October  31,  1901. 
JOURNAL  OF  HORTICULTURE  AND  COTTAGE  GARDENER. 
397 
Cattleya  X  Iris  var.  aureo-marginata. 
This  variety  was  shown  before  the  Orchid  Committee  of  the  Royal 
Horticultural  Society  at  the  Drill  Hall  meeting,  held  on  October  15th. 
Messrs.  Charlesworth  &  Co.,  Heaton,  Bradford,  are  the  possessors, 
this  being  an  improvement  on  the  variety  for  which  they  received  an 
Award  of  Merit  on  September  24th.  The  sepals  and  petals  are 
bronzy  yellow  in  tint,  with  clear  yellow  margin ;  very  attractive 
indeed  they  are.  The  lip,  as  seen  in  Mr.  Shayler’s  drawing,  is  deeply 
coloured,  being  rich  crimson,  and  intensifies  to  a  deep  claret  crimson 
towards  the  centre.  The  owners  were  awarded  a  First  Class 
Certificate. 
The  Week’s  Cultural  Notes. 
During  the  summer  months  the  sphagnum  moss  upon  many  of  the 
block  plants,  such  as  Oneidiums  of  the  teretifolia  section.  Ionopsis, 
Sophronitis  cernua,  and 
similar  weakly  growing  sub¬ 
jects  is  apt  to  grow  very 
long,  and  hold  a  good  deal  of 
water  in  suspension.  As  the 
winter  comes  on  the  reten¬ 
tion  of  so  much  moisture 
about  the  roots  and  base  of 
the  bulbs  is  fraught  with 
danger,  and  it  will  be  well  to 
remove  a  little  of  it.  After 
removing  it  rather  more 
watchfulness  is  needed  for  a 
time,  as  the  plants  dry  up 
much  more  rapidly. 
The  foliage  has  now  fallen 
from  the  earliest  plants  of 
Dendrobium  aureum,  and  the 
roots  may  now  be  kept 
almost  perfectly  dry,  only 
moistening  them  a  little 
should  the  pseudo -bulbs 
show  any  sign  of  shrivelling. 
This  and  D.  nobile,  or  any  of 
the  hybrids  raised  by  cross¬ 
ing  them,  are  the  best  for 
forcing  into  flower  early. 
The  old  plan  of  turning  the 
plants  upside  down  when 
they  are  placed  in  heat  is  not 
a  bad  one,  but  they  must  be 
reversed  when  the  flower 
buds  show,  or  the  natural 
pose  of  the  blossoms  will  be 
spoilt.  In  any  case  it  is 
necessary  to  keep  the  roots 
absolutely  dry  for  a  time, 
else  more  growth  than  flowers 
will  result. 
That  fine  winter-flowering 
Orchid  Zygopetalum  Mackayi 
requires  very  liberal  supplies 
of  moisture  now.  The  young 
roots  are  busy  in  the  new 
compost,  and  the  plant  has  the  double  strain  of  forming  both  flower 
spikes  and  new  pseudo-bulbs.  It  is  now,  if  ever,  that  a  little  stimulant 
in  the  way  of  liquid  manure  is  helpful,  that  from  well  clarified  soot 
water  being  as  good  as  any.  Avoid  getting  this  into  the  cup  formed 
by  the  growing  pseudo-bulbs,  as  it  causes  them  to  decay,  even  clear 
water  being  detrimental,  in  damp  weather  especially  ;  and  see  too  that 
the  roots  are  moist  before  giving  liquid  manure. 
The  night  temperature  now  must  be  judiciously  managed,  anything 
like  a  dry  hot  atmosphere  being  avoided.  Too  much  heat  will  excite 
the  plants  unduly,  while  a  cold  night  means  a  check,  from  which  they 
do  not  readily  recover.  Without  sticking  too  closely  to  stated  figures, 
the  minimum  reading  now  may  be  65  degrees  for  the  East  Indian 
house.  60  degrees  for  the  Cattleya  house,  55  degrees  for  the  cooler 
section.  As  the  winter  advances  and  cold  nights  occur  it  will  be 
found  safer  to  drop  a  little  below  this  than  to  press  the  fire  heat 
unduly,  and  whenever  the  pipes  are  made  hot  there  must  be  plenty  of 
water  to  soften  the  atmosphere. — H.  R.  R. 
Pergolas. 
Cattleya  x  Iris  var.  aureo-marginata  (Natural  Size). 
Kew  Orchids. 
Besides  some  very  fine  Cattleyas,  Oneidiums,  and  a  grand  specimen 
of  Vanda  ceerulea  now  in  flower  in  the  houses  at  Kew,  the  visitor  will 
also  find  quite  a  number  of  beautiful  and  interesting  species  of  lesser 
known  genera. 
Adaptations  of  the  pergola  appear  to  have  come  very  much  to  the 
fore  during  the  last  year  or  so  in  many  of  our  English  gardens,  and 
taking  into  consideration  the  enjoyment  to  be  obtained  for  quite  four 
months  of  the  year  from  a  shady  bowery  walk,  with  rustic  seats 
built  at  intervals,  also  the  numerous  free-growing  hardy  climbing 
plants  at  our  disposal  for  rapidly  covering  this  form  of  structure,  it  is 
not  surprising  at  the  revival  of  a  somewhat  ancient  style  of  gardening. 
There  are  various  ways  in  which  the  pergola  may  be  adapted  to  the 
beautifying  of  our  gardens,  though  it  must  be  borne  in  mind  that  the 
most  ornamental  style  of  building  them  is  not  always  the  most 
beautiful  in  the  end,  for  given  liberal  treatment  the  creepers  will 
rapidly  grow,  thereby  hiding  any  defects  in  the  framework  of  the 
structure.  I  have  in  my  mind’s  eye  one  built  at  considerable  expense 
by  an  ornamental  carpenter,  all  Oak,  with  the  bark  stripped  off,  and 
finished  with  a  coat  of  varnish.  Certainly  if  it  were  the  beauty  of  the 
woodwork  that  was  to  be  admired,  all  would  be  well  and  good  ;  but  it 
presented  an  artificial  appearance  from  end  to  end.  This  should  not 
be  so.  The  aim  should  be  in  this,  as  in  most  other  features  of  a 
garden,  to  imitate  Nature  as  much  as  possible,  due  consideration  being 
given  to  the  features  of  the  grounds  which  it  is  to  adorn,  and  if 
possible  it  should  span  a  frequented  walk ;  if  an  open  one  so  much 
the  better,  leading  to  other 
charming  features. 
The  form  of  the  structure 
should  be  as  simple  as 
possible,  and  be  governed  by 
circumstances  and  individual 
taste.  I  have  seen  brick, 
and  also  stone  pillars  used 
to  support  the  timbers. 
These,  of  course,  will  stand 
the  test  of  time,  but  masonry 
requires  a  considerable 
amount  of  judgment  ere  it 
can  be  introduced.  I  am 
more  in  favour  of  stout  Oak 
posts,  9  inches  in  diameter, 
with  the  bark  left  on.  These 
.should  be  let  into  the  ground 
about  2  or  3  feet,  and  if 
dressed  with  tar  that  length 
it  will  conduce  to  their  last¬ 
ing  properties,  the  base  of 
each  post  being  let  into  a 
small  bed  of  concrete  to 
ensure  a  firm  hold.  Each 
must  be  connected  and  firmly 
secured  by  long  pieces  of 
similar  dimensions  running 
along  the  sides,  while  the 
top  may  be  formed  of  lighter 
pieces,  laid  across,  at  a 
distance  of  2  feet  apart.  The 
sides  may  be  either  left 
entirely  open,  or  a  few  pieces 
may  be  nailed  across  a  short 
distance  down  from  the  top, 
but  the  more  simply  built 
the  better.  As  regards  the 
height,  it  should  not  be  less 
than  10  feet,  for  the  effect 
of  creepers  entwining  and 
rambling  down  through  the 
top  and  over  the  sides  will 
greatly  enhance  the  whole 
appearance  in  time  to  come ;  therefore  sufficient  head  room  must  be 
allowed  to  allow  of  walking  underneath  without  discomfort. 
Fruit  pergolas  formed  of  iron  entirely  are  an  interesting  adjunct 
to  a  kitchen  or  fruit  garden,  especially  if  a  wide  walk  is  at  disposal. 
If  these  are  planted  with  suitable  varieties  of  Apples  and  Pears  on 
the  dwarfing  stocks,  a  pleasing  feature  is  secured  in  the  spring,  when 
the  blossom  are  open,  while  in  the  autumn  and  winter  months  the 
produce  from  the  trees  helps  to  keep  the  shelves  in  the  fruit  room 
occupied.  The  thought  has  sometimes  struck  me  that  where  a  suit¬ 
able  wall  is  not  at  disposal,  yet  where  there  is  a  warm  sheltered 
position,  why  such  a  pergola  built  a  few  feet  from  the  ground  should 
not  be  planted  with  Peaches  and  Nectarines,  choosing  suitable 
varieties  for  the  purpose.  Protection  from  spring  frosts,  and  also 
cold  winds,  could  easily  be  afforded  by  some  light  material,  such  as 
“  frigi  domo  ”  canvas. 
Of  the  numerous  hardy  climbers  suitable  for  rapidly  covering  a 
pergola,  I  may  mention  the  many  varieties  of  the  Clematis,  C.  Jack- 
manni  and  C.  J.  alba  being  very  free.  Then  we  have  Roses  in  variety 
too  numerous  to  detail,  though  among  the  climbing  kinds  I  must 
mention  Crimson  Rambler.  Vines,  the  Claret  Vine  especially,  afford 
a  beautiful  effect  when  trained  upon  the  upright  supports,  and  laden 
with  its  clusters  of  fruit,  and  others  will  be  named  in  a  succeeding 
note  -  -Geo.  Hagon. 
