393 
November  24.  1898.  JOURNAL  OF  HORTICULTURE  AND  COTTAGE  GARDENER. 
LiELIA  PERRINI  LEUCOPHjEA. 
A  very  handsome  and  popular  autumn-flowering  Orchid  is  Laelia 
Perrini,  which  came  from  Brazil.  In  addition  to  the  type  there  are  a 
few  varieties,  of  which  the  latest  to  be  shown  is  L.  P.  leucophaea 
(fig.  67).  This  was  sent  to  the  Drill  Hall  on  October  27th,  when  it 
received  an  award  of  merit  from  the  Orchid  Committee  of  the  Royal 
Horticultural  Society.  In  the  type,  as  is  well  known,  the  prevailing 
colour  is  rose  in  the  sepals  and  petals,  and  purplish  crimson  in  the 
front  lobe.  The  form  under  notice,  however,  is  entirely  distinct  from 
this,  the  sepals  and  petals  being  delicate  mauve.  The  lip  is  deep 
slaty  mauve,  and  the  side  lobes  and  throat  soft  primrose.  The  flowers 
are  rather  larger  than  those  of  L.  Perrini.  The  exhibitor  was  Mr. 
W.  II.  Young,  Orchid  grower  to  Sir  Fred.  Wigan,  Bart.,  Clare  Lawn, 
East  Sheen. 
Odontoglossum  miniatum. 
In  its  best  forms  this  is  a  really  pretty  Odontoglot,  but  it  is  not  so 
easy  to  grow  as  many  others.  Treated  iu  the  ordinary  way  to  pots  or 
pans,  it  soon  gets  beyond  the  rims  and  loses  strength,  while,  if  the 
receptacles  are  very  large,  it  is  easy  to  give  too  much  water  and  set  up 
stagnation  at  the  root.  Iu  common  with  a  few  other  Orchids,  such  as 
Coelogyne  pandurata  and  similarly  habited  kinds,  O.  miniatum  does 
well  in  large  but  thinly  dressed  rafts,  the  compost  consisting  of  two 
parts  of  sphagnum  moss  to  one  of  peat.  No  fear  need  then  be  enter¬ 
tained  as  to  drainage,  and  if  duly  attended  to  otherwise,  the  plant  in 
question  thrives  admirably  with  cool  species  generally. 
Odontoglossum  lyroglossum. 
This  pretty  kind  is  usually  considered  a  variety  of  0.  luteo-pur- 
pureum,  but  it  is  a  very  distinct  one  with  its  well  expanded  blossoms, 
and  its  singularly  folded  lips.  I  noted  a  fine  spike  of  it  in  a  group 
of  plants  a  short  time  back,  and  it  is  therefore  to  be  reckoned  as  an 
cccasional  autumn  bloomer.  The  sepals  are  bright  yellow,  the  petals 
paler,  both  being  blotched  with  chestnut  brown.  It  does  well  in  the 
coolest  house,  and  the  plants  ought  to  be  examined  without  further 
•delay  as  to  compost,  using  a  mixture  of  peat  and  moss  in  pots  just 
large  enough  to  allow  a  margin  of  an  inch  all  round  the  plants. — 
H.  R.  R. 
NYMPHiEAS  AND  BEES. 
In  one  part  of  an  extensive  lake  we  have  large  masses  of  Nymphsea 
alba,  and  within  a  few  yards  are  several  plants  of  Nuphar  lutea,  the 
common  yellow  Water  Lily,  both  of  which  grow  and  increase  at  a 
rapid  rate,  and  bloom  freely.  Within  300  yards  is  a  large  apiary, 
numbering  upwards  of  thirty  strong  colonies  of  bees.  As  the  majority 
•of  the  stocks  are  worked  for  honey  production  they  are  of  great 
strength  during  the  time  the  Water  Lillies  are  in  bloom,  and  at  a  low 
estimate  there  must  be  at  least  100,000  bees  on  the  wing,  foraging 
for  honey  when  the  weather  is  fine  at  that  season.  It  is,  therefore, 
only  reasonable  to  expect  them  to  visit  all  flowers  yielding  honey  or 
pollen  within  flying  distance  of  their  hives,  and  it  is  a  well  known 
fact  that  bets  will  fly  at  least  two  miles  to  obtain  it.  Although  the 
bees  are  so  numerous  we  have  not  observed  them  at  any  time  to  be 
working  on  either  of  the  above  varieties  of  Water  Lilies. 
We  are  inclined  to  think  the  c'imate  must  have  something  to  do 
with  this,  as  the  article  by  Mr.  Thos.  Rockett,  Victoria,  Australia,  on 
page  335,  shows  that  the  bees  have  been  seen  to  alight  on  N.  alba  and 
also  on  N.  flava,  although  the  same  tee  would  not  visit  the  latter 
variety  after  alighting  on  the  former.  We  do  not  think  the  flavour 
has  anything  to  do  with  it,  as  wo  have  often  observe  1  bees  to  follow 
the  same  rule  with  our  ordinary  garden  and  wild  flowers.  Take,  for 
instance,  the  yellow  and  blue  Crocus,  or  the  yellow  and  red  Wall¬ 
flowers.  As  a  rule,  if  the  flowers  of  each  colour  are  numerous,  the 
bees  which  arc  working  on  the  flowers  of  one  colour  will  more  often 
alight  on  the  blooms  of  the  same  colour  than  on  those  of  a  different 
shade.  Again,  bees  working  on,  say,  a  bed  of  Mignonette  or  White 
Clover  will  rarely  visit  another  species  until  after  they  have  returned 
to  their  hive.  We  think  colour  has  more  to  do  with  it  than  flavour. 
As  showing  that  the  above-mentioned  Water  Lilies  have  not 
been  fertilised  one  with  the  other,  either  by  bees  or  insects,  we  may 
mention  the  fact  that  there  have  been  numerous  seedlings  from  N.  alba 
which  have  been  identical  in  growth,  colour,  and  s:ze  of  the  blooms 
with  the  parent  plant.  What  ha3  been  the  fertilising  agent  we  are 
unable  to  say. 
In  various  parts  of  the  country  we  have  seen  several  varieties 
of  Nymphaeas  grown  in  the  open  air,  but  in  no  instance  have  we 
noted  a  chance  seedling  that  has  been  different  in  character  from  the 
parent  plant.  We  are,  therefore,  convinced  that  if  it  is  desirable  to 
obtain  hybrids  from  two  varieties  of  Nymphseas  it  will  be  necessary 
to  carefully  hybridise  them  by  hand.  By  no  other  means  will  the 
desired  end  be  obtained.  It  will  doubtless  be  interesting  to  readers  of 
the  Journal  of  Horticulture  if  Mr.  Pockett  will  record  his  experiments 
in  that  direction. — A  Gardener  and  Bee-keeper. 
Fig.  67. — L^elia  Perrini  leucophaea. 
ROYAL  HORTICULTURAL  SOCIETY. 
Drill  Hall. — November  22nd. 
The  morning  of  Tuesday  last,  when  the  Committees  of  the  Royal 
Horticultural  Society  met  at  the  Drill  Hall,  opened  very  cold,  and  taking 
this  into  consideration  the  display  was  good.  The  bulk  of  the  exhibits 
were  comprised  of  Chrysanthemums, 
which  were  grandly  shown,  especially  by 
a  few  of  the  large  trade  growers.  Orchids 
were  not  very  numerous,  while  fruits 
and  vegetables  were  exceptionally  few  in 
numbers. 
Fruit  Committee. — Present :  Phillip 
Crowley,  Esq.  (in  the  chair)  ;  with  Rev. 
W.  Wilks,  and  Messrs.  J.  Cheai,  J.  H. 
Veitch,  A.  F.  Barron,  A.  Dean,  J. 
Willard,  W.  Bates,  W.  Pope,  G.  Wythes, 
M.  Gleeson,  G.  Reynolds,  H.  Balderson, 
F.  Q.  Lane,  J.  Smith,  and  It.  Fife. 
Mr.  Lewis  J.  Dunbar,  Heath  Park 
Nursery,  Hemel  Hempstead,  exhibited  a 
dozen  of  Ne  Plus  Ultra  Onion,  all  very 
fine  specimens  weighing  about  2  lbs.  each. 
Messrs.  R.  Hartland  &  Son,  Cork, 
exhibited  Apples  Akern  Beauty  and 
Ballinora  Pippin,  the  latter  somewhat  resembling  a  highly  coloured 
Blenheim  Pippin.  Mr.  G.  Rawliugs,  Whitebrook,  Monmouth,  sent  a 
seedling  Apple,  which  was  pasted.  Mr.  A.  Ward,  Stoke  Edith  lark, 
also  exhibited  two  seedling  Apples  of  good  appearance. 
Floral  Committee. — Present  :  W.  Marshall,  Esq.  (in  the  chair)  ; 
with  Messrs.  J.  Fraser,  C.  T.  Druery,  G.  Stevens,  J.  Hudson,  C.  J. 
Salter,  C.  E.  Pearson,  G.  Gordon,  J.  T.  Bennett  Poe,  J.  D.  Pawle, 
C.  E.  Shea,  E.  Beckett,  C.  Blick,  D.  B.  Crane,  C.  Jefferies,  and  J. 
Walker.  ,  T 
Mr.  W.  J.  Godfrey,  Exmouth,  staged  six  dozen  blooms  of  Japanese 
Chrysanthemums.  The  most  notable  were  King  of  Buffs,  Chatsworth, 
Louis  Dalle,  Mrs.  T.  A.  Compton,  Mons.  Fatzer,  Celeste  Falconnet,  and 
Mary  Molyneux.  Mr.  N.  Molyneux,  gardener  to  J.  C.  Gamier,  Esq., 
Rookesburv  Park,  Fareham,  staged  three  new  incurved  seedlmgs— Nellie 
S.  Threlfall,  a  white,  with  slightly  hairy  petals  ;  Golden  Gem,  a  deep 
golden  yellow  of  truo  form  ;  and  Earl  of  Crawford,  a  silvery  amaranth. 
Mr.  H.  Weeks,  gardener  to  Lady  Byron,  Thrumpton  Hall,  Derby, 
exhibited  about  sixty  blooms  of  his  seedlings.  They  were  well  grown, 
and  claimed  a  great  deal  of  attention  from  the  growers  present.  The  best 
appeared  to  be  Mrs.  Cursham,  Henry  Weeks,  Mrs.  Coombc,  Edith  Dash- 
wood,  Little  Nell,  Miss  Maud  Byron,  Annie  Prevost,  Mrs.  Barkley,  and, 
Emily  Towers. 
