November  15,  1900. 
JOURNAL  OF  HORTICULTURE  AND  COTTAGE  GARDENER. 
437 
Notes  on  Figs  Under  Glass. 
Cypripedium  Dora  Crawshaw. 
During  the  Chrysanthemum  campaign  Orchids  are  not,  as  a  rule, 
exhibited  at  the  Drill  Hall  in  large  numbers,  but  the  meeting  held  on 
the  6th  inst.  was  an  exception,  tor  these  plants  were  comparatively 
numerous.  Not  only  was  this  the  case,  but  they  were  of  excellent 
quality.  The  Orchid  Commit'ee  of  the  Eoyal  Horticultural  Society, 
however,  recommended  only  one  firstclass  certificate,  which  was  for 
Cypripedium  Dora  C'awshaw  (fig.  117),  contributed  by  Messrs. 
Charlesworth  &  Co.,  Heaton,  Bradford.  It  is  a  hybrid  resulting  from 
a  cross  between  C.  bellatulum  and  C.  Charles worthi  mosaicum.  The 
flower  is  particularly  refined.  The  dorsal  sepal  rich  purple  rose  with 
deeper  venations,  while  the  pouch  is  claret  with  faint  touches  of  white 
showing  in  places.  The  petals  are 
deep  claret  on  the  upper  half  and 
paler  below.  The  whole  flower 
has  the  appearance  of  having  been 
varnished. 
Vanda  ccerulea. 
This  is  a  charming  plant  when 
at  its  best,  the  deep  blue  of  its  flowers 
and  their  fine  contour  always  com¬ 
manding  attention.  It  is  often 
spoilt  by  being  kept  continually 
growing  in  a  hut  moist  atmosphere, 
and  it  is  not  too  much  to  say  that 
It  is  quite  impossible  to  grow  it 
well  under  such  ccnditions.  Coming 
from  a  considerable  altitude  in  the 
Khasia  Hills,  it  is  not  likely  to 
relish  the  same  treatment  as  plants 
from  low-lying  jungles  and  swamps, 
but  in  a  healthy  cool  atmosphere 
with  abundance  of  air  the  plants 
grow  stoutly  and  well.  Receptacles 
of  small  size  are  best,  as  the  roots 
never  seem  so  happy  as  when 
growing  one  over  the  other  in  a 
crowded  state,  and  overflowing,  as 
it  were,  into  the  congenial  moist 
atmosphere. 
A  Record  Group  of  Cypripediums. 
Quite  a  modr  st  looking  little 
group  of  Cypripediums  was  that  put 
up  by  Mr.  H,  J.  Chapman,  gar¬ 
dener  to  R.  I.  Measures,  Esq.,  of 
Cambridge  Lodge,  at  the  Drill 
Hall  on  the  23rd  ult.  But  anyone 
who  looked  closely  into  it  would  see  at  once  that  it  was  a  very 
remarkable  one,  quite  unique  in  fact.  In  the  first  place,  it  contained 
five  distinct  hybrids  from  the  very  rare  C.  Pairrieanum,  including  the 
pretty  and  delicate  0.  Reginse,  the  only  plant  in  existence,  it  is  said, 
and  the  result  of  crossing  C.  Leeanum  and  C.  Fairrieanum. 
C.  Niobe  is  not  always  a  success,  and  I  have  seen  Mr.  Chapman’s 
plants  in  better  order  than  this,  but  it  is  always  beautiful.  This,  as  is 
evident  by  the  flowers,  is  a  cross  between  C.  Spicerianum  and 
C.  Fairrieanum.  The  other  Fairrieanum  crosses  were  C.  F.  L.  Ames  in 
which  C.  tonsum  had  a  part,  C.  H.  Ballantine  from  C.  purpuratum, 
and  the  oldest  of  all,  C.  Arthurianum,  which  shovs  quite  plainly  its 
parentage  on  the  male  side,  viz.,  C.  insigne.  It  Is  certain  that  never 
before  have  so  many  Fairrieanum  crosses  been  shown  on  one  day  by 
one  exhibitor.  Besides  these,  there  was  a  nice  plant  of  C.  insigne 
Sanderse,  the  first  artificially  raised  one  that  has  ever  flowered. 
Although  the  plant  was  weak  the  flower  was  decidedly  a  good  one, 
and  it  has  flowered  in  a  little  over  four  years  from  the  date  ot  sowing. 
A  finely  coloured  hybrid,  too,  is  C.  Vidor,  the  result  of  crossing 
C.  Charles  Canham  and  C.  Harrissianum  superbum.  It  is  interesting 
to  note  how  plainly  the  median  line  on  the  petals  is  shown,  its 
relationship  to  the  old  C.  villosum  being  quite  apparent,  though 
the  colouring  is  quite  different,  an  intense  purplish  rose,  only  too 
rare  in  Cypripediums.  This  obtained  a  separate  award  of  merit, 
and  the  group  a  silver  Banksian  medal,  both  of  which  were  richly 
deserved. — H.  R.  R. 
Fig.  117. — Cypripedium  Dora  Crawshaw, 
There  is  this  great  advantage  in  early  forced  trees  in  pots  that 
their  fruits  can  be  had  at  a  time  when  choice  kinds  are  not  plentiful. 
Trees  started  now  will  ripen  the  first  crop  late  in  March  or  early  in 
April.  Success  depends  on  suitable  varieties,  the  thorough  ripening  of 
the  wood,  and  their  not  having  carried  late  crops.  Early  Violet  and 
St.  John’s,  or  Pingo  de  Mel,  are  two  good  Pigs  for  hard  forcing  in  pots, 
as  they  do  not  cast  the  young  fruit  like  many  other  varieties,  and  make 
sturdy  short-jointed  shoots,  so  that  they  are  compact  in  habit,  bear 
freely  in  a  comparatively  small  space,  and  ripen  quickly.  Well  prepared 
trees  in  10  or  12-inch  pots  afford  a  good  supply  of  fruit. 
Ripened  wood  is  imperative.  They  succeed  well  in  low  pits  on  a 
mild  hotbed  of  fresh  leaves,  the  chief  points  being  to  place  the  trees 
close  to  the  glass,  but  noc  touching,  and  force  slowly.  When  Pig  trees 
in  pots  are  forced  year  by  year  they  start  with  little  excitement  at  the 
u^ual  time,  and  bear  excellent  crops.  The  trees  should  be  sprinkled 
twice  a  day  in  bright  weather,  employing  fire  heat  to  maintain  a 
temperature  of  50“  at  night,  55°  by  day,  and  with  sun  heat  60°  to  65°. 
The  heat  about  the  pots  should  not  exceed  the  latter  temperature  at 
the  commencement,  and  during  the 
early  forcing  stages  supply  little 
water  at  the  roots.  The  growths 
should  be  pinched  at  about  the  fourth 
leaf,  as  this  concentrates  the  nu¬ 
triment  on  the  fruits,  and  they  swell 
correspondingly. 
For  affording  fruit  in  late  April 
or  early  in  May,  and  from  that  time 
to  September,  no  variety  is  more 
useful  than  Brown  Turkey.  It  is 
still  the  best  all-round  Fig  for  pots  or 
planting  in  restricted  borders,  and  its 
second  crop  is  as  good  as  the  first.  It 
should  not  be  started  before  December, 
or  about  a  month  later  than  Early 
Violet  and  St.  John’s,  as  it  will  not 
bear  the  hard  forcing  of  those 
varieties,  which  are  also  better  for 
not  being  started  before  December, 
when  they  will  ripen  the  fruit  in 
April,  and  the  quality  is  better. 
White  Marseilles  is  an  excellent  Pig, 
and  a  good  companion  to  Brown 
Turkey,  but  it  does  better  planted  in 
restricted  borders  than  in  pots,  there¬ 
fore  the  small  White  Ischia  may 
be  grown,  as  it  forces  well  and 
the  flavour  is  delicious.  Black 
Ischia  also  forces  well,  but  it  is 
comparatively  inferior  in  quality  to 
the  white. 
In  the  case  of  early  forced 
planted  out  trees,  the  varieties  Brown 
Turkey  and  White  Marseilles  are 
unrivalled  for  restricted  borders. 
Negro  Largo  is  also  an  excellent 
Fig  when  cramped  at  the  roots,  and 
in  its  second  crop  perhaps  the  best 
of  all.  Untie  the  trees  from  the 
trellis,  and  prune  them.  This  consists  in  cutting  back  those  shoots  that 
have  reached  the  extremity  of  the  trellis  or  limit,  to  where  the 
succeeding  shoots  start.  Remove  any  elongated  spurs,  reserving  such 
as  are  short-jointed  and  fruitful,  thinning  the  growths  where  too 
crowded,  retaining  a  proper  amount;  of  fruitful  wood  on  every  part  oi 
the  tree.  The  house  should  be  thoroughly  cleansed,  washing  the 
woodwork  with  softsoap,  water,  and  a  brush,  limawashing  the  walls  with 
quicklime  and  sulphur,  washing  the  trees  with  soapy  water,  and 
afterwards  dressing  with  an  insecticide.  In  securing  the  trees  to  the 
trellis,  allow  room  for  the  growth  of  the  branches.  Pork  the  surface  qt 
the  border  slightly,  remove  the  loose  material,  and  apply  a  top-dressing 
of  turfy  loam,  with  a  fourth  of  well  decayed  manure  intermixed,  and  a 
similar  amount  of  old  mortar  rubbish,  not  supplying  more  than  a  couple 
of  inches  thickness.  Ventilate  freely  at  all  times,  except  when  frost 
prevails,  which  is  best  excluded,  or  employing  no  more  artificial  heat 
than  is  absolutely  necessary. — Grower. 
redums _ Ledum  thymifolium  and  L.  buxifolium  are  dwarf  shrub^, 
dense  in  habit,  and  form  admirable  edgings.  They  are  very 
when  in  bloom,  the  blossoms  being  pink  in  the  bud, 
clear  white.  The  variegated  form  of  L.  thymifoliuua  makes 
edging,  little  more  than  6  inches  high.  L.  latifolium 
from  1^  to  2  feet  high,  and  its 
pretty  in  April  and  May. — J.  C. 
balls  of  white  bloom 
a 
18  a  fine  shrub 
are  remarkably 
