24 
JOURNAL  OF  HORTICULTURE  AND  COTTAGE  GARDENER. 
January  12,  1899. 
la  consequence  of  “II.  H.  IJ.”  quoting  Cousins’  “Chemistry  of 
ihe  Garden”  as  an  authority  on  the  subject  in  question,  I  obtained 
the  little  book.  I  expected  to  iind  in  it  analyses  of  various  soils 
and  pilanls,  also  advice  given  for  adapting  one  to  the  other  by  the 
application  of  exact  ingredients.  I  am  astonished,  after  the  references 
of  your  correspondent,  to  find  nothing  of  the  kind,  and  think  I  have 
discovered  that  ISIr.  Cousins  has  a  more  practical  mind  than  his 
admirer  seems  to  possess.  What^  does  the  author  say?  Undir 
the  heading  of  “  Plant  Ash  Fallacies  ”  he  says  boldly  :  “  Certain  well 
intentioned  persons  have  analysed  the  ash  of  some  cultivated  plant, 
or  perhaps  have  consulted  the  monumental  work  of  Professor  Wolff, 
which  gives  the  composition  of  the  ash  of  hundreds  of  plants,  and  have 
then  deduced  from  the  figures  set  forth  the  ideal  manure  for  the  plant 
in  question.  This  is  a  method  based  on  the  most  egregious  fallacies.” 
What  has  your  Forest  Hill  writer  to  say  to  that?  or  to  this  ? — “To 
put  it  plainly,  the  plant  ash  is  at  the  best  but  a  general  indication  of 
the  needs  of  a  plant,  and  those  who  employ  it  for  the  practical  instruc¬ 
tion  of  the  worker  are  indeed  blind  leaders  of  the  blind.”  That  is  plain 
enough  in  all  conscience,  and  I  am  not  without  evidence  for  sustaining 
me  in  the  belief  that  it  is  correct. 
I  cannot  resist  saying  that  “II.  H.  Pi.”  appears  an  adept  in  taking 
ideas  from  books  that  be  thinks  favour  his  views,  while  ignoring 
statements  in  direct  conflict  with  his  theories.  Only  on  one  point 
does  he  make  a  practical  suggestion,  and  this  is  the  spending  of  10s. 
on  a  “  simple  analysis  ”  for  testing  the  soil  for  lime,  and  adds  that 
“the  drmonstration  of  this  to  the  extent  of  half  per  cent,  in  the  soil 
would  justify  the  cost  of  a  dozen  analyses,”  or  £6.  Would  it  ?  Only' 
if  the  fact  could  not  be  determined  otherwise;  but  Mr.  Cousins  would 
settle  the  point  with  about  two  pennyworth  of  muriatic  acid. 
There  we  have  the  difference  between  a  real  scientist  and  a  writer 
with  the  best  intentions  but  “no  chemist.”  If  he  had  been  gardener 
to  a  gentleman  who  had  really  very  considerable  knowledge  of 
chemistry,  and  means  for  feeding  plants  and  fruits  scientifically',  and 
had  to  feed  them  “  to  order  ”  till  ashamed  of  a  brother  blue  apron 
coming  into  the  garden,  his  faith  would  be  somewhat  shaken  in  the 
doctrine  of  simple  analysis  of  the  soil  fir  making  ignorant  gardeners 
wise. — An  English  Gardener. 
[\es  ;  but  not  an  ignorant  one  as  judged  by  practical  results  over 
a  long  series  of  years.]  _ 
In  these  days  of  advancement  in  all  the  arts,  it  is  no  wonder  that 
some  of  us  gardeners  are  trying  to  keep  up  with  the  times.  Lecturers 
are  being  scattered  all  over  the  kingdom,  and  when  once  they  can 
induce  us  to  take  up  the  study  of  the,  property  and  composition  of 
plants,  soils,  and  manures,  w'c  in  our  rush  for  knowledge  grasp  at 
every  straw  that  floats  by  us,  feeling  sure  that  if  wc  can  get  hold  of 
it,  it  will  carry  us  to  that  mysterious  land  w'here  we  shall  find  what  we 
seek.  It  is  astonishing  as  we  wander  through  text  book  after  text 
book  on  agricultural  chemistry,  how  rapidly  our  faith  can  change. 
After  passing  through  that  desert  of  dryness  which  w'e  find  standing 
prominently  before  all  the  sciences,  w'e  find  ourselves  in  a  new  world, 
a  world  stretched  out  before  us  containing  a  certain  fascination,  for  in 
it  we  are  able  to  learn  some  of  the  secrets  of  Nature,  and  are  hajipy 
beings.  As  we  wander  on  we  learn  how  all  vegetable  life  is  built  up 
out  of  soil,  air,  and^w'ater — all  such  simple  substances  when  you  under¬ 
stand  them;  and  like  the  writers  of  the  text  books  you  feel  you  only 
want  an  analysis  of  your  soil  and  plants,  and  some  chemicals,  and  then 
you  could  grow’  plants  wonderful  to  behold.  Vain  hopes  of  men  are 
these.  I  he  analyses  and  the  mixtures  of  chemical  manures  do  not 
prove  satisfactory  to  the  test ;  and  strangely  our  friend  Jon'es  grow  s 
finer  fruit,  flow’ers,  and  vegetables  than  we,  and  he — ignorant  man — 
will  have  nothing  to  do  with  our  mysterious  world. 
^  But  onward  we  go,  more  reading  of  more  text  bocks,  new  ideas  are 
bang  evolved  in  our  minds,  and  alas  !  our  first  love  is  now  slighted,  for 
W'e  find  we  have  other  things  to  consider  connected  with  soils  besides 
analyses,  if  Ave  with  to  grow  good  things.  We  are  sorry  for  this,  lor 
we  well  remember  in  our  early  days  what  stress  such  and  such  a 
professor  of  the  soil  mysteries  laid  upon  the  analysis  as  being  the  very 
foundation  of  successful  culture.  His  words  fell  deep,  and  noAA'  in  our 
older  days  and  up-to-dateness  they  have  to  be  uprooted,  for  soil 
chemists  now  tell  us  it  is  not  an  analysis  of  the  soil  that  avo  require, 
but  an  analj’sis  of  that  portion  Avhich  may  be  Avashed  out  of  it  Avith 
water  and  weak  acids. 
I  have  had  my  fill  of  soil  analyses  and  the  making  of  mixtures  for 
plants,  and  noAv  attach  A'cry  little  importance  to  the  former,  but  then 
i  am  only  one  among  the  man}',  and  my  voice  is  lost  amidst  the 
multitude  of  believers.  May  (hey  have  good  crops  and  a  prosrerous 
new  year  is  the  wish  of— A  Wanderer. 
1  are  bound  to  say  that  this  “  Wanderer”  in  search  of  knoAv- 
ledge  has  had  much  more  than  ordinary  laboratory  and  actual  cidtural 
experience,  and  has  found  out  liow  to  succeed  in  growing  produce  for 
the  million  to  a  remarkable  extent.  We  shall  be  glad  if  he  has  time 
to  write  again.] 
CATTLEYA  BOWRIXGIANA  LADY  WIGAN. 
Though  introduced  from  British  Honduras  by  Messrs.  J.  Veitch 
and  Sons  so  recently  as  1884,  the  typical  form  of  CattleyaBow'ringiana 
is  comparatively  w'ell  known,  and  is  highly  appreciated  fjr  its  many 
good  qualities.  In  the  “Orchid  GroAvers’  Manual,”  Messrs.  B.  S. 
Williams  &  Son  say  : — “It  is  closely  allied  to  C.  Skinneri,  but  Ave 
have  found  it  a  much  freer  groAA'er  and  flowerer  than  that  species.  It 
is  stated  to  liaA'c  been  found  on  cliff's  by  the  side  of  streams  near  to 
Avatei falls.  In  consequence,  in  its  native  habitat  it  receives  a  large 
amount  of  moisture.  In  cultiA-ation  it  has  been  found  necessary  to 
give  this  plant  an  abundant  supply  of  moisture,  together  Avith  a  free 
circulation  of  air,”  The  fioAvers  are  lich  rosy  purple  in  colour.  It  is 
in  colour  alone  that  the  variety  Lady  Wigan  (fig.  5)  differs  from  the 
type.  The  sepals  and  petals  are  lilac  Avith  a  rose  suffusion;  the  lip 
is  reddish  lilac  on  the  front  lobe,  A’elvi-ty  crimson  in  the  centre,  Aviih  a 
pale  primrose  throat.  When  shoAvn  at  the  Drill  Hall  on  November 
8ih  by  IMr.  W,  H.  Young,  Orchid  grower  to  Sir  F,“ Wigan,  Bart., 
East  Sheen,  an  a\vard  of  merit  was  recommended  by  the  Orchid 
Committee. 
CYPRIPEDIUMS  AND  THEIR  CULTURE. 
Ranking  as  they  do  amongst  the  most  popular  plants  in  the 
Orchid  family,  Cypripediums  deserA’e,  and  from  many  persons  receive, 
the  closest  and  most  skilful  attention.  For  the  comparatively  small 
groAver  they  are  particularly  valuable,  as  Avith  a  judiciously  chosen 
selection  it  is  quite  possible  to  have  a  fcAv  plants  alAV'ays  in  flower,  and 
these  last  a  remarkably  long  period,  either  on  the  plants  or  cut  for 
placing  in  vases  and  other  suitable  receptacles.  Take,  for  example, 
the.  wc'll-knoAvn  Cypripedium  insigne,  and  think  of  its  value  during 
the  months  of  AA’inter,  Avhen  choice  floAA’ers  are  almost  invariably 
scarce.  In  it  A\’e  have  a  plant  that  will,  year  after  year,  produce  in 
November  and  December  scores  of  flowers,  provided  reasonable  atten¬ 
tion  be  accorded  to  it.  For  the  greenhouse,  the  conservatory,  or  the 
room  it  is  alike  valuable,  and  such  are  the  variations  in  colour  that 
it  never  fails  to  receive  admiration  from  all  beholders.  But  it  is  not 
proposed  in  these  notes  to  deal  Avith  C.  insigne  alone,  but  to  give  a 
general  survey  of  the  genus,  in  the  hope  that  the  remarks  may  be 
help''ul  alike  to  the  owner  of  a  large  c.llection  as  to  the  cultivator  of 
only  tAvo  or  three  dozen  specimens  of  one  or  more  kinds  or  varieties. 
To  groAv  a  varied  collection  of  Cypripediums  tAvo  houses  are 
necessary,  one  that  can  be  maintained  at  a  stove  temperature,  and 
the  other  at  a  cool  intermediate  heat,  and  it  is  immaterial  in  what 
form  the  structures  are  built,  so  long  as  the  heating  and  ventilation 
arrangements  are  perfectly  efficient.  Then,  too,  they  must  be  drip- 
proof,  Avith  top  and  bottom  ventilation,  the  air  from  below  being 
admitted  direct  to  the  pipes  so  that  it  becomes  warmed  before  it  reaches 
the  plants,  for  no  side  lights  must  be  opened  to  admit  cold  draughts. 
It  is  said  that  heat  is  life,  and  to  some  kin  Is  it  may  be  so,  but  to 
olhers  it  is  quite  the  reverse.  The  stoA'e  should  be  so  equipped  that 
CO’  can  be  maintained  in  cold  weather,  though  Avhen  the  temperature 
outside  is  excessively  cold  a  fall  of  2°  or  3°  Avill  do  no  harm.  In  the 
summer  a  temperature  of  70°  at  night  Avill  not  be  prejudicial  if 
abundance  of  atmospheric  moisture  is  provided,  but  a  hot  dry  atmo¬ 
sphere  must  be  avoided.  The  other  structure  should  be  so  arranged 
that  55°  in  the  AA'inter  can  be  commanded,  Avith  a  rise  of  5°  or  6°  in 
the  summer  months,  and  here  again  an  arid  atmosphere  must  not  be 
tolerated. 
To  simplify  matters  in  dealing  Avith  compost,  the  family  may  be 
divided  into  three  sections  : — 1,  the  niveum  section  ;  2,  the  tessellated 
leaved  section,  which  is  well  illustrated  in  C.  Lawrenceanum  ;  and,  3, 
the  green  leaved  section,  and  the  latter  as  being  the  largest  may  be 
dealt  with  first.  Many  of  them  will  grow  in  almost  any  kind  of  soil, 
but  I  have  yet  to  learn  that  there  is  economy  in  using  a  poor  soil  at 
the  outset.  It  is  therefore  our  practice  to  employ  two  parts  of  peat, 
broken  into  good  sized  lumps,  taking  out  as  much  fine  as  possible ; 
one  part  of  sphagnum  moss  picked  clean,  and  one  part  of  best  yellow 
loam,  taking  out  the  fine  in  the  same  way  as  with  the  peat.  These 
ingredients  thoroughly  incorporated  are  used  as  rough  as  possible,  and 
the  potting  is  not  done  too  firmly.  A  slight  elevation  above  the  rim 
of  the  pot  is  all  that  is  desirable.  For  the  tessellated  leaved  section  I 
invariably  use  equal  parts  of  p'at  and  sph  ignum  moss.  In  dealing 
with  the  niveum  section  we  come  to  the  one  that  is  the  most  generally 
unsatisfactory.  A  mixture  of  tAA'o  parts  of  peat  and  tivo  parts  of  loam, 
prepared  in  the  same  way  as  the  other.-',  Avith  a  sprinkling  of  coarse 
