471 
S1,  1896. 
JOURNAL  OF  HORTIOULTUlx U  AND  COTTAGE  GARDENER. 
An  Amateur’s  Garden — Orchids  as  Town  Plants. 
An  invitation  to  visit  a  city  garden  took  me  through  streets 
and  squares  until  I  found  myself  at  North  Parade,  Lincoln,  the 
home  of  Mr.  T.  J.  Withers.  It  is  not  a  large  garden,  only 
30  feet  by  15,  but  the  number  of  plants  grown  in  it  is  wonderful  ; 
not  an  inch  of  room  is  wasted.  In  the  garden  is  a  4  feet  brick  wall 
which  separates  him  from  his  neighbour.  About  8  inches  from  the 
top  of  the  bound¬ 
ary  wall  a  shelf  is 
fixed  for  growing 
Chrysanthemums— 
something  over  a 
hundred.  Mr. 
Withers  intends 
taking  some  prizes 
again  in  Novem¬ 
ber.  The  shelves 
in  a  span  -  roof 
house,  15  feet  by 
10,  were  laden  with 
Strawberries  pro¬ 
ducing  fine  ripe 
fruit  of  President 
and  John  Ruskin. 
On  one  side  were 
Tomatoes  growing 
in  pots  setting 
heavy  clusters  of 
Frogmore  Selected, 
Red  King,  Golden 
Queen,  and  Warrior 
On  the  stages  was 
a  number  of  green¬ 
house  plants.  A 
lean-to  house,  18  ft. 
by  5  feet,  made  for 
flowering  Chrys¬ 
anthemums  in,  is 
now  full  of  Toma¬ 
toes,  giving  every 
appearance  of  a 
heavy  crop. 
In  a  frame  were 
found  a  splendid  lot 
of  Odontoglossums 
located  for  the 
summer,  four  dozen 
plants  clean  and 
healthy,  some  of 
which  have  pro¬ 
duced  beautiful 
spikes.  “Now come 
up  the  cockloft  and 
have  a  look  at  the 
Orchids.”  Climbing 
a  ladder,  we  come  fig.  78.— an  amateur’s 
into  a  house  15  feet 
by  10,  built  on  the 
top  of  the  coal-house  and  wash-house,  which  is  filled  with  a 
collection  of  Orchids  as  fresh  and  clean  as  if  grown  in  the 
country  instead  of  near  large  foundries  and  gas  houses.  Amongst 
many  in  flower  were  Oncidium  Forbesi,  0.  incurvum,  O.  tigrinum, 
Cypripedium  barbatum,  showing  sixteen  flowers  ;  C.  Lawrence- 
anum,  three  flowers  ;  C.  villosum,  C.  insigne,  also  Odontoglossum 
crispum,  O.  vexillarium,  showing  twelve  spikes.  I  also  noticed 
healthy  examples  of  Adas,  Sophronitis,  Lselias,  Calanthes, 
Coelogynes,  Lycastes,  several  plants  of  Dendrobium  nobile,  one 
in  an  hazel  basket,  which,  when  photographed  (fig.  78)  carried 
over  600  flowers,  and  is  now  making  sixty  fine  new  growths. 
Mr.  Withers’  treatment  of  this  Orchid  is  very  simple.  When 
making  its  growth  in  the  Orchid  house  it  is  given  liquid  manure 
occasionally,  and  at  the  end  of  September  is  moved  into  the 
greenhouse,  which  often  falls  to  40°  at  night.  It  is  taken  back  into 
heat  again  the  first  week  in  January  for  flowering.  Ferns  are 
associated  with  the  Orchids,  and  the  stage  is  edged  with  Panicum 
variegatum.  What  splendid  town  plants  Orchids  are. 
The  back  wall  is  covered  with  cork,  with  Rex  Begonias,  Ficus 
repens,  and  Ferns  growing  from  the  pockets,  and  having  a  pleasing 
appearance.  Mr.  Withers  built  his  own  houses,  fixed  his  own 
heating  apparatus,  and  grows  all  bis  own  plants  in  such  spare 
moments  as  he  can  find  from  the  claims  of  his  daily  occupation. 
The  results  are  most  creditable,  indeed  surprising. — C.  W.  P. 
Royal  Exotic  Nursery. 
It  is  now  many  years  since  this  Chelsea  nursery  came  to  be 
regarded  as  one  of  the  first  establishments  for  Orchids,  but  since 
that  distinction  was  primarily  attained  there  has  been  no  falling  back, 
with  the  result  that  the  firm  of  Messrs.  J.  Veitch  &  Sons  is  looked 
on  by  numbers  of  people  at  the  present  day  as  one  of  the  chief 
mainstays  of  the  Orchid  world.  Probably  all  parts  of  the  globe 
known  as  being  likely  to  produce  these  all-desired  flowers  have 
been  visited  by  the 
Yeitchian  travel¬ 
lers,  and  that  they 
have  been  success¬ 
ful  in  their  wander¬ 
ings  can  be  amply 
proved  by  anyone 
who  cares  to  visit 
the  nursery.  There 
will  be  found  plants 
from  this  quarter 
and  plants  from 
that,  the  one  collec- 
ti<  n  having  come 
from  one  traveller 
and  a  second  from 
another,  and  many 
have  been  the  trea¬ 
sures  so  placed  be¬ 
fore  British  orchid- 
ists.  The  work  of 
importation  still 
goes  on,  and  it  is 
hoped  that  it  will 
do  so  for  an  in¬ 
definite  period,  for 
it  appears  that  there 
is  a  never  failing 
stock  of  gems  in 
these  far  off  lands, 
and  for  them  all 
room  will  be  found 
in  the  Orchid  col¬ 
lections  of  this 
country. 
Though  the  pro¬ 
gress  of  Orchid  cul¬ 
ture  has  been  un¬ 
ceasing  at  Chelsea 
the  ways  and  means 
have  varied  con¬ 
siderably.  New 
houses  have  been 
erected  on  new  and 
old  sites,  and  every 
possible  precaution 
has  been  taken  to 
prevent  the  plants 
suffering  from  the 
effects  of  the 
smoke-permeated  atmosphere.  Not  many  years  ago  the  well- 
known  Mr.  Seden  could  be  seen  daily  at  Chelsea,  but  now  his 
visits  are  rare,  because  both  he  and  his  charges  have  been  trans¬ 
ferred  to  a  rural  home,  where,  under  the  influences  of  the  purer  air, 
the  plants  thrive  apace.  Thus  it  is  that  we  hear  so  Beldom  of  those 
magnificent  hybrids  for  which  the  firm  is  celebrated  until  they 
reach  the  Drill  Hall  to  be  seen,  and  generally,  it  may  be  added, 
to  be  certificated.  They  come  fresh  and  rich  in  colour,  varying  in 
form,  but  always  improving  in  quality,  until  one  involuntarily 
wonders  whether  the  flow  will  ever  receive  a  check  or  cease. 
DENDROBIUM  NOBILE, 
Hybrids  and  bi-generic  hybrids  come  in  a  constant  stream,  and 
prove  how  unceasing  has  been  the  work  of  the  firm  and  its  assistants 
amongst  these  plants.  If  one  wants  an  Orchid,  and  does  not  mind 
paying  for  it,  that  has  never  before  been  seen — the  result  of  many 
years  of  anxious  watching—one  may  be  sure  of  getting  it  through 
Chelsea,  for  it  is  probably  well  within  the  mark  to  say  that  they 
have  always  one  plant  in  flower  to  which  the  words  absolutely  new 
