August  18,  18^8. 
122 
JOURNAL  OF  HORTICULTURE  AND 
CO  TTA  GE  G. !  EDEN  EE, 
Masdeyallias. 
It  is  difficult  to  account  for  the  unpopularity  of  the  various 
sections  of  this  genus  of  Orchids,  for  if  we  except  the  showy 
flowered  class  as  represented  by  such  well-known  kinds  as  M.  Harryana, 
M,  Veitchi,  M.  ignea,  and  M.  amabilis,  and  the  peculiarly  constructed 
M.  chimsera  and  its  allies,  there  are  few  indeed  that  obtain  anything 
like  a  fair  show  of  attention.  There  is — notwithstanding  their 
marvellous  variety —  a  wonderful  family  likeness,  as  it  may  be  termed, 
among  Masdevallias,  and  it  is  usually  easy  for  anyone  at  all  acquainted 
with  Orchids  to  pick  out  a  member  of  this  genus. 
Respecting  those  mentioned  above  we  will  say  nothing  in  this 
note.  They  are  well  known,  and  universally  admired,  but  there  is  a 
number  of  small-growing  species  of  the  most  wonderful  structure  and 
exquisite  beauty  that  lack  the  showy  nature  of  their  compeers,  and 
are  in  consequence  little  known.  But  a  remarkable  testimonial  to  the 
interest  they  create  in  the  minds  of  those  who  take  up  their  culture 
is  the  almost  fondness  with  which  cultivators  who  are  successful  with 
them  look  upon  their  favourites. 
They  appeal  most  strongly  to  a  cultured  person  who  will  take 
them  up  with  a  view  to  admiring  their  interesting  features  and 
grotesque  forms,  the  wondrous  arrangements  made  by  Nature  for 
their  fertilisation,  and  the  delicate  and  lovely  gradations  of  colouring 
that  attract  the  eye.  Those  who  only  admire  a  Cattleya  for  its 
gorgeous  blossoms,  and  do  not  note  the  structure  of  the  flower,  will 
find  little  interest  in  them.  In  short  they  comprise  in  one  flower  the 
most  of  the  striking  and  lovely  characteristics  that  during  the  present 
century  have  made  Orchids  so  very  popular. 
One  of  the  prettiest  is  M.  Shuttleworthi,  this  and  its  variety 
xanthocorys  having  showy  and  lovely  flowers.  The  peculiar 
M.  ephippium  again,  and  the  charming  flowers  of  such  as 
M.  erythrocl  sete  or  M.  Estradae,  are  very  beautiful.  Each  has  its 
individual  characteristics,  as  also  has  the  tiny  flowering  M.  triari- 
stella  and  tridactylite.  It  is  little  use  describing  such  species,  a  bald 
description  of  their  forms,  the  colour  of  this  or  that  kind,  or  the 
structure  of  another,  giving  no  idea  of  what  they  are  really  like.  To 
know  them  and  appreciate  them  they  must  be  seen  and  closely 
studied. 
Most  readers  will  be  more  interested  probably  in  knowing  how  to 
grow  them  successfully,  and  this  fortunately  is  not  in  most  instances 
at  all  difficult.  Those  of  so  small  a  habit  as  the  last  named  naturally 
require  the  greatest  care,  as  there  is  so  little  to  come  and  go  upon, 
as  it  is  termed;  and  a  few  days  of  severe  drought  or  a  few  hours’ 
exposure  to  bright  sunlight,  untempere  l  by  copious  moisture,  would 
prove  fatal  to  them.  But  with  ordinary  care  this  need  not  be  of  course, 
and  the  more  salient  points  of  their  culture  mastered  established 
plants  may  be  grown  with  the  greatest  ease. 
The  principal  condition  is  a  moist  cool  temperature,  very  close 
shading  during  hot  summer  weather,  and  abundance  of  air  moving 
over  and  about  the  foliage.  By  this  means  we  imitate  as  nearly  as 
possible  artificially  the  climatic  conditions  of  their  Dative  habitats. 
During  the  winter  months  our  long  nights  and  dull  dreary  days  are 
a  great  trial  to  such  purely  Alpine  plants,  and  the  most  successful 
cultivators  are  those  who  keep  their  glass  stages  and  plauts  clean 
during  the  latter  season. 
As  to  a  rooting  medium,  the  pots  or  baskets  they  are  placed  in 
should  be  very  limited  as  to  size,  and  the  amount  of  compost  small. 
Even  in  their  native  place  the  hold  they  take  upon  the  trees  must  be 
slight,  so  that  an  inch  or  thereabouts  of  peat  and  moss  over  good 
drainage  is  enough  for  the  largest  plants.  The  Shuttleworthi  and 
Backhousiana  section  will,  of  course,  require  more,  being  of  a  grosser 
habit  and  stronger  rooting,  but  even  here  it  is  better  to  err  on  the  side 
of  too  little  than  too  much  material. 
One  of  the  most  interesting  chapters  on  these  “botanical”  species 
—as  they  are  rather  peculiarly  termed — I  have  seen  is  “  Sketches  of 
Wild  Orchids  in  Guiana,”  in  the  current  number  of  the  Royal  Horti¬ 
cultural  Society’s  Journal,  by  Mr.  E.  F.  im  Thirm.  This  will  well 
repay  perusal  by  anyone  interested,  as  giving  a  most  graphic  yet 
picturesque  account  of  how  they  grow  naturally.  At.d  all  these 
lovely  plants  are  easily  grown  by  anyone  who  has  command  of  the 
smallest  house,  for  they  take  up  very  little  room ;  and  to  all  who 
admire  Orchids,  and  have  not  yet  tried  them,  I  can  recommend  their 
culture,  feeling  sure  they  will  not  be  disappointed  in  them. — H.  R.  R. 
THE  DECLINE  OF  THE  PELARGONIUM. 
By  the  above  title  I  do  not  wish  to  infer  that  the  cultivation  of 
the  Pelargonium  has  deteriorated  to  any  great  extent.  On  the  other 
hand  it  may  have  improved,  as  anyone  who  has  seen  the  collections  of 
winter-flowering  Zonal  Pelargoniums  belonging  to  our  best  growers 
will  agree.  The  brightness,  variety  of  colour,  the  elegance  of  the 
large  trusses  of  bloom,  rising  from  a  groundwork  of  healthy  foliage, 
give  an  effect  that  it  is  impossible  to  get  with  any  other  flower  in  the 
depth  of  winter.  This  phase  of  Pelargoniqm  culture  belongs  princi¬ 
pally  to  modern  times,  and  the  credit  goes  to  modern  growers.  In 
past  days  the  chief  aim  was  for  summer  embellishment,  and  the 
Pelargonium  played  a  conspicuous  part  in  the  adornment  of  the  cool 
greenhouse  and  conservatory  during  the  bright  months  of  the  year; 
but  in  few  instances  were  plants  grown  to  impart  a  ray  of  bright¬ 
ness  during  the  short  dull  days  of  winter.  In  this  respect,  then, 
Pelargonium  culture  has  improved,  though  comparatively  few 
gardeners  have  the  facilities  for  growing  gi>od  collections  for  winter 
blooming. 
Let  us  now  look  at  the  other  side,  and  we  shall  find  that  the  decline 
is  more  marked  than  the  advance.  Amid  the  inrush  of  new  plants 
the  Pelargonium  has  to  some  extent  been  left  behind.  At  one  time 
the  house  of  Pelargoniums  was  a  feature  in  many  places — something 
that  both  gardener  and  employer  took  a  keen  interest  in,  and  it  was 
with  a  degree  of  just  pride  that  their  merits  were  discussed  with 
visitors.  Their  place  is  not  vacant,  but  the  “  Geraniums  ”  no  longer 
occupy  a  prominent  position.  The  craze  for  something  new  has 
affected  the  old  favourites,  and  though  they  cannot  be  dispensed  with 
they  have  to  do  the  beat  they  can  just  where  there  happens  to  be  room 
for  them.  Indispensable  on  account  of  their  usefulness,  “  Geraniums 
are  grown  largely,  but  nevertheless  their  popularity  is  on  the  decline, 
and  this  is  chief!  v  noticeable  in  the  small  amount  of  interest  that  is 
taken  in  them.  You  see  them  as  you  walk  through  the  houses  and 
round  the  grounds  of  any  establishment,  but  in  few  instances  are 
they  considered  of  sufficient  importance  for  the  gardener  to  call  special 
attention  to  them.  In  this  alone  there  are  signs  of  the  decrease  in 
popularity. 
Again,  take  the  Pelargonium  as  a  bedding  plant,  and  the  tendency 
is  in  the  downward  direction.  At  the  time  when  summer  bedding 
was  a  much  mote  important  business  than  it  is  to-day  they  were- 
indispensable.  One  section  wras  largely  grown  for  the  flowers  and 
another  for  tinted  foliage,  and  it  was  not  until  the  time  had 
arrived  for  a  -change  to  take  place,  and  other  plants  were  forthcoming 
for  bedding  purposes,  that  the  shortcomings  of  the  one  that  had 
served  so  long  began  to  be  noticed.  With  the  advent  of  the  Begonia, 
Fuchsia,  and  other  plants  for  beddiDg  the  failings  of  the  “  Geranium” 
began  to  show  themselves.  One  brought  the  charge  that  they  were 
useless  except  in  tropical  summers,  as  they  made  all  leaf  growth  and 
no  flowers :  another  said  that  they  were  too  flat  and  monotonous. 
The  truth  of  the  matter  was  that  public  taste  was  changing,  and  the 
popularity  of  the  bedding  Pelargonium  had  begun  to  wane.  It  is 
waning  yet,  and  though  in  the  flower  garden  as  in  the  greenhouse  we 
cannot  dispense  with  the  plant  entirely,  it  is  annually  becoming  more 
of  an  extra  than  a  speciality. 
If  other  evidence  be  wanting,  turn  to  the  Pelargonium  as  an 
exhibition  plant.  The  growing,  training,  and  showing  of  Zonals  and 
Fancies  is  a  fine  art,  which  appears  to  be  gradually  becoming  extinct. 
At  the  great  show  in  the  Temple  Gardens  Pelargoniums  were  almost 
conspicuous  by  their  absence.  I  do  not  remember  seeing  one  exhibit 
of  Zonals,  except  specimens  of  new  varieties;  and  occupying  a  corner 
of  a  large  exhibit  were  a  few  plants  of  Fancy  varieties.  A  few  others, 
which  presumably  could  not  be  accommodated  under  canvas,  occupied 
an  obscure  and  solitary  position  outside  one  of  the  tents.  Is  this  not 
evidence  of  the  decline  of  the  Pelargonium?  There  were  plants  and 
flowers  of  almost  every  description  represented — some  rare  and  others 
common — yet  in  only  one  instance  was  the  Fancy  Pelargonium  con¬ 
sidered  worthy  of  a  place,  and  no  exhibitor  brought  show  plants  of 
Zonals.  I  have  only  visited  recent  Temple  Shows,  but  I  have 
recollections  of  seeing  charming  groups  of  the  flowers,  and  if  we  may 
take  it  that  the  Temple  Show  is  a  representative  one  of  all  popular 
productions,  then  the  evidence  is  conclusive. 
I  have  one  more  point  to  add.  In  private  gardens  trained  plants 
of  all  kinds  have  had  their  day,  and  this  applies  to  Pelargoniums, 
braining  was  the  pride  of  one  race  of  gardeners.  The  Fancy  or  Zonal 
Pelargonium  of  enormous  dimensions,  with  every  flower  staked  out, 
and  the  outline  as  regular  and  unbroken  as  if  they  had  been  trimmed 
for  the  purpose,  are  sometimes  seen  at  shows,  but  rarely  in  private 
gardens.  Fancy  and  Show  Pelargoniums  to  be  first-class  require  care- 
in  cultivation,  and  they  must  be  kept  clem.  Neither  of  these  points 
is  difficult,  and  though  there  may  be  just  reasons  for  not  following 
the  lines  of  close,  stiff  training  with  the  plants,  they  are,  when 
naturally  grown,  so  beautiful  that  any  decline  in  their  popularity  can 
only  be  attributed  to  the  fanci' s  of  fashion. — G.  H.  H. 
