December  2 0,  1698. 
JOURNAL  OF  HORTICULTURE  AND  COTTAGE  GARDENER . 
491 
A  friend  of  mine  who  had  had  a  sparring  bout  with  him  in  the 
papers  not  long  before  had  him  as  eo-judge  at  an  important  meeting. 
After  the  judging  was  over  I  met  him  and  said,  “  Well,  how  did 
you  get  on  with  ‘  A.  D.  ?  ’  ”  “  Oh,  splendidly  !  ”  he  said,  “  he  has  his  own 
peculiar  way  of  looking  at  things,  but  he  is  very  courteous,  and 
quickly  sees  your  point  of  view,  and  is  eminently  reasonable ;  when 
we  differed,  we  differed  not  on  principles,  but  on  details,  and  we  soon 
argued  the  matter  out  and.  settled  it,  and  we  got  quite  chummy.  He  is 
intensely  in  earnest  and  has  high  ideals,  and  is  a  thorough  gardener.” 
This  we  of  the  Journal  of  Horticulture  know  ;  and  though  he 
occasionally  gets  well  shaken  up,  it  is  all  done  so  genially  that  not 
only  is  no  offence  given  or  taken,  but  friendship  is  established. 
“  Our  Journal,”  then,  has  done  immense  service  to  the  cause  of 
horticulture  by  admitting  these  genial,  instructive  discussions. 
It  is  these  things  which  make  us  all  friends,  and  like  a  happy  family  ; 
and  thus  at  the  end  of  its  jubilee  year,  “  Our  Journal  ”  is  as  firmly 
fixed  (yea,  more  firmly  fixed)  in  the  affections  of  its  readers  as  it  ever 
was. 
As  an  old  reader,  I  may,  perhaps,  be  alloived  the  liberty  of  hoping 
that  it,  and  its  Proprietor  and  Editor,  have  had  a  right  merry  Christ¬ 
mas,  and  that  they  (and  we  all)  may  have  a  happy  and  prosperous 
New  Year. 
I  do  this  because  I  am  also,  and  only — An  Old  Provincial. 
PRIZES  IN  KIND. 
There  is  a  great  fashion  at  the  majority  of  horticultural  shows 
to  give  silver  cups  and  vases  as  prizes.  Several  societies  depart  from 
this  course,  and  instead  of  cups  of  varying  value,  more  or  less  hand¬ 
some  and  costly  timepieces,  barometers  and  such  like,  afford  an  equal 
attraction  to  all  concerned.  It  is  my  opinion  that  if  such  articles 
as  those  noted  above  were  substituted  by  societies  who  have  clung 
to  the  silver  cup  so  tenaciously,  and  for  a  long  period,  they  would 
stimulate  an  attraction  among  their  patrons  and  exhibitors  much 
above  the  present  standard. 
*  !  I  am  strengthened  in  this  opinion  by  an  interview  with  a  very 
prominent  exhibitor  who,  relating  his  successes  at  some  of  the  late 
Chrysanthemum  shows,  seemed  as  proud  of  his  achievements  in 
securing  a  clock  at  one,  and  an  equally  useful  barometer  at  another, 
as  he  would  be  if  the  same  value  had  been  won  in  silver  cups.  One 
thing  is  certain,  that  while  the  latter  afford  an  ornamental  aspect  only 
in  the  apartment  in  which  it  is  usually  placed— the  gardener’s  parlour 
— a  handsome  clock  or  a  good  barometer  would  combine  the  orna¬ 
mental  with  the  useful.  An  oil  or  water-colour  picture,  nicely  framed, 
might  prove  a  cumbersome  trophy  to  carry  home,  but  how  many 
gardeners  are  there  who  would  not  like  the  choice  between  a  cup  and  a 
good  picture  ? 
Hard  cash,  or  its  equivalent  in  what  has  been  apily  described  as  a 
“  bit  o’  paper,”  after  all  is  the  most  satisfactory  to  the  fortunate 
winner ;  but  societies  and  the  public  find  prizes  in  kind  can  be 
displayed  with  the  exhibits  which  have  gained  them,  and  thus  increase 
the  interest  far  beyond  that  in  which  there  is  only  the  card,  and 
perhaps  a  stranger’s  name  written  thereon.  I  am  not  advocating  a 
substitution  of  goods  in  kind  in  lieu  of  cash  where  the  latter  is  usually 
offered,  but  in  cases  in  which  silver  cups  have  been  so  long  in  vogue. 
There  are  growers  who,  in  the  course  of  a  long  and  successful 
career,  may  win  several  cups.  In  such  instances  there  cannot  be  the 
same  interest  or  value  set  upon  them,  and  the  option  to  select  other 
articles  equivalent  in  value  would,  I  am 'sure,  be  more  appreciated  by 
many  exhibitors. — W.  S. 
Odqntoglossum  Krameri. 
Few  prettier  species  than  this  exist,  and  it  is  surprising  it  is  not 
more  grown.  The  purple  tint  of  the  segment  is  very  uncommon  in 
the  genus,  and  well  set  off  by  the  golden  yellow  centre  to  the  lip  and 
the  pure  white  margins.  It  requires  more  heat  than  the  majority  of 
true  Odontoglots,  and  I  saw  recently  some  splendid  growths  hanging 
from  the  roof  in  a  house  where  Miltonia  Roezli  (Odontoglossum 
Roezli)  was  flourishing.  As  a  rule  the  temperature  of  the  Cattleya 
house  will  be  found  suitable,  plenty  of  atmospheric  moisture  and  a 
light,  but  not  too  sunny,  position  being  desirable.  Peat  and  moss  in 
equal  proportions  form  a  good  compost,  and  the  plants  do  well  in 
smallish  pans. 
Cypripedium  Tbianowskyanum. 
In  habit  and  shape  of  flower  this  hybrid  resembles  a  good  form  of 
0.  insigne  Chantini,  but  it  is  an  exceptionally  strong  grower  and 
profuse  flowerer,  thriving  well  in  a  cool  intermediate  house.  The 
plant  will  enjoy  a  plentiful  water  supply  all  the  year  round,  and 
light  damping  may  be  practised  during  hot  weather.  The 
compost  may  consist  of  equal  parts  of  good  fibry  loam,  peat,  and 
chopped  sphagnum  moss,  with  a  liberal  addition  of  crocks  and 
charcoal. — H.  R.  R. 
Orchids  at  Cheltenham. 
One  of  the  strong  points  in  favour  of  Orchid  culture  is  the  fact 
that  wherever  there  is  a  well-varied  collection,  there  is  never  a  blank 
Fig.  84. — Cypripedium  William  Lloyd. 
period.  This  applies  with  a  comparatively  small  assortment,  while 
those  owned  by  enthusiasts  and  trade  specialists  make  an  imposing 
display  at  the  dullest  part  of  the  year.  Such  is  the  case  at  Mr.  J. 
Cypher’s,  Cheltenham,  where  there  is  always  a  display  of  Orchids,  and 
December  is  certainly  a  good  time  to  pay  him  a  visit.  No  attempt 
will  be  made  to  give  the  names  of  all  the  Orchids  I  recently  saw 
flowering  at  Mr.  Cypher’s,  but  a  few  of  them  are  worthy  of  special 
mention. 
Cypripediums  were  most  in  evidence,  and,  as  usual,  the  forms  of 
insigne  were  conspicuous.  It  is  now  when  these  are  most  wanted,  and, 
thanks  to  the  cool  treatment  given  during  the  hottest  part  of  the  year 
(as  arranged  in  cold  frames),  the  plants  invariably  flower  grandly 
in  December.  As  most  gardeners  are  aware,  these  Cypripediums  last 
remarkably  well  either  on  the  plants  or  in  a  cut  state.  The  most 
valuable  in  this  group  is  a  plant  of  C.  insigne  Sanderas  with  three  fine 
blooms,  and  there  is  another  with  one  bloom  expanded.  There  are 
other  yellow  forms,  one  bearing  six  blooms  ;  but  these  are  not  so  highly 
esteemed.  C.  Leeanum  is,  in  my  opinion,  one  of  the  most  beautiful.  It 
originated  from  a  cross  between  C.  insigne  and  C.  Spicerianum,  and  is 
now  at  its  best.  Flowering  at  the  same  time  are  the  grand  varieties 
superbum,  giganteum,  and  magnificum.  Other  noteworthy  Cypripe- 
diumsin  flower  were  mimosa,  Wm.  Lloyd  (fig.  84),  Haynaldi-Chamber- 
lainianum,  T.  B.  Haywood,  Statterianum,  Pitcherianum,  and 
Fascinator,  this  by  no  means  exhausting  the  list  available  for  this  time 
of  the  year.  _ 
Not  many  years  ago  Dendrobium  bigibbum  was  one  of  the  most 
conspicuous  at  Mr.  Cypher’s  during  December,  but,  although  still 
grown,  the  newer  and  far  more  beautiful  introduction,  D.  phalsenopsis 
