444 
JOURNAL  OF  HORTICULTURE  AND  COTTAGE  GARDENER. 
November  21,  1899. 
Dendrobium  Treacherianum. 
No,  “  Young  Orchidist,”  this  plant  is  not  commonly  seen  at  horti¬ 
cultural  exhibitions.  It  has  on  occasions  been  shown  by  Mr.  W.  H, 
White,  Orchid  grower  to  Sir  Trevor  Lawrence,  Bart.,  Burford  Lodge, 
Dorking,  who  was  some  years  ago  accorded  a  first  class  certificate  for 
a  splendid  plant  of  it  at  one  of  the  Drill  Hall  meetings  of  the  Royal 
Horticultural  Society.  The  particular  specimen  referred  to  was 
bearing  three  spikes  of  flowers  carrying  ten,  seven,  and  five  blooms 
respectively.  The  colour  of  the  sepals,  petals,  and  the  front  portion 
of  the  lip  is  bright  rose  shading  to  crimson  towards  the  throat  and  side 
lobes.  Several  flowers  on  the  plant  shown  were  fully  expanded;  while 
others  were  still  in  the  bud  stage.  The  illustration  (fig.  82,  page  459) 
will  convey  to  our  correspondent  and  other  interested  readers  the 
form  of  the  flowers  and  their  method  of  production. 
Orchid  Sale  at  Manchester 
Mr.  J.  Barker  writes:— “  Kindly  make  correction  in  the  next 
issue  of  the  Journal.  In  the  report  of  sale  of  Orchids  at  Manchester, 
page  428,  Cypripedium  callosum  Sanderee  reads,  ‘  with  five  growths, 
75  guineas,’  This  sum  should  be  175  guineas. 
Cypripedium  niveum. 
This  is  a  lovely  little  Orchid,  and  one  of  the  most  charming  of  the 
Cypripediums.  The  pretty  white  flowers  are  well  set  up  by  the  fine 
handsome  foliage,  and  flowering  at  this  dull  time  it  is  exceptionally 
welcome.  Most  growers  have  found  a  few  pieces  of  limestone  used  in 
the  compost  or  for  drainage  has  a  good  effect  upon  the  roots,  and 
though  many  fine  plants  are  grown  without  it,  the  lime  is  certainly  an 
advantage.  Tufa,  such  as  is  used  in  Derbyshire  for  road  mending,  is 
also  recommended  for  the  purpose,  and  the  porosity  of  the  material 
should  be  an  advantage. 
Phal^enopsis. 
There  is  not  much  growth  in  the  Moth  Orchids  now,  and  it  must 
be  the  aim  of  the  grower  to  give  just  sufficient  moisture  at  the  roots 
to  induce  a  healthy  condition  without  surfeiting  them.  It  is  far 
easier  to  give  too  much  than  too  little,  and  a  plant  that  really  needs 
water  is  not  so  much  injured  by  going  a  day  without  it  as  is  one 
already  moist  by  being  again  watered  ;  and  much  depends,  too,  upon 
the  variety.  Stout  growers  can  put  up  with  a  little  neglect,  or  on 
occasion  are  not  particularly  injured  by  an  extra  watering,  but  when 
we  come  to  small  growers  of  weak  constitution,  such  for  instance  as 
P.  Lowi,  there  is  not  very  much  to  come  and  go  on,  and  a  deal  of  care 
is  needed. 
Atmospheric  moisture  and  ventilation  also  require  careful  manipu¬ 
lation.  A  close  moist  house  keeps  the  plants  in  a  soft  green  state, 
and  is  wrong,  while,  on  the  other  hand,  draughts  of  cold,  dry  air, 
though  the  plants  may  not  look  any  the  worse  now,  will  assuredly  be 
followed  by  the  loss  of  foliage  later  on.  Endeavour  in  all  cases,  then, 
to  maintain  a  suitable  atmosphere  that,  without  being  in  the  least 
exciting  to  the  plants,  will  insure  them  against  being  checked. 
Cattleya  Bowringiana  lilacina. 
One  misses  the  fine  colouring  of  the  type  in  this  pretty  variety, 
but  the  pale  mauve  or  lilac  is  equally  beautiful.  It  is  not  common 
in  cultivation,  but  one  occasionally  comes  across  fine  plants.  Many 
growers,  especially  within  the  metropolitan  area,  are  in  the  habit  of 
growing  this  species  in  ample  warmth,  with  a  view  to  getting  the 
flowers  early  before  the  worst  of  the  fogs ;  and  it  is  a  very  good 
plan,  for  the  growth  is  extremely  free.  The  only  thing  is  that 
growers  in  the  country  do  not  require  the  flowers  early,  but  they  are 
very  beautiful  whenever  they  come. — H.  R.  R. 
L^lio- Cattleya  exoniensis. 
Although  one  of  the  first  hybrid  Cattleyas  raised  in  this  country, 
it  is  still  amongst  the  rarest,  and  one  which  is  often  seen  dwindling 
instead  of  thriving.  When  seen  in  the  latter  condition  it  can  scarcely 
be  surpassed.  This  plant  with  me  succeeds  admirably  under  the 
treatment  recommended  for  C.  aurea  (page  341),  and  is  one.  of  those 
Orchids  that  demand  careful  watering  at  all  times.  No  plant  loses 
its  roots  quicker  if  watered  excessively,  and  no  Cattleya  will  shrivel 
quicker  should  the  supply  be  insufficient.  The  whole  difference 
between  success  and  failure  lies  in  these  little  matters,  and  I  would 
urge  all  enthusiastic  cultivators  who  do  not  reap  the  success  their 
labours  deserve,  to  carefully  study  the  plants,  and  the  response  to 
sound  treatment  will  be  prompt  and  lasting. 
Cattleya  Maroni. 
This  beautiful  hybrid  between  C.  aurea  and  C.  velutina  improves 
with  extended  culture  and  increased  strength,  the  flowers  being 
much  larger  and  brighter  in  colour.  The  plant  is  a  good  grower 
in  a  warm  intermediate  house,  and  appears  when  in  active  growth 
to  delight  in  an  abundant  supply  of  water.  The  flowers,  which 
are  produced  from  the  top  of  the  young  pseudo-bulbs  three  or  four 
together,  are  of  a  peculiar  deep  fawn  colour,  the  lip  being  of  a  richer 
shade  heavily  suffused  with  lines  of  a  deep  purple.  It  is  a  most 
•uncommon  flower,  and  deserves  a  place  in  any  collection  of  Cattleyas. 
It  is  intermediate  as  regards  size  between  its  parents,  but  few  persons 
would  imagine  C.  velutina  producing  such  a  beautiful  or  delightful 
Orchid.  It  was  raised  on  the  Continent  by  the  hybridiser  whose  name 
it  bears. — J.  Barker,  Hessle. 
PEAR  MARGUERITE  MARILLAT. 
This  Pear,  which  is  of  French  origin,  was  introduced  into  this 
country  some  years  ago,  and  is  uow  sufficiently  well  known  to  be 
regarded  as  one  of  the  most  valuable  varieties  for  September  and 
October  use.  At  a  meeting  of  the  Royal  Horticultural  Society  held  on 
October  10th  Mr.  Geo.  Woodward  sent  from  Barham  Court  Gardens, 
near  Maidstone,  a  collection  of  fruits  including  Marguerite  Marillat,  to 
which  the  Fruit  Committee  recommended  a  first-class  certificate.  One 
of  these  specimens  is  represented  in  the  illustration  (fig.  80),  and  this 
particular  fruit  weighed  18|  ozs.  In  appearance  this  Pear  is  decidedly 
handsome.  The  colour  is  clear  lemon  yellow  with  very  numerous  pale 
brown  spots  of  russet  and  occasional  patches  of  similar  colour.  The 
deeply  set,  medium  sized  eye  has  stout  incurving  segments,  and  is 
surrounded  by  a  large  patch -of  light  brown  russet.  The  very  stout 
stalk,  about  three-quarters  of  an  inch  long,  is  set  on  the  side  of  the 
fruit,  and  its  fleshy  base  is  encircled  with  thin  russet.  The  cream 
coloured  flesh  is  firm,  with  a  faint  suspicion  of  grittiness,  and  a  slightly 
musky  aroma.  It  is  very  juicy  and  rich  in  flavour.  Marguerite 
Marillat  has  grown  rapidly  in  public  esteem,  and  its  popularity  will 
increase  immensely  as  its  undoubted  merits  become  fully  recognised. 
LONDON  GARDENS  OYER  FIFTY  YrEARS. 
No.  1-5. 
We  cannot  expect,  at  the  close  of  the  nineteenth  century,  to  find: 
any  old  inhabitant  of  London  who  could  remember  running  about 
Marylebone  Fields  when  he  was  a  boy.  But  1  have  spoken  to  those 
who  were  acquainted  with  that  locality  before  the  Regent’s  Park  was 
formed,  and  the  numerous  streets  or  terraces  around,  who  recollected 
the  manor  house  and  the  noted  gardens,  though  they  had  not  seen 
St.  John’s  Wood  as  a  wood.  This,  no  doubt,  was  a  part  of  the 
original  park  which,  in  the  reign  of  George  III.,  became  Marylebone 
Fields,  being  mostly  thrown  open  to  the  public.  But  the  old 
name  lingers ;  yet  few  connect  it  with  St.  Mary-on-the-Bourne,  the 
church  beside  a  memorable  streamlet  long  dried  up.  At  one  time 
folks  not  only  called  but  wrote  it  “  Marrowbone,”  our  forefathers 
being  easy  in  the  matter  of  spelling.  The  Regent’s  Canal  flows  along 
the  edge  of  the  present  park  in  place  of  the  old  brook,  and  there  is  a 
large  piece  of  ornamental  water  ;  the  ground  might  be  regarded  as  a 
valley,  sheltered  by  Primrose  Hill  and  the  northern  heights,  on  the 
east  and  west  are  undulations,  and  an  incline  to  the  south.  Really  a 
capital  space,  as  we  may  see,  for  horticultural  purposes. 
The  Regent’s  Park  of  1899  looks  decidedly  different  from  the  park 
of  1849,  the  change  on  the  whole  an  improvement ;  for  one  thing,  trees 
that  were  only  juveniles  then  have  attained  now  to  a  goodly  size,  some 
rubbish  has  been  removed,  more  trees  or  shrubs  planted,  and  flower 
beds  formed.  That  the  park  was  not  opened  to  the  public  till  1838, 
about  sixty  years  ago,  seems  to  be  the  fact;  ’tis  certain,  however,  that 
people  had  access  to  Jenkins’  nursery  in  the  central  part,  for  he  must 
have  commenced  his  business  long  before ;  indeed,  when  Nash  gave 
up  his  scheme  of  building  there  a  palace  for  George  IV.,  Thomas 
Jenkins  made  the  best  of  his  18  acres  of  stiff  cold  clay,  imperfectly 
drained,  planting  ornamental  as  well  as  fruit  trees,  amongst  them 
many  Weeping  Ash  and  Elms,  with  Birches  and  Horse  Chestnuts, 
some  of  which  remain.  He  was  one  of  the  first  growers  of  Andromeda 
floribunda,  and  his  nursery  became  famous  for  its  Rhododendrons. 
The  Royal  Botanic  Society,  we  note,  present  occupiers  of  the  ground, 
had  annual  shows  of  the  flower  from  1849  to  1874. 
This  useful  and  prosperous  Society  took  over  Jenkins’  nursery  in 
1840,  being  then  quite  young,  and  numerous  alterations,  mostly 
improvements,  have  been  carried  out  during  the  past  sixty  years.  At 
that  date  the  condition  of  both  Kew  and  Chiswick  was  unpromising, 
so  there  seemed  ample  room  for  a  new  society  designed  to  advance 
botany  and  horticulture  ;  it  has  certainly  been  of  service  to  gardeners. 
While  recognising  the  valuable  work  done  by  several  connected  with 
