294 
JOURXAL  OF  HORTICULTURE  AND  COTTAGE  GARDENER. 
April  13,  1899.  • 
was  not  one  unhealthy.  Amongst  other  Cattleyas  in  flower  were 
G.  Mendeli,  C.  Warscevviczi,  delicata,  Trianas,  also  a  fine  variety  of 
Lajlia  elegans. 
So  far  as  Orchids  in  flower  are  concerned  the  sight  to  see  w'as 
the  house  filled  with  Dendrobes  in  variety.  It  was  certainly  the  finest 
display  of  Dendrobes  I  have  seen  either  in  a  public  or  private  place. 
It  was  a  cold  bleak  March  day  when  I  wasj  at  Ilessle.  To  be  ushered 
at  once  into  this  glass  house  full  of  such  a  mass  of  floral  beauty  was, 
to  say  the  least,  a  sudden  transformation  scene,  very  real  and  very 
})leasant  to  see.  My  guide  is  steeped  to  the  lips  in  hybrid  Orchid  lore, 
and  soon  had  me  a  bit  mixed  by  his  rapid  and  full^  description  of  the 
parentage  and  history  of  many  of  those  in  flower.  I  shall  not  risk 
your  striking  this  portion  of  lu}'-  notes  out  by  not  sending  them.  First, 
because  I  am  not  sufficiently  an  Orchid  expert  to  write  them  cor¬ 
rectly,  unless  I  had  more  time  with  Mr.  Barker  ;  and  secondly,  I 
should  not  like  to  send  anything  I  am  not  convinced  is  near  the  truth. 
There  w'ould  be  fully  five  to  six  thousand  flowers  of  Uendrobiums 
open  and  opening  when  I  was  there.  The  largest  number  of  any  one 
variety  would  be  Dendrobium  nobile  nobilius.  1  counted  about 
oOO  flowers  on  one  plant.  Mr.  Barker  told  me  many  of  his  plants 
were  propagated  from  eyes  by  himself.  Some  fine  plants  of  D.  nobile 
from  the  Shan  States  on  the  Chinese  border  were  fine  both  as  to 
colouring  and  size  of  flower.  This  is  a  splendid  type  of  D.  nobile, 
and  anyone  who  can  get  hold  of  it  true  to  name  will  find  it  well  worth 
their  care  to  cultivate. 
I  append  names  of  a  number  of  other  Dendrobes,  either  in  flower  or 
showing  for  flower.  D.  Ainsworthianum,  D.  nobile  Murrhianianum, 
eriosmum,  leucopterum,  splendidissimum  illustre,  nobile  Jesse,  n.  Juno, 
n.  Cybele,  n.  Backhousei,  lituiflorum  from  Mr.  Chamberlain’s 
collection.  D.  nobile  liesslensis  is  a  very  distinct  variety,  with  a 
modest  drooping  habit  of  showing  its  flowers.  Some  of  the  individual 
flowers  of  D.  nobile  were  fully  4  inches  across. 
In  the  Cypripedium  house  were  well  grown  plants,  comprising  some 
of  the  best  varieties.  Amongst  others  in  flower  were  C.  Leeanum, 
with  eight  fine  flowers;  Calypso,  four  flowers;  Pollettianum ;  nitens, 
Burkensliaw’s  variety,  with  flowers  6  inches  deep;  some  had  been 
open  three  months.  A  fine  healthy  plant  of  the  rare  Angrsecum  Veitchi 
was  in  this  house,  also  some  well  flowered  plants  of  Dendrobium 
Jamesianum  giganteura,  with  flowers  over  4  inches  in  diameter. 
D.  infundibulum  and  formosum,  full  of  flowers. 
There  are,  as  I  said  before,  two  houses  of  cool  Orchids,,  The 
plants  looked  in  perfect  health,  and  were  evidently  very  happy  in 
their  surroundings  and  general  treatment.  They  are  raised  up  some¬ 
what  nearer  the  glass  during  the  winter  than  is  often  seen.  An  open 
tank  is  under  each  side  stage  for  holding  the  rain  water  from  the 
roofs  of  the  houses.  Mr.  Barker  prefers  rain  water  for  Orchid  watering 
generally,  when  he  can  get  it,  but  has  no  hesitation  in  using  the 
laid-on  town  water  supply,  which  I  should  f  resume,  from  the 
geological  formation  of  that  part,  will  he  of  a  chalky  nature.  There 
were  not  many  Odontoglots  in  flower  when  I  was  there,  but  it  was 
easy  to  see  that  in  a  few  weeks’  time  there  will  be  a  fine  display. 
I’erhaps  by  the  time  York  Gala  comes  round  Mr.  Barker  may  be  able 
to  try  his  hand  with  a  group  of  them — at  any  rate  I  hope  so,  as  such 
plants  and  varieties  as  Mr.  Burkinshaw  so  freely  purchases,  and  his 
gardener  so  successfully  cultivates,  are  sure  to  afford  pleasure  to  the 
thousands  at  York. — H.  J.  C.,  Grimston,  Tadcaster. 
CAMPANULA  PLANIFLORA. 
On  page  283,  above  the  signature  of  “  Alpinus,”  I  observe  a  note  on 
Campanula  planiflora,  Lamarck,  syn.  C.  nitida,  Aiton ;  and  it  states  that 
the  plant  was  “  introduced  from  America  in  1731.”  This  is  quite  possible, 
but  it  is  tolerably  certain  that  no  such  plant  has  ever  been  found  wild  in 
America,  or,  as  far  as  the  records  of  Herbaria  bear  evidence,  anywhere 
else.  Botanical  writers,  from  an  early  date  in  last  century  to  this  day, 
have  followed  one  another  in  saying  that  it  was  found  “in  the  neighbour¬ 
hood  of  Hudson’s  Bay.’' 
Asa  Gray,  in  his  “Flora  of  North  America.”  vol.  ii.,  page  14.  disposes 
of  the  plant  in  the  following  short  summary  ; — “  Long  ago  described  from 
cultivated  specimens,  vaguely  attributed  to  North  America,  is  wholly 
unknown  in  tie  wild  state  ;  opparenlly  allied  to  C.  persicsefolia,  Z.,  and 
not  North  American.”  On  the  other  hand,  De  Candolle,  in  his  “  Monograph 
of  Campanula,”  published  in  1830  (page  312),  devotes  a  page  and  a  half 
of  quarto  size  to  an  attempt  to  investigate  its  history  ;  but  beyond  men¬ 
tioning  its  resemblance  to  C.  persicaefolia,  he  does  not  throw  much  light 
upon  it. 
Strangely  enough,  “Index  Kewensis ”  refers  it  to  C.  pyramidalis,  a 
species  to  which  it  bears  a  very  distant  resemblance.  I  feel  little  doubt 
that  the  different  types  of  the  plant  are  stunted  forms,  or  possibly 
hybrids  of  C.  persicsefolia.  Plants  of  it  I  have  bought  from  nurseries 
have  more  than  once  grown  into  C  persiemfolia,  and  I  am  now  nursing  a 
seedling  plant  which  came  up  in  my  garden  spontaneously  near  C.  peisi- 
ccfolia  which  has  all  the  characters  of  C.  planiflora.  If  it  is  a  hybrid  of 
C.  persicaelolia  I  am  at  a  loss  to  suggest  any  probable  pollen  parent  for 
it.— C.  WOLLEY  Dod,  Edge  Hall,  Malpas. 
NOTES  ON  PEACHES. 
The  Best  Vaeieties. 
On  page  219  “S.,  Yorks,”  contribute.s  a  very  interesting  note  on  the 
above  subject,  and  although  he  agrees  in  the  main  with  my  selection  of 
varieties,  he  points  out  clearly  two  instances  in  which  he  disagrees  with 
me.  The  object  of  my  former  note  was  to  elicit  such  criticism,  as  none 
of  us  can  know  too  much  about  the  matter. 
In  regard  to  Alexander,  let  me  observe  that  although  I  considered  a 
house  of  this  variety  would  prove  a  remunerative  investment,  it  was  not 
for  that  purpose  alone  I  recommended  it.  Its  strong  point  is  that  it  is 
the  earliest  we  have,  and  as  such  is  of  great  value  where  very  early 
Peaches  are  required.  Of  course  we  should  like  it  all  the  better  if  the 
fruits  were  larger  and  of  better  colour,  but  the  weak  point  about  nearly 
all  early  varieties  of  fruits  is  that  they  are  inferior  in  point  of  either  size, 
colour,  or  flavour  to  later  ones.  They  are  grown  for  their  earliness. 
In  regard  to  the  commercial  aspect  of  the  case,  it  is  an  undoubted  fact 
that  the  largest  and  most  tempting  looking  fruits  usually  command  the 
highest  prices,  but  I  also  know  that  in  the  London  markets  Peaches  in 
May  are  eagerly  bought  up  at  good  prices,  and  even  if  the  prices  obtained 
are  scarcely  so  good  as  those  for  finer  fruits  a  few  weeks  later,  we  must 
not  forget  that  we  can  obtain  a  greater  number  for  a  given  space 
without  overcropping  the  trees.  It  is  also  a  great  point  to  be  the  first 
in  the  market,  and  thus  secure  an  outlet  for  successional  crops. 
“S.,  Yorks,”  considers  Bellegarde  and  Crimson  Galande  are  probably 
the  two  best  midseason  Peaches  in  cultivation,  whereas  the  latter  was  not 
included  in  my  six.  It  is  certainly  a  splendid  variety,  but  I  have  as  yet 
failed  to  see  in  what  respect  it  is  superior  to  any  of  the  six  I  named. 
“  A  Kitchen  Gardener”  rightly  contributed  a  word  of  praise  for  Bar¬ 
rington,  which  is  a  fine  telliog  fruit — when  we  get  it,  but  this  variety  is 
not  noted  for  uniformity  of  excellence  in  gardens  generally.  In  some 
soils  and  situations  it  succeeds  splendidly  without  any  special  attention 
being  given,  in  others  the  fruits  drop  far  too  freely  during  the  stoning 
period,  and  split  stones  arc  plentiful  in  those  retained  on  the  tree. 
Applications  of  lime  would  probably  improve  matters  to  a  certain  extent, 
but  I  fear  that  until  we  understand  its  requirements  better,  Barrington 
will  have  to  give  way  for  better  doers.  “  Kitchen  Gardener”  also  casts 
a  decided  vote  for  Crimson  Galande  ;  let  me  ask  him  which  of  my  six  he 
would  cast  out  to  make  room  for  it  ?  I  presume  it  would  be  Royal  George 
because  he  finds  this  grand  old  favourite  subject  to  mildew. 
On  page  252  I  see  my  friend,  Mr.  H.  Markham,  puts  in  a  good 
word  lor  Dymond  when  grown  on  open  walls.  I  quite  agree  with  him,  as 
when  I  once  paid  him  a  visit  at  Mereworth  Castle  Gardens  in  Kent  he 
showed  me  fine  trees  of  this  variety  carrying  heavy  crops  of  fruit.  Mr. 
Markham  also  points  out  that  flavour  in  Peaches  is  to  a  great  extent 
regulated  by  the  manner  in  which  the  trees  are  managed  ;  overcropped 
trees  which  do  not  produce  fruits  with  a  good  depth  of  flesh  can  never 
be  noted  for  their  fine  flavour  ;  at  the  same  time  it  is  quite  possible  to 
grow  far  heavier  crops  than  the  one  fruit  to  a  square  foot  which  old 
writers  recommended,  and  yet  have  them  of  large  size  and  fine  flavour  ; 
it  is  all  a  matter  of  high  feeding  and  skilful  attention. 
I  have  had  no  experience  with  Goshawk  in  the  open  air,  but  for 
culture  under  glass  I  should  not  include  it  in  the  best  six,  for  although 
its  flavour  is  excellent  it  is  not  one  of  the  best  shaped  fruits  we  have, 
neither  does  it  possess  a  taking  colour. 
Peach  Teees  Deopping  Theie  Buds. 
On  page  252  Mr.  Markham  raises  once  more  the  vexed  question, 
“What  is  the  cause  of  early  forced  Peach  trees  shedding  many  of  their 
buds  I  ”  My  experience  is,  that  it  is  caused  in  some  instances  by  an 
unfavourable  condition  in  one  respect,  in  others  by  a  combination  of 
adverse  circumstances.  One  well-known  cause,  with  which  all  gardeners 
are  acquainted,  is  allowing  the  borders  to  become  loo  dry  during  the 
period  that  elapses  between  the  gathering  of  the  fruit  and  the  falling  of 
the  leaves  ;  and  I  fear  that  in  many  well-managed  gardens  this  point 
does  not  receive  enough  attention.  So  many  other  affairs  are  constantly 
pressing  upon  us  during  the  .summer  months,  that  it  is  so  easy  to  slightly 
neglect  this  important  detail.  The  results  are  not  perhaps  always 
disastrous,  but  pronounced  enough  to  cause  annoyance  when  the  trees 
are  started. 
Again,  if  red  spicier  secures  a  firm  footing  during  the  t’me  the  fruits 
are  ripening,  many  of  the  leaves  fall  prematurely,  and  unless  prompt 
measures  are  taken  bud  dropping  is  certain  to  follow. 
There  is  also  the  matter  of  over-ripening  the  wood.  When  trees 
which  ripen  their  fruit  in  June  are  grown  in  light  modern  houses,  spells 
of  hot  weather  will,  under  the  best  of  management,  cause  both  wood  and 
leaves  to  perform  their  functions  too  quickly,  and  they  practically  reach 
the  resting  stage  before  the  cold  nights  of  autumn  come.  If  examined  at 
forcing  time  the  buds  on  such  trees  will  in  some  cases  be  found  brown  in 
the  centre  when  cut  through  ;  such  must,  of  course,  inevitably  drop  when 
the  trees  are  started.  Shading  after  the  fruit  is  gathered  is  of  great 
benefit  under  such  circumstances. 
In  regard  to  soil  renovation  as  bearing  upon  this  matter,  I  think  we 
miy  safely  assume  that  trees  which  have  peifected  good  crops  of  fruit 
the  previous  year,  and  do  not  gum,  are  not  fur  wrong  at  the  roots.  It 
is  in  the  matter  of  watering,  and  in  keiping  the  foliage  clean,  that  we 
must  look  for  the  remedy  for  bud-dropping.  We  must  also  keep 
constantly  in  mind  that  the  best  of  management  in  these  respects  will 
be  nullified  by  a  too  free  use  of  fire  heat  when  the  trees  are  started. — 
H.  D. 
