rile 11, 
1904. 
THE GARDENING WORLD . 
481 
he ^ardenincj\^/brlci. 
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editorial notes. 
inilla Phalaenopsis. 
tho species of Vanilla known to science 
17 few are in cultivation in this country, 
J none of them are so common as V. plani- 
ia, the pods of which produce the Vanilla 
commerce, used for flavouring and giving 
the delicious aroma so characteristic of the 
dried fruits or seed-pods. As far as we can 
see, V. Phalaenopsis is new to cultivation, 
and now flowering for the first time in 
Britain, and probably in Europe, in the cele¬ 
brated collection of Sir Trevor Lawrence, 
Bart.., Burford, Dorking. The stems are leaf¬ 
less, 12 ft. long at present, and § in. in 
diameter. They are spotted like a. snake, 
and have, therefore, a very peculiar appear¬ 
ance. The flowers measure 6 in. in expanse, 
there being seven of these in a, cluster, though 
the number may increase as the plant gains 
in strength. They are irregular, with clear 
yellow lanceolate sepals and petals. The lip 
is golden-yellow, with a heavy beard of long 
hairs on either side of the central ridge. On 
the lower half of the brown disc the hairs are 
red, the rest being brown. Mr. W. H. White, 
the grower, is both patient and skilled in the 
cultivation of these rare and little-kJflwn 
Orchids, and every now and again prepares 
a surprise for his fellow-growers and gar¬ 
dener's generally. Many rare and difficult 
orchidaceous subjects would never see the 
light in this country were it not for such 
enthusiastic collectors as Sir Trevor Law¬ 
rence, Bart., who imports or secures these 
out-of-the-way subjects purely out of his en¬ 
thusiasm for the cause. Vanilla Phalaen- 
opsis is a native of the Seychelles Islands, 
from whence comes the Coco' de Mer, or 
Double Cocoanut Palm. 
A Fortnight’s Holiday for 
Teachers. 
The Essex Education Committee have 
arranged a two-weeks’ holiday course for 
teachers, to commence on August 8th next. 
The essence and essentials of this course are 
instruction in horticulture, whereby teachers 
may gain a knowledge of the gardening 
operations necessary for the successful work¬ 
ing of school gardens and evening continua¬ 
tion school gardens. The course will be held 
at the Biological Laboratories, where the cen¬ 
tral school is situated on behalf of the 
county, and all that pertains to' the technical 
instruction in its higher branches. Of course, 
lectures on gardening and other subjects are 
delivered in the various outlying districts of 
the' county, but those who would avail them¬ 
selves of the higher branches of instruction 
must repair to Chelmsford, where splendidly 
fitted laboratories afford every convenience 
in the way of specimens, instruments', and 
means for carrying out the instruction to its 
logical conclusion. The garden is also close 
at hand for the necessary specimens, the 
handling of tools and practical operations 
generally. A syllabus or time-table of the 
various studies to be undertaken has been 
made out, and shows that all the available 
time is fully provided for. The first Satur¬ 
day afternoon is left open, and the second 
Saturday is evidently intended for the de¬ 
parture of the students, so that everything 
may be concluded within the fortnight. It 
is yet uncertain how many of the teachers 
will avail themselves of this opportunity, but 
doubtless many of them will be anxious to 
make themselves competent for instructing 
those attending their own schools, so that 
outside) aid may be unnecessary. 
Field Studies in Natural History. 
For some years a series of rambles in 
various parts of the county have been con¬ 
ducted under the' auspices of the Essex 
County Education, Committee. The pro¬ 
gramme for this year shows that the rambles 
for the purpose of Nature study commenced 
on Saturday last, and will continue to July 
23rd, inclusive. These rambles take the 
form of Saturday afternoon demonstrations 
on behalf of teachers in the county. The 
programme has been drawn up by Mr. E. C. 
Horn-ell, F.L.S., the biological staff teacher, 
assisted by Mr. Fred J. Chittenden. Each 
ramble will be conducted by a member of 
the biological staff, but as some of the 
rambles will be in remote parts of the 
county, two rambles will be held contempo¬ 
raneously each Saturday, so that a consider¬ 
able number of t eachers may have the oppor¬ 
tunity of attending some of the rambles in 
districts to which they have easy access. 
They can thus consult the programme and 
choose those localities which best suit them. 
Nature study is now recognised by the 
Board of Education as a most desirable sub¬ 
ject for the intellectual training of children 
in rural elementary schools; hence the ne¬ 
cessity of instructing the teachers from that 
point of view. By following the plants into 
their native habitats the students will get 
an insight into the way in which plants 
grow, the influence of light, heat, moisture, 
etc., upon their form, the influence of sur¬ 
roundings, and the relationships between 
plants and animals. To facilitate the work 
of the students, a local organiser will wait 
upon the class and take it to the best local 
habitat for wild plants. Fields, hedgerows, 
ponds, parks, woods, Epping Forest, chalk 
downs, commons, seaside localities, etc., will 
all engage the attention of the students week 
by week during June and July. 
The Black Scab of Potatos. 
A new Potato disease was discovered on 
the Continent in 1900, to which the above 
name hast been given. The fungus which 
causes it has gained a footing in this 
country, and has been madei the subject of 
searching investigation at Kew. The eyes 
of the tubers are the weak points, where the 
spores of the fungus gain an entrance during 
the period of growth. It may also be intro¬ 
duced by diseased sets or by infected soil. 
Beet and Mangels are also liable to infesta¬ 
tion from the same fungus. Gas-lime will 
kill the germs if applied in spring so that 
it may come in contact with the fungus 
when it emerges from the winter or resting 
condition. The gas-lime may be distributed 
in May and forked or ploughed into the soil 
in June. Frost has no bad effect^ upon the 
fungus. 
