294 
JOURNAL  OF  HORTICULTURE  AND  COTTAGE  GAR.DENEB. 
iVpril  3,  1902^.  • 
Plant  Hybridisation, 
Laelia  Digbyano-purpurata  var.  King  Edward  VII. 
On  page  295  there  is  an  illustration  of  one  of  the  most 
handsome  Orchids  the  firm  of  Messrs.  J.  Veitch  and  Sons, 
Limited,  Chelsea,  have  yet  offered.  We  have  previously  described 
the  variety  (page  241,  March  13,  1902),  where  we  said:  “This  is 
one  of  the  most  astonishing  and  beautiful  varieties  of  the 
Oigbyaim  crosses  now  hi  the  possession  of  the  growers.  The  lip 
is  about  oil!  deep,  and  almost  as  broad,  being  bent  down  in  front 
and  exposing  a  wide  surface.  The  fringed  edges  are  lilac  purple, 
but  the  colour  deepens  greatly  towards  the  centre.  The  open 
throat  is  greenish  or  creamy  yellow,  a  soft  and  pleasing  colour 
Ihe  sepals  and  petals  are  long  and  narrow.”  Mr.  Shayler’s 
sketch,  on  the  page  named,  aptly  depicts  the  noble  form  of  this 
splendid  acquisition.  It  is,  as  the  “Gardener’s  Chronicle” 
lemaiks:  Progression  seems  to  have  carried  this  remarkable 
almost  out  of  touch  with  the  others  of  its  parentage  ” 
When  shown  before  the  Orchid  Committee  of  the  Royal  Horti¬ 
cultural  Society,  oil  March  11,  it  received  a  First  Class 
Certiiicate. 
The  Week’s  Cultural  Notes. 
As  the  roots  of  newly  planted  specimens  commence  to  run  in 
the  new  compost,  the  water  supply  must  be  gradually  I  at 
sensibly  increased.  There  are  some  plants,  such  as  Pleiones  and 
deciduous  Calanthes,  that  need  none  after  repotting,  but  these 
vili  be  rooting  now,  and  a  little  coaxing  by  means  of  f'^eimle 
iraterings  is  necessary.  Heavy  drenches  of  water  have  a  contrary 
effect,  rendering  the  compost  sodden  and  cold,  unfit  for  tbe 
tender  young  roots  and  spongioles  to  enter. 
■  Even  the  coarser  rooted  roots  object  to  the  heavy  soakings  of 
vater  often  given,  and  it  is  well  to  remember  that  roots  are  not 
made  by  moisture  but  put  forth  by  the  plant  to  look  for  ii . 
rfendrobium  nobile,  though  one  of  the  easiest  of  Orchids  to  culti- 
^  badly  checked  by  the  same  circumstance,  thoiudi  in 
a  different  way.  The  tender  young  shoots  at  the  base  of  ibe 
old  growths  damp  off  wholesale  where  the  plants  are  over¬ 
watered,  m  consequence  of  which  back  breaks  have  to  be  depended 
upon  for  cari-ying  on  the  economy  of  the  plant.  Bright  bursts 
of  sunshine  following  a  dull  period  usually  cause  this  dampinn^  to 
be  more  apparent,  but  the  true  reason  lies  in  the  superabuiicfant 
moisture. 
The  scandent  flowering  Oncidiums,  such  as  O.  macranthum 
and  Its  allies,  are  taking  large  supplies  of  moisture  now.  Besides 
the  bulbs  which  are  forming,  the  immense  fioiver  spikes  that 
these  Orchids  produce  are  out  of  all  comparison  wdth  the  size  of 
the  Pi^ts,  and  a  great  strain  upon  their  energies  is  the  outcome, 
io  further  weaken  them  by  wdthholding  a  due  amount  of 
moisture  will  prove  fatel  to  the  strongest  plants.  While  on  the 
subject  of  these  beautiful  Orchids  I  would  like  to  call  attention 
to  their  handsome  and  natural  appearance,  when  the  spikes  are 
allowed  to  trail  about  the  stems  and  leaves  of  Palms  or  lari>'e 
rerns  quite  loosely.  It  is  out  of  all  comparison  with  their  usu'al 
appearance  as  seen  twisted  round  three  or  four  stakes  placed  in 
the  pots.  They  must,  of  course,  be  allowed  to  open  their  flowers 
where  they  are  to  remain,  or  the  proper  and  natural  poise  of  the 
blossoms  IS  spoilt. 
The  V  eather  during  April  ig  always  treacherous,  and  oreat 
care  IS  necessary  mth  the  ventilation,  to  avoid  chilling  draughts 
on  tlie  one  hand  and  a  close,  stuffy  atmosphere  on  the  other. 
days  when  the  sun  is  shining  in  conjunction  with  a 
chilly  wind,  when  one  is  forced  to  shade  more  than  is  good  for 
the  plants,  and  damp  the  houses  freely,  simply  because  the 
first  upiyard  movement  of  the  top  ventilators  lets  in  a  rush 
of  cold  air  that  chills  the  plants.  Constant  care  and  watchfulness 
on  tne  part  of  the  grower  is  absolutely  necessary,  for  tliough  a 
^  hcfivy  shading  now  and  then  may  do  no  great  harm,  weak 
and  arfemiated  groivth  will  assuredly  follow  its  regular  practice. 
— rl.  R.  R. 
liselia  anceps  Simondsi. 
to.  R.  1901,  50.)  Orchidacete.  A  variety  in  wdiich  the 
tto liters  are  pure  white  except  for  slate  blue  lines  on  the  disc,  and 
spots  on  the  front  lobe.  (H.  F.  Simonds.) — 
(“  Ivew  Bulletin.”) 
Phaius  slmulans. 
(0.  R.  1901,  43,  52.)  S.  The  epiphytal  species  known  in 
gardens  under  the  name  of  P.  tuberculosis  is  not  the  original 
plant,  and  has  been  renamed  P.  simulans  in  allusion  to  the 
reiuarkable  resemblance  which  its  flowers  bear  to  those  of  the 
original  species.  [The  plant  figured  in  Bot.  Mag.  t.  7307,  under 
name  of  P.  tiiberculosus,  is  P.  simulans.] — (“  Kew  Bulletin.”) 
There  was  a  good  attendance  at  the  meeting  held  in  connec¬ 
tion  with  the  Devon  and  Exeter  Gardeners’  Association  at  the- 
Guildhall,  Exeter,  on  the  26th  ult.,  at  which  a  paper  was  read  by 
Mr.  George  Lee,  gardener,  Upton  Leigh,  on  “  Hybridisation,  and 
its  Bearing  on  Practical  Gardening,  Botany,  and  Commerce.”  Mr. 
Lee  said  it  was  true  that  science  could  never  obviate  the  necessity 
for  a  practical  acquaintance  with  the  operations  involved  in  the- 
carrying  on  of  ijlant  culture.  The  early  growth  of  horticultural 
science  was  very  slow  indeed,  and  did  not  afford  any  distinct  light 
to  gardening  until  the  nineteenth  century.  In  much  earlier  ages 
there  were  surmises,  born  of  inquiring  minds,  that  were  strangely 
in  accordance  with  the  results  obtained  by  modern  researches  in 
vegetable  chemistry  and  physiology.  For  instance,  Pythagoras 
forbade  the  use  of  Beans  as  human  food,  because  there  seemed  to 
be  something  in  their  composition  akin  to  human  flesh.  A  Greek 
philosopher  named  Empedocles  was  also  bold  enough  to  assert 
that  plants  were  sexual,  and  that  they  possessed  life  and  sensa^ 
tion.  He  (the  speaker)  had  yet  to  learn  that  these  were  more 
than  surmises,  but  the  light  of  the  latter-day  scientific  researches^ 
had  revealed  to  them  the  fact  that  they  were  guesses  that  hap¬ 
pened  to  savour  strongly  of  a  great  truth.  Theophrastus  and 
Pliny  wrote  largely  on  plant  life,  but  not  with  more  knowledge- 
of  their  physiology,  and  little  or  no  progress  was  really  visible 
until  the  sixteenth  century  was  well  advanced.  Grew  and  Mal- 
pigi,  who  devoted  themselves  to  an  anatomical  examination  of 
plants,  were  follov^ed  by  Linnseus  and  Gertner,  who,  trusting  only 
to  the  dissecting-knife  and  the  microscope,  soon  precipitated  into 
ruins  all  the  fanciful  fabrics  of  the  Aristotelians  or  guesses  at 
truth.  They  w-ere  the  founders  of  that  science  of  vegetable 
physiology  which,  enlarged  and  carried  into  practice  by  the  late 
Thomas  Andrew  Knight  and  others,  had  advanced  horticulture 
to  a  degree  of  improvement  undreamed  of  by  their  immediate 
predecessors.  There  was  another  branch  of  scientific  gardening 
to  which  he  desired  to  draw  their  attention.  That  which  was 
called  “  Hybridisation  ” — a  branch  of  horticulture  which  had 
made  rapid  strides  toward  perfection  during  the  last  two  or  three 
decades.  The  raising  of  new  plants  was  an  industry  of  increasing 
importance  for  the  improvement  of  groups  of  flowers,  fruits,  or 
vegetables,  upon  which  special  attention  was  bestowed.  There 
was  really  no  limit  to  the  productions  of  the  hybridist,  and 
without  his  labours  gardens  would  be  shorn  of  much  of  their 
present  interest  and  beauty.  There  were  about  150  cultivated 
species  of  the  Begonia,  exclusive  of  garden  hybrid  and  varieties, 
and  their  prettily  marked  foliage  and  free-blooming  nature  had 
long  marked  them  out  as  a  favourite  garden  plant.  During  tlie 
last  thirty  years  of  the  nineteenth  century  a  new  race,  charac¬ 
terised  by  a  tuberous  rootstock,  annual  herbaceous  stem,  and 
large  handsome  flowers,  had  been  introduced  from  South  America, 
from  which,  by  means  of  careful  cross-fertilisation  and  selection,, 
a  large  hybrid  of  great  beauty  and  incalculable  usefulness  had 
been  raised.  The  Orchids  are  another  great  and  interesting  class 
of  plants,  and  during  the  first  half  of  the  last  century  collectors 
ransacked  the  world  in  search  of  new  species  and  new  genera,  and 
sent  them  to  Europe ;  while  botanists  at  home  were  busy  with 
these  new  treasures,  dissecting,  bisecting,  and  comparing,  so  as 
to  classify  and  name  them.  In  the  middle  of  the  century  a  new 
light  arose  in  the  person  of  Charles  Darwin^  naturalist,  whose 
V  scientific  re.searches  and  experiments,  given  in  his  work  on  the 
fertilisation  of  Orchids,  created  a  new  interest  in  the  world,  and 
gave  an  impetus  to  a  noble  work,  the  scope  and  magnitude  of 
which  was  still  far  beyond  the  sweep  of  mental  vision.  From 
that  time  a  band  of  hybridists  started  upon  a  great  work,  mostly 
with  trepidation  and  uncertainty,  but  with  a  strong  desire  to 
people  the  world  of  flowers  with  new  inhabitants,  born  into  the 
world  through  the  means  of  hybridisation.  As  a  result  the  har¬ 
vest  now  of  Orchid  hybrids  was  rich  and  plentiful.  Nothing  in 
scientific  agriculture  had  attracted  more  attention  throughout 
the  world  in  the  last  ten  years  than  the  raising  of  new  breeds  of 
Wheat  in  America,  and  other  Wheat-growing  countries.  It  had 
been  demonstrated  that  these  new  Wheats  would  increase  the 
present  yield  of  Wheat  in  the  regions  to  which  these  particular 
W’heats  were  adapted  by  four  bushels  per  acre.  If  that  could  be 
accomplished  in  the  United  States  alone  that  would  add  over 
180,000,000  bushels  per  year,  worth  at  a  low  valuation  over 
£28,uu0,000.  These  facts  and  figures  gave  some  idea  of  the 
importance  of  hybridisation  in  the  supply  of  human  food,  and  in 
its  bearing  on  the  commercial  world. — (“  Devon  and  Exeter 
Gazette.”) 
The  Queen’s  Violets. 
In  the  Royal  Con.servatory  Gardens  in  Windsor  Great  Park  a. 
specially  fine  specimen  of  double  Violets  is  being  grown,  which 
has  gained  the  enthusiastic  approval  of  the  Queen.  Her  Majesty 
has  said  that  she  has  seen  none  finer,  and  bunches  are  fre<][uent]y 
forwarded  to  her.  Each  flower  (says  the  “  Daily  Mail  ”)  is  very 
large,  and  of  a  beautiful  colour. 
