October 22, 1898. 
THE GARDENING WORLD 
119 
was awarded a price more per pound than any other 
Grapes. Gros Maroc on Lady Downes, was fine in 
appearance, in size of bunch, and perfect colour was 
strongly in evidence. " Spot” or disease on Grapes 
of any sort is unknown at Park Hall. When were- 
ferred to eighty large bunches on one Vine of four 
rods, Mr. Murray replied : " that’s naething, it’s aye 
like that.” We noticed, in a late vinery, Vines of 
Cooper’s Black and Gros Maroc. The difference in 
form, size of berry, and time of ripening is very great. 
We know that Vines for propagation have been had 
from the same place, and results were different when 
tested. But they, like the Bowood Muscat (which, 
in many cases, appeared very similar to the Muscat 
of Alexandria), were injudiciously thrown together, 
and the Bowood is seldom seen true. I was in the 
locality of Bowood (as a young underling, when the 
late Mr. Spencer introduced it), and it was in many 
ways distinct from its parent. I have had it in a 
house along with Muscat of Alexandria, where its 
distinctive habits were apparent to the most casual 
observer. 
Passing through housefuls of Crotons, Palms, 
Ferns, and other foliage plants (grown at Park Hall 
by the thousand), we reached the early vinery, 
Cucumber, and Tomato houses, in a block of three 
houses, about 300 ft. long respectively, and very use¬ 
ful spans for their purpose they are. The early 
Vines were ripe, and the wood ready for the knife, 
and no long spur system is practised, the laterals 
being cut close to the rods. There were thousands 
of plants on stages in this house, Palms, Ferns, and 
double Pelargoniums being strongly represented. 
In the other houses Tomatos were hanging in 
thousands, firm, without speck or blemish, and of a 
bright scarlet colour. This is Park Hall favourite. 
Others have a chance of being proved, but only to be 
discarded after bearing one season, as none have yet 
equalled the old favourite. Outside these houses are 
ten acres of ground set apart for Rhubarb, Straw¬ 
berries, and bush fruits. The Rhubarb is ready by 
the hundredweight in December, and the demand 
by retailers for it is great. There are other items of 
interest which I might relate, but this may suffice.— 
M. Temple, Canon, Stirlingshire. 
PLANTS RECENTLY CERTIFICATED. 
The following Chrysanthemums received First-class 
Certificates from the National Chrysanthemum 
Society, at a meeting of the Floral Committee held 
on Tuesday, the nth inst., the first day of the 
October show:— 
Rayonante. —This is a large Japanese flower, with 
long, stiff, tubular florets standing out straight from 
the head. The colour is a charming shade of lilac, 
and the whole flower recalls that well-known variety, 
Lilian Bird, although it is a great improvement on 
that variety. The height of the plant is from 4 ft. 
to 5 ft. Rayonante, as the name would suggest, is 
of French origin. It was sent out last year by Mr. 
W. J. Godfrey, of Exmouth, and appeared at some 
of the shows. On this occasion it was shown by, 
and a Certificate given to, Mr. H. J. Jones, Ryecroft 
Nursery, Lewisham, S.E. 
Soleil d’Octobre.— This grand Japanese variety 
has at last received the coveted F.C.C. The flowers 
are of good size, bright golden-yellow in colour, and 
with long, drooping, and rather twisted florets. It 
is a capital September variety. Mr. W. J. Godfrey, 
Exmouth, Devon. 
Mrs. T. Brewer.— Here we have a most imposing 
Japanese flower. The florets are long, very broad 
and massive, and of great substance. They recall 
those of Ella Curtis to some extent. The colour is 
bright golden-yellow. From all appearances this 
sort will be a great acquisition to the ranks of 
October flowering varieties. Mr. Robert Owen, 
Maidenhead. 
The undermentioned awards were made by the 
Royal Horticultural Society on the nth inst.:— 
Orchid Committee. 
Laeliocattleya dominiana langleyensis. Nov. 
var. hyb .—The type of this bigeneric hybrid was 
obtained from Laelia purpurata crossed with the 
pollen of Cattleya dowiana. The sepals of the 
variety are soft silvery-pink, while the petals 
are rose. The lip is the grand and telling 
feature of the flower, being of huge size and dark 
crimson-purple with a lilac edge, while the interior 
of the tube is finely lined with orange on crimson. 
It is altogether a darker and handsomer variety than 
Lc. dominiana. First-class Certificate. Messrs. J. 
Veitch & Sons, Ltd., Chelsea. 
Dendrobium rhodostoma. —The mother of this 
hybrid was D. Huttoni, while the pollen bearer was 
D. sanguineolentum. The sepals and petals are 
white and heavily tipped with dark purple-red. The 
lower half of the lip has pale purple markings on a 
white ground, but the apical half is as dark as the 
tips of the petals. It is a pretty hybrid rarely seen 
in such fine form as on this occasion. Award of 
Merit. Messrs. J. Veitch & Sons, Ltd. 
Laeliocattleya Henry Greenwood, Nov. hyb. 
bigen. —The sepals of this bigeneric hybrid are white, 
suffused with silvery-pink, while the narrowly 
obovate petals are rosy-pink. The oblong lamina of 
the lip is of a rich carmine-purple. The throat is en¬ 
tirely yellow, with the exception of a narrow purple 
band in the centre. The rich purple side lobes are 
spreading. Award of Merit. Messrs. B. S. 
Williams & Son, Upper Holloway. 
Sophrocattleya Cleopatra. Nov. hyb. bigen .— 
The mother of this bigeneric hybrid was Sophronitis 
grandiflora, and the pollen parent Cattleya guttata 
Leopoldii. The sepals are lanceolate and red, while 
the obovate petals are darker. Both sets of seg¬ 
ments seem to be tinted with orange. The side 
lobes of the lip are ovate and carmine, the termi¬ 
nal lobe obovate and crimson, while the tubular 
portion is yellow on both surfaces. The hybrid is a 
gem in miniature. Award of Merit. Messrs. 
Charlesworth & Co., HeatoD, Bradford. 
Angraecum ichneumoneum. —All the segments 
of the flower are straw-yellow. The bent spur is paler 
and curiously swollen towards the free end. Botanical 
Certificate. A large plant in a basket, carrying nine 
pendent racemes, was shown by E. Miller Mundy, 
Esq. (gardener, Mr. Elphinstone), Shipley Hall, 
Derby. 
Floral Committee. 
Alocasia spectabilis. —The leaves of this fine 
foliage plant are of great size, shield-shaped, and 
beautifully variegated by the silvery leading nerves. 
The spaces between these are finely netted with 
slender, silvery-gray lines, on a glossy olive-green 
ground. Its great beauty and decorative value were 
recognised by the awarding of a First-class Certi¬ 
ficate. Messrs. J. Veitch & Sons, Ltd. 
Linospadix petrickiana. —The leaves of this 
beautiful Palm are shortly stalked and pinnate, so 
that they form a compact yet graceful tuft of leaves 
closely hugging the crown of the plant, above which 
they arch over gracefully. The long linear-lanceolate 
and finely pointed pinnae are green on both sur¬ 
faces. First-class Certificate. Messrs. F. Sander & 
Co., St. Albans. 
Chrysanthemum Jules Mary. —In this we have 
a decorative variety resembling M. Wm. Holmes in 
size, but of a rich, dark crimson, without the golden 
tips to the florets, which are characteristic of the 
last-named variety. It will be very useful for decor¬ 
ative purposes. Award of Merit. Mr. William 
Wells, Earlswood, Redhill. Surrey. 
Dracaena Eeckhautii. —The lanceolate leaves of 
this variety are deep green on both surfaces, and 
taper into a petiole which clasps the stem. Some 
distance above the base they begin and arch over 
gracefully. Award of Merit. Messrs. J. Veitch & 
Sons, Ltd. 
Dahlia Ebony. —This is the most recent addition 
to the dark Dahlias, for the long, pointed florets are 
revolute at the sides, more or less twisted, and of an 
intense maroon. Award of Merit. Mr. S. 
Mortimer, Rowledge, Farnham, Surrey. 
Fruit and Vegetable Committee. 
Melon Wythes Scarlet.— The fruits of this new 
Melon are of medium size, globular, and have a 
beautifully netted, greenish-yellow rind. The flesh 
is dark red, of great depth, very juicy, and of ex¬ 
cellent flavour, for on this point the committee were 
unanimous in according it an Award of Merit. The 
variety should prove highly serviceable either for the 
table or for exhibition purposes, on account of the 
rich colour of the flesh and its flavour. Mr. Geo. 
Wythes, gardener to Earl Percy, Syon House, 
Brentford. 
Crab Apple Mrs. John Seden. —This new 
variety was obtained as the result of crossing the 
Crab Transcendent with Apple King of the Pippins. 
The progeny takes the moderately small, woolly 
leaves of the pollen parent, also the colour and the 
open eye. The bright yellow skin is beautifully 
suffused with red on the exposed side, and over the 
top. The fruit is oblate, larger than a pigeon's egg, 
and highly ornamental in appearance. It was 
fruited in the course of four years from seed. The 
variety is an acquisition and a valuable addition to 
the list of ornamental Crabs, while the flesh is juicy 
and palatable. Award of Merit. Messrs. J Veitch 
& Sons, Ltd. 
Melon Gunton Scarlet. —The fruit of this 
new Melon is of good average size, bright yellow and 
finely netted with gray. The flesh is pale red, juicy 
and of fine flavour. Award of Merit. Mr. Wm. 
Allan, gardener tc Lord Suffield, Gunton Park, 
Norwich. 
Plum Primate. —The fruit of this new Plum is 
roundly oval, of great size, crimson-purple, and 
covered with a glaucous bloom. For size and 
quality this Plum will prove a useful acquisition to 
the list Award of Merit. Messrs. T. Rivers & 
Son, Sawbridgeworth. 
Apple Invincible. —The fruit of this new Apple 
is of large size, rivalling Warner’s King, but slightly 
more conical in shape. The eye is set in a deep 
cavity, surrounded by high, blunt angles and corru¬ 
gations. The skin is green or heavily stained with 
brownish-red on the exposed side. It is a culinary 
variety. Award of Merit. Mr. D. Bodaly, Green 
Norton, Towcester, Northampton. 
-- 
TDb Orcfyiil Grower’s calendar. 
General Work. —If not already done, we would ad¬ 
vise that the permanent shading, which is usual to 
put on the ends of the houses and places where you 
cannot conveniently shade with roller blinds, should 
be washed off. Blinds on the north side of houses 
may be taken down, and, when dry, be stored away. 
The glass, too, inside and out, should receive a good 
wash down before frost sets In, which it often does 
early in November, or else it is foggy and dark. 
Coelogyne cristata. —Our plants have done well 
with the Odontoglossums this summer. We shall, 
however, now bring a few of them into the Cattleya 
house to hurry them on a bit into flower, so as not 
to have all of them in bloom together. 
Lycaste Skinnerii, too, we shall work along in 
tha same way, also the Dendrobiums for a succes¬ 
sion, such as D. nobile, D. crassinode, D. wardia- 
num, &c., which lend themselves to the retarding or 
forcing system, whichever is most suitable to the 
grower. Pleione Lagenaria, &c., now pushing their 
spikes, should be so placed that they do not get 
syringed over when the damping down is done, or 
the flowers will soon become spotted. They should, 
however, get a soaking at the roots, or the flowers 
will be small. 
Vanda caerulea. —When a place is found suit¬ 
able for this most beautiful blue Orchid it 
thrives, and during the autumn months produces 
long racemes of unequalled flowers as regards 
colour. But how many of us can do the plants 
really well for long ? Imported plants go away and 
promise to give the lie direct to those who assert 
that it cannot be kept in good condition under culti¬ 
vation, but, alas, in a few months the spotting of the 
foliage commences, a tiny speck at first; but 
gradually and surely, it gets larger until you feel 
constrained to out with your knife and cut the 
affected part away. This, of course, removes the 
unsightly part, and to outward appearance it seems 
all right; but you know in your inmost heart that 
something is wrong with the atmospheric condition 
or the treatment it otherwise receives ; but what ? 
That’s the point. We have seen them growing in a 
temperature that rarely falls below 6o°at night; and 
also in houses that go down to 45 0 with almost the 
same result. This year we are trying them grown 
quite cool, that is, as cool as the Odontoglossums 
with which they find a place. It is, however, early 
yet to give an opinion, as almost anything will grow 
in the cool house during the summer months ; but 
if looks and healthy green foliage count for any¬ 
thing, we have made a decided advance. Should we 
succeed in keeping them free from spot during the 
coming winter, you may depend that readers of the 
Gardening World will know about it. I may say 
that we shall keep them dry at the roots as soon as 
cold weather sets in.— C. 
