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JOURNAL  OF  HORTICULTURE  AND  COTTAGE  GARDENER. 
February  20, 1896. 
advantage.  If  there  are  any  of  the  long  twining  species  of 
Oncidiums  in  flower  they  look  very  well  hanging  loosely  about 
the  Palm  leaves,  and  this  is  a  much  better  way  of  showing  them 
than  twisting  and  tying  them  around  stakes.  The  body  of  the 
group  must  then  be  filled  up  in  any  way  that  occurs  to  the  mind  at 
the  time,  and  varying,  of  course,  with  the  season  and  the  number 
of  plants  in  bloom.  _ 
A  pretty  mound  may  be  made  by  placing  several  plants  of 
Odontoglossum  crispum  at  the  base,  allowing  the  spikes  to  stand 
just  as  they  grow,  arching,  horizontal,  or  erect ;  for  in  this  way  only 
is  their  true  beauty  seen.  Then  a  plant  or  two  of  the  purple 
0.  Edwardi,  with  graceful  branching  spike,  lend  both  lightness 
and  colour,  while  any  vacant  place  may  be  filled  with  some  light 
and  graceful  Fern,  or  a  finely  cut  Palm,  such  as  Cocos  Weddelliana. 
Or  on  a  groundwork  of  the  showy  Masdevallia  Harryana  or  ignea 
let  a  few  spikes  of  Odontoglossum  Pescatorei  of  the  older,  small¬ 
flowering  type  rise  at  good  distance  apart.  A  pretty  combination 
in  winter  is  Zygopetalum  Mackayi  and  the  deciduous  Calanthe 
Veitchi,  the  former  standing  singly,  the  latter  boldly  massed  ; 
while  among  Cattleyas  and  Dendrobes  there  are  some  of  the  most 
exquisite  tints  that  only  require  careful  blending  to  produce 
pleasing  and  beautiful  effects.  Scores  of  other  species  that  associate 
well  may  be  named,  but  probably  not  much  good  would  thereby 
result,  for  everything  depends  on  the  material  to  hand,  and  these 
will  suggest  themselves  to  anyone  interested  as  the  work  of 
arrangement  is  in  progress.  _ 
A  subdued  light  is  best,  either  to  show  the  flowers  to  the 
best  advantage  or  to  conserve  them  ;  but  ail  tinted  shading  should 
be  avoided.  The  ordinary  net  so  largely  used  for  blinds  to  Orchid 
houses  makes  the  best  shade  for  the  flowering  house.  Not  much 
tying  of  the  plants  should  be  practised,  and  whatever  is  done  must 
be  done  while  the  plants  are  in  bud,  never  after  the  flowers  open, 
for  this  ruins  their  carriage,  making  them  look  strained  and 
unnatural.  Never  allow  one  style  of  arrangement  to  remain  for 
long,  as  a  change  of  position  is  beneficial  to  the  plants  ;  it  is  practice 
for  the  operator,  and  the  interest  of  visitors  is  more  constantly 
maintained. — H.  R.  R. 
Cattleya  Percivaliana. 
Please  inform  me  how  to  treat  an  unhealthy  Cattleya 
Percivaliana.  The  young  growths  have  turned  black,  and  the 
other  leaves  yellow.  What  is  the  cause  of  this  ?  If  not  occupying 
too  much  space  I  should  also  like  to  know  if  Cattleyas,  Den- 
drobiums,  and  Odontoglossums  can  be  grown  well  enough  to  flower 
in  a  heated  frame. — W.  S. 
[Your  plant  of  Cattleya  Percivaliana  must  have  been  very 
inconsiderately  watered,  probably  kept  much  too  wet,  and  most 
likely  given  cold  water.  We  should  advise  you  to  keep  it  perfectly 
dry  for  a  time,  as  in  a  case  like  this  it  is  quite  obvious  that  there 
is  something  radically  wrong.  When  it  has  got  quite  dry  you  will 
see  whether  any  of  the  young  growths  you  speak  of  are  any  good 
or  not,  and,  if  not,  cut  them  clean  off  with  a  sharp  knife,  carefully 
avoiding  injury  to  the  base  of  the  pseudo-bulbs.  Place  the  plant 
in  the  warmest  and  lightest  position  you  have  at  command,  and 
the  dormant  eyes  at  the  base  of  the  pseudo-bulbs  will  break 
again,  that  is  if  the  plant  is  not  too  far  gone.  When  this  is  the 
case  be  very  careful  that  not  a  drop  of  water  touches  the  new 
•hoots,  dipping  the  plant  in  a  pail  or  some  other  vessel  instead  of 
watering  in  the  ordinary  way,  and  let  the  compost  run  quite  dry, 
so  that  the  moss  looks  rather  white,  before  giving  a  fresh  supply. 
Grow  it  carefully  and  water  judiciously,  avoiding  a  too  moist 
condition  of  the  atmosphere,  and  you  may  bring  the  plant  round. 
If,  as  we  suspect,  the  compost  itself  is  in  a  bad  condition,  the 
plant  must  be  repotted  early  in  April,  as  by  that  time  the  sun  will  have 
more  power,  and  you  can  maintain  a  better  atmosphere  than  at 
this  time  of  year.  Broken  charcoal  mixed  judiciously  with  the 
compost  forms  an  excellent  medium  for  keeping  it  sweet,  but 
instructions  as  to  repotting  you  will  find  fully  described  in  back 
numbers  of  the  Journal,  and  a  reference  to  these  will  probably 
assist  you  in  other  cultural  details. 
If  properly  attended  to  the  Orchids  you  name  can  be  grown 
well  in  a  heated  frame.  The  principal  points  to  study  in  this  kind 
of  culture  are  the  ventilation,  atmospheric  moisture,  and  light. 
The  somewhat  confined  space  is  much  more  liable  to  fluctuations  of 
all  kinds  than  a  larger  and  more  spacious  structure.  If  you  will 
send  us  particulars  as  to  the  kind  of  frame  you  possess,  its  aspect, 
size,  and  the  way  in  which  it  is  heated  and  ventilated,  we  will 
endeavour  to  give  directions  that  will  enable  you,  if  you  are  reason¬ 
ably  observant  of  the  habits  of  Orchids,  to  grow  them  ;  but 
without  careful  study  of  their  likes  and  dislikes,  and  unremitting 
attention  to  their  wants,  you  cannot  hope  to  be  successful  with 
them.] 
CCELOGYNE  CRISTATA. 
Next  to  Cattleya  Trianas  this,  says  a  writer  in  a  transatlantic 
contemporary,  is  the  most  useful  Orchid  of  the  midwinter  season. 
The  abundance  of  its  snowy  flowers,  its  dwarf  habit  and  dark 
glossy  foliage  make  it  truly  beautiful  at  this  season.  The  flowers, 
which  measure  about  4  inches  across,  are  produced  in  loose 
racemes  resting  on  the  foliage.  Except  for  the  rich  golden  yellow 
fringes  inside  the  lip,  the  colour  is  pure  white.  The  bracteate 
peduncle  springs  from  the  base  of  an  oblong,  shining,  bright 
green  pseudo-bulb  of  a  walnut’s  size.  The  pseudo-bulbs  are 
formed  on  creeping  stems,  and  bear  one  or  two  long  strap-shaped 
leaves  of  a  dark  green  colour.  A  cool  well  ventilated  house  in  a 
northern  position  is  best  in  the  summer,  and  during  the  flowering 
season  the  plants  should  be  kept  in  the  coolest  part  of  the  green¬ 
house.  While  growing  they  need  frequent  syringing  and  watering 
and  occasional  fertilising  with  weak  liquid  manure. 
HORTICULTURAL  HISTORY  NOTES. 
King’s  Road,  Chelsea,  in  its  Nursery  Days. 
Probably  in  this  good  year  1896  there  survives  not  at  Chelsea 
or  elsewhere  anyone  who  remembers  the  place  when  it  was  but  a 
village.  Still,  Chelsea  has  aged  veterans  amongst  its  time-honoured 
pensioners,  and  other  old  inhabitants  who  can  go  a  good  way  back, 
so  there  are  some  who  can  distinctly  picture  it  to  us  as  a  semi-rural 
suburb,  separated  from  adjacent  Westminster  by  a  stretch  of 
common  land  and  market  gardens.  Even  at  the  date  of  Her 
Majesty’s  accession  a  notable  proportion  of  the  Chelsea  people  were 
occupied  upon  the  land  in  nursery  grounds,  or  in  fields  belonging  to 
the  farms  which  yet  remained  on  its  west  and  north.  I  have  seen 
a  man  who  distinctly  recollected  fields  of  Wheat  growing  almost 
within  sight  of  its  venerable  church.  Numerous  as  the  Chelsea 
nurseries  were  at  one  period,  it  does  not  seem  to  have  possessed  one 
of  the  older  London  nurseries,  such  as  existed  at  Kensington, 
Hoxton,  Mile  End  and  elsewhere.  We  read,  however,  of  the 
cultivation  of  Asparagus,  Artichokes,  Melons,  and  other  choice 
vegetables  on  part  of  the  Five  Fields,  also  near  the  neat  houses 
along  the  river’s  bank  below  Chelsea,  in  the  reign  of  Charles  II., 
and  one  old  author  moralises  over  the  gardener’s  skill  in  producing 
such  delicacies  from  very  unpromising  soil. 
The  modern  King’s  Road,  especially  the  busiest  part  of  it — say 
between  Sloane  Square  and  the  Yestry  Hall — offers  a  great  contrast 
to  the  road  as  it  was  in  its  nursery  days,  when  the  London  citizen 
considered  an  evening  visit  to  Chelsea,  by  land  or  water,  quite 
exhilarating  after  the  day’s  work.  At  first  it  really  was  a  royal 
road,  the  name  applying,  seemingly,  to  the  whole  line  from  Pimlico 
to  Fulham.  In  crossing  what  was  known  commonly  as  the  “  Five 
Fields,”  now  occupied  by  Eaton  Square  and  other  goodly  squares  or 
terraces,  land  chiefly  waste,  it  took  a  very  circuitous  course  to 
the  stream  called  the  YVestbourne,  which  was  at  one  time  crossed 
only  by  a  plank  bridge,  which  Chelsea  gardeners  of  that  date  found 
rather  inconvenient  when  conveying  manure  or  produce,  but  there 
existed  a  stone  bridge  farther  down. 
During  the  reign  of  George  III.,  that  portion  of  the  Five  Fields 
which  had  been  covered  with  Heath  or  Furze  was  brought  under 
cultivation,  and  nursery  grounds  were  in  existence  near  the  eastern 
end  of  the  King’s  Road.  The  nursery  of  Messrs.  Allen  &  Rogers, 
nearly  opposite  the  modern  Coleshill  Street,  was  in  existence  till 
1832,  and  Mr.  Jenkins,  who  afterwards  owned  a  nursery  north  of 
London,  the  site  of  which  is  now  occupied  by  the  grounds  of  the 
Royal  Botanic  Society,  cultivated  about  15  acres  early  in  this 
century  between  this  road  and  Knightsbridge,  somewhere  about 
Belgrave  Square  probably.  After  Eaton  Square  was  laid  out,  the 
central  garden  on  the  north  side  was  Tuck’s  nursery  for  some 
years  ;  afterwards  this  was  removed  to  an  historic  spot  in  Sloane 
Street,  opposite  Cadogan  Place,  still  open,  and  known  as  Cadogan 
Gardens,  but  which,  by  error,  Loudon  calls  “  Sloane  Square.” 
“  This  square,”  writes  he,  “  is  very  ingeniously  laid  out  as  a 
botanic  garden,  the  inhabitants  have  an  opportunity  of  blending 
amusement  with  instruction.  The  plot  being  a  parallelogram  or 
long  square,  and  the  ground  low,  Repton  proposed  to  form  it 
into  a  valley,  the  walks  to  be  winding,  and  the  trees  grouped,  but 
his  advice  was  not  complied  with.”  It  was  actually  laid  out,  I 
believe,  by  the  famous  William  Curtis,  towards  the  end  of  last 
century  ;  then  it  belonged  to  Salisbury  for  a  time,  who  called  it  an 
American  nursery.  It  was  many  years  in  the  hands  of  the  Tucks, 
and  was  only  closed  about  1882,  being  still  preserved  as  an  open 
space. 
When  we  come  to  what  is  properly  Sloane  Square  (familiar  by 
its  railway  station)  we  have  a  place  which  was  certainly  not  garden¬ 
like  at  the  time  the  King’s  Road  Nurseries  were  flourishing,  but 
which  is  described  as  being  then  bare  and  uninviting  ;  true  there 
