June 18, 1898. 
THE GARDENING WORLD 
665 
Plant to Name.— A. E. J .—The plant is a Big- 
noDia, probably B. tweediana, but the specimen sent 
is not sufficient to determine. Send a piece when in 
flower and we shall then be able to say definitely. 
A THREE-LIPPED CATTLEYA. 
Flowers with a reduction of the number of parts 
are fairly common amongst Cattleyas, and occasion¬ 
ally we meet with two lips in a flower, though that 
is more common in the Genus Cypripedium. A 
short time ago we received a flower of Cattleya 
Mossiae having three distinct and well formed lips 
from Mr. P. McArthur, London Nursery, 4, Maida 
Vale, W. The accompanying illustration shows 
what the flower was like before removal from the 
plant, which was of moderate size and carried two 
spikes of three blooms each. Five of them were 
normal, and the sixth differed only in having a triple 
lip, the rest of the segments and column being 
perfect. The three lips were nearly of equal size, 
well formed and coloured alike. There was only one 
claw, adnate to the base of the column, but immedi¬ 
ately the lip got free from the latter it divided into 
three, of equal length and all so perfect as if it was 
the normal and proper thing to do. The origin cf 
the tw o supernumerary lips might well be set down 
as a nut for the philosophers to crack. 
— 
CULTIVATION OF THE STRAWBERRY. 
The Strawberry is one of our most useful and 
nutritious fruits. A very eminent doctor, Davis, of 
Bath, once told me that one could hardly eat too 
many of them, as they were a change to the system. 
Select a piece of ground not shaded by large trees. 
Trench the ground 3 ft. deep. Pick up the subsoil, 
and place a good layer of manure over it, then a good 
spit over that, and another layer of manure more 
rotten. Should the former crop have been Straw¬ 
berries, pare them oft, and place them in the bottom 
of the trench. Depth of soil is a great thing, as the 
roots go down deeply. After the ground settles 
down give the plants 30 in. between the rows, and 
18 in. in the rows. The month of August or 
September is the best time to plant them. I never 
dig between the rows, merely keep the hoe going to 
keep down the weeds. 
Instead of laying the runners in small pots, I much 
prefer to use a small stone or flint, where these are to 
be got. Break up the soil with a trowel, and then 
place the stone on the runners to keep the plant 
steady. They will root in a fortnight, and then you 
can lift the plants with balls. They must be bedded 
out till the ground or pots are ready. After I laid 
out the new gardens at Sandringham I used to force 
about io.ooo every season, all in 6-in. pots. 
When the plants have done bearing cut away all 
the runners and allow each plant to stand separate, 
and hoe the ground all over. Put no manure on in 
the autumn, but in March hoe the ground ever and 
give a good sprinkling of soot, which prevents slugs 
from increasing. Then cover all the ground over 
with a good coat of stable litter, which keeps the 
ground moist and forms a clean bed for the fruit to 
lay on. 
Strawberries, like most fruits, want weeding out, 
there being too maDy useless kinds. The best late 
one I had is Waterloo. In 1892 I crossed it with 
British Queen, my object being to get the flavour of 
the latter into the former, and I got just what I 
wanted in the kind I have named Prince of Wales. 
In 1893 I crossed Waterloo with Laxton’s Latest 
of All, which gave me the kind I have named Prin¬ 
cess of Wales. In 1894 I crossed Waterloo with 
Frogmore Late Pine, from which I got two splendid 
kinds, Queen of Denmark, new in colour and a pro¬ 
lific bearer, and Richard Gilbert. The former took 
after its male parent, and the latter, Richard Gilbert, 
after the mother. This kind will be a rival for 
Royal Sovereign when it becomes known. The 
fruit is as large but firmer in the flesh and better 
flavoured. 
In 1896 I crossed my seedlings; many of them 
will fruit this season, which will be very interesting. 
I only take a single flower and remove all the 
stamens before the pollen is ripe. When I sow the 
seed I merely pare off all the outer pulp and place 
it on the seed pan and then sprinkle it over with 
silver sand. Water the seed pan before placing on 
the pulp. The seed comes up very quickly ; merely 
place it in a frame or greenhouse. At the end of 
April plant out the seedlings and invert a flower pot 
over the plant till it gets rooted. Take advantage of 
a shower to remove the flower pot The plants will 
fruit the next season. Those I planted out last April 
made strong plants, and are now in full flower. I 
took three or four runners off each plant; they are 
also in flower. I will make a point not to send out 
anything that is not an acquisition, as it would hurt 
my reputation.— William Carmichael, 14, Pitt Street, 
Edinburgh. 
-—*•- 
SUCCESSFUL CULTURE AT EXETER. 
Calling a lew days ago at the nursery of Mr. B. 
Brown, St. Thomas’s, Exeter, I was much pleased 
and in a measure surprised at splendid plants now 
in flower of that most useful Dendrobium Dearei. 
Unless I am much mistaken I called attention to 
this plant in the first number of the Gardening 
World, and all I then said has been amply verified, 
aDd even greater praise can now be given, as it has 
proved to be a most useful plant to those who grow 
in a large measure for cut flower purposes. 
The singular thing about Mr. Brown's plants is 
that without any attempt at special culture or even 
to convey an idea that he has an Orchid house, he 
nevertheless has this Dendrobe in many houses, 
where small stove plants are chiefly grown ; and the 
treatment given the latter—sharp heat, plenty of 
light and moisture—admirably suits the Dendrobe. 
As the greater part are grown in pots and suspended 
from the roof, they just revel in a temperature that 
would seem to be just that which suits them. These 
plants, too, are not of recent importation, and so 
living on the strength of the native vigour acquired in 
the native habitat, but are of many years’ culture. 
The growths stout and strong, the pots full of roots, 
so much so that it would be easy to move the plants 
by lifting them by the bulbs instead of by the pots. 
Growth, leaves, bulbs, and roots plentiful and strong, 
lead one to ask “ Well, what of the flowers ?” W T ell, 
I never saw finer flowers nor plants so uniformly 
well bloomed. 'Tis not one or two, but scores of 
plants full of their lovely, white flowers useful for 
bouquets, wreaths, or sprays; and, judging from a 
remark made by Mr. BrowD, I should say he finds 
this one of his choicest and most profitable gems. 
Another plant grown in a similar manner and with 
equally good results is Odontoglossum Roezlii; 
usually considered a bad one to do, and certainly one 
that many fail with for any length of time. Though 
I know Clapton has turned out perhaps many finer 
plants than all other places put together, yet here 
the specimens are perfect gems. Hung from the roof 
like the Dendrobe, the bulbs and leaves are clean and 
numerous, whilst the flowers of both species are 
large, stout, and wonderfully attractive, besides beiDg 
very numerous and good stayers. A lesson certainly 
may be learned here how to manage these two rather 
difficult subjects —cleanliness first, then heat, light, 
and moisture, and death to any thrip, yellow or black, 
as soon as it puts in an appearance ; and I venture to 
say greater success wil' follow its culture, than in 
many cases has hitherto been the case. For myself f 
1 may say, I never saw a better lot; nor more freely 
bloomed. I hope, for a long time to come, the success 
of past years may continue, and if a few plants, say 
of Epidendrum bicornutum, were added, I think the 
same result would follow, and this also would prove 
to be equally useful, though, perhaps, not productive 
of quite so many blooms as the two mentioned. 
Of the^Ferns, such as Adiantums in varieties, Pteris 
of sons, grown by the thousands, I would only say 
they are just splendid stuff. Each plant is a perfect 
one in its way; the same remark applies to the 
Fuchsias, zonal and show Pelargoniums, Erica 
ventricosa, and the numerous other plants grown 
here; whilst a word must be given to the yellow 
Carnation, Pride of Penshurst, of which so far the 
proprietor informs me he cannot obtain a sufficiency. 
The demand for this is so great, that the stock cannot 
be increased quickly enough to keep up with it. Of 
Mr. Brown’s Grapes, Black Hamburgh, Muscats, 
and Alicantes, I hope to be able to allude to at an 
early dale, sufficient to say at the time of my visit, 
the two former were in a splendid and forward con¬ 
dition, the latter just setting and promising equally 
well. The bunches of ail, when finished, will be 
simply superb.— IP. Swan, Exmouth. 
--j.- 
A Hive Bee collects about a teaspoonful of honey 
during the season. That amount should therefore 
sustain her till she can again go out in spring, pro¬ 
vided she is still alive. 
