March  14,  1901. 
JOURNAL  OF  HORTICULTURE  AND  COTTAGE  GARDENER. 
227 
Mr.  W.  Stevens,  gardener  to  W.  Thompson,  Esq ,  Stone,  showed  a 
small  group  of  Orchids,  including  Odontoglossum  crispum  Queen 
Empress,  and  O.  excellers  McBeaneana,  and  others.  Mons.  F.  Claes, 
Brussels,  contributed  a  few  OdoDtoglossums  of  attractive  form  and 
colour.  Mr.  W.  H.  White,  gardener  to  Sir  Trevor  Lawrence,  Bart., 
Burford  Lodge,  Dorking,  staged  OdoDtoglossum  Ruckerianutn, 
O.  coronarium  miniatum,  and  others.  There  were  one  or  two  minor 
exhibits  of  Orchids  in  addition  to  those  named. 
Awards  by  the  Orchid  Committee. 
Silver-gilt  Flora  medal  to  J.  Yeitch  &  Sons,  Chelsea,  for  group  of 
Orchids.  Silver 
Flora  medals  to 
H.  T.  Pitt,  Stam¬ 
ford  Hill  ;  Jas. 
Cypher,  Chelten¬ 
ham  ;  W.  Tnomp- 
son,  Walton 
Grange,  Stone  ; 
and  Hugh  Low 
and  Co.,  Enfield, 
for  group  of 
Orchids.  Silver 
Banksian  to  Mrs. 
Haywood,  Wood- 
hatch  Lodge, 
Reigate  ;  J.  Col- 
man,  Gat  ton 
Park,  Reigate  ; 
R.  G.  Th waites, 
Streatham,  S.W., 
for  group  tf 
Orchids.  Yote  of 
thanks  to  Messrs. 
Paul  &  Son, 
Cheshunt;  Sir  T. 
Lawrence,  Dor¬ 
king  ;  and  M. 
Florent  Claes. 
Brussels,  for 
group  of  Orchids. 
Certificates  and  Awards  of  Merit, 
Apple  Lamb  Abbey  Pearmain  (J.  Veitch  &  Sons)  — A  small,  late- 
keeping  dessert  Apple  that  is  too  well  known  to  call  for  a  description  ; 
(award  of  merit). 
Cypripedium  Emesti  (J.  Norris). — The  appearance  of  this  Cypri- 
pedium  is  as  if  the  whole  flower  had  been  varnished.  The  pouch  and 
petals  are  red  brown  with  darker  venations.  The  dorsal  sepal  is  also 
brown,  pale  to  green,  and  with  a  margin  of  blush  white  (award  of  merit). 
Cypripedium  Lord  Deiby,  Sander's  variety  (F.  Sander  &  C<  .). — This 
is  very  handsome.  The  large  dorsal  sepal  is  green  with  red  brown 
longitudinal  lines.  The  petals  are  greenish  yellow,  paling  to  white  at 
the  tip,  and  with  numerous  bright  brown  spots.  The  pouch  is  dull 
brown  (first-class  certificate). 
Dendrobivm  Ainsuorth(e  Ediths  svjurba  (C.  J.  Salter). — A  grand 
Dendrobe.  The  colour  of  the  sepals  and  petals  is  rich  rose-crim>on. 
The  lip  is  white  with  a  margin  of  rose  and  a  deep  crimson  throat ; 
(award  of  merr). 
Dendrobium  Rochlingianum  (R.  G.  Thwaites). — A  chastely  beautiful 
flower,  'lhe  sepals  and  petals  are  white  tipped  with  rose.  The  margin 
of  the  lip  is  white,  and  the  throat  covered  in  bright  rose  hairs  (award 
of  merit). 
Lslio-Cattleya  racuna  (J.  Yeitch  &  Sons). — This  bigener  is  from  a 
cross  between  Cattleya  guttata  and  Ltelia  cinnabarina.  The  sepals 
and  petals  are  pure  yellow,  and  the  lip  deep,  blood  crimson  (award  of 
merit). 
Odontoglossum,  crispum  Queen,  Empress  (W.  Stevens). — A  perfect 
crispum.  The  spike  carried  nine  flowers  of  the  most  remarkable 
substance  and  shape.  The  prevailing  colour  is  rose  with  a  suffusion  of 
purple.  The  petals  are  very  broad.  The  lip  is  pure  white  (first-class 
certificate). 
The  Lecture. 
Professor  Henelow’s  lectures  at  the  Drill  Hall  are  always  attended 
to  with  a  marked  amount  of  interest.  He  followed  his  usual  custom  of 
lecturing  on  some  of  the  points  of  popular  interest  to  be  found  in 
connection  with  the  plants  exhibited  in  the  Hall.  He  opened  his 
discourse  by  referring  to  Iris  persica,  which  is  interesting  historically 
as  being  the  first  flower  that  Curtis  figured  in  his  “  Botanical 
Magazine,”  over  a  hundred  years  ago.  While  a  great  many  plants 
have  entirely  chai  ged  the  shapes  and  forms  of  their  flowers,  those  of 
Iris  persica  aie  the  same  to  day  as  they  ever  have  been.  Taking  then 
a  large  double  Daffodil  in  his  hat  d,  the  Professor  went  on  to  say  that 
while  there  are  a  great  variety  of  Narciesi  known  to  botanists,  the  latter 
are  inclined  to  think  that  the  wild  Daffodil  (Narcissus  Pseudo- 
Narcissus)  is  the  one  out  of  which  all  the  other  foims — the  maximus 
and  minimus,  the  maj  >r  and  minor — have  come.  “If  botanis  s  are  to 
be  trusted,”  said  the  lecturer,  “  these  are  actually  one  and  the  same, 
though  changed  by  environment.” 
Then  the  fringed  Cyclamens  received  attention.  Of  recent  years 
we  have  been  having  all  kinds  of  fringed  flowers  and  foliage,  as  seen 
in  the  Begonias,  Primulas,  and  the  aforementioned.  This  “cresting” 
of  the  foliage  and  flowers  simply  arises  from  an  excrescence  of 
growth,  probably  due  in  the  first  instance  to  liberal  culture.  It 
really  is  a  branching  outwards  of  the  fibro-vascul  -r  bundles  of  the 
leaves.  When  these  bundles  branch  underneath  the  surface  a  fasciated 
stem  growth  accrues,  as  seen  often  in  Liliums.  This  exuberaut  growth 
is  very  remarkable.  Cabbages  often  show  signs  of  it  to  a  marked 
degree,  and  the  under  surface  of  the  leaves  may  break  out  into  long 
slender  stalk-like  protuberances,  or  into  funnel  shaped  trumpets.  No 
one  plant,  but  even  a  whole  break  of  plants,  will  show  such  growth,  as 
was  seen  in  the  garden  of  Sir  John  Lawes  some  years  ago.  Speaking 
of  malformed  leaves  brought  the  Piofessor  in  mind  of  the  green  Rose 
(Rosa  viridissima),  whose  petals  are  entirely  green  and  foliage- 
ltke.  Leaves,  indeed,  have  done  wonderful  things ;  and  we  have 
incontrovertible  proof  that  a  Pea-pod  is  simply  a  metamorphosed  leaf. 
The  Prunus  or  Plum  tribe,  so  well  shown  in  the  Hall  on  Tuesday, 
are  more  or  less  all  rematkable  for  their  early-fl  iwering  properties. 
Go  where  we  like  all  over  the  world,  and  we  find  the  Prunus  tribe 
supplies  fruit  and  food  for  the  natives — in  Japan,  Peisia,  North 
America,  or  Europe.  Prunus  Cerasus  is  a  species  which  has  given 
many  varieties  of  Cherries  ;  P.  Avium  is  the  Gean  ;  P.  damascena, 
the  parent  of  the  Damsons;  P.  domestica,  also  called  Prunus  communis, 
is  the  parent  species  which  has  given  rise  to  all  our  cultivated  varieties 
of  Plums.  P.  damascena  was  known  by  Pliny,  and  no  doubt  many 
other  species  were  also.  The  Almonds,  Peaches,  and  Nectarines  are 
simply  varieties  of  the  same  species  ;  or  indeed,  as  the  Professor  said, 
we  may  say  they  are  practically  all  the  same,  for  we  can  get  fruits  half 
Almond,  half  Peach,  or  half  Peach  and  half  Nectarine  on  the  same 
tree.  The  Americans  have  raised  all  their  stock  of  Plums  from  hybrids 
originally  got  from  crosses  between  the  Ameiican  and  Japanese  wild 
Plums.  With  further  reference  to  Cytisus  and  Kerrias,  Professor 
Heuslow’s  lecture  ended. 
A  Protector  Novelty, 
For  Plants,  Flowers,  and  Strawberries. 
This  invention  is  for  protecting  and  su|  portmg  growing  Straw¬ 
berries.  As  i-een  bv  the  illustration,  it  is  woven  in  the  flat,  with  two 
e  \ es  at  one  end  and  two  hocks  at  the  other;  by  bringing  the  ends 
to^etl  er,  and  placing  the  hooks  in  the  eyes,  it  forms  an  inverted  cone 
or  basin-shaped  frame,  as  above,  which  must  be  placed  round  the  plant. 
When  the  fruit  is  formed  it 
will  be  supported  on  the 
outer  edge,  5  inches  from  the 
gtound,  and  out  of  the  reach 
of  inrects.  The  plants  will 
be  much  leps  trouble  to  keep 
clean,  the  Strawberries  less 
liable  to  rot  in  damp  weather, 
less  costly  to  pick,  and  straw 
or  litter  dispensed  with,  and 
25  per  cent,  more  plants  can 
be  grown  on  the  same  space 
of  ground.  These  frames  are 
made  of  stout  galvanistd  wire, 
and  are  praptically  imperish¬ 
able.  When  not  in  use  they 
can  be  stored  flat  in  a  very 
small  space.  The  novelty  is  the  invention  of  Mrs.  Brett,  South 
Ratnham,  Fakenham,  Norfolk,  and  was  brought  to  our  notice  by 
Messrs.  Bou  ton  &  Paul,  Ltd.,  Rose  Lane  Works,  Norwich.  All 
communications,  however,  should  be  made  to  Mrs.  Brett. 
United  Horticultural  Benefit  and  Provident 
Society. 
Full  thirty-five  years  ago  a  small  body  of  gardeners  met  together 
at  the  Green  Dragon  Hotel,  Bishopsgate  Street,  in  the  City  of  Lor  don. 
They  had  come  together  thus  to  consider  certain  propoeitioi  s  which 
had  previously  been  sent  out  and  around,  upon  the  point  of  inaugurating 
a  benefit  and  provident  society,  to  be  wholly  esiablis-hed  for  the  succour¬ 
ing  of  men  of  the  garden  craft,  and  to  be  worked  solely  by  working 
gardeners.  No  doubt  there  was  a  good  deal  of  argument  required 
before  all  minds  were  agreed  on  this,  that  only  gardeners  know  the 
needs  of  gardeners,  and  that  a  “craft”  society  ought  to  meet  with 
success  from  the  members  “of 'that  craft,  wherever  their  locationj|might 
