250 
JOURNAL  OF  HORTICULTURE  AND  COTTAGE  GARDENER. 
March  30,  1899. 
even  when  the  expense  of  coping  board-<  and  pulleys  is  not  incurred, 
though  the  latter  arrangement  is  preferable  on  account  of  the  ease 
with  which  the  coverings  may  be  drawn  up  or  lowered  as  required, 
rnfortunately,  however,  in  many  cases  the  necessary  materials  are 
not  provided  in  time  to  be  effectual. 
After  a  sharp  frost  it  is  a  good  plan  to  let  the  trees  remain  covered 
till  near  noon,  when  they  are  in  position  which  the  sun  catches  early 
in  the  morning,  as  many  instances  might  be  recorded  in  which  both 
plants  and  fruit  blossom  have,  after  being  slightly  frozen,  been  saved 
from  ruin  through  warding  off  the  sun’s  rays.  It  is  not  always  the 
frost  alone  which  does  the  damage,  it  is  the  rapid  change  from  cold  to 
heat  which  c.auses  scald.  Spruce  boughs  or  fronds  of  bracken  fastened 
over  trees  in  llower  in  cases  of  emergency  will  often  prevent  disaster, 
and  a  plentiful  supply  of  these  materials  are  useful  for  many  purposes 
in  spring. 
We  may,  perhaps,  some  day  find  out  a  way  of  protecting  fruit 
trees  in  opren  quarters  from  the  devastating  effects  of  frost  which  occur 
while  they  are  in  flower.  When  we  do  there  will  be  a  good  time  in 
store  for  the  British  fruit  grower.  The  resourceful  Americans  seem  to 
be  stealing  a  march  upon  us  in  this  respect,  for  they  have  long  been 
trying  expjeriments  in  that  direction.  Their  plan  of  procedure  is  to 
light  fires  in  their  orchards  during  the  evening  when  sharp  frosts  are 
expected. 
The  fires  are  made  of  green  brushwood  and  other  rubbish 
which  burn  slowly,  and  they  claim  to  be  able  to  arrest  the  lowering 
of  the  temperature  of  the  air  around  their  fruit  trees  by  several 
degrees,  through  checking  radiation  by  the  cloud  of  smotte,  which 
is  also  pirovided  in  the  morning  to  prevent  the  injurious  effect  of 
sunshine  after  frost.  This  seems  at  least  to  be  a  plucky  attempt  at 
graspring  an  opportunity.  I  wonder  if  any  British  fruit  grower  has 
tried  the  plan  ?  It  was,  I  believe,  borrowed  from  continental  Vine 
growers. 
Turning  to  the  kitchen  garden  we  find  hosts  of  important  matters 
requiring  attention  while  the  conditions  are  favourable  for  the  work. 
The  laud  is  in  that  beautifully  dry  crumbling  condition  so  favourable 
to  seed  sowing.  Onions  and  Parsnips  should  have  been  sown  several 
weeks  ago  ;  if  not  done  the  work  ought  to  be  attended  to  at  once, 
though  in  the  case  of  Onions  such  late  sowing  paves  the  way  for 
a  bad  attack  of  maggot,  as  the  young  plants  do  not  have  time 
to  grow  out  of  the  critical  stage  before  the  egg-laying  flies  are 
hatched  out.  It  is  true  they  cannot  always  do  so,  but  it  is  wise  to 
give  them  a  chance. 
Successional  Peas,  Beans,  and  Spunach  will  also  need  sowing,  and 
the  main  crop  of  Carrots.  Where  there  are  warm  sunny  borders, 
early  stocks  of  Lettuce,  Cabbage,  and  Cauliflower  will  be  making  good 
progress  if  the  soil  is  kept  frequently  stirred  during  sunny  days,  and 
other  sowing  need  be  made  in  similar  position.  Cauliflowers  pdanted 
in  opjen  quarters  should  be  set  in  drills,  and  have  refuse  placed  around 
them  for  protection  ;  if  these  are  allowed  to  remain  till  the  piresent 
spell  of  cold  nights  has  passed,  removing  them  when  the  weather  is 
open,  it  is  surprising  how  little  a  few  degrees  of  frost  will  affect  them. 
Slight  protection  where  possible  seems  to  be  the  golden  rule  to 
observe  with  so  many  spring  cropos  in  our  treacherous  climate.  There 
is  also  the  great  work  of  Potato  pdanting.  Many  early  ones  have 
already  been  “  committed  ”  to  the  soil,  and  will  p  erhaps  later  on  feel 
the  keen  touch  of  a  May  frost ;  but  it  is  always  a  good  plan  to  plant 
some  of  the  early  varieties  at  the  end  of  March  or  early  in  April,  and 
throughout  the  latter  month  every  opportunity  should  be  taken  to 
plant  both  midseason  and  late  kinds  till  the  whole  of  such  work  has 
been  completed. 
To  lay  a  sure  foundation  upon  which  to  rear  success  in  vegetable 
culture,  the  autumn  and  winter  work  of  deepi  digging  must  be 
practised,  but  it  is  not  less  important  that  work  should  be  kept  web 
in  hand  during  the  spring  ;  and  while  taking  advantage  of  favourable 
opportunities  for  sowing  and  plantmg,  the  frequent  stirring  of  the 
soil  to  let  in  warmth  and  keep>  weeds  in  check,  must  not  be  neglected, 
if  the  tide  of  spring  promise  is  to  flow  onward  to  a  bountiful 
harvest. — Onward. 
Ljelio-Cattleya  Ernesti  Princess  Olga. 
At  one  or  two  of  the  more  recent  meetings  of  tUe  Royal  Horti 
cultural  Society,  Mons.  Ch.  Maron  ot  Brunoy,  Fiance,  has  been- 
represented  by  some  superb  hybrid  Orchids,  and  on  February  28th 
amongst  others  exhibited  was  Lselio-Cattleya  Ernesti  Princess  Olga, 
which  is  admirably  depicted  in  the  woodcut,  fig.  61.  This  bigeiieric 
hybrid  came  from  a  cross  between  Laelia  flava  and  Cattleya  Perci- 
valiana,  and  is  of  exceptional  beauty.  In  form,  substance,  and  colour 
it  is  wed  nigh  perfect,  and  every  visitor  to  the  Drill  Hall  was  charmed 
with  this  superb  addition  to  the  Orchid  family.  Tne  colour  is  a  rich 
yellow  with  a  deeper  suffusion  in  the  sepals  and  petals,  the  latter  being 
comparatively  broad  and  wavy  at  the  margins,  d'he  splendid  lip  is 
crimson,  paler  at  the  edges.  The  Orchid  Committee  recommended  a 
first-class  certificate  to  the  plant,  which  we  understand  passed  imme¬ 
diately  to  the  collection  of  Mr.  Norman  C.  Cookson. 
L^LIA  KLAVA. 
This  little  Brazilian  species,  although  not  so  showy  as  some  of  the- 
larger  Laelias,  is  well  worthy  a  place  in  any  collection,  on  account  of 
its  clear,  shining,  yellow  colour.  To  the  hybridist  it  has  proved 
invaluable,  as  by  its  aid  such  valuable  hybrids  as  L.-C.  Princess  Olga 
and  L.-C.  Myra  have  been  raised.  The  former  is  a  hybrid  between 
Cattleya  Percivaliana  and  this  specie.s,  and  the  latter  a  cross  with 
Cattleya  Trianse.  It  succeeds  under  the  same  conditions  as 
L.  cinnabarina,  which  it  resembles,  only  it  is  much  smaller,  therefore 
should  be  hung  close  to  the  glass  in  the  intermediate  house. 
L^lio-Cattleya  Bella. 
This  beautiful  hybrid  is  now  in  flower,  and  although  one  of  the 
first  to  be  raised  by  Mr.  J.  Seden  it  is  still  one  of  the  most  charming, 
but,  unfortunati  ly,  is  still  very  scarce.  It  is  a  cross  between  Laelia 
purpurata  and  the  old  stock  of  Cattleya  labiaia.  The  flowers  are 
large,  quite  10  inches  across,  the  sepals  and  very  broad  petals  being  of 
a  rosy  lilac  colour,  and  the  lip  over  2  inches  across,  with  a  broad 
anterior  wavy  lobe  of  rich  purple  or  lake,  with  a  lighter  purple  disc. 
The  colour  is  white,  tinged  with  rosy  purple  at  the  side,  and  at  the 
mouth  of  the  tubular  portiim  of  the  lip  are  two  oblong  zones  of 
yellowish  white,  and  in  front  of  them  two  spots  of  the  same  colour. 
This,  like  many  other  fine  hybrids,  was  first  flowered  in  the  collection 
of  Baron  Schroder,  The  Dell,  Staines.  The  treatment  given  Laelia 
purpurata  wilf  answer  its  requirements  admirably. 
Bulbophyllum  barbigerum. 
This  curious  and  interesting  plant  is  again  pushing  its  fascinating 
flower  spikes,  and  to  the  lover  of  botanical  curiosities  will  be  of  great 
interest.  I  have  found  it  succeed  in  the  warmest  house  the  whole 
year,  with  a  good  supply  of  water  during  active  growth,  and  a 
reduced  quantity  when  at  rest.  It  will  succeed  in  the  ordinary 
Orchid  com [)08t,  in  small  pans  or  baskets  suspended  close  to  the  glass. 
It  comes  from  Sierra  Leone,  and  is  well  grown  by  Mr.  White,  who 
has  charge  of  Sir  Trevor  Lawrence’s  collection  at  Dorking. 
DENDROBIUM  RUBENS  GRANDIFLORUM. 
This,  one  of  the  best  of  the  D.  Leechianum  and  D.  nobile  nobilius 
crosses,  w'as  raided  by  Mr.  J.  Cypher  of  Cheltenham.  It  is  a  very  fine 
flower,  being  nearly  4  inches  'across,  and  the  petals  almost  1  inch  in 
width,  of  a  peculiar  rosy  purplish  crimson.  The  finely  feathered  lip 
is  extremely  beautiful,  and  the  plant  is  a  worthy  companion  to 
D.  n.  nobilius. — J.  Barker,  Hessle. 
L^lia  Digbyana  Hybrids. 
The  set  of  hybrids  raised  from  Laelia  (Brassavola)  Digbyana  and 
sundry  of  the  labiata  Oattleyas  are  very  beautiful  plants,  each  show¬ 
ing  the  delicately  fringed  lip  of  L.  Digbyana,  more  or  less  delightiully 
tinted.  The  first  of  these  appeared  some  ten  or  twelve  years  ago,  and 
is  the  result  of  a  cross  effected  by  Mr.  Seden  in  Messrs.  Veitch’s 
nursery,  the  other  parent  being  Cattleya  Mossiae.  The  pseudo-bulb 
and  leaves  are  most  like  those  of  the  Laelia  parent,  but  without  the 
peculiar  grey  tinge;  the  flowers  are  large  and  very  handsome,  the 
sepals  and  petals  are  a  pretty  soft  rose  tint,  the  latter  much  broader 
than  the  former. 
The  lip  is  a  beautiful  feature,  broad  and  massive,  the  outer  portion- 
and  the  fringe  a  little  lighter  in  colour  than  the  sepals  and  petals,  but 
having  more  or  less  of  a  deep  crimson  streak  in  the  open  portion. 
There  is  then  a  large  white  central  area  leading  to  the  golden  yellow 
throat,  from  which  lines  of  an  old  gold  tint  lead  to  the  under  side  of 
the  column.  The  parentage  of  the  other  Laslio-Cattleyas  raised  being: 
