302 
JOURNAL  OF  HORTICULTURE  AND  COTTAGE  GARDENER. 
April  2,  1886 
Orchids  at  Tapton  Court. 
Tapton  Court,  situate  in  the  western  suburbs  of  Sheffield,  the 
residence  of  Henry  Steel,  Esq.,  is  attracting  the  attention 
of  those  who  are  interested  in  Orchid  cultivation.  About 
two  years  ago  Mr.  Steel  began  to  form  a  collection  of  the 
best  kinds,  which  has  grown  rapidly  until  the  plants  now  number 
about  1300.  Yery  great  care  has  been  taken  in  the  selection,  with 
the  result  that  at  the  present  time  the  conservatory  is  filled  with 
an  abundance  of  bloom  that  for  quantity  and  quality  would  be 
difficult  to  beat,  and  certainly  one  of  the  best  exhibitions  of 
blooming  plants  in  this  neighbourhood. 
Odontoglossums  and  Dendrobes  are  exceptionally  good. 
Amongst  the  former  is  a  small  plant  of  the  crispum  section,  an 
imported  piece  (not  yet  named)  that  has  been  in  Mr.  Steel’s  pos¬ 
session  about  two  years,  which  is  now  blooming  for  the  first  time. 
It  has  thrown  up  one  spike,  bearing  twelve  very  fine  blooms, 
3£  inches  in  diameter.  The  petals  are  very  fine,  of  good  substance  ; 
the  inner  ones  are  almost  white,  whilst  the  outer  ones  are  tinged 
with  a  delicate  blush.  This  is  a  very  fine  variety,  and  worthy  of  a 
suitable  name. 
Odontoglossum  maculatum  is  very  good,  its  spikes  of  blooms 
marked  deeply  with  chocolate  brown  are  very  attractive,  as  is 
0.  Andersonianum,  which  is  bearing  spikes  of  well  marked  flowers. 
0.  Sanderianum  is  another  good  specimen,  with  prettily  marked 
though  small  blooms.  Its  white-lipped  flowers  are  good,  and 
give  a  very  graceful  appearance  to  this  plant.  O.  sulphureum  is  an 
excellent  hybrid  bearing,  as  its  specific  name  implies,  flowers  of  a 
pleasing  sulphur  colour.  Amongst  this  section  is  a  plant  of 
0.  Halli,  bearing  a  number  of  fine  buds,  but  they  are  not  yet  open. 
The  Dendrobiums  in  bloom  are  very  well  represented.  Three 
plants  of  D.  Wardianum  are  a  mass  of  very  fine  flowers,  stout  in 
texture,  and  good  in  colour  and  markings.  One  of  them  is  now 
bearing  144  fully  opened  blooms.  D.  Wardianum  album  is  good  ; 
its  pure  white  blossoms  are  very  chaste  and  beautiful.  The  old 
D.  nobile  is  well  represented  by  numerous  varieties.  D.  nobile 
nobilius  bearing  ten  flowering  bulbs,  each  full  of  very  deep  coloured 
flowers,  may  perhaps  be  placed  at  the  head  of  fine  varieties.  The 
deep  colours  and  tints  of  these  blooms  are  quite  a  contrast  to  the 
numerous  light  coloured  varieties  with  which  it  is  surrounded. 
This  year’s  growths  are  2  feet  6  inches  in  length.  D.  nobile 
Sanderiana  (true)  and  D.  nobile  Cooksoni  are  both  well  flowered, 
the  former  having  deep  coloured  flowers.  D.  Ainsworthi  bears  a 
number  of  blooms,  white,  with  a  purplish  lip,  are  very  attractive. 
Another  good  example  is  D.  Ainsworthi  roseurn,  that  carries  on  its 
four  bulbs  about  ninety  finely  marked  blooms.  D.  nobile  (Hardy’s 
variety),  D.  melanodiscus  (hybrid),  D.  Leechianum,  D  Schroderianum 
(true)  are  all  represented  by  good  flowering  specimens.  Other 
varieties  not  yet  in  bloom  are  D.  Amesae  (said  to  be  the  largest 
plant  of  its  kind  in  England),  D.  Yenus  (hybrid),  D.  Aspasia 
(hybrid),  Aureum  x  Wardianum,  very  fine  for  thi3  variety,  the 
growths  being  21  inches  high.  D.  Rolfei  x  Primulinum,  D.  nobile 
Yictoriense,  and  other  good  varieties. 
Amongst  the  collection  are  a  number  of  Cypripediums  (about 
100  different  varieties),  many  of  which  are  producing  a  very  good 
display  of  fine  flowers.  Other  varieties,  in  good  condition,  and 
in  bloom,  may  be  mentioned  Coelogyne  cristata,  C.  cristata  alba, 
and  C.  Lemoinei.  Of  the  alba  variety  there  are  in  different  stages 
of  development  over  twenty  pans.  Cymbidium  Lowianum  is  a 
good  variety,  with  well  -  marked  flowers.  A  few  Cattleyas, 
Oncidiums,  Oalanthes,  Laelias,  and  Phalamopsis  amabilis,  and  others 
with  their  varied  shapes  and  colours  add  to  the  charm  of  the 
beautiful  display  of  chaste  flowers  that  now  fill  the  conservatory, 
making  it  one  of  the  most  beautiful  floral  pictures  that  charms  all 
who  have  the  pleasure  of  seeing  the  collection. 
The  whole  of  the  plants  are  under  the  care  of  the  head  gardener, 
Mr.  E.  Howarth,  who,  with  his  employer,  takes  the  greatest 
interest  and  pleasure  in  Orchids  and  Orchid  culture.  At  the  rapid 
rate  these  plants  have  been  got  together  it  will  soon  become  one  of 
the  finest  in  the  district.  The  illustration  (fig.  53)  is  from  a  photo¬ 
graph  by  Mr.  Bernard  S.  Haigh, — J.  H.  S. 
Notes  on  Aerides. 
The  flowering  of  a  fine  plant  of  the  old  A.  virens  draws 
attention  to  these  beautiful  but  somewhat  Deglected  Orchids,  a  set 
of  plants  not  only  bearing  splendid  racemes  of  well  coloured 
blossoms,  but  being  worth  growing  for  the  fine  appearance  of  the 
plants  themselves  when  healthy.  They  are,  in  short,  truly  noble 
objects  when  well  grown,  and  it  is  difficult  indeed  to  say  why  they 
are  not  more  generally  cultivated.  It  is  not  because  of  any  par¬ 
ticular  difficulty  in  their  culture,  for  few  Orchids  are  more  easily 
grown,  nor  is  it  that  they  do  not  give  a  good  flowering  return  for 
the  trouble  bestowed  on  them.  I  ha^e  always  had  a  great  likirig 
for  them,  and  principally  in  the  hope  that  it  may  induce  some  of 
the  Orchid  loving  readers  of  the  Journal  of  Horticulture  to  give 
them  a  place  these  few  lines  are  penned. 
I  would  not  advise  amateurs  to  procure  imported  plants,  for 
good  established  specimens  of  the  best  species  may  be  purchased 
very  cheaply,  and  these  are  far  more  satisfactory  as  a  rule.  Still, 
some  may  fancy  the  former,  and  I  would  say  to  them,  “  Select 
healthy  looking  pieces  with  firm  strong  leaves,  not  loose  at  the 
axils,  and  the  larger  the  better,  because  more  easily  established.” 
Small  bits  with  shrivelled  leaves  take  years  to  grow  into  decent 
plants,  and  many  of  them  will  probably  die  in  the  meantime. 
When  received  let  every  part  of  the  plant  be  carefully  and 
thoroughly  sponged,  and  all  dead  or  decaying  portions  removed 
with  a  sharp  knife.  Then  suspend  them  from  the  roof  of  a  hot, 
moist  house  with  the  heads  downwards,  damping  them  frequently 
with  tepid  water  from  the  syringe  and  screening  them  from  bright 
sunshine. 
As  soon  as  the  foliage  is  picking  up  and  the  plants  show  that 
the  effects  of  the  heat  and  moisture  are  telling  on  them  place 
them  either  in  pots  or  in  baskets,  filling  up  to  the  base  of  the  lower 
leaves  with  clean  crocks  and  charcoal.  In  a  few  weeks  roots  will 
probably  be  seen  starting  from  the  stems,  and  a  layer  of  clean, 
freshly  picked  sphagnum  moss  should  be  placed  over  the  crocks  to 
regulate  the  moisture  and  form  a  roothold.  After  this  the  culture 
is  simple  and  the  plants  are  soon  established  and  growing  freely. 
Flowers  will  not  usually  be  produced  for  a  few  seasons,  but  this  is 
rather  an  advantage  than  otherwise,  as  the  strain  does  not  come 
on  the  plants  until  they  are  able  to  bear  it. 
When  established  plants  are  procured  from  a  nurseryman  these 
will  not,  as  a  rule,  require  repotting,  this  having  been  done  if 
needful  before  leaving  the  nursery,  and  it  is  only  necessary  then 
to  place  the  plants  in  a  suitable  atmosphere  and  attend  to  them 
carefully  as  regards  watering,  ventilating,  and  other  cultural 
details.  What  constitutes  a  congenial  atmosphere  ?  may  be 
asked  by  anyone  inexperienced  in  their  culture.  I  believe  there  is 
no  better  than  that  of  a  large  spacious  house,  where  instead  of 
hanging  close  to  the  glass  the  plants  may  be  kept  a  yard  or  so 
away,  consequently  requiring  much  less  shading.  In  this  class  of 
house  the  atmosphere  keeps  steady,  and  a  current  of  air  may 
be  allowed  without  its  taking  all  the  moisture  from  the  stages  and 
floor.  Heat  and  moisture  they  must  have,  but  a  natural  heat  and 
moisture  like  that  which  obtains  in  their  habitat,  not  the  stuffy 
and  steamy  heat  of  a  small  narrow  Orchid  house. 
Watering  at  the  roots  is  quite  as  important  as  watering  in  the 
atmosphere,  and  observation  is  necessary  here  as  in  all  branches  of 
culture.  It  will  be  noted  by  attentive  culturists  that  early  in  the 
spring  the  roots,  that  through  the  winter  have  been  wholly  of  a 
dull  whitish  tinge,  are  pushing  young  green  points.  This  shows 
that  they  are  more  actively  searching  for  moisture  to  sustain  the 
growth  of  the  plant.  The  supply  then  at  this  time  will  have  to  be 
increased,  slightly  at  first,  afterwards,  as  the  top  growth  extends, 
giving  it  more  liberally.  All  through  the  growing  season,  that 
usually  extends  from  about  March  till  October,  the  roots  must 
never  be  really  dry,  and  the  sphagnum  moss  about  them  kept 
growing.  After  this  the  points  of  the  roots  will  be  seen  to  be 
gradually  clouding  over  again,  indicating  that  the  season’s  growth 
is  over.  The  water  must  now  be  withheld  by  degrees,  just  as  it 
was  increased  in  the  spring,  until  in  the  winter  little  is  needed, 
just  enough  to  keep  the  foliage  in  good  condition. 
Temperature  is  not  such  an  important  point  in  the  culture  of 
these  plants  as  some  growers  imagine.  Of  far  more  importance  is 
it  to  well  consolidate  the  system  of  the  plants  by  ventilating  the 
house  freely  when  possible  and  allowing  just  as  much  sunlight  as 
may  be  without  scorching  the  foliage.  The  latter  is  of  greatest 
import  during  late  summer  and  early  autumn,  as  it  prepares  the 
plants  for  passing  our  long  cold  winters,  always  trying  to  every 
class  of  Orchid.  In  the  kind  of  atmosphere  indicated  insect  pest* 
are  not  as  a  rule  troublesome,  but  should  scale  put  in  appearance 
the  plants  must  be  carefully  sponged  with  tepid  soapy  water. 
About  the  sheathing  bases  of  the  leaves  and  in  other  positions 
whence  they  are  difficult  to  remove  is  where  the  insects  chiefly 
congregate,  and  a  short  pointed  stick  with  a  bit  of  sponge  tied  on 
the  top  is  useful  for  getting  into  such  places.  Care  must  be  taken 
not  to  puncture  or  injure  the  outer  coat  of  the  foliage,  or  more 
harm  will  be  done  than  if  the  insects  had  been  left  alone. — > 
H.  R,  R. 
