524 
June  21,  1000. 
JOURNAL  OF  HORTICULTURE  AND  COTTAGE  GARDENER. 
attractions  of  the  Orchid  house  in  the  spring,  and  D.  aureum, 
D.  nobile,  D.  Pierardi,  D,  densiflorum,  D.  thyrsiflorum,  D.  chrysanthum, 
D,  Farmori,  and  D.  Wardianum  are  only  a  few  of  the  many  good  kinds 
this  genus  affords.  Cypripediums  barbatum,  insigne,  venustum, 
superbiens  (fig.  142),  and  Sedeni  are  easy  Orchids  to  grow,  and  keep  in 
flower  for  a  Ions  period,  the  last  named  species  being  seldom  out  of  bloom. 
Masdevallias  Ilarryana,  ignea,  Lindeni,  and  Veitchi  are  very  bright 
and  effective  when  in  flower.  M.  tovarensis  is  the  only  v'hite 
Masdevallia,  and  it  may  be  mentioned  here  that  the  bloom  spikes  of 
this  secies  ought  not  to  be  removed,  as  they  produce  flowers  several 
years  in  succession.  Cymbidium  Lowianum,  Epidendrum  vitellinum, 
Lycaste  Skinneri,  Coelogyne  cristata,  Phaius  grandifolius,  and  Pleiones 
lagenaria  and  maculata  are  all  useful  and  popular.  Calanthes  Veitchi 
and  vestita,  and  Zygopetalum  Mackayi  are  three  good  winter-blooming 
Orchids. 
All  the  species  named  can  be  easily  wintered  in  the  same  house. 
Sufficient  piping  should  be  provided  to  maintain  a  minimum  of  from 
45  to  60°.  The  Cattleyas  and  Calanthes  ought  to  have  the  warmest 
place,  while  the  Odontoglossums,  cool  Oncidiums,  and  Masdevallias 
may  occupy  the  coolest  position.  During  the  summer  these  latter 
will,  of  course,  need  less  heat  than  the  other  occupants. — R. 
- - 
A  Disused  Quarry  in  tlie  Engadine. 
It  was  a  favourite  playground  of  mine  this  disused  quarry,  unattrac¬ 
tive  enough  to  mere  passers-by,  but  we  wondered  what  treasures  it 
might  hold,  and  a  bush  of  Rosa  alpina,  gay  with  such  fairy  loveliness 
of  palest  pink  and  tender  green,  tempts  ns  one  day  to  clamber  up  the 
atony  slope.  Above  this  we  see  that  long  grass  has  grown  over  the 
atones,  and  here  we  find  a  plant  of  Gentiana  lutea  not  yet  out,  also 
Epilobium  in  great  quantities.  About  30  feet  higher  we  discover 
a  very  fine  plant  of  Rhaponticum  scariosum,  the  flower  standing  4  feet 
from  the  ground,  and  some  of  the  leaves  at  the  base  are  12  inches  long 
and  3  or  4  wide ;  they  are  of  a  dull  green  colour,  and  have  a  silvery 
lining. 
For  a  closer  inspection  we  scramble  over  rough  stones  deceitfully 
covered  with  grass,  and  only  just  escape  trampling  upon  a  beautiful 
plant  of  Thaliotrum  aquilegifolium,  with  its  red  and  golden  tassels 
shimmering  in  the  sunlight.  The  Aconitum  napellus  is  also  here,  and 
round  the  old  stump  of  a  tree  we  find  the  Campamda  barbata  and  a 
Centaurea  rich  with  blue  and  violet.  Scrambling  on  a  little  higher 
the  delicious  scent  of  Daphne  striata  meets  us ;  this  lovely  pink  flower 
is  creeping  through  the  grass,  its  tough  little  branches  adhering  firmly 
to  the  rough  ground. 
And  now  we  feast  our  eyes  upon  a  vision  of  loveliness.  The  white 
Ranunculus  platanifolius,  first  attracts  us,  spreading  its  slender 
branches  in  all  directions,  giving  itself  quite  an  air  of  importance. 
Another  favourite,  the  Arnica  moutana,  casting  a  golden  glow  around 
it,  while  the  pale  yellow  Anemone  alpina  is  standing  sturdily  between 
the  stones.  Further  on,  to  the  south  side,  we  see  white  Lilies,  Anthe- 
ricum  liliago,  bending  their  graceful  heads,  and  the  Lilium  martagon 
in  great  numbers  and  of  all  shades  from  darkest  red  to  palest  pink,  even 
to  white,  looking  as  strong  as  though  they  were  guarding  their  delicate 
companions.  These  nestle  more  closely  round  the  shelter  of  a  huge 
boulder,  the  slabs  of  which  are  covered  with  fine  short  grass,  and 
contain  treasures  of  most  varied  colouring.  Large  tufts  of  Dianthus 
alpinus  adorn  each  corner  of  the  rock,  and  Phyteuina  Scheuchzeri 
stands  out  of  every  available  crack,  so  perfect  in  beauty  with  its 
one  pointed  leaf  close  to  the  flower;  while  its  little  grey  companion, 
Globularia  nudicaulis,  softens  the  surrounding  ledges. 
When  specimens  of  these  are  safely  in  our  tins  we  clamber  up, 
breaking  our  nails  with  holding  on,  and  after  two  or  three  backward 
slips  we  pull  ourselves  onto  a  shelf  of  rock  and  find  we  are  side  by  aids 
with  the  Orange  Lily,  Lilium  bulbiferum.  This  queen  of  wild  flowers 
must  have  our  attention  fora  few  moments.  The  quality  of  its  petals,  the 
brilliant  colouring  and  graceful  foliage  are  a  study  of  perfection,  and  we 
are  filled  with  intense  admiration  and  wonder  as  we  realise  that  no 
human  hand  has  helped  it  to  attain  this  beauty,  but  it  has  grown  in 
God’s  own  garden,  and  has  been  nourished  and  reared  by  His  Almighty 
care. 
Behind  us  we  see  Dracocepbalum  Ruyschiana,  a  very  rare  fplant. 
and  of  a  dark  metallic  blue.  We  also  find  a  specimen  of  white,  and 
here  to  onr  left  stands  the  little  mauve  Aster,  Erigeron  alpinus,  behind 
which  is  a  plant  of  Bupleurum  stellatum.  Right  before  us  now  we  see 
a  carpet  of  dark  blue  Gentiaua  verna,  and  standing  out  like  silver  stars 
on  the  extreme  edge  of  the  rock  is  Edelweiss.  This  mnch-coveted  flower 
would  satisfy  some,  and  bring  their  little  research  to  an  end  ;  but 
behind  this  we  alight  on  to  a  piece  of  ground  covered  with  short  grass, 
and  here  we  hope  to  find  some  earlier  little  friends,  the  snow  only 
having  just  melted. 
The  first  to  appear  is  the  fascinating  Anemone  pulsatilla,  looking  as 
though  it  had  not  yet  left  off  its  little  overcoat  of  feathers.  Gagea 
lutea  is  also  here,  although  nearly  over ;  and  large  patches  of  bright 
pink  Silene  acaulis  ;  and  again  of  richest  blue  from  Gentiana  acaulis ; 
then  the  delicate  turquoise  of  the  dwarf  Myosotis.  One  more  little 
treasure  comes  in  our  path  with  its  softly  blended  pink  and  brown, 
Geum  rivale.  No  doubt  many  other  favourites  are  here,  but  we  are 
quite  content  and  satisfied  with  our  forty  minutes’  scramble  in  a  disused 
quarry. — E.  N. 
- <-•.» - 
Reminiscences  of  An  Oid  Fiorist— No.  8. 
I  HAVE  already  described  my  reminiscences  of  one  of  the  great 
events  of  the  sixties,  as  far  as  horticulture  is  concerned,  in  the  opening 
of  the  Royal  Horticultural  Society’s  gardens  in  South  Kensington,  and 
how  it  raised  expectations  which  were  doomed  to  bitter  disappoint¬ 
ment.  There  was,  however,  another  event,  unique  in  its  character 
and  far-reaching  in  its  influence  on  horticulture,  which  took  place 
during  the  same  period — I  mean  the  holding  of  the  great  International 
Horticultural  Exhibition  of  18G6.  1  have  attended  many  horticultural 
exhibitions,  both  at  home  and  abroad ;  but  I  do  not  hesitate  to  say 
that  I  have  never  seen  one  comparable  to  this.  It  was  held  at 
South  Kensington,  and  the  ground  occupied  nearly  4  acres,  which  was 
covered  by  a  magnificent  tent,  so  as  to  afford  a  view  unobstructed 
by  any  unsightly  erection.  The  laying  out  of  this  space  had  been 
entrusted  to  the  late  Mr.  Gibson,  the  accomplished  gardener,  who  had 
done  so  much  to  raise  Battersea  Park  to  the  high  position  that  it 
occupied  under  his  superintendence.  Those  who  frequented  the 
Royal  Botanic  Society’s  exhibitions  of  those  days  at  Regent’s  Park 
used  always  to  say  that  the  uildulating  character  of  the  ground  and 
the  terraces  of  green  turf  on  which  the  plants  were  exhibited  combined 
to  make  a  scene  of  most  exquisite  beauty.  Well  !  this  exhibition  was 
that  of  Regent’s  Park  multiplied  twentyfold. 
It  was  called  International,  hut  there  were  few  foreign  firms 
which  competed,  and  nearly  the  whole  weight  of  the  exhibition  fell 
upon  the  shoulders  of  our  home  growers,  and  well  did  they  sustain  it. 
Of  course  in  my  reminiscences  I  do  not  expect  to  enter  much  into 
detail,  or  to  draw  any  contrast  between  it  and  the  exhibitions  of  the 
present.  Those  were  the  days  when  large  plants  covered  with  a 
profusion  of  flowers  were  in  vogue,  and  never  shall  I  lorget  the 
astonishment  of  some  of  our  foreign  friends  when  they  stood  before 
the  magnificent  pot  Roses  of  Mr.  Charles  Turner,  or  the  Pelargoniums 
of  Mr.  Charles  Turner,  or  of  Mr.  Bailey  of  Shardeloes,  and  the 
Azaleas  of  Mr.  Fraser  or  Mr.  Kinghorne.  They  were  undoubtedly 
marvels  of  cultural  skill,  although  their  artistic  excellence  might 
be  well  questioned.  Then,  too,  was  witnessed  the  dawning  of 
the  taste  lor  alpine  and  herbaceous  plants,  which  has  so  developed 
of  late  years,  and  ot  which  Messrs.  Backhouse  &  Sons  of  York  were 
the  pioneer.s. 
In  looking  back  upon  that  exhibition  one  cannot  fail  to  be  struck 
with  the  fact  that  so  many  who  w'^ere  then  foremost  on  the  scene 
have  passed  away,  and  in  like  manner  that  many  of  the  flowers  are 
no  longer  of  interest  to  those  who  once  cultivated  them,  owing  either 
to  the  change  of  fashions  or  to  the  improvement  in  the  flowers  them¬ 
selves,  the  older  varieties  being  superseded  by  newer  ones  of  better 
character.  Thus,  for  instance,  I  remember  well  a  grand  specimen  in  a 
pot  of  the  Rose  Comtesse  Cecile  de  Chabrillant,  which  was  then  a 
great  favourite,  but  which  an  exhibitor  would  now  be  almost  afraid  to 
put  into  a  box,  even  in  a  front  row,  on  account  of  its  size. 
The  arrangements  were  all  admirable,  but  there  was  one  thing  over 
which  the  committee  had  no  power,  and  which  in  this  variable  climate 
of  ours  goes  a  long  way,  I  mean  the  weather. 
Day  after  day  the  rain  descended,  and  the  guarantors,  on  whom  all 
the  re-ponsibilities  for  the  expenses  rested,  began  to  leel  that  their 
money  was  likely  to  be  wanted.  If,  indeed,  the  exhibition  had  closed 
on  Saturday  night,  as  was  originally  intended,  there  would  have  been  a 
It  rge  deficit ;  but  the  late  Sir  Wentworth  Dilke,  who  was  the  chairman 
ot  the  society,  invited  the  exhibitors  to  meet  him,  and  they  agreed  to 
let  their  exhibits  remain  until  the  Thursday  following.  Owing  to  this, 
that  which  would  have  been  a  severe  defeat  resulted  in  a  complete 
victory.  The  weather  improved,  the  price  of  admission  was  lowered 
to  cne  shilling,  visitors  thronged  the  grounds,  and  when  the  accounts 
were  made  up  they  showed,  when  all  the  expenses  were  paid,  a 
substantial  balance  in  hand  :  £1000  were  given  to  the  Gardeners’ 
Royal  Benevolent  Institution,  and  with  the  balance  the , Bindley 
Library  was  purchased.  The  only  other  exhibition  holding  its 
place  in  my  memory  which  was  at  all  comparable  to  this  was  one 
which  was  held  at  the  opening  of  the  ill-fated  Alexandra  Park,, 
but  it  had  not  the  grand  features  of  this  unique  exhibition. 
During  the  same  period  I  had  the  opportunity  of  visiting  many 
of  the  leading  private  and  professional  establishments  which  had 
gained  for  themselves  a  name  by  the  excellence  of  their  gardens,  as 
well  as  the  mere  humble  establishments  where  some  favourite  florist 
