320 
the Gardening world. 
April il, i9o3 
then. The dtlxer classes of vegetables have been fairly well 
provided for, there being something like sixty-three classes for 
single dishes of different vegetables. These should provide 
variety at least, even if they present nothing of a fine display, 
nor anything of an exciting or sensational character in the way 
of competition. It is true that amongst these there aie foui 
other small classes for Potatos, but we do not think they do 
justice to such an important vegetable. Those interested in 
this class of exhibit should lay their heads together and offei 
a. prize that would stimulate keen rivalry among the exhibitors. 
A Nepenthes House in Winter. 
(See Supplementary Plate) 
Winter is not the best period of the year for inspecting a 
Ne rent lies house, but that was the time we made notes of the 
Pitcher plants which appear in our Supplement this week. In 
the third week of January last, when dense London fogs were 
prevalent, we paid a visit to the nursery of Messrs. James 
Veitch & Sons, Limited, Chelsea. Nepenthes are amongst the 
plants requiring a high temperature to grow them well, and 
even keep them during the winter months. They are amongst 
the first of stove plants to feel the effects of a low temperature. 
As will be seen by the illustration, the pitchers were both 
numerous and in good condition. We have examined them at 
various periods of the year, and have found them in respectable 
form under the skilful treatment given them by Mr. Tivey, the 
grower, and on this occasion most of the pitchers were particu¬ 
larly fine. Nepenthes now constitute an extensive class, but 
we shall only deal with a few of the best of those coining undei 
our notice at the time. 
The original N. Chelsoni was raised from N. dominiana x 
N. hedkeriana, but the variety N. Chelsoni excellens is- superior 
to it in the matter of colour. The pitcher is relatively short, 
wide, and handsomely blotched and splashed with crimson-red 
on a pal© green ground. Although we describe the pitcher as 
short, it is really of large and handsome size, owing to its great 
width and inflated character. Another garden form is N. dick- 
soniana, the- pitchers of which are often 9 in. or 10 in. long, 
with soft red splashes and markings on a pale greenish ground. 
One of the most useful of all the Pitcher plants is N. master- 
siana, on account of the dwarf habit of the plant, and the 
freedom with which it produces pitchers. We know that a 
form is sometimes described as N. mastersiana rubra, but the 
dark form lias really the right to the name, the other-being a 
green form that has originated in cultivation, possibly as a 
sport. 
It was of hybrid origin, the parentage being N. kliasiana san- 
guinea, the latter being largely responsible for the rich dark 
brownish-red of the pitchers. As in the case of many Orchids, 
the hybrid is much more amenable to the cultivators art than, 
the introduced parents, which always remain very scarce m 
cultivation. 
One of the earliest introductions was N. rafflesiana, which 
was widely cultivated and constituted one of the parents of a 
considerable number of hybrids. In its own particular way 
it has not yet been superseded. The surface is almost covered 
with crimson markings, but there are smal green areas, and 
when well developed, the- pitcher is certainly handsome and 
lasts long in good condition. Alongside of this we should 
olace N hookeriana, which is notable-for its shorter and more 
inflated pitchers- that are- handsomely blotched with darker 
crimson One of the finest we noted on this occasion was V 
mixta whose cylindrical pitchers were- 6 in. to 9 in. long, and 
handsomely blotched with crimson on a reddish-green giound. 
One of the prettiest of the smaller garden hybrids is N. Mor- 
cramae the pitchers of which are almost uniformly of a blood- 
red colour, and being flask-shaped, are always' very handsome. 
Being freely produced and of light build, they go to the making 
of a good basket plant, with a graceful and elegant appear¬ 
ance. It should never be omitted from collections. 
N. Burkei is characterised by being very decidedly con¬ 
stricted in the middle, so- that the pitcher has a waist. The 
surface is pale green and blotched with pale red in places. 
Another striking feature is a very wide, beautifully-ribbed 
brown collar. A much-improved variety in the matter of 
colour is N. Burkei excellens-, which has the pitcher blotched 
and striped with crimson. The peculiar collar is also of a san¬ 
guineous red, and veiy striking. Of great interest to those 
who study Pitcher plants from the point of view of their being 
insectivorous, is N. bica-lcarata, which has two brown spurs 
or horns projecting over the mouth of the pitcher, and said to 
be serviceable to the plant in holding fast a bird or other 
animal which may have been unfortunate enough to go prying 
into the pitcher. In the matter of colour this species is not 
particularly showy, being merely dull brown. Another pitcher 
which is contracted in the middle is N. ventrico-sa, which is very 
much inflated at the base, and varying from pale green to pink. 
The horizontal collar is brown, strongly ribbed, and a striking 
feature of this form. 
A very handsome hybrid of more recent introduction is N. 
Tiveyi, the result of crossing N. Yeitchii with N. Curtisii 
superba. The body of the pitcher is striped and blotched with 
crimson. The Elizabethan collar is wavy on the margins, 
ribbed and brown, constituting one of the most striking features 
of a pitcher that is both showy and interesting. It owes its 
distinctness veiy largely to the seed parent, N. Yeitchii, which, 
although without any marked colour, yet supplies the- form of 
the pitcher, and the peculiar collar. N. Veitchii, also known 
as N. la-nata, is most notable for the hairy character of the 
pitcher, though the latter feature does not seem to have affected 
N. Tiveyi. A First-class Certificate was awarded to the latter 
by the Royal Horticultural Society on September 7th, 1897, so 
that it is yet new, and very little distributed in gardens. The 
pitchers of N. Sir William T. T. Dyer are cylindrical, of great 
length, and richly blotched with crimson. It may be compared 
with N. dicksoniana, but. the pitchers are longer and darker 
than in that fine variety. N. wrigleyana is also- a hybrid, but 
quite of a different- character, the pitcher being short, cylin¬ 
drical, and densely marked with crimson on „ a pale green 
ground. 
The above are only a few of the species and hybrids in the 
collection at Chelsea, but they include the best of those in fine 
condition at the time we noted them. Owing to the structure 
of the building it would be impossible to get all the plants in • 
view at one time, but our supplemental plate will serve- to give 
an idea of a general view of the house- in mid-winter. The 
structure is span-roofed, but the Nepenthes are all grown in 
baskets, and suspended right across the area- of the interior 
so as to- be suspended sufficiently far from the ground to admit 
of people walking beneath them, and so as to be fairly near- 
the glass-. The end of summer or early autumn would have 
been a more suitable time to see the pitchers at their best, 
after the new growths have been made up and matuied. ie 
most of them are veiy durable, however, so that unless the 
plants are actually cut down for the sake o-f getting cuttings cu 
to reduce their bulk the- pitchers are practically never absent. 
No do-ubt the best plan for the proper cultivation of Pitcher 
plants is to devote a house to them when the collection in¬ 
sufficiently large to warrant that proceeding; but we lia-ve seen 
them well grown in association with Orchids. More freque-n 
however, they are- associated with stove plants, chieflv ne 
foliage subjects, which require similar treatment in the mat ei 
of heat, moisture and shading. The two former conditions are 
the prime requisites of Nepenthes; and we have seen 
pitchers develop to- enormous proportions in a- house kept in - 
hot- and steamy condition, at least during the growing pen •• 
Large pitchers are certainly very effective, though the sm 
and more- highly-coloured forms make very handsome ba.k 
plants when well grown and richly furnished with pitcheis. 
