228 
JOURNAL  OF  HORTIGULIURE  AND  COTTAGE  GARDENER. 
September  5 , 1895. 
THE  VIOLA. 
It  is  difficult  to  ever-estimate  the  great  value  of  the  Viola,  whether  as 
a  bedding  or  bordering  flower.  Its  reign  is  of  considerable  duration, 
extending  from  the  beginning  of  May  to  the  end  of  November.  Unlike 
the  Kose,  it  is  much  more  easily  damaged  by  unmitigated  sunlight  than 
by  excessive  rain,  though  I  find  it  is  also  affected  by  the  latter  to  a 
certain  extent.  During  the  tropical  summer  of  1893  Duchess  of  Fife, 
and  several  other  equally  beautiful  varieties,  were  in  my  garden  annihi¬ 
lated  by  the  heat.  In  the  beginning  of  the  present  season  the  drought 
was  exceedingly  exacting,  but  perhaps  owing  to  careful  attention  in 
the  shape  of  periodical  waterings  not  a  single  variety,  however  delicate, 
was  lost.  Of  late  our  Violas  have  had  a  different  experierice — not  only 
sufficient,  but  superabundant  rain.  There  can  be  no  question  that  such 
veritable  deluges  as  they  have  recently  sustained  have  a  tendency  to  lower 
their  vitality  by  rotting  their  roots,  to  say  nothing  of  the  entire  dis¬ 
figuration  of  the  flowers  ;  but  it  is  a  great  consolation  when  no  plants 
have  been  destroyed,  for  under  more  favourable  atmospheric  conditions 
their  strength  may  at  least  be  partially  regained.  It  is  in  any  case 
very  important  for  cultivators  to  remember  that  their  very  nature 
necessitates  both  shelter  and  shade. 
Among  those  that  have  flowered  most  profusely  this  summer  in  my 
garden  are  the  following  varieties,  which  for  beauty  of  aspect, 
charming  fragrance,  and  immense  productiveness  could  not  easily  be 
excelled — viz.,  Iona,  Duchess  of  Fife,  Countess  of  Wharncliffe,  Violetta, 
Sylvia,  White  Duchess,  Countess  of  Hopetoun,  Dr.  Stuart’s  Blue  Gown 
(of  compact  growth  and  luxuriant  bloom),  Ravenswood,  H.  M.  Stanley, 
Prince  of  Orange  (a  variety  of  great  brilliancy  and  floriferousness). 
Crimson  King,  Edina,  Lemon  Queen,  and  Mary  Queen  of  Scots.  Of 
these  the  greatest  recent  acquisitions  are  undoubtedly  Iona  and  Prince  of 
Orange,  raised  by  Mr.  William  Cuthbertson,  to  whose  efforts  the  Viola 
is  deeply  indebted.  Other  Scottish  raisers  of  the  first  rank  are  Dr. 
Stuart,  of  Chirnside,  in  Berwickshire,  to  whom  we  are  grateful  for  those 
inestimable  possessions  Violetta  and  Sylvia,  as  precious  for  their 
distinctive  fragrance  as  for  their  productive  powers  ;  Mr.  Baxter,  of 
Daldowie,  who  has  given  us,  among  others,  a  pale  primrose  Viola, 
distinctly  edged  with  blue — viz.,  Duchess  of  Fifb,  which  is,  I  think, 
superior  to  his  White  Duchess  ;  Mr.  James  Grieve,  of  Edinburgh  ;  and 
others  of  less  renown.  Among  pure  white  Violas,  Countess  of  Hopetoun 
was  the  supreme  favourite  of  the  late  Mr.  William  Dean,  whose  death 
was  in  many  respects  an  irreparable  loss.  My  own  favourite  has  always 
been  Countess  of  Wharncliffe,  the  fragrance  of  which  almost  rivals  that 
of  Violetta,  while  it  is  of  larger  dimensions,  being  also  of  satin-like 
lustrous  hue.  In  my  estimation  it  occupies  the  same  position  among 
Violas  that  Duke  of  Buccleuch  does  among  modern  Grapes,  being  at 
once  the  moat  delicate  and  most  artistic  of  them  all.  The  Dean  of 
Rochester  affirms  that  if  he  were  compelled  to  limit  himself  to  one 
particular  Rose,  he  would  demand  a  strong  plant  of  that  familiar  and 
uniquely  accommodating  variety  Gloire  de  Dijon.  Under  similar 
circumstances,  if  restricted  to  one  Viola,  I  would  have  no  hesitation  in 
selecting  for  the  honour  I  have  indicated,  the  Countess  of ‘Wharncliffe. 
— David  R.  Williamson. 
JUDGES’  DUTIES. 
Aee  not  these  sufficiently  responsible  and  onerous  ?  One  of  your 
correspondents  seems  to  suggest  that  when  an  exhioitor  carelessly  or 
otherwise  makes  an  error  in  the  numbers  of  a  vegetable  or  fruit  the 
judge  should  rectify  in  the  case  of  one  or  two  over  by  placing  these 
outside  the  exhibit.  If  this  be  right,  it  is  hard  that  the  exhibitor  who 
brings  only  nineteen  instead  of  twenty  specimens  should  not  also  be 
assisted,  I  have  generally  found  judging  quite  a  sufficient  tax.  But 
what  is  the  use  of  a  schedule  and  regulations  if  they  be  not  for  exhibitors 
and  judges  to  attend  to  ?  I  question  much  if  the  judge  referred  to  had 
the  slightest  justification  for  altering  the  number  of  a  given  article 
subjected  to  his  adjudication.  Certainly,  if  all  the  judges  at  the  same 
exhibition  were  not  agreed  as  to  their  plan  of  action,  one  exhibitor 
might  be  placed  on  a  wholly  different  footing  to  another,  and  ask  why 
should  he  (A)  with  his  seven  Apples  be  disqualified  for  excess  of  numbers, 
while  B,  with  twenty-one  Beans,  was  awarded  a  prize.  There  is  but  one 
rule  that  I  know  to  guide  judges,  and  that  is  following  strictly  the 
regulations  in  the  schedule  of  the  show  and  carrying  them  out  to  the 
best  of  their  ability. 
It  is  quite  another  thing  for  members  of  the  Committee  to  see  to  the 
correction  of  errors.  It  is  their  duty  to  do  so.  Recently,  in  a  Club 
with  which  I  am  connected,  my  eye  rested  on  a  beautiful  exhibit  of  vege¬ 
tables  set  up  in  the  largest  class  of  that  division.  On  one  side  were 
three  grand  roots  of  Celery,  on  the  other  side  three  more,  but  on  looking 
closer  I  found  one  red  stick  among  the  lot,  the  rest  being  white.  We 
soon  learnt  who  was  the  exhibitor,  and  fortunately  he  had  not  left  the 
building,  and  I  pointed  out  to  him  the  sure  disqualification  if  it  re¬ 
mained.  The  mistake  was  speedily  rectified,  and  the  result  was  that  the 
exhibitor  won  the  silver  medal  that  was  offered  in  that  class.  Had  he 
left  it  I  think  the  Committee  might  have  rectified  the  matter,  regulations 
to  meet  emergencies  being  matters  under  their  control. 
Formerly  collections  of  vegetables  were  frequently  exhibited  in 
baskets,  and  I  confess  I  like  this  method  the  best ;  but  now  they  are 
often  laid  out  on  a  cloth  or  white  paper,  and  in  many  cases  garnished 
with  Parsley.  Is  this  garnishing  with  Parsley  legitimate  ?  I  turn  to 
old  Glenny,  and  find  he  calls  it  a  vegetable  used  in  stews  and  soups,  and 
in  Sutton’s  book,  among  the  vegetables,  I  find  Parsley,  Tuen  take  a 
collection  of  say,  six  vegetables — viz ,  Cauliflower,  Tomatoes,  Potatoe*, 
Vegetable  Marrows,  Mushrooms,  and  Artichokes,  the  whole  well 
garnished  with  beautiful  Parsley.  How  many  vegetables  are  there  in 
the  collection  ?  Seven  .!  And  should  not  such  a  collection  be  disquali¬ 
fied  ?  It  certainly  contains  one  more  vegetable  than  the  class  requires, 
and  no  one  will  deny  that  it  might  influence  the  judging. 
By  the  National  Rose  Society’s  regulations  added  foliage  (garniture)  is 
disqualifying,  and  yet  it  may  be  foliage  from  the  very  same  plant  as  the 
bloom  in  the  stand.  Why,  then,  should  we  permit  the  garnishing  of 
vegetables  with  that  which  is  after  all  another  vegetable  ?  Let  com¬ 
petitors  arrange  their  exhibits  in  the  most  telling  way  they  can,  but  not 
garnish  with  that  which  another  competitor  may  possibly  not  possess, 
or  possessing,  may  have  omitted  to  bring. — Y.  B.  A.  Z. 
Dendrobium  thyrsiflorum. 
Brief  reference  was  made  in  our  issue  of  June  13th  to  the 
Right  Hon.  Joseph  Chamberlain’s  extensive  and  valuable  collection 
of  Orchids  at  Highbury,  near  Birmingham.  Of  one  of  Mr. 
Chamberlain’s  plants,  and  a  magnificent  one,  we  obtained  a  photo¬ 
graph,  of  which  fig.  32  is  a  reproduction.  Mr.  H.  A.  Burberry, 
the  accomplished  grower  of  the  plant,  favours  us  with  the  following 
particulars  : — 
The  plant  is  in  a  14-inch  pot,  and  carried  seventy  spikes  of 
bloom,  and  the  number  of  flowers  on  each  spike  averaged  about 
fifty-five.  It  is  grown  in  the  Dendrobium  house  in  the  summer 
when  making  new  growth.  The  temperature  of  the  Dendrobium 
house  is  similar  to  that  of  a  stove.  At  all  other  times  the  plant 
occupies  a  light  position  in  an  intermediate  house,  where  the  tem¬ 
perature  may  fall  as  low  as  50°  and  rise  as  high  as  65°.  During  the 
growing  season  a  good  supply  of  water  is  necessary,  but  the  com¬ 
post  must  not  continually  be  saturated  ;  afterwards  less  will  suffice, 
and  during  the  dull  months  of  winter,  when  dormant,  the  compost 
should  be  drier  than  at  any  other  time  of  the  year.  But  not  even 
then  should  the  plant  remain  very  dry  for  long  intervals,  or  shrivel¬ 
ling  of  the  pseudo-bulbs  and  a  loss  of  foliage  will  occur.  This 
should  be  avoided,  or  a  great  injury  is  the  result.  Keep  the  roots 
in  good  condition  by  repotting  once  in  two  or  three  years  in  good 
peat  and  sphagnum  in  well-drained  pots,  and  let  it  be  done  soon 
after  flowering. 
Mr.  Burberry  deals  more  fully  with  the  culture  of  this 
Dendrobe  in  his  “  Orchid  Cultivator’s  Guide  Book,”  a  new  edition 
of  which  is  issued.  It  is  a  marked  improvement  on  the  first  edition 
in  every  way.  In  addition  to  the  great  amount  of  practical 
information  imparted  in  170  pages  the  work  is  beautifully 
illustrated  by  coloured  plates  and  photogravures.  This  edition  is 
equally  appropriate  to  the  library  of  gardeners  and  amateurs,  while 
it  is  worthy  of  a  position  on  the  drawing-room  table.  As  a  pre¬ 
sentation  book  it  can  be  recommended  to  persons  who  are  interested 
in  the  subject  which  its  author  treats  so  well.  It  is  published  by 
Messrs.  Blake  &  Mackenzie,  Liverpool. 
Notes  on  Thunias. 
No  collection  of  Orchids  can  be  complete  without  a  few  stems 
of  these,  the  distinct  habit,  constancy  of  flowering  and  beauty  of 
their  blossoms  making  them  favourites  everywhere.  Botanically, 
Thunias  closely  resemble  Phaius,  but  the  plants  are  so  different  in 
every  other  way  that  they  will  always  be  generally  known  by  the 
former  name,  given  by  Reiohenbach.  The  culture  of  Thunias  is  by 
no  means  difficult,  providing  enough  heat  is  at  command.  Besides 
heat  they  like  a  moist  atmosphere  while  making  their  growth,  and 
a  light  sunny  position.  I  do  not  syringe  the  plants  much, 
as  this  is  apt  to  cause  the  foliage  to  spot,  otherwise  it  does 
no  harm.  If  it  is  practised  at  all  it  must  be  discontinued 
before  the  flower  sheaths  appear,  as  the  least  drop  of  water  upon 
these  causes  them  to  spot. 
The  compost  for  Thunias  must  be  free  and  open,  but  at  the 
same  time  substantial  enough  to  cause  a  strong  growth,  for  though 
naturally  epiphytes  they  are  best  treated  as  terrestrial  Orchids 
generally  are  under  cultivation.  Two  parts  of  good  silky  or  fibry 
loam,  one  of  peat  fibre  and  one  of  chopped  sphagnum  moss  will 
form  a  good  base,  and  if  a  little  well-dried  cow  manure  and  some 
very  finely  broken  crocks  are  adJed  this  adds  to  its  manurial 
properties,  and  insures  a  sweet  and  sound  mechanical  condition. 
It  is  usual  to  mix  sand  with  this  compost,  but  as  I  have  frequently 
pointed  out  in  the  Journal  of  Horticulture,  this  material  is  better 
