2l4 
December 5 , 1896. 
THE GARDENING WORLD. 
CHRISTMAS HAMPERS FOR POOR 
CHILDREN. 
Two years ago the surplus funds subscribed for the 
children’s banquet in the Guildhall were spent in 
sending 200 hampers to poor crippled children. 
Last Christmas the public enabled the Press to 
extend this seasonable gift to 5,000 applicants; I am 
informed that though Edinburgh, Manchester, 
Sheffield, Nottingham, and other towns have adopted 
the idea, there is no intention on the part of any 
London newspaper to repeat this noble distribution 
this year. Meanwhile it has come to my knowledge 
that charitable people are anxious to continue the 
splendid work ; and I believe that if nothing is done, 
the disappointment of the afflicted little ones will 
outweigh the good which was accomplished a year 
ago. I have therefore, resolved to appeal to the 
public to supplement the means which are annually 
placed at my disposal for the New Year’s entertain¬ 
ment of about 1,500 poor children in the Guildhall 
by the permission of the Corporation, a festivity 
which will be attended, as customary, by the Lord 
Mayor, the Lady Mayoress, and the Sheriffs in 
state. 
These children are selected by the Ragged School 
Union from the poorest districts in London, and 
many of them have crippled brothers or sisters who 
will be denied all participation in the treat, unless I 
have a surplus sufficiently large to send them a 
seasonable hamper each 
A great deal of money has been spent in the 
classification of the 6,000 cripples who are registered 
on the books of the Ragged School Union, and it will 
be possible for me to adopt exactly the same 
machinery of distribution v. hich was in operation 
last year. I should propose at a certain time to 
make a first selection of cases according to the funds 
in hand, giving preference to children who are bed¬ 
ridden, who could not therefore be given the summer 
outing. If the money prove sufficient I would add 
indigent cases between certain ages, and so enlarge 
my hamper list accordingly as the public should help 
me to do. But I hope and trust that I shall be 
placed in a position to deal ,7'uh them all, and that 
the size of the hamper may grow with the generosity 
of the public. 
To supplement it, gifts in kind would be welcomed 
at the offices of the Ragged School Union, 37, 
Norfolk Street, Strand, but subscriptions should be 
sent to me.— W. P. Treloar. 68, 69, and 70, LudgaU 
Hill , E.C. 
Fill? UNDO! GLASS. 
There will be plenty to do in this department now, 
especially where early Peaches, Grapes, &c., are 
looked for, and the pressure of work is all the 
greater because of the shortness of the days. Whilst 
the number of gardeners who go in for early forcing 
is comparatively limited, there are a great many more 
who like to start a vinery sometime during the 
present month, and such will now require to bestir 
themselves. 
The Early Permanent Vinery may be 
started sometime from the beginning to the middle 
of the month, according to the time at which the 
pot vines were started, so that they may form a 
proper successionary crop. If the cleaning has 
received attention the inside border must next be 
looked after. As some of the scrapings from the 
vines and remnants of mealy bug will have fallen 
upon the ground it will be well to clear off the loose 
upper layer of soil from the inside borders, and take 
it clean away. In doing this the greatest care is 
necessary to avoid injuring any of the delicate roots 
that may be near the surface. A careless or in¬ 
experienced workman is almost sure to do damage in 
this direction, and any such should therefore be care¬ 
fully watched, A top dressing of good loam may 
then be given. Some cultivators prefer half decom¬ 
posed stable manure, and there is no doubt that thi s 
answers the purpose admirably. The canes should 
be tied down in order to insure them breaking 
equally. If tied up in their growing positions the 
sap would inevitably run to the highest point, and 
the growths there would be unduly rank, while those 
lower down would be very weak. When 
the house is first shut up, a night temperative of 
about 50° Fahr., with a 5 0 rise by day will be high 
enough. This must gradually be on the increase at 
the rate of one or two degrees a week, as growth 
progresses, during the early forcing stages. Syringing 
with tepid water may be practised regularly twice a 
day, although the afternoon performance should not 
be delayed too long, as the moisture hangs about so 
at this time of the year. Watering must be very 
carefully attended to at this stage, for while the 
roots must not lack moisture it would not be wise to 
deluge them. 
Outside Borders.— For early work houses which 
have the borders within them should be chosen if 
possible. Where the gardener is compelled, how¬ 
ever, to force for early grapes a house with an out¬ 
side border, some measures must be taken to make 
the best of things. The outside border must receive 
a heavy dressing of stable manure, no matter how 
rough. This will serve the double purpose of pro¬ 
tection and of stimulation by imparting some 
nutrition to the soil. It will be well, in addition to 
this, to lay over all some sheets of galvanised iron, or 
failing these, some boards, to throw off to some 
extent at least deluges of raiD, as well as to prevent 
the ice cold water of heavy falls of snow. 
Lean-to Houses. —For early forcing purposes 
the lean-to structure possesses a great deal of 
advantage over the span roof. In the latter case 
although the maximum of light is obtained, the 
radiation of heat is much more rapid from the larger 
area of glazed surface exposed, and this is a serious 
matter in spells of cold weather, when it is exceed¬ 
ingly difficult to keep the temperatures up to the 
required height. 
Early Peaches. — Where these are in great 
request it is necessary to start a house at the com¬ 
mencement of December. As neither Peaches or 
Nectarines will bear anything like hard forcing, at 
least in the fore half of the programme, it is manifest 
that considerable care will be necessary in dealing 
with them. Pruning having been seen to, the old 
wood should be washed twice or thrice with a strong 
solution of Gishurst, and then tying in may be 
undertaken, At first a temperature of not higher 
than 45 0 Fahr by night will be as high as can 
safely be recommended, and even this may drop two 
or three degrees during very cold nights without 
any harm being done. A 5° rise by day will be 
enough in dull weather, with another 5 0 if the sun 
shines. Air may then be given cautiously. Syring¬ 
ing may be practised, as in the case of the vines, 
twice a day if the weather permit, although if the 
night threatens to be very frosty the second syring¬ 
ing should be given just after 1 p.m ., or withheld 
altogether. If the roots of the trees are running in 
ouiside borders a thick covering of leaves, or leaves 
mixed with stable manure may be applied. If the 
inside borders have been well looked after for water 
during the autumn, they will not need any more 
wa^er until the roots get more active than they are 
at present. Those who had some of the lights taken 
off the house after the fruit was gathered, to admit of 
the better ripening of the wood, will find that the 
copious rains of September have made the borders, 
if anything rather too wet. 
Strawberries. — The starting of a Peach-house 
gives an opportunity of introducing a batch of plants 
into just the temperature most suitable for them 
without taking up any of the valuable space in 
forcing pits which at this time of the year is sure to 
be pretty well filled, The plumpest and strongest 
crowns should be chosen, for it is of very little use to 
attempt to force weak, badly ripened material now. 
The pots should be washed, and a glance given to 
see that the drainage is in working order, and the 
pots free from worms. The dead leaves may be 
removed, but such as do not come away readily must 
not be forced off. For an early crop Vicomtesse 
Hericart de Thury answers well, and Royal 
Sovereign may likewise be thoroughly depended 
upon. President, Auguste Nicaise, Laxton's Noble, 
and Keen's Seedling likewise force well. The 
plants should be placed on a shelf near to the glass. 
If such a contrivance is not present in the Peach- 
house, a temporary one should be constructed near 
to the front lights, which will not want to be opened 
for a while yet, Water in inereasing quantities may 
be given as growth proceeds. Clear water, however, 
will do for the present. After a week or two’s 
sojourn in these quarters the plants may be shifted on 
into a warmer house, as they will then need more 
heat than the Peaches.— A.S.G. 
ORCHID NOTES & GLEANINGS. 
By The Editor. 
Laeliocattleya gottoiana Rossie Var. Nov. 
var . — A short time ago I received a grand inflor¬ 
escence, consisting of five magnificent flowers of what 
was evidently a natural hybrid, from Mr. David 
Nicoll, gardener to John Bell, Esq., Rossie, Forgan- 
denny, Perthshire. The size and form of the flowers 
forcibly recalled those of Laelia purpurata as one of 
the parents, and I was convinced that Laelia tene- 
brosa was the other, but an examination of the 
pollina showed that a Cattleya was the other. Four 
of the pollinia were full sized and perfect, but the 
other four were very small, unequal in size, and 
evidently imperfect. Cattleya Warneri occurs in the 
district of Bahia, with Laelia tenebrosa, so that I 
have little doubt that the plant under notice is a 
bigeneric hybrid between Cattleya Warneri and 
Laelia tenebrosa, both of which show their influence 
in the progeny. On the 23rd of June, 1891, a plant 
exhibited by E. Gotto, Esq., J.P., The Logs, Hamp¬ 
stead Heath, came under my notice at a meeting of 
the Royal Horticultural Society, and this I described 
in The Gardening World as Laelia gottoiana, a 
natural hybrid between Laelia purpurata and L. 
tenebrosa, but not having an opportunity of examin¬ 
ing the pollinia I was misled by appearances. The 
flowers of that plant measured 8| in. across the 
petals. The lines and markings were those of L # 
grandis, but the sepals and petals were of that shade 
of purple characteristic of Laelia lobata, while the 
lamina of the lip was deep rosy-purple, with a 
median crimson-purple band. The variety under 
notice differs from Laeliocattleya gottoiana (which 
I regard as the first of this type described) chiefly in 
the matter of colour. The sepals and petals cf tie 
flowers sent me were of a pale blush-pink, slightly 
striped with purple in places, and tessellated in other 
parts with paler purple. The huge flowers measured 
8^ in. to 8f in. across thfe petals, the upper flower of 
the truss being of the former measurement. Each 
petal was rhomboid-lanceolate, or narrowly elliptic, 
4I in. long, and if in. across at the widest part. The 
lip, however, was the grandest organ of the flower, 
and far superior to that of L. gottoiana. The lamina 
was greatly elongated, strongly undulated, and 
crisped at the margins, and of a rich crimson-purple, 
with a rosy-purple margin, the side lobes being of the 
same colour. The exterior of the tube was tinted like 
the sepals and petals, but the interior was pure white 
with the exception of a dark purple, median band 
formed of closely arranged lines reaching to the base 
of the tube. The pseudobulbs, Mr. Nicholls informs 
me, are compressed, corrugated, 10 in. to 11 in. in 
length, and bear a single, coriaceous, rigid leaf of the 
same length, and 2J in. across at the widest part. 
The plant was bought from Messrs. Cowan & Co , 
Liverpool, in 1894 as Laelia tenebrosa, in the newly- 
imported state. It flowered last year, and again in 
November last.— J. Fraser. 
Cypridedium arthurianum. —The various 
hybrid Cypripediums, in which C. fairieanum has 
played a part, are all without exception choice and 
charming both in form and colour. We have 
received a large and handsomely coloured flower 
from F. A. Rehder, Esq., The Avenue, Gipsy Hill, 
S E. It measured 4J in. from the tip of the dorsal 
sepal to the tip of the petals. The former w'as hand¬ 
somely spotted with brownish-crimson along the 
course of the veins. The wavy edges of the deflexed 
petals, showing evidence of the influence of C. 
fairieanum, were well marked; the upper longi¬ 
tudinal half was heavily banded with reddish-brown, 
and the lower corresponding half spotted in lines on 
a yellow ground. The tip was dark brown, and the 
whole flower well defined, and of a glossy lustre. It 
bore evidence of good cultural treatment. 
Cymbidium glganteum. — A good variety of this 
species has been flowering for some time past in the 
gardens of E. H. Watts, Esq., Devonhurst, Chiswick, 
under the care of Mr. J. Gibson. The brown sepals 
and petals are striated with darker lines, and the lip 
is prominently and beautifully spotted. A long 
arching raceme carries fourteen flowers, a very 
respectable number for this species, and the plant 
is in a vigorous healthy condition. 
