April  7,  1898. 
JOURNAL  OF  HORTICULTURE  AND  COTTAGE  GARDENER. 
299 
which  may  probably  serve  for  a  week.  Keep  the  frame  close  the  first 
week,  which  will  induce  the  plants  to  root  quickly  into  the  fresh 
compost,  and  shade  from  strong  sunshine.  The  base  on  which  the 
pots  stand  ought  to  be  fine  cinders  or  ashes,  as  this  material  prevents 
worms,  to  some  extent,  finding  their  way  through  the  drainage  to  the 
soil,  and  insures  regular  moisture.  I'he  plants  are  best  not  far  from 
the  glass.  When  well  established  give  air  freely  and  constantly. 
During  July  and  August  a  frame  with  a  northern  aspect  obviates 
the  necessity  of  frequent  shading;  but  the  position  ought  not  to  be 
one  subject  to  rough  winds  or  shaded  otherwise  than  from  the  direct 
rays  of  the  midday  sun.  After  the  end  of  August  Primulas  are 
better  for  full  exposure  to  sunshine  with  abundance  of  air.  During 
that  month  and  September  there  will  be  frequent  occasions  when  the 
lights  may  be  drawn  completely  off  the  frames,  hardening  and 
strengthening  the  plants  for  housing  in  October.— E.  D.  S. 
BULLFINCHES  aersus  CHAFFINCHES  AS 
BUD  DESTROYERS. 
The  recurrence  of  complaints  regarding  bullfinches  of  damage  done 
by  them  among  fruit  buds  and  seed  beds  seems  founded  on  a  popular 
mixing  up  of  two  distinct  birds.  The  said  damage  is  undoubtedly  done 
by  the  chafifinch  (Fringilla  cselebs,  X.),  and  not  by  the  bullfinch  (Pyrrhula 
vulgaris,  syn.  Loxia  pyrrhula,  X.),  and  yet  we  only  hear  the  bullfinch 
alluded  to  in  correspondence,  while  hundreds  are  reported  shot  or  caught 
during  those  depredations.  I  take  notice  of  birds  in  gardens,  and 
constantly  see  chaffinches,  but  bullfinches  never.  Is  this  singular 
misconception  to  continue  and  the  misnomer  to  be  perpetuated? — 
A  Gaeden  and  Bied  Lovee. 
[Thinking  the  “  misconception  and  misnomer  ”  ought  to  be  proved,  we 
consulted  a  very  experienced  fruit  grow'er,  and  an  equally  devoted 
bird  lover,  on  the  subject — so  devoted  that  if  a  doubt  could  be  discovered 
the  bird  would  have  the  benefit  of  it  ;  yet  he  is  constrained  to  say  : — 
“  The  chaffinch,  a  lively  and  handsome  bird  of  the  finch  family,  very 
common  in  Britain,  chiefly  haunts  gardens  and  shrubberies,  hedgerows, 
and  plantations,  and  its  food  consists  of  seeds,  and  of  insects  and  their 
larvae.  The  latter  are  the  favourite  food  of  this  bird,  and  it  does  good 
service  in  the  destruction  of  them.  It  is  also  fond  of  the  sprouting  or 
newly-sprung  seeds  or  plants  of  Radishes,  Turnips,  and  other  small 
seeds,  practically  spoiling  seed  beds  and  drills  of  such  seedlings,  unless 
prevented.  This  may  be  effected  by  an  occasional  evening  sprinkling 
with  paraffin  solution  when  the  seeds  ‘  peep  ’  through  the  soil.  The 
chaffinch  otherwise  does  no  harm,  but  much  good,  in  gardens,  never 
interfering  with  fruit  buds  or  fruit  crops.  It  feeds  its  young  mostly  on 
insects,  chiefly  small  caterpillars,  the  neat  and  elegant  nest  being 
frequently  placed  in  a  fruit  tree  in  a  garden  or  orchard. 
“  The  bullfinch  has  a  short,  rounded,  robust  bill,  which  it  uses  very 
effectively  for  destroying  the  buds  of  fruit  trees,  and  also  for  getting  at 
the  seeds  of  various  plants,  such  as  those  of  the  ‘  Hardhead  ’  (Centaurea 
nigra).  Its  food  consists  chiefly  of  seeds,  mostly  weeds,  and  the  buds  of 
various  trees,  but  prefers  those  of  the  Plum  (of  which  it  has  its  favourite 
varieties),  Gooseberry,  and  Red  or  White  Currants,  less  so  those  of  the 
Pear  and  Apple.  It  seldom  visits  town  gardens,  the  sturdy-billed  sparrow 
taking  its  place  there  in  destroying  buds  ;  but  in  the  country  the  bull¬ 
finches  sometimes  appear  in  such  numbers  during  the  spring  as  to  ruin 
the  fruit  crop  in  bush  and  tree  plantations.  In  one  season  we  have  known 
fifty-seven  of  these  very  beautiful  birds  shot  by  one  person.  They  nest  in 
large  hedges  or  thickets  away  from  the  garden  or  fruit  plantation,  hence 
the  little  good  they  do  in  clearing  a  few  soft  insects  at  breeding  time  is  not 
felt  in  gardens,  or  only  indirectly.” 
We  have  to  confess  that  the  record  is  in  close  accord  with  our 
experience,  and  we  think  the  great  Plum  grower  of  IMentmore,  Mr. 
J.  Smith,  knows  which  variety  of  Plums  in  the  bud  state  “  bully  ”  likes 
best.] 
Habenaeia  Bonatea. 
I  am  sending  for  your  inspection  a  fairly  good  example  of  the 
somewhat  uncommon  S.  African  terrestrial  Orchid  Habenaria  Bonatea. 
Although  not  particularly  fragrant  during  the  day,  at  night  the  flowers 
emit  a  very  dainty  yet  penetrating  odour,  .suggesting  a  combination 
of  Nicotiana  afiSnis  and  Tea  Rose.  An  interesting  and  peculiar 
characteristic  of  the  flowers  is  the  provision  made  for  their  ready 
impregnation.  The  green  and  white  flowers,  with  their  prominent 
spurs,  are  rendered  all  the  more  attractive  by  the  purity  of  the  white 
and  the  freedom  with  which  they  are  produced  on  the  scapes  of  well 
cultivated  plants,  and  these  are  seldom  met  with  outside  botanical 
collections. — Jno.  E.  Jefferies. 
[The  spike  sent  by  our  esteemed  correspondent  was  a  fine  one. 
and  the  species  is  very  interesting.  It  has  been  known  to  botanists 
for  some  considerable  time,  but  is  not  sufficiently  showy  for  the 
majority  of  growers,  except  those  who  pride  themselves  on  the 
botanical  treasures  that  are  comprised  in  their  collection.  As  Mr. 
Jefferies  says,  the  green  and  white  flowers  are  pleasingly  fragrant  in 
the  evening.] 
DeNDROBIUM  NOBILE  ASIIWORTIIIANUM. 
It  is  probable  that  no  section  of  the  great  family  of  Dendrobiums 
is  more  popular  than  that  of  nobile  and  its  several  varieties.  Free  in 
flowering,  chaste  in  colour  and  form,  and  comparatively  easy  to  grow, 
they  will  long  remain  in  the  front  rank  of  Orchids.  No  wonder 
then  a  white  form  should  receive  great  admiration  and  practical 
EIG.  60. — DENDEOBIUM  NOBILE  ASHWOETHIANUM. 
appreciation  from  the  Orchid  Committee  of  the  Royal  Horticultural 
Society  in  the  torm  of  a  first-class  certificate.  Such  was  the  fate  of 
D.  nobile  Ashworthianum  w'hen  it  was  staged  by  Mr.  H.  Holbrook, 
gardener  to  E.  Ashworth,  Esq.,  Harefield  Hall,  Wilmslow,  at  the 
Drill  Hall,  and  of  which  we  give  (fig.  60)  an  illustration.  As  will  be 
perceived  the  form  is  not  quite  that  of  the  type,  but  as  such  it  is 
classed.  The  sepals  and  petals  are  pure  white,  and  slightly  twisted. 
The  broad  open  lip  is  also  of  that  colour,  and  has  the  slightest 
suffusion  of  light  yellow  in  place  of  the  familiar  blotch. 
Odontoglossums. 
Perhaps  at  no  other  time  of  the  year  is  the  cool  house  so  gay  as 
nowq  the  number  of  species  of  the  above  genus  in  flower  being  very 
large.  It  is  necessary  to  visit  a  large  trade  or  private  collection  to  get 
an  idea  of  the  number  of  fine  forms  the  genus  contains,  for  every 
importation  of  well-known  kinds  is  sure  to  contain  something  new  in 
the  way  of  spotting  or  colouring.  The  lovely  forms  of  0.  crispiim 
alone  are  so  varied  that  to  describe  half  of  them  would  take  up  many 
columns,  while  the  many  hybrid  forms,  natural  and  artificial,  are 
getting  a  numerous  lot. 
0.  Pescatorei  is  a  species  that  will  always  be  in  demand,  the 
chaste  and  beautiful  flowers  so  freely  produced  being  second  to  none. 
Those  with  large  heavy  blotches  are  more  valuable  than  the  white 
ones,  simply,  of  course,  because  of  their  rarity,  for  they  are  not 
more  beautiful  than  the  ordinary  type  if  a  good  form  of_  it  is 
obtained.  0.  triumphans,  again,  is  a  splendid  species  for  display, 
the  large  bold  flowers  being  a  bright  golden  yellow  more  or  less 
spotted  with  brown.  It  is,  perhaps,  the  most  tree-flowering  of  all 
the  cool  species,  and  very  easily  accommodated.  Hardly  less  so  is 
0.  tripudians,  a  rarer  kind,  often  imported  with  0.  Pescatorei, 
which  it  closely  resembles  in  habit  though  differing  entirely  in  the 
colour  of  the  flower. 
Between  these  is  the  fine  natural  hybrid  0.  excellens,  grand  forms 
of  which  have  recently  been  exhibited.  0.  luteo-purpureum,  too,  in 
its  many  forms  is  one  of  the  best  and  freest,  while  the  smaller  and 
more  delicate  0.  blandum  is  a  gem  in  the  cool  house  just  now. 
0.  Sanderianum  comes  very  near  to,  if  it  is  not  a  variety  of,  0.  con- 
strictum,  and  both  are  charming  when  seen  in  good  condition.  Equally 
so  is  0.  Andersonianum  and  the  many  forms  of  0.  odoratum  and 
0.  gloriosum,  while  many  more  might  be  named  that  are  now 
flowering. 
Enough  have  been  mentioned,  however,  to  show  how  gay  the 
house  may  be  just  now,  and  a  few  remarks  on  management  will 
probably  be  of  more  interest  than  a  long  string  of  names.  In  the 
first  place  it  is  very  necessary  to  see  that  the  plants  do  not  flower 
before  they  are  really  strong  enough  to  bear  the  strain,  and,  again, 
those  that  are  allowed  to  flower  should  be  relieved  of  their  spikes 
