February  28,  1901. 
JOURNAL  OF  HORTICULTURE  AND  COTTAGE  GARDENER. 
181 
Aj)j>le  Diamond  Jubilee  (A.  J.  Thomas). — A  handsome  Apple 
partaking  of  the  character  of  Alfriston.  We  hope  to  illustrate  and 
describe  this  variety  in  an  early  issue  (award  of  merit). 
Dendrobivm  Euryalus  var.  (W.  H.  White). — This  is  a  handsome 
Dendrobe  ;  the  sepals  and  petals  are  white  at  the  base  and  rich  rose 
above.  The  lip  is  tipped  rose  banded  with  white,  and  the  throat 
crimson  black  (award  of  merit). 
Iris  Tubergeniana  (Miss  Willmott).- — A  dwarf  growing  greenish 
yellow  species ;  the  leaves  have  a  silver  thread  round  the  margins 
(award  of  merit). 
Leelio-Cattleya  warnhamensis  (C.  J.  Lucas). — A  superb  bigener. 
The  sepals  are  rich  orange,  and  the  petals  orange  crimson.  The  lip  is 
velvety  maroon,  while  the  throat  iB  rich  yellow  (first-class  certificate). 
Odontoglossvm  Adriance  Mrs.  Bobert  Benson  (Capt.  Holford). — A 
finely  marked  variety.  The  basal  colour  is  white  deepening  to  sulphur 
at  the  margins,  and  with  numerous  spots  and  blotches  of  brown  (award 
of  merit). 
Odontoglossum  Coradenei  Mrs.  de  Barri  Crawshay  (de  Barri 
Crawshay). —  A  handsome  form;  the  ground  colour  is  soft  yellow  and 
the  large  blotches  shining  chocolate  brown  (award  of  merit). 
Phaio-Calanthe  SchrSderiana  (J.  Yeitch  &  Sons). — This  is  from  across 
between  Phaius  Wallichi  and  Calanthe  Baron  Schroder.  The  sepals 
and  petals  are  cream  with  rose  at  the  base.  The  lip  is  crimson  rose 
(award  of  merit). 
Sophronitis  Rossiteriana  (W.  H.  White). — To  say  that  this  is  a  yellow 
Sophronitis  grandiflora  is  sufficient  description  (first-class  certificate). 
The  Making  and  Unmaking  of  Flowers. 
At  the  afternoon  meeting  in  the  Drill  Hall  on  Tuesday  the  Bev. 
Professor  George  Henslow,  M.A.,  V.M.H.,  gave  a  most  admirable 
discourse  on  the  making  and  unmaking  of  flowers.  There  were 
considerable  numbers  of  Fellows  present,  including  many  ladies,  and 
they  could  not  easily  have  chosen  a  more  interesting  topic  to  listen  to. 
Mr.  Henslow  is  a  most  pleasant  speaker,  and  his  “  talks  ”  on  some  of 
the  plants  exhibited  are  looked  forward  to  by  many  regular  visitors  to 
the  Drill  Hall.  On  this  occasion  he  diverged  somewhat  from  his  more 
familiar  path,  and  spoke  fluently  for  three-quarters  of  an  hour  upon  the 
building  up  by  various  natural  processes  of  the  different  types  of 
flowers.  Though  Mr.  Henslow  delivered  an  extempore  address  we 
trust  the  crucial  points  will  be  embodied  in  a  paper  for  publication  in  an 
early  issue  of  the  Journal  of  the  Royal  Horticultural  Society. 
A  Practical  Guide  to  Garden  Plants. 
This  is  a  large  and  a  very  useful  book.  In  respect  of  matter  it 
cannot  be  regarded  as  an  original  work.  The  same  might,  however, 
be  said  of  a  catalogue,  in  which  the  materials  are  as  old  as  the  hills, 
and  the  arrangement  is  priceless.  Presumably  this  publication  is  put 
forth  as  a  work  of  reference  for  skilled  gardeners.  Indeed,  the  price 
and  the  arrangement  of  the  subjects,  being  scientific  rather  than 
alphabetical,  indicate  that  it  is  not  intended  to  rank  with  the  cheap  and 
popular  manuals,  of  which  we  see  specimens  appearing  every  half  year. 
Both  descriptions  of  these  works,  however,  serve  a  useful  purpose.  In 
the  case  of  our  present  subject  of  notice,  the  intention  of  the  writer 
is  evidently  to  produce  a  book  which  appeals  to  the  young  and 
scientifically  educated  gardeners,  of  whom  we  see  a  new  school 
arising  ;  or  to  the  botanist,  who  is  not  superior  to  becoming  a  practical 
horticulturist.  In  short,  it  is  significant  of  the  decay  of  the  feud 
between  the  real  and  the  ideal,  and  the  union  of  the  practical  with  the 
theoretical. 
The  notion  of  arranging  the  plants  indigenous  to  or  mostly  cultivated 
in  the  British  Isles  according  to  their  natural  orders,  substituting 
vernacular  for  the  usual  classical  titles,  is  apparently  an  evidence  of 
the  desire  to  bridge  over  the  chasm  which  has  hitherto  separated  the 
gardener  from  the  botanist.  In  some  cases  this  works  fairly  well,  as 
in  the  case  of  the  Poppy,  the  Carnation,  the  Lily,  the  Narcissus,  the 
Flag,  the  Primrose,  the  Orchid,  and  the  Heath  orders.  In  others  the 
dissimilarities  do  not  justify  the  grouping  under  colloquial  names. 
Thus  the  Wallflower,  the  Rose,  and  the  Daisy  orders  seem  somewhat 
indefinite  and  misleading,  particularly  the  second,  which  should  have  a 
fruity  rather  than  a  floral  sobriquet.  But  when  it  comes  to  the 
Rhubarb,  the  Forget-me-not,  and  the  Foxglove  orders  visible  analogies 
fail  us  ;  while  to  prefer  the  Laburnum  to  the  Pea  or  the  Bean  order,  or 
the  Nightshade  to  the  Tobacco  or  the  Potato  order,  is  no  improvement. 
However,  we  must  take  the  will  for  the  deed,  as  it  will  always  be 
impossible  to  cover  many  genera  with  an  adequate  single  title.  The 
book  is  to  be  recommended  as  a  storehouse  of  valuable  information 
logically  and  cleverly  arranged  ;  but  it  is  not  for  the  neophyte.  It  is 
intended  for  the  head  gardeners  of  the  future,  who  will  find  it  a  good 
companion  at  leisure  moments  ;  but  they  will  require  to  have  had  long 
experience  of  large  gardens,  large  estates,  and  the  finest  exhibitions  to 
read  it  otherwise  than  as  a  work  of  reference. 
*By  John  Weathers,  F.R.H.S.  Longmans,  Green  &  Co.,  39,  Paternoster 
Row,  London.  Price  21s. 
Exaccm  ipcrantlnim. 
This  Exacum  has  just  claim  to  be  placed  amongst  the  most  beautiful 
of  stove  plants,  and  it  is  a  regrettable  fact  that  it  is  so  seldom  seen. 
The  plant  is  of  comparatively  easy  culture,  neat  in  habit,  and  generally 
grows  to  about  18  inches  in  height.  When  laden  with  richly  coloured 
flowers,  that  can  compare  favourably  with  any  other  occupant  of  the 
stove,  the  plants  present  a  most  charming  sight. 
The  blooms  are  about  2  inches  in  diameter,  the  corolla  being 
divided  into  five  broad  ovate  segments,  slightly  recurved,  terminat¬ 
ing  in  a  rather  sharp  point.  Their  colour  is  of  indescribable  richness, 
being  a  rich  indigo  purple  with  a  satiny  sheen  ;  the  flowers, 
which  are  borne  on  a  terminal  corymb,  being  the  more  striking  by  the 
deep  yellow  prominent  anthers.  The  leaves  are  opposite,  those  on  the 
upper  part  of  the  stem  being  sometimes  3  inches  long  and  an  inch  wide, 
tapering  to  both  ends ;  the  lower  leaves  are  smaller  and  less  pointed. 
They  are  bright  green  and  slightly  ribbed.  It  was  found  in  Ceylon  at 
an  altitude  of  6000  feet,  and,  though  still  rare,  it  is  worthy  of  being 
largely  increased  and  widely  distributed. 
— 
Grapes  Again. 
Grapes  agaiD.  Issue  after  issue  of  our  Journal  proclaims  some¬ 
thing  new.  Surely  there  cannot  be  much  more  to  reveal.  Really, 
however,  one  never  tires  of  reading  about  Grapes,  and  every  year,  as 
we  look  upon  the  glorious  models  of  cultivation  at  the  various  shows, 
the  thought  naturally  occurs  to  one  that  those  men  must  have 
digested  every  fact  published  in  bygone  pages  of  our  Journal,  and 
discovered  in  their  practice  everything  worth  knowing  to  have  become 
such  masters  in  the  art.  Would  that  all  our  young  gardeners  took  a 
lesson  from  them.  But  when  you  come  to  look  closely  you  will  find 
that  as  year  succeeds  year  the  same  names  are  in  the  winning  lists. 
Now  and  again  a  young  enthusiast  leaves  the  crowd,  and  makes  a  bold 
stand  with  credit  to  himself.  But  what  of  the  hundreds  that  are 
annually  becoming  heads  for  the  first  time,  with  every  facility  and 
encouragement  given  V 
Few  seem  to  realise  how  much  they  could  accomplish  by  a  little 
industry  and  perseverance.  As  we  travel  here  and  there,  visiting 
every  garden  possible,  in  the  expectation  of  seeing  something  new, 
how  often  do  we  see  Vines  neglected  or  misunderstood,  and  miserable 
examples,  mere  apologies  for  Grapes  ?  One  cannot  help  having  a 
feeling  of  sympathy  with  the  man  who  could  and  is  anxious  to 
improve  matters,  but  is  debarred  by  the  apathy  of  his  employer,  and 
a  leelingof  contempt  for  the  idler  who,  blest  with  a  generous  employer 
and  no  lack  of  means,  squanders  his  time,  being  content  to  leave  his 
Vines  in  charge  of  careless  men  or  youths.  Again,  there  are  other 
cases  where  the  man  is  young,  possibly  recently  entered  on  his  first 
charge.  He  finds  himself  confronted  with  new  conditions,  ever  so 
many  new  duties,  work  staring  him  in  the  face  at  every  turn,  and  the 
Vines  in  a  wretched  state.  The  latter  should  have  precedence,  and 
he  naturally  wonders  what  should  be  done  for  the  best,  yet  he 
hesitates  to  throw  them  out  and  plant  a  young  stock.  It  is  for  this  class 
of  worker  that  I  should  like  to  write  a  few  lines  describing  how  the 
writer  has  met  such  a  case,  and  also  a  few  cultural  hints  in  the  hope 
that  some  reader  “with  a  parallel  case”  may  take  courage  and  time 
by  the  forelock,  instead  of  wasting  it  in  vain  regrets. 
On  taking  up  my  present  charge,  one  June  morning  some  time 
ago,  I  found  the  Vines  much  as  I  have  described.  They  seemed  to 
me  to  be  the  oldest  Vines  I  had  ever  seen,  with  knarled  and  twisted 
spurs  from  from  6  inches  to  a  foot  in  length.  1  subsequently  found 
out  that  they  were  about  thirty-five  years  old.  Nevertheless  they 
were  bearing  several  small  bunches,  and  though  not  satisfactory  there 
w'as  no  appearance  of  any  disease  ;  nor  was  there  shanking,  therefore  I 
considered  them  capable  of  improvement.  I  consulted  my  employer, 
and  he,  though  anxious  to  have  good  fruit,  was  rather  sceptical  of  my 
ability  to  make  any  great  improvement,  and  was  reluctant  to  incur 
any  expenditure  in  the  matter.  At  last,  however,  I  got  him  persuaded 
to  let  me  have  my  way.  It  is  well  in  commencing  work  of  this  sort 
to  look  a  long  way  forward,  and  see  your  way  clearly.  Two  points  of 
almost  equal  importance  suggested  themselves  to  me  ;  one,  the  greater, 
was  that  I  must  have  a  supply  of  Grapes  for  some  period  of  the  year  ; 
the  other  was  that  I  must  for  my  reputation  as  a  gardener  effect  an 
improvement. 
I  had  only  two  vineries.  Commencing  with  one,  as  soon  as  the  crop 
was  gathered  I  cut  down  the  rods,  cleared  away  all  the  border  soil, 
and  rectified  the  drainage  with  fresh  and  clean  material.  There  being 
plenty  of  turfy  loam  near  by  I  had  it  chopped  up  roughly  and  carted  up 
to  the  border,  also  a  quantity  of  lime  rubbish,  plaster  from  an  old 
building,  in  a  proportion  of  one  to  six.  I  also  had  a  few  barrowloads 
