806 
THE GARDENING WORLD. 
August 21, 189?. 
ground were Helianthus rigidus, Campanula 
grandiflora, and Coreopsis grandiflora. To these 
may be added Gypsophila paniculata which 
amateurs and others should sow to mix with cut 
flowers; for it is really more graceful than the 
Maidenhair Fern, and far more durable. Near here 
were several hands engaged in harvesting the 
Daffodils, of which there must be cart loads. "What 
do you do with them all ? ” I ventured to ask. Of 
course, I expected to be informed, sell them if we 
can, but not to be told that the demand was great, 
and that already 100,000 of Sir Watkin had been 
sent out; the others most in demand being Emperor 
and Empress 
Crozy's Car.nas in one of the houses made a 
splendid show, the following being the best six : — 
L. E. Bally, Directeur Leclerc, Duchess of York, 
Secretaire Rabutot, Mgr. Perrache, J. D. Cabos, 
Austria, Italia, and Alsace. There were houses of 
seedling Begonias, single and double of various 
shades and large enough to satisfy all reasonable 
beings. I was surprised to see such a number of 
Palms from 6 in. to 8 ft. high, as I was aware that 
there was comparatively little furnishing and 
decorating going on in the quiet City of Chester, but 
I was assured that there was a steady demand for 
them from private growers. I am old enough to 
remember these nurseries when one of the dozens of 
the present glasshouses would hold all the green¬ 
house and stove plants. There were no Begonias, 
no Cannas, and no Palms then. What progress and 
change, eh !— W. P. R., Preston. 
--off-- 
TROPAEOLUM SPECIOSUM. 
Hitherto great difficulty has been experienced in 
flowering this Tropaeolum-, popularly known as the 
Flame Flower, in the south of England. The idea 
prevalent is that the atmosphere is too dry and 
warm, and that its cultivation in dry, warm soils, 
and on walls with a southern aspect would certainly 
result in failure. All these unfavourable conditions 
seem to have been ignored at Dover House, Roe- 
hampton, the seat of J. Pierpont Morgan, E^q., 
where Mr. McLeod, the garderer, has established five 
plants in a narrow border in front cf a south aspect 
wall. A young piece has also established itself as 
an offset, so that there are six patches of the Flame 
Flower making the wall glow with a profusion of 
crimson-scarlet flowers. Evidently we have not yet 
learnt all that may be known concerning this hand¬ 
some species, which becomes a weed in many 
northern gardens, even by the sides of villas, cottages, 
and railway stations, where its requirements from the 
o'.vmrs are nil, beyond support for the slender 
stems. 
-- 
FLOWER GARDEN NOTES. 
With the refreshing showers we have had during the 
past ten days the beds have filled up nicely, and the 
occupants look far happier than when under the 
many tropical days and parching winds we had 
during the month of July. We have four large oval 
beds planted with Lobelia Queen Victoria, scarlet, 
and Hyacinthus candicans, white, with a ground 
work of silver-leaf Pelargonium and Irisine acumi¬ 
nata, with an edging of the latter. These beds have 
been very showy, but, unfortunately, the Hyacinthus 
flowers a bit tco soon for the Lobelia, or else nothing 
could be more pretty. 
Two large round beds are planted with specimen 
plants of Plumbago capensis, with a centre plant of 
Humea elegans, carpeted with that good old sulphur- 
yellow Calceolaria amplexicaulis, which was kept 
pegged down early in the season. These beds have 
a charming effect, and have been much admired, 
while two other big beds are planted with seven 
Calceolaria amplexicaulis trained up pyramid-shape 
and carpeted with that ever-appreciated Pelargonium 
Manglesii, edged with Pyrethrum aureum. What 
with the pale yellow Calceolaria and the beautiful 
soft light pink flowers of the Pelargonium, these 
beds are most pleasing to the eye, and in my idea 
are the prettiest beds I have. Two other similar 
beds are filled with large-flowered dwarf Cannas, 
with a ground work of dark Irisine Lindeni ; but the 
first-named are making too much growth and very 
little flower. To check this another year, all being 
well, I shall plunge them in pots, as I do the yellow 
and white Marguerites, which I hope will cause them 
to flower more freely as well as earlier. 
Another bed I would like to mention is one planted 
with pyramid-trained Calceolaria amplexicaulis and 
crimson Celosia pyramidalis, and the groundwork 
filled in with the white foliaged Centaurea ragusina 
candidissima. This bed is very showy and doing 
well. It is the first time I have used the Celosia for 
outdoor work, but shall use it more largely 
another year. The colours are much deeper than 
when grown under glass. Smaller beds are filled 
with Ivy-leaf Pelargoniums, various sorts,Heliotrope, 
Agerattfm, Begonias, Verbenas, Petunias, etc., all 
doing well. —J. Mayne, Bicton, Devon. 
--f-- 
A NEW VICTORIA REGIA AT KEW. 
Visitors to Kew this year will have noticed the 
great depth of the rim of the leaves, or at least the 
observant few will have noticed this striking 
characteristic. The leaves if anything are smaller 
than usual, but more numerous as if to compensate 
for size. At present there are fifteen fully-developed 
leaves and two more rapidly approaching that 
condition. The edge of the leaf is erect in the 
earlier stages, but later on becomes a little more 
spreading, but even then is very striking, as the 
turned-up rim varies from 5 in. to 8 in. in depth. 
We have seen some of the leaves of the Victoria in 
former years close upon 7 ft. in diameter, the larger 
specimens occurring just before flowering. Twelve 
of those giants were sufficient to fill every corner of 
the large tank; but seventeen of that size would 
never find floating room. The flowers are very 
freely produced, but we have never seen more than 
one in perfection at the same time. The flower 
buds are peculiar in not being spiny like those of the 
type. 
In connection with (his ncble Water Lily we may 
say that the public interest in it never abates; but 
at the same time the public never gets more educated. 
People are impressed with the carrying power of 
the leaves, but it never seems to dawn upon them 
that the leaves are by no means strong. They are 
in fact very tender and susceptible to injury, parti¬ 
cularly between the ribs. Visitors to the Victoria 
house continue to poke their fingers, sticks, or 
umbrellas through the leaves, thus disfiguring all 
those which come within reach of them in their 
foolish attempt to try the floating or supporting 
power of the same. 
ORCHID NOTES & GLEANINGS. 
Grammatophyllum speciosum—Some six or 
eight species of this genus are known to science, 
exclusive of those now classified under Grammangis. 
They are natives of the Malayan Peninsula and 
Archipelago, and therefore require the temperature 
of the East Indian house. That under notice was 
introduced in 1837, and as far as we are aware it has 
never previously flowered in cultivation. This has 
now been accomplished by Mr. W. H. White, Orchid 
grower to Sir Trevor Lawrence, Bart., Burford 
Lodge, Dorking. A fine plant has been grown for 
many years at Kew, and that at Burford Lodge has 
been grown for a number of years before it could be 
induced to throw up its magnificent inflorescence. 
The plant is a huge piece consisting of many long, 
stout, strongly angled and fluted stems, that exist for 
many years after the foliage has dropped. The 
taller ones are 6 ft. to 7 ft. in length, some with 
leaves and others without. The inflorescence con¬ 
sists of a stout, leafless peduncle, arising from the 
base of one of the tallest stems, surmounted by a 
tuft of leaves. The flowers measure 5 J ins. to 6i ins. 
across, and are arranged in a raceme mostly towards 
the apex of the flower stalk, while two are isolated, 
and spring from the basal portion. The inflorescence 
overtopped the stem when we saw it on the 14th inst., 
but many of the flowers were yet in bud, so that the 
growth of the peduncle was not completed. 
Singularly enough the lower flowers were incom¬ 
plete, the lip being wanting, or in a very rudimentary 
condition, recalling the fact that some of the lower 
flowers are also imperfect in G. fenzlianum measuri- 
sianum and other varieties. Dimorphic flowers also 
occur in Arachnanthe Lowei, one or two of the lower 
ones being larger, with broader segments of a 
different colour from the rest. Here, however, the 
flowers seem all alike in colour. The sepals and 
petals are spreading, oblong, golden-yellow, and 
heavily blotched all over with brownish-crimson. 
They are wavy at the margins, the undulations being 
few and large, though scarcely interfering witn the 
flatness of the flower as a whole The lip is small, 
erect and yellow, but the interior of the lateral lobes 
is striated with orange-buff. The terminal lobe of 
the lip is small, downy or velvety, and purplish- 
brown. 
If this magnificent Orchid had made its appearance 
at the Temple Show it would have been the " lion " 
of the exhibition. Its advent in the Diamond 
Jubilee year is singular, as if it meant to celebrate its 
own jubilee in cultivation. We may take it for 
granted, however, that all the original introductions 
have died and that several importations have been 
made since then. Whether or not it will continue to 
flower annually remains to be seen. Possibly it may 
require an interval of one or two years to recuperate 
sufficiently to throw up a giant inflorescence again. 
A peduncle of 7 ft. to 8 ft., with a raceme of flowers, 
each about half-a-foot across, or nearly, must re. 
quire a large amount of vital force to produce. We 
congratulate both owner and cultivator upon this 
accomplishment, which adds another laurel to the 
" Art that does mend Nature.” 
--I--- 
JUDGING AT HORTICULTURAL EXHI- 
TIONS. 
The season has arrived when the exhibitors of garden 
produce will be making strenuous efforts to maintain 
their good name as cultivators, or to get to the front 
by ousting some veterans. I do not wish to find fault 
with the adjudicating as generally practised, but 
would rather give the hint to some of the promoters 
of large exhibitions, who give tempting awards. 
Medals, cups and other trophies, are given for special 
objects, and these specialities should have "special” 
judgment expended on them. Examples may be 
taken from some of the large provincial shows, (some 
of which are under capital management which give 
special awards, and such are, in most cases, worthy 
of the skill and attention they receive prior to the 
exhibition day. The way they are judged generally 
prevents a deal of snarling by those who are defeated 
(it is not possible to stamp this out entirely), as 
the art of growing, and exhibiting is often viewed 
with interested eyes only. In one case where a 
tempting cup was offered the whole of the judges 
were called to act as a jury (like the system adopted 
at some Continental exhibitions). Discussion on the 
exhibits indicated was free and pointed. Reasons 
for the one elected as first were given, and, as experts 
among the judges were present, difficulties were 
easily dispersed. I do not object to the system of 
employing one judge to classes where the properties 
can be numbered in figures, as in the case of say 
Roses, Dahlias, Pansies, &c., when they are not mixed 
up with other things ; but collections of stove and 
greenhouse plants on long tables for quality and e ffect, 
and collections of fruits and vegetables for special 
prizes should not be left to one or two individuals 
whose experience as growers of them has been of a 
limited character. Adjudicating requires training on 
lines as cultivating.— M. T., Canon, N.B. 
PLANTS RECENTLY CERTIFICATED. 
The awards mentioned hereunder were made by 
the Royal Horticultural Society on the 10th inst. : - - 
Orchid Committee. 
Odontoglossum Pescatorei harrisianum, Nov. 
var . —The flowers of this handsome variety are white, 
with a number of violet-purple blotches of moderate 
size at the base of each segment ; the markings on 
the lip are rather smaller than the rest. A healthy 
piece bearing a panicled inflorescence was exhibited 
by Messrs. J. Veitch & Sons, Ltd., Chelsea. Award 
of Merit. 
Dendrobium Victoriae Reginae.— This makes 
the fourth plant we have seen of the Blue Dendrobe, 
and as all of them flowered upon the imported stems, 
it gives promise that it will flower freely when once 
established. All the segments in this case were deep 
purple-blue on the upper half, and white on the 
lower, the lip being striated with the same colour on 
the basal half. Award of Merit. T. Statter, E<q. 
(gardener, Mr. R. Johnson) Stand Hall, Manchester. 
Cypripedium callo-rothschildianum, Nov. liyb. 
—The name and the appearance would indicate that 
this Cypripedium was raised from C. rothschildianum 
