November 26, 1892. 
THE GARDENING WORLD 
201 
Look them over when going round at night and first 
thing in the morning. 
The Cool House.— It is a very easy matter to 
grow Masdevallias in this house during the summer, 
in fact there is no place that suits them better, but 
during winter they would be better suited if accom¬ 
modated with a somewhat warmer house. As, how¬ 
ever, everyone is not so favourably placed as to 
possess an intermediate house, they have to resort 
to some other means to tide their plants over the 
winter, and it is surprising and at the same time 
gratifying to find what can be done under the most 
trying circumstances. Ours are wintered at the 
warmest end of the cool house. During summer 
the stages are covered with ordinary roofing tiles, on 
which the plants are stood. This admits of the 
frequent application of the syringe amongst them, 
but during winter we find it necessary to cover 
the tiles with something that will retain the mois¬ 
ture for a longer period, so that the plants 
do not suffer during the night from a too arid 
atmosphere caused by the fire heat. Fail¬ 
ing shingle, there is nothing better than coal ashes 
for putting on the tiles. Of course it does not 
look so well as shingle, but if the plants are bene¬ 
fited, and are in good condition, not much notice 
will be taken of what they are stood on. In very 
severe weather a very good plan is to cover the 
glass with mats, and as most cool houses are low 
structures they can be easily secured against high 
winds. 
Sophron itis may be placed at the warmest end 
with the Masdevallias. We have grown these in 
this way for a number of years, and have reason to 
be well satisfied. 
Temperatures.— East India house, 6o° to 65° at 
night, with a rise of io° hy day. Cattleya house, 
55 0 at night, with a rise of io° by day. Cool house, 
50° at night, with a rise of 5 0 to io° by day. Giving 
air by the top ventilators should now be discon¬ 
tinued in the warmer sections, but a free circula¬ 
tion should be maintained through the bottom 
ventilator. — C. 
The undermentioned Orchids were exhibited at the 
meeting of the Royal Horticultural Society on the 
15th inst., when certificates were awarded to them 
as recorded below. 
Cypripedium Morganise Burfordiense. 
The leaves of this fine variety are narrowed to both 
ends, but particularly to the base, and are of a deep, 
shining green, sometimes tesselated with a darker 
hue. The scape grows about 18 in. high, and bears 
two or more flowers. The upper sepal is roundly 
ovate, suffused with pale purple on a lighter ground, 
and marked longitudinally with brownish green 
veins ; ultimately it becomes revolute at the sides. 
The petals are 3 in. to 3! in. long, decurved and 
spotted with crimson-purple, but more especially on 
the upper third of their length ; the ground colour 
is creamy white, slightly shaded with green in places. 
The lip is very large, deep purple, and lined with 
deeper veins. The staminode is reniform, flesh- 
coloured, and netted with green in the centre. A 
First-class Certificate was accorded it when shown 
by Sir Trevor Lawrence, Bart, (grower, Mr. W. H. 
White), Burford Lodge, Dorking. 
Cypripedium Tityus. 
The seed-parent of this hybrid was C. Spicerianum 
crossed with the pollinia of C. cenanthum superbum. 
The leaves are oblong, channelled, and keeled like 
those of the seed-parent. The scape, like that, is 
dwarf, only 6 in. to 8 in., and one-flowered. The 
upper sepal is oblate and white, with a small green 
area at the base, and marked with brown dots in 
lines corresponding to the veins, but giving place to 
purple ones, where they extend on to the white 
ground; the mid-rib is also deep purple as in C. 
Spicerianum. The petals are broad, oblong-spathu- 
late, horizontal, with a few large undulations along 
the upper edge, pale greenish yellow, suffused with 
brown, and spotted with brown in the lower half. 
The lip is small, neat, and brown with a yellow 
edge. A First-class Certificate was awarded it when 
shown by Messrs. J. Veitch & Sons, Chelsea. 
Cypripedium Perseus. 
This is also a hybrid, and belongs to the Seleni- 
pedium group, or the South American type. The 
leaves are two-ranked, 8 in. to 12 in. long, arching, 
broad, and of a light shining green. The scape is 
about 2 ft. long, and bears several flowers. The 
upper sepal is moderate in size, suffused with pink, 
and having wavy, rosy veins on a straw-coloured 
ground. The petals are lanceolate, declining, undu¬ 
lated on the edges, rosy, with a greenish white 
centre, and i-J in. to 2 in. long. The lip is of a deep 
rosy purple, except the infolded sides of the mouth, 
and which are yellow, spotted with brown ; there is 
also a curious ascending auricle on each side of the 
opening. C. Sedeni porphyreum was the seed- 
parent and C. Lindleyanum the pollen-parent. An 
Award of Merit was accorded it when shown by 
Messrs. J. Veitch & Sons. 
Laelio-Cattleya Aurora. 
This bi-generic hybrid is the result of a cross 
between Laelia pumila Dayana as the seed-parent 
and Cattleya Loddigesii as the pollen-parent. All 
the sepals are oblong and of a warm lilac. The 
petals are two or three times as broad, elliptic, 
obtuse, and slightly darker in colour. The lamina 
of the lip is orbicular, undulated, crimson-purple, 
and the crisped side lobes are of the same hue. The 
tube externally is of a pale lilac-purple, deepening 
upwards, and creamy white internally, striated with 
branching purple veins. The size of the flowers is 
intermediate between the parents, but the colours of 
the lip strongly recall the influence of the seed- 
parent. The pseudo-bulbs as yet are only 1 in. to 
2 in. long, and probably will never attain a very 
large size. An Award of Merit was accorded the 
hybrid when shown by Messrs. J. Veitch & Sons. 
Cattleya labiata albanense. 
There were nine flowers on a plant of this, grown in 
a basket and shown by Messrs. F. Sander & Co., St. 
Albans. The sepals are of a warm lilac. The petals 
are ovate, wavy, crisped, and of a deeper tint. The 
lip has a pale lilac tube, while the lamina is of a rich 
crimson-purple, fading to lilac at the edges, which 
are undulated and crisped ; there is a pale lilac 
blotch on each side of the throat, and the interior of 
the tube is suffused with purple and white. An 
Award of Merit was accorded it. 
Catasetum tabulare var. 
The sepals of this curious species are involute at 
the sides, and brown. The petals approach each 
other under the upper sepal, and are spotted with 
brownish purple on a creamy white ground. The 
lip is the most singular organ. Its sides are in¬ 
folded, concave, and spotted with brown on a creamy 
white ground ; along the centre is a greatly elevated 
portion, spathulate in outline, cordate at the base, 
toothed all over the surface, and heavily spotted 
with brown on a creamy white ground. The spur 
or sac of the lip is short and bluntly conical. The 
pseudo-bulbs are spindle-shaped, and 6 in. to 8 in. 
long, bearing a number of arching, strongly-ribbed 
leaves, about 18 in. long or more. An Award of 
Merit was accorded it when shown by Welbore S. 
Ellis, Esq., Hazelbourne, Dorking. 
Seedling Cypripediums. 
Your recent description, on p. 153, of Cypripedium 
pitcherianum, Williams var., answers so fully to a 
seedling I have had in flower for several weeks past, 
that I congratulate myself on possessing the identical 
form. The parents used in my case were similar to 
those mentioned, viz., Harrisianum and Spicerianum, 
and both parents were good forms of their xespec- 
tive species. Of course there are distinct varieties, 
and though two persons may use good forms of 
each, it does not always follow that the results will 
be exactly the same. Size, colour, shading, and 
lines and spottings vary, and it is only by close com¬ 
parison and inspection that it can be said the two 
or more are exactly similar. Any way I am pleased 
with mine, and now once more I have flowered a 
second seedling, the result of the cross fertilization 
of C. insignis and C. Spicerianum, the former being 
the seed parent. The result is much like the one 
described on p. 185 as C. Leeanum Masereelianum. 
My plant is but small, it in fact only having been 
pricked out from the top of another pot and placed 
with several others in the small size known as 
thimbles in February, 1891. It is consequently just 
one year and nine months since that time, and I hope 
with age and strength it may produce flowers larger 
and even finer than the one now open. I have also 
another likely to be open in a week or ten days that 
I think will prove to be a distinct form. The colour 
already shows in a prominent manner. A quantity 
of others in various stages are progressing favour¬ 
ably, and next spring I hope to flower some forms 
quite distinct, judging from the parents.— IV. Swan, 
Bystock, Exmouth. 
WHAT TO DO IN THE GARDEN. 
Fine-foliaged plants.—Durmg the late autumn 
and winter months, flowering plants are compara¬ 
tively scarce, and the most should be made therefore 
of the fine-foliaged subjects that may be made to do 
duty for them. Aralias, Dracaenas, and Crotons are 
always to hand, and these may be supplemented and 
enlivened with lighter hued subjects such as Dieffen- 
bachias, Calantheas, Zingiber d’Arcyi, Phrynium 
variegatum, Aglaonema costatum, and others. 
The judicious arrangement of these between dark¬ 
leaved plants will serve by contrast to give additional 
interest to the whole. 
Gardenias. —In the forcing of these the use of a 
bed of Oak tan or fermenting leaves will be found 
of great service in urging on the buds. The pots 
should be merely stood on the surface of the bed or 
plunged only a little way, otherwise the roots would 
be unduly excited by being subjected to too much 
heat, and the buds might drop off in consequence. 
The continual moisture arising from the fermenting 
material will afford a continuous supply of moisture 
in the atmosphere. 
Early Tulips—The most easily forced and the 
most reliable at this time of the year are the red, 
white, and yellow varieties of Due Van Thol, which 
may be had plentifully by Christmas provided care 
has been taken to pot them in good time. While 
being urged on in the forcing pit for this purpose 
they should be kept as near the glass as possible to 
prevent drawing, otherwise the flowers will be flimsy 
and short-lived. 
Ophiopogons.—The variegated forms such as 
O. Jaburan variegatus and O. spicatus variegatus, 
but especially the former, will now prove very 
serviceable in the greenhouse or conservatory, where 
their richly-coloured grass-like leaves will be highly 
appreciated. The best way to treat these in order 
to get fine foliage is to plant them out ie a frame or 
similarly sheltered place during the summer months. 
The increased root room will encourage the develop¬ 
ment of fine foliage much better than if the plants 
were retained in pots. They take less time in the 
matter of attention, and can easily be potted up in 
autumn. 
Eurya latifolia variegata.—Many years ago 
this used to be a very common greenhouse plant. 
Being a relatively slow-growing plant, it was pruned 
or trained into pyramida form and largely used for 
brightening up the collections of hard-wooded sub¬ 
jects. It is closely allied to the Camellia, but has 
smaller leaves than the Tea plant even, of a dark 
green, richly variegated with creamy-white. In the 
early stages of growth the leaves are almost red. 
Peaches. —The trees in the early house should be 
washed, dressed, and tied up preparatory to closing 
the house. No fire-heat will be necessary till the 
buds begin to swell, provided the weather remains 
open as it has been for some time past. If con¬ 
venient a bed of fermenting leaves placed over the 
border will supply heat and moisture for some time 
to come. If the lights have been kept off until 
recently, the border will not require water for the 
present. Lightly syringe the trees twice a day, say 
about nine o’clock in the morning and two p.m. 
when the lights are closed for the day. 
Chrysanthemums.— Keep the atmosphere of 
the house as sweet and cool as possible. In foggy or 
wet weather it will be necessary during the day to 
warm the pipes a little so that the chill, damp air 
may be driven out. The difficulty during the pre¬ 
sent mild weather lies in the fact, that artificial heat 
soon raises the temperature too high. An abundant 
ventilation can, however, always be given, so long as 
rain is kept out, and this will tend to keep the 
atmosphere buoyant. 
Rose planting. —The planting of Roses is an im¬ 
portant operation where large quantities of the Queen 
of Flowers are required. The operation should 
of course have been put in force quite a month ago ; 
but in case unavoidable hindrances prevented it 
sooner it must be carried on now. Hybrid per- 
petuals on the Briar take better than Teas at this 
season. The planting of the latter had better be 
delayed till March if possible. In case they have 
just been received from the nursery they may belaid 
in by the heels rather thickly in a sheltered position 
where they may be protected with mats during 
severe weather. In preparing the ground for a 
plantation, it should be trenched 18 in. to 2 ft. deep, 
