360 
JOURNAL  OF  HORTICULTURE  AND  COTTAGE  GARDENER. 
October  26.  1X99. 
Epidendrum  radiatum. 
The  blossoms  of  this  Orchid  are  very  distinct,  pretty,  and  sweetly 
scented  ;  but  like  one  or  two  other  nearly  related  kinds,  it  has  never 
been  a  popular  plant.  From  the  top  of  the  pseudo-bulb  it  produces 
erect  spikes  of  flowers,  each  containing  from  six  to  eight,  these  being 
about  1^  inch  across  individually,  the  sepals  and  petals  creamy  white, 
the  inverted  shell-like  lip  pale  cream,  with  purple  radiating  lines.  The 
culture  is  extremely  simple,  as  the  plants  thrive  in  any  warm,  moist 
house,  whether  devoted  to  Orchids  or  not.  The  compost  may  consist 
of  peat  and  moss,  over  good  drainage,  and  ample  moisture  must  be 
allowed  during  the  growing  season. 
Cypripedium  Parishi. 
Anyone  unacquainted  with  this  species,  and  seeing  it  for  the  first 
time,  would  be  inclined  to  doubt  its  Old  World  origin,  so  near  does  it 
come  in  habit  and  the  shape  of  the  flowers  to  the  South  American 
Selenipedium  section.  The  long  pendant  petals  are  green,  spotted  with 
blackish  purple  at  the  base,  becoming  lighter  in  colour,  and  margined 
with  rose  at  the  tips.  Its  thick  green  leaves  point  to  a  vigorous 
constitution,  and  under  cultivation  it  will  be  found  to  thrive  in  a 
sound  substantial  compost.  Ample  heat  and  moisture,  combined  with 
free  supplies  of  water  at  the  roots,  is  necessary.  It  was  originally 
discovered  by  the  late  Rev.  C.  Parish  in  1859,  but  not  introduced 
alive  until  some  years  later. 
Pleione  lagenaria. 
This  beautiful  little  Orchid  is  again  flowering  freely,  and  should  be 
grown  by  everyone.  Although  the  flowers  show  very  little  deviation 
from  those  of  Coelogyne,  the  name  Pleione  seems  to  come  more  natural, 
and  though  the  former  may  be  correct  botanicallyj  the  latter  will  long 
be  used  in  gardens.  It  should  be  repotted  annually  directly  after 
flowering,  the  pseudo-bulbs  pulled  apart  and  replanted  in  equal  parts 
of  peat  fibre,  loam,  and  chopped  moss.  Water  with  care  after  repotting, 
and  until  re-established,  only  a  slight  overdose  of  moisture  being  fatal 
to  many  of  the  young  roots. 
Renanthera  Lowi. 
This  species,  which  is  also  known  as  Vanda  Lowi,  is  a  most 
remarkable  plant  in  many  ways,  and  one  of  its  peculiarities  is  that  of 
producing  two  kinds  of  flowers  upon  one  spike.  A  couple  of  blossoms 
at  the  base  of  each  of  these  are  quite  different  in  shape,  colour,  and 
general  appearance,  and  anyone  unacquainted  with  them  would 
certainly  not  consider  them  as  of  the  same  species  as  those  that  occur 
higher  up.  The  lower  ones  are  brownish  yellow,  with  blunt  sepals 
and  petals ;  the  upper  bright  yellow  spotted  with  red,  the  segments 
longer  and  more  acute. 
Under  cultivation  the  plant  requires  ample  room,  as  it  grows 
10  feet  or  more  high,  and  the  flower  spikes  are  often  a  couple  of  yards 
in  length.  In  large  houses  backed  with  suitable  greenery  such  as 
Tree  Ferns  or  Palms  it  has  a  very  noble  effect,  the  long  pendant 
spikes  giving  a  fine  tropical  appearance  to  the  house.  Naturally  large 
pots  or  baskets  are  required,  and  the  compost  must  have  plenty  of 
large  rough  lumps  of  charcoal  or  ballast  in  it.  Many  of  the  roots  will 
push  out  laterally  in  the  house  to  feed  upon  the  moisture  in  the  atmo¬ 
sphere,  which  ought  always  to  be  plentiful  if  the  plant  is  to  be 
satisfactory. 
Resting  Dendrobiums. 
There  is  no  other  section  of  this  genus  that  requires  so  distinct  a 
resting  season  as  the  spring-flowering  deciduous  kinds,  and  it  is  quite 
time  that  the  majority  of  these  had  finished  their  growth.  When  the 
stems  are  complete  and  ripe  to  the  points,  the  leaves,  as  a  rule, 
begin  to  drop,  and  the  plants  may  then  be  hung  up  in  a  cool  sunny 
house  where  there  is  a  continuous  current  of  air  through  the  winter. 
I  have  had  the  hardier  kinds,  such  as  D.  nobile,  in  a  house  that  actually 
reached  the  freezing  point  on  more  than  one  cold  night,  but  such 
extremes  of  temperature  are  dangerous  and  unwise. 
I  do  not  think  there  is  a  single  exotic  Orchid  that  can  be  said  to  be 
really  happy  in  a  lower  temperature  than  45°,  and  I  am  sure  that  by 
far  the  majority,  even  of  cool  house  kinds,  are  better  with  5°  more 
heat  than  this  when  resting.  None  of  the  deciduous  kinds  need  any 
water  at  the  roots  after  they  are  well  ripened ;  there  is  ample  nutri¬ 
ment  in  the  stems  to  provide  for  the  flowers  that  are  forming  at  the 
time  the  plants  are  apparently  quite  at  rest.  Shrivelled  stems  are 
the  result  of  unripened  growth,  and  such  as  suffer  this  way  must 
have  a  little  moisture. — H.  R.  R. 
NEW  FUCHSIAS. 
The  revival  of  popularity  which  Fuchsias  now  enjoy  as  bedding 
plants  lends  interest  to  the  work  of  those  few  raisers  who  from  time 
to  time  put  into  trade  new  and  distinct  varieties.  Of  these  raisers  few 
have  during  the  past  thirty  years  presented  for  cultivation  more  or 
better  varieties  than  has  the  veteran  James  Lye,  of  Market  Lavington. 
This  excellent  gardener,  after  some  fifty  years’  service  at  Cliffe  Hall, 
with  the  late  Hon.  Mrs.  Hay,  is  now  residing  at  Easterton,  a  village 
half  a  mile  east  of  Market  Lavington.  He  still,  from  time  to  time, 
raises  new  varieties,  and  also  grows  those  fine  specimen  plants  which, 
through  him  and  his  disciples  in  culture,  have  made  the  AVest  of 
England  shows  so  famous  for  noble  Fuchsias.  Such  plants,  indeed,  as 
are  now  never  seen  in  the  metropolis,  or  in  other  directions. 
A  very  fine  stock  of  tall  specimens  now  at  Easterton  comprise 
nearly  all  varieties  that  are  not  yet  in  commerce.  They  vary  accord¬ 
ing  to  habit  of  variety  from  5  feet  to  7  feet  in  the  pots,  and  all  so  well 
grown  as  to  be  perfectly  furnished.  They  are  in  pots  ranging  from 
12  inches  to  15  inches  in  diameter,  and  all  will  next  year,  under  proper 
care  and  attention,  make  splendid  specimens,  both  taller  and  broader. 
The  usual  method  of  culture  is  to  root  young  tops  in  March,  to 
grow  them  in  gentle  warmth,  so  that  they  attain  to  a  height  of 
from  5  to  6  feet  the  same  season,  habit  being  an  important  factor. 
The  general  compost  is  a  good  retentive  yellow  loam  of  a  turfy  nature, 
two-thirds,  some  well-decayed  sweet  horse  droppings  being  mixed  with 
the  loam  a  month  before  use.  Some  good  leaf  soil,  vegetable  ash, 
and  sharp  sand  complete  the  mixture.  Potting  should  be  firm. 
As  a  rule  the  plants  thrive  best  when  stood  out  of  doors  in  a 
partially  shaded  place  during  the  summer  ;  in  winter  they  are  kept  in 
a  light  airy  structure  from  which  frost  is  just  excluded.  It  has  been 
Mr.  Lye’s  special  object  to  obtain  varieties  that,  whether  for 
exhibition,  for  greenhouse,  or  garden  decoration,  retain  the  flowers 
a  long  time.  It  is  so  admirable  a  feature  in  most  of  his  raising  that 
Fuchsias  now  travel  long  distances  in  full  bloom  remarkably  well, 
scarcely  dropping  a  flower.  No  wonder,  then,  that  this  raiser’s 
varieties  are  universally  grown  for  show,  and  are  far  more  popular  for 
all  purposes  than  are  the  many  large-flowered  French  varieties  in 
commerce. 
Probably  of  all  Fuchsias  in  trade  none  has  a  wider  popularity  than 
Mr.  Lye’s  Charming.  Some  of  the  latest  stock  of  seedlings,  however, 
especially  light  ones,  seem  for  floriferousness  to  eclipse  even  that  old 
popular  red  one.  Of  these  new  ones  there  are  two  reds  only.  Master¬ 
piece,  a  noble  plant,  tube  and  sepals  rich  deep  red,  the  latter  well 
reflexed,  corolla  rosy  purple,  wonderfully  free  bloomer,  long  continuing. 
The  other  is  Brilliant,  a  tall  pyramid,  flowers  blood  red  tube  and  sepals, 
corolla  violet  shaded  red,  also  very  free.  Then  of  whites  there  are 
White  Queen,  a  perfect  column  of  foliage  and  bloom,  tube  long,  mauve- 
white  sepals  well  reflexed,  corolla  vermilion  shaded  rose.  Lye’s  Fancy, 
from  the  same  origin  as  the  preceding,  is  wonderfully  flowered,  tube 
white-veined  rose  and  pencilled  sepals,  corolla  magenta  shaded  violet. 
Excellence,  very  tall,  stout,  sturdy,  short-jointed  growths,  profuse 
bloomer,  tube  and  sepals  white,  corolla  blush  red  edged  scarlet.  Amy 
Lye,  of  similar  proportions,  tube  shortish,  sepals  long  reflexed,  white 
shaded  pink,  corolla  reddish  salmon,  very  beautiful.  These  comprise 
the  tallest  growers.  Then  of  more  compact  ones  Marvellous  is  truly 
named,  as  it  seems  to  be  the  most  wonderful  bloomer  ever  seen.  Its 
height  here  is  about  5  feet  to  6  feet,  and  the  branches  are  dense.  Tube 
and  sepals  reddish  carmine,  corolla  violet  purple.  This  plant  (fig.  69) 
is  from  seed  sown  April,  1897.  A  further  beautiful  variety  is  Coral 
Bedder,  also  wonderfully  free,  carrying  from  ten  to  twelve  flowers  on 
each  shoot.  Tube  short  and  stout,  sepals  well  expanded,  and  in  colour 
coral  red,  corolla  pale  pink,  veined  light  red.  There  are  some  others, 
but  these  were  best  in  bloom  when  I  saw  them  in  September. — A.  D. 
EXCELLENCE  IN  MELONS. 
Thanks  are  due  to  the  several  correspondents  who  gave  their 
views  on  the  excellence  of  Melons,  and  the  points  raised  in  my  earlier 
notes,  conjointly  with  those  of  the  Editor.  I  had  anticipated  a 
doubtful  acceptance  of  the  principles  of  judging  by  cultural  merit 
alone,  and  alihough  satisfaction  is  not  always  derived  from  adverse 
criticism,  more  of  the  Melon-growing  Journal  readers  might  have 
advanced  their  opinions  relative  to  the  Melon  as  an  exhibition  fruit, 
the  provision  made  for  them  at  shows,  and  the  mode  of  judging. 
‘‘  A.  D.”  says,  page  248,  “  no  man  acting  as  a  judge  would  be  worth 
his  salt  who  awarded  prizes  to  Melons  solely  by  appearance  ;  ”  and 
further  that  “  the  most  beautiful  externally  may  prove  positively 
uneatable.” 
Replying  to  the  last  quotation  first,  one  is  tempted  to  ask  what 
becomes  of  the  most  beautiful  and  perfectly  grown  Melons  that  every 
day  find  their  way  into  the  dining-room,  as  well  as  others  that  are 
neither  beautiful  to  look  upon  nor  to  eat  ?  My  experience,  as  a  grower 
of  several  hundreds  during  each  year,  is  that  they  are  eaten  ;  and  very 
rarely,  in  my  case  at  any  rate,  is  there  anything,  or  little  beside  the 
