342 
JOURNAL  OF  HORTICULTURE  AND  COTTAGE  GARDENER. 
October  19,  1899. 
with  a  broad  median  bar  of  deeper  purple  and  a  narrow  white  border. 
The  petals  are  rosy  purple,  with  a  dark  purplish  median  line,  and 
many  lines  of  spots  of  a  lighter  purple,  green  at  the  margins  near  the 
base,  the  upper  margin  undulate  and  ciliate;  pouch  wide,  shining  rosy 
purple.  It  will  do  in  the  compost  often  recommended  for  the  green- 
leaved  Cypripediums,  and  may  be  grown  on  the  shady  side  of  the 
warm  intermediate  house.  Thrips  and  other  insect  pests  must  be 
diligently  watched  for. 
Maxillakias  nigrescens  and  venusta. 
These  are  two  useful  members  of  a  rather  neglected  family  of 
plants,  both  of  them  producing  beautiful  flowers  freely.  They  are  of 
easy  culture,  thriving  in  the  cool  house  grown  in  pots  in  the  usual 
compost.  Ample  supplies  of  water  when  in  active  growth  are  required, 
but  much  less  will  suffice  when  the  plants  are  at  rest.  Care  must  be 
taken  not  to  overwater  when  the  flower  spikes  first  appear,  or  they 
will  turn  black  and  fall.  The  forpier  has  flowers  of  rather  a  peculiar 
brownish  port  wine  colour,  stained  with  purple,  and  is  in  flower  with 
me  at  the  present  time.  It  is  rather  a  quaint  object,  and  generally 
receives  a  fair  amount  of  attention  from  visitors.  The  latter  is 
undoubtedly  one  of  the  best  of  the  genus,  and  its  flowers  make  a 
strong  contrast  to  the  previous  one,  being  fairly  large  in  size,  pure 
white,  with  the  front  lobe  of  the  lip  yellow,  the  edges  of  the  lateral 
lobes  crimson;  with  two  crimson  spots  on  the  disc.  Both  are  natives 
of  New  Grenada,  and  worth  a  place  in  a  collection  of  cool  Orchids. 
Cattleya  Loddigesi. 
This  old  and  useful  inhabitant  of  our  houses  is  still  one  of  the  best 
for  producing  a  supply  of  flowers  during  August  and  September,  and 
a  small  collection  of  healthy  plants  of  this  species,  with  the  help  of 
C.  Harrisonae  and  C.  Gaskelliana,  will  supply  flowers  which  even  the 
most  critical  will  not  despise.  The  better  forms  have  rich  rosy  lilac 
sepals  and  petals,  and  a  light  rosy  lip  marked  with  yellow.  The 
flowers  are  borne  on  good  spikes  (I  have  often  seen  six),  and  last  a 
long  time  in  perfection.  0.  Loddigesi  will  succeed  in  the  ordinary 
Cattleya  house  in  the  usual  compost,  and  should  be  grown  in  the 
smallest  pots  possible.  It  is  extremely  useful  for  table  decoration  and 
other  purposes. — J.  Barker,  Hes  le. 
Oncidium  pumilttm. 
The  name  of  this  pretty  plant  is  descriptive,  for  it  seldom  reaches 
more  than  4  inches  in  height,  and  produces  dense  crowded  spikes  of 
tiny  yellow  blossoms.  Having  no  pseudo-bulb,  dry  winter  treatment 
is  distasteful  to  it;  but  on  the  other  hand  it  must  not  be  overwatered, 
even  in  summer.  Suspended  near  the  gla«s  in  an  intermediate  house 
in  small  pans  or  baskets  it  is  usually  satisfactory,  flowering  annually 
with  freedom.  It  is  a  native  of  Rio  de  Janeiro,  and  an  old  denizen  of 
our  Orchid  houses. 
Dendrobium  chrysotis. 
The  large  loose  racemes  of  blossoms  produced  by  this  species 
should  make  it  more  of  a  favourite  than  it  is,  but  possibly  the  large 
size  of  the  plant  prevents  many  from  taking  up  its  culture.  It  is 
not  unusual  for  the  stems  (pseudo-bulbs)  to  grow  8  feet  high,  and 
-this  in  a  very  short  time,  so  it  is  not  much  use  to  amateurs 
with  very  small  houses.  But  where  there  is  room  for  it  it  is  cer¬ 
tainly  a  noble  species,  and  though  the  individual  blossoms  last  only 
a  little  while  in  good  order,  they  occur  successively  over  a  long 
season.  They  are  of  the  brightest  yellow,  large  and  fragrant,  with 
two  eye-like  blotches  of  maroon  on  the  lip. 
A  large  pot  is  necessary,  as  the  roots  are  emitted  with  remark¬ 
able  freedom  when  the  growths  are  about  half  made.  Rough 
lumps  of  peat  as  large  as  a  hen’s  egg,  living  sphagnum  moss,  and 
plenty  of  large  crocks  and  charcoal,  make  the  best  compost.  As 
soon  as  growth  starts,  the  moisture  supply,  which  has  been  some¬ 
what  scant  in  winter,  may  be  sensibly  increased,  and  when  rooting 
freely  in  a  light  warm  house  it  is  scarcely  possible  to  overwater 
the  plants  for  a  few  weeks.  Ripen  the  growth  as  well  as  possible, 
but  do  not  expect  the  current  year’s  stems  to  flower.  They,  however, 
continue  to  do  so  for  a  number  of  years. 
Cattleya  guttata. 
Although  the  typical  C.  guttata  is  very  little  grown  and  seldom 
met  with,  many  of  the  varieties  of  this  fine  species  are  very  popular. 
The  strong  growing  tree-flowering  C.  guttata  Leopoldi,  for  instance, 
discovered  and  introduced  about  the  same  time  and  by  the  same 
collector  who  sent  home  the  handsome  Lselia  purpurata  to  M. 
Verschaffelt  of  Ghent,  is  one  of  the  best  of  autumn-flowering  Orchids, 
and  likely  to  long  remain  a  favourite  kind.  Some  of  the  lighter 
forms,  too,  as  C.  g.  lilacina,  are  extremely  pretty,  and  I  recently 
received  a  nice  flower  of  the  unspotted  form,  somewhat  paradoxically 
named  C.  guttata  immaculata. 
Thi3  is  not  quite  so  strong  in  growth  as  the  type,  but  equally  free 
flowering,  the  blossoms  having  self-coloured  sepals  and  petals  with  a 
pretty  rosy  purple  lip.  All  the  varieties  do  well  in  an  intermediate 
house,  and  should  be  given  a  light,  fairly  sunny  position  not  far  from 
the  roof  glass.  It  is  best  to  use  pots  or  baskets  of  medium  size  only 
for  the  weaker  growing  forms,  and  the  cultural  routine  is  much  the 
same  as  for  the  autumn-flowering  C.  Gaskelliana — that  is,  the  plants 
should  be  encouraged  as  much  as  possible  in  spring  and  until  they 
flower,  keeping  them  dormant  through  the  winter. — H.  R.  R. 
CHILWORTH  MANOR,  ROMSEY. 
This  old  and  interesting  place  is  situate  about  a  mile  from  the  well- 
known  lied  Lodge  Nurseries  of  Messrs.  Rogers  &  Sons,  near  Southampton. 
It  is  on  very  high  ground,  that  is  of  a  brashy  nature,  needing  many 
years  of  cultivation  to  render  it  productive,  but  on  which  Scotch  Spruce, 
Silver  and  other  Firs  grow  luxuriantly.  Mr.  J.  W.  Fleming,  the  owner 
of  this  property,  is  doing  much  to  improve  and  extend  the  gardens,  so 
that  just  now  the  pleasure  grounds  wear  an  aspect  of  change. 
But  from  here,  in  spite  of  the  stonebrash,  have  come  forth  some  very 
fine  Grapes,  and  few  growers  of  these  fruits  have  excelled  Mr.  Mitchell 
in  the  production  of  that  difficult  Grape  Mrs.  Pince’s  Black  Muscat.  Ere 
this  appears  ill  print  bunches  of  this  and  some  other  Grapes  will  have 
been  teen  at  the  Crystal  Palace,  but  I  think  the  Chilworth  samples  will 
hardly  have  been  beaten  there.  The  principal  vinery  is  a  lofty  span, 
73  feet  by  27  feet,  and  is  in  three  ct  mpartments.  In  the  first,  and  on  the 
south-west  wall,  are  blacks,  3J  feet  apart,  limited  to  single  rows.  These 
are  Gros  Colman,  which,  however,  does  not  do  well  ;  Mrs.  Pince  and 
Lady  Downe’s  being  alternate!.  Of  these  the  bunches  are  good  and 
finely  coloured.  On  the  north-east  side  are  all  Muscat  of  Alexandria, 
excellent  samples.  In  the  second  compartment  are  Black  Hamburghs, 
all  cut,  and  Madresfield  Court,  Gros  Maroc,  and  Muscat  of  Alexandria. 
From  the  one  Madresfield  have  been  cut  ten  bunches,  all  of  which  won 
first  prizes  this  season.  The  other  Grapes  are  good  in  proportion. 
The  border  has  lately  been  chalked.  The  compost  is  chiefly  a  very 
stiff  loam,  lightened  by  the  addition  of  mortar  rubbish,  bone  dust,  and 
wood  ashes,  and  gets  a  top-dressing  occasionally  of  guano.  In  other 
smaller  lean-to  houses  are  Mrs.  Pince,  again  carrying  superb  bunches, 
Alicante,  Madresfield  Court,  and  Black  Hamburgh  Grapes,  all  really 
first-rate.  It  is  very  evident  that  Mr.  Mitchell  can  with  his  limited 
means  grow  capital  Grapes.  lie  also  in  the  end  compartment  of  his 
large  span,  and  in  lean-to  houses,  grows  Peaches  and  Nectarines  wonder¬ 
fully  well.  His  fruits  of  Sea  Eagle,  Princess  of  Wales,  Dymond,  Royal 
George,  Noblesse,  and  others  were  splendid  examples  that  it  would  have 
been  difficult  to  beat.  The  trees  were  as  clean  and  full  of  robust  health 
as  could  be  desired.  In  a  lean-to  house  a  low  wire  trellis  is  covered  fully 
in  front,  and  the  wall  from  top  to  bottom  behind.  No  trees  could  look 
better.  The  Nectarines  grown  are  chiefly  Lord  Napier,  Violet  Hative, 
and  Pitmaston  Orange. 
There  is  outside  a  wall  50  yards  long  and  7  feet  in  height,  covered 
throughout  with  Eigs  ;  Brown  Turkey,  Negro  Largo,  White  Marseilles, 
and  others.  These  produce  an  immense  crop  during  the  season.  They 
are  not  laid  in,  as  that  plan  does  not  answer  here.  The  branches  stand 
out  some  15  to  18  inches  from  the  wall,  the  strongest  being  occasionally 
cut  back.  Because  it  is  found  that  root  restriction  conduces  to  fruiting, 
a  trench  2  feet  deep  is  opened  about  3  feet  from  the  wall  to  sever  the 
roots,  and  is  then  filled  up.  This  is  done  every  other  year.  The  oldest 
of  the  trees  have  been  planted  about  fifty  years. 
Apples  do  wonderfully  well.  There  are  some  heavy  crops  in  the 
kitchen  garden  on  somewhat  old  bush  trees,  but  the  best  crops  were 
found  in  a  farther  enclosed  garden,  that,  once  a  vegetable  ground,  had 
several  years  since  been  planted  with  bush  and  half-standard  trees.  Of 
these  ate  several  older  standards,  and  on  some  low  younger  half¬ 
standards  or  spreading  bushes  there  were  truly  wonderful  crops  of  Cox’s 
Orange  Pippin,  of  which,  for  the  quantity  of  fruit  on  the  trees  I  have  yet 
seen  no  finer  samples.  Did  the  soil  throughout  the  locality  grow  Cox's 
as  this  garden  does  then  it  would  pay  anyone  well  to  put  down  50  acres 
of  the  variety.  Here  they  always  l^ear  fruit  more  or  less,  though  this  is 
the  heavy  crop  year,  without  doubt.  I  noticed  that  some  of  the  heavy- 
laden  bush  tree  branches  had  to  be  held  up  with  props,  but  then  the  soil 
beneath  was  heavily  mulched  with  long  manure,  and  good  soakings 
of  water  had  occasionally  been  given.  There  were  also  grand  crops 
of  many  other  fine  varieties,  the  names  of  which  I  have  mislaid,  but 
the  soil  is  evidently  such  as  Apples  like,  whilst  the  garden  enjoys  good 
protection  from  the  north  and  east  winds. 
When  looking  at  the  w  onderful  Crabs  on  bush  trees  I  saw  here,  at 
Sherborne  Castle,  Forde  Abbey,  and  some  other  places,  and  not  least 
some  splendid  espalier  Prince  Alberts  at  Hackwood  Park,  I  could  but 
think  what  an  error  our  fruit  nurserymen  make  in  illustrating  their 
lists  with  representations  of  young  and  very  imperfectly  formed  trees 
from  a  nursery,  rather  than  of  trees  several  years  planted  and  cropping 
in  the  way  1  have  lately  seen  them.  Such  pictures  as  these  would  convey 
far  more  useful  information,  and  prove  splendid  object  lessons  in  relation 
to  either  market  or  private  fruit  culture. 
Mr.  Mitchell  grows  Arums  wonderfully  well  also,  and  the  several 
scores  of  plants  I  saw  there  the  other  day  that  had  been  planted  out 
at  the  end  of  May,  after  beiDg  divided  and  had  the  suckers  removed,  were 
remarkably  sturdy,  indeed  no  plants  kept  in  pots  all  the  season  could 
produce  such  great  stems  as  these  had.  The  soil  is  made  good,  but  only 
occasional,  though  thorough  waterings  given,  lor  frequent  waterings  were 
out  of  the  question.  The  plants  will  be  shortly  lifted  into  pots  of  various 
sizes,  and  will  carry  fine  flowers  all  the  winter.  Besides  these  was  a  row 
of  seedlings,  the  plants  now  ranging  from  14  to  15  inches  in  height. 
These  were  from  seed,  sown  in  warmth  last  January,  and  several  had 
flowered  already.  This  fact  shows  how  quickly  Arums  can  be  obtained 
in  that  way. — A.  D. 
