Decomber  13,  1900. 
JOURNAL  OF  HORTICULTURE  AND  COTTAGE  GARDENER. 
527 
OdontoglosBnm  Rolfeae  meleagris. 
There  are  few  growers  of  Odontoglossums  who  can  excel  Mr.  W. 
Stevens,  gardener  to  W.  Thompson,  E^q.,  Walton  Grange,  Stone, 
Staffs,  and  when  we  add  to  exceptional  skill  in  cultivation  the  fact 
that  the  collection  is  singularly  rich  in  fine  varieties,  everyone  looks 
for  something  good.  On  Tuesday,  December  4th,  Mr.  Stevens  sent 
to  the  Drill  Hall  a  superb  variety  of  Odontoglossum  Rolfeae  named 
meleagris,  to  which  the  Orchid  Committee  recommended  not  only  a 
first  class  certificate  but  also  a  cultural  commendation.  A  flower  of 
the  new  comer  is  shown  in  fig.  134,  The  splendid  sepals  and  petals 
have  a  ground  colour  of  milk  white  with  occasional  ro-  e  suffusion  and 
very  profuse  mauve  markings.  The  broad  handsome  lip  is  whi  e  on 
the  front  portion  with  mauve  spots  and  blotches  at  the  base.  It  was 
a  magnificent  plant,  in  every  way 
worthy  of  the  honours  bestowed 
upon  it.  _ 
This  is  a  really  remarkable 
variety  of  the  famous  hybrid  named 
after  Mr.  Rolfe,  and  the  progeny  of 
O.  Harryanum  and  0.  Pescatorei. 
I  consider  it  is  by  far  the  prettiest 
that  has  as  yet  been  exhibited,  and 
it  was  well  deserving  of  the  first- 
class  certificate  awarded  it  by  the 
R.H.S.  at  the  first  December  meet¬ 
ing.  The  spotting  is  lovely  and  the 
colour  almost  indescribable,  the 
pretty  rosy  tips  of  the  segments 
being  wonderfully  attractive,  while 
the  lip,  square  looking  as  it  is  in  all 
these  hybrids,  is  magnificent  both 
in  size  and  colouring.  It  was  shown 
by  Mr.  Stevens,  gardener  to  W. 
Thompson,  Esq.,  of  Stone,  Stafford¬ 
shire,  who  is  to  be  congratulated 
upon  such  a  grand  acquisition. — H,  R. 
<;ypripediaiu  James  Buckingham. 
This  hybrid,  “  M.  Beaumont,” 
was  raised  some  years  ago  by  Mr. 
A.  J.  Hollington,  Eufield,  and  sho  Nn 
before  the  Royal  Horticnltural 
Society  in  the  spring  of  1896.  It 
is  said  to  have  resulted  from  a  cross 
between  C.  enfieldiense  and  C. 
bellatulum.  The  flower  is  not  very 
large,  but  all  the  organs  are  of 
remarkable  substance.  The  bmad 
dorsal  sepal  is  deep  rose  veined  with  white,  the  petals  being  also  rose, 
suffused  with  whitish  green,  and  spotted  with  brown.  The  pouch  is 
of  deep  rosy  maroon.  C.  James  Buckingham  is  represented  in  fig.  135. 
Cynorchis  purpurascens. 
This  pretty  Orchid  was  the  centre  of  a  good  deal  of  interest  at  the 
Drill  Hall  on  December  4th,  when  it  was  exhibited  by  Mr.  Warpur  of 
Silverhall  Nursery,  Isle  worth.  It  is  a  nearly  related  plant  to  the 
Habenarias,  but  judging  by  the  specimen  shown  it  is  a  good  deal 
stronger  in  growth  than  most  of  these.  The  leaves  are  large  and 
green,  and  the  plant  was  carrying  a  large  spike  of  flowers,  the 
ground  colour  of  which  is  a  bluish  mauve  with  a  white  spot  on  the 
centre  of  the  lip  and  a  deeper  coloured  area  under  the  column.  Unfor¬ 
tunately  it  is  net  very  plentiful,  otherwise,  as  the  colour  is  very 
unusual  among  Orchids,  it  would  doubtless  soon  become  popular. 
Dendrobium  Leeanum. 
This  has  been  exhibited  in  very  good  form  of  late,  and  it  is  a  pity 
that  more  plants  of  it  are  not  in  cultivation.  It  appears  to  vary 
considerably  in  colour,  but  all  the  forms  of  it  are  very  beautiful. 
The  culture  is  similar  to  that  of  D.  phalsenopsis  and  other  Australian 
sorts.  Small  pans  or  baskets  suspended  near  the  roof-glass  in  a  hot, 
moist,  and  light  house  suit  it  best,  and  although  a  rest  is  desirable 
and  necessary,  it  is  not  wise  to  force  the  plants  to  it  by  withholding 
moisture;  this  simply  serves  to  weaken  them,  Thrips  are  the  worst 
nsect  enemy  to  this  beautiful  class  of  Dendrobiums,  and  must  be 
kept  in  check,  or  good  results  need  not  be  looked  for. — H.  R.  R. 
Eyesores  of  tlie  Garden  in  Winter. 
I  TAKE  it  that  there  are  few  gardens  in  which  there  are  not, 
both  to  those  who  own,  and  those  who  cultivate  them,  spots 
that  are  in  some  measure  offensive  to  the  eye,  and  in  the  short 
days  of  winter  they  are  not  so  rapidly  dealt  with  as  in  summer. 
Not  that  the  summer  is  free  from  them  by  any  means,  because 
then  they  grow  from  day  to  day  in  their  many  forms  and 
phases,  but  it  is  winter  now,  and  winter  troubles  only  have  to  be 
dealt  with.  It  is  often  repeated,  that  the  garden  presents  its  worst 
features  and  its  every  ill  during  the  winter.  First  there  are  the  falling 
leaves,  which  create  and  carry  in  their  train  ext’a  labour,  and  untidy 
lawns,  borders,  and  paths.  These  are,  however,  a  blessing  in  disguise, 
because,  what  is  the  garden  without  its  store  of  leaf  iiK.uld  ?  When 
the  sweeping  machine  becomes  as  generally  used  as  the  lawn  mower, 
there  will  be  less  to  complain  of  by  thos  ■  who  have  the  work  to 
do,  or  the  owners  themselves.  It  is  curious  how  slowly  such 
convenient  and  labour-saving  appliances  are  taken  up.  The  initial 
cost  may  seem  heavy,  but  the 
pleasure  derived  ought  to  outweigh 
this.  This  season,  throu2h  the 
absence  of  seveie  frost,  the  leaves 
have  held  on  verv  late,  and  the  work 
of  sweeping  has  been  heavy  and  con¬ 
tinuous  in  consequence.  Most  of 
the  deciduous  trees  are  now  free  of 
leaves,  and  the  time  is  right  for 
effecting  a  general  clearance  either 
by  digging  them  lightly  into  the 
borders,  or  taking  them  to  the 
heap  to  be  later  transformed  into 
mould. 
During  the  showery  autumn 
and  early  winter  seedling  weeds 
persist  in  raising  unsightly  spots — 
a  favourite  position  is  among  the 
newly  planted  Cabbage  beds  and 
Strawberry  plantations.  It  is  en¬ 
tirely  out  of  the  question  to  applv 
the  hoe  and  rake  to  remove  t'  e  evil, 
so  light  digging  with  the  spade 
affords  the  remedy.  Deep  digging 
in  either  case  would  be  fatal  in  its 
effects,  and  is  certainly  uncalled  for. 
A  mere  skimming  of  the  surface, 
or  only  sufficient  to  gather  enough 
soil  to  bury  the  offending  weeds, 
should  be  practised.  It  is  surprising 
how  long  ground  remains  clean  and 
fresh  following  this  light  digging, 
and  how  easily  a  pleasant  aspect 
replaces  an  eyesore  in  the  garden. 
Such  light  surface  digging  does 
not  commit  much  mischief  among 
,  Strawberry  roots,  and  if  light  dressings  of  fertilising  materials,  such  as 
j  burnt  refuse  or  decayed  manure,  are  spread  among  them  prior  to  the 
1  operation,  the  roots  obtain  more  than  a'compensating  benefit,  and  the 
i  beds  are  then  free  for  their  winter’s  mulching  of  strawy  manure.  This 
^  is  indispensable  for  two  purposes — a  clean  rain-washed  straw  bed  for 
the  fruit  to  rest  on,  and  a  stimulating  manure  washed  into  the  soil  by 
rain.  It  may  be  said,  and  there  certainly  is  some  truth  in  the 
argument,  that  the  early  strawing  itself  of  the  Strawberry  beds 
1  constitutes  an  eyesore,  but  the  object  is  one  so  indispensable,  that  the 
merits  of  the  work  overrule  the  objection.  There  is,  however,  no  need 
for  this  to  be  carried  out  just  yet,  but  the  surface  digging  can  be 
I  completed.  The  same  remarks  apply  to  Raspberry  plantations. 
Gooseberry,  and  Currant  beds. 
Herbaceous  borders,  now  so  common  an  adjunct  to  the  kitchen 
garden,  are  rendered  untidy  by  the  dead  and  dying  flower  stems  of 
the  past  summer  and  autumn.  These  can  be  transported  to  the 
'  trenching  plot,  where  they  do  good  in  the  small  portion  of  fertility 
returned  to  the  soil  in  the  process  of  decay.  Tree  primings  are 
gathered  up  day  by  day  and  submitted  to  a  slow  fire,  Irom  which 
comes  such  valuable  substance  for  applying  to  the  fruit  borders. 
Nothing  contributes  more  effectually  to  a  dailv  eyesore 
undisturbed  retention  of  the  Runner  Bean  and  Pea  stakes,  with  the 
dead  “  bine  ”  attached,  and  it  is  a  feature  which  in  gardens  of 
working  staff  is  not  infrequently  allowed  to  remain  for  an  indefinite 
time.  There  are  other  eyesores,  and  it  cannot  be  denied  that  a  little 
effort  is  w^ell  repaid  in  their  removal. — W.  S.,  Wilts. 
Fig  134. — Odontoglossum  Rolfea;  meleagris. 
