobed; the middle lobe is spreading, long 
clawed, and reflexed at the sides, and of a warm rosy- 
lilac. The spur is straight, directed backwards from 
the lip, and of the same hue. An Award of Merit 
was accorded it when shown by Messrs. Linden. 
Sophro-Cattleya Veitchi. 
The male parent of this bigeneric hybrid was Lselia 
(Ladio-Cattleya) elegans var., and the seed parent, 
Sophronitis grandiflora. The plant consists of six 
tiny pseudo-bulbs, the result perhaps of as many 
years’ growth, as they are all successively larger from 
the first to the flowering one. The oblong, channelled 
and keeled leaves are produced singly or in pairs at 
the top of the pseudo-bulbs. The flowers are similar 
in size to those of Sophro-Cattleya Batemanniae, and 
have oblong, red sepals with a soft flush of scarlet. 
The petals are elliptic and red, with deeper veins and 
a flush of scarlet in the centre. The lip is three- 
lobed ; the tube is flushed and veined with deep red 
on a yellow ground, and internally the yellow is more 
evident flushed with red along the centre and veined 
with the same hue on the sides ; the lamina is ovate, 
obtuse, and rich purple. The lip is white, with a 
purple line around the stigma. A First-class Certifi¬ 
cate was awarded it when shown by Messrs. J. Veitch 
& Sons, Chelsea. 
Varieties of Cattleya Eldorado. 
A Lancashire correspondent, an amateur Orchid 
grower who signs himself “ W.,” sends us a box of 
blooms of Cattleya Eldorado, with several of its 
finest and most striking varieties. The type may be 
recognised by its soft rosy-lilac sepals and petals, as 
well as the large rich orange blotch in the throat sur¬ 
rounded with a white zone, and that again by the 
rosy-lilac lamina fading towards the margin with a 
ich purple blotch in the centre. Virginalis is a 
beautiful pure white variety with exception of the 
orange blotch in the throat. The plant carried nine 
blooms of uniformly large size, and must have been 
magnificent when at its best. The variety Splendens 
is also a grand one, having an intense purple lamina 
to the lip and the petals also of a relatively warm 
colour. The flower sent as C. E. rosea was small 
and pale in colour, but the plant producing it was also 
weak and will no doubt produce finer flowers when 
established. Two large blooms accompanying the 
rest might be compared to rosea, but they were not 
absolutely identical, in fact, they were of a beautiful 
and delicate flesh colour, with a small deep purple 
spot on the middle of the lamina and the usual large 
orange blotch in the throat. C. E. carnea would be 
a very appropriate name for it, as the flowers are 
both delicate in hue and handsome. 
Dendrobium formosum gigantsum. 
Only those who can grow this species well, know 
what a grand thing it is and what it is capable of 
doing. A spike bearing five huge blooms has been 
sent us by Mr. Thompson, gardener to — Steel, 
Esq , Philiphaugh, Selkirk. The flowers were 
in fine condition and pure white showing off by 
contrast the large rich orange blotch reaching from 
the disc of the lip down into the tube, where it termi¬ 
nates in two red bands. Like all of the others 
of this type it requires a considerable amount of heat 
to grow it to perfection. The young shoots some¬ 
times fare badly if they commence to grow late in 
autumn or early winter when the cold and poor light 
prevents them from attaining anything like their 
proper dimensions. There seems to have been 
nothing the matter with the Philiphaugh specimens 
judging from the flowers. Accompanying them were 
some flowers of the richly-coloured Miltonia specta- 
bilis Moulliana and Cypripediums of the C. grande 
type. One of the flowers of the latter was notable 
for the absence of the upper sepal, and the petals 
uniting in one piece had taken its place. Thestami- 
node was very small and almost wanting. 
WHAT TO DO IN THE GARDEN. 
Bouvardias. — Old cut-back specimens which 
were planted out in a frame or in the open ground 
for the summer should now be lifted and potted up, 
or, what is even better, planted in the bed of a Melon 
pit if such is at command. Water down the soil, 
syringe the plants, and shade them for a few days if 
necessary till the roots make a fresh start. If treated 
thus they will supply cut flowers all the winter if kept 
growing in a genial atmosphere. 
Salvias. —-Those who grow their stock of Salvias 
for winter flowering in the open ground will find it 
convenient to lift them at once and pot them up, for 
the longer nights and the great abundance of mois¬ 
ture are now causing a rank and unnecessary growth 
which might well be avoided for indoor work. Lift 
the plants with good balls, and put them in the 
smallest sized pots that will conveniently hold them 
without being too confined, and keep close for a few 
days to prevent flagging. 
Li I ies in Pots. —Plants that have flowered in pots 
should be placed in the open air in some sheltered 
place after the flowers drop to gradually ripen and 
plump up their bulbs. The soil in which they are 
grown should be kept in a medium position as to 
moisture till the foliage and stems gradually decay. 
Sch : zostyli8 coccinea.— If planted out of doors 
in cool or somewhat peaty soil this makes better and 
stronger growth than if the plants are kept in pots in 
a half starved condition. The matted roots enable 
the plants to be lifted with a good ball, so that they 
can readily be potted up without feeling the injury. 
They also produce stronger spikes of bloom when 
treated in this way during the autumn and early 
winter months. 
Peaches. —Succession houses of Peaches should 
be treated like the early one by removing the top lights 
and leaving all the others as well as the doors open 
to thoroughly mature the wood. A thorough syring¬ 
ing now and again with the garden engine will keep 
the foliage clean and healthy. -The borders should 
get a thorough soaking v\ith clean water when they 
get at all dry. 
Melons. —The aim at this period of the year should 
be to get solid and substantial growth in preference 
to thin and rapidly grown stems. With this end in 
view, a little top air should be put on early in the day 
even if it is necessary to keep up the temperature 
by a greater amount of fire heat. As soon as the sun 
