August  21,  1902. 
JOURNAL  OF  HORTICULTURE  AND  COTTAGE  GARDENER. 
169 
Laalio-Cattleya  x  Adolphus  superbus. 
Our  illustration  this  week  presents  a  very  attractive  big -meric 
hybrid,  whose  merits  secured  for  it  a  First  Class  Certificate  at 
the  Royal  Horticultural  Society’s  meeting  in  the  Drill  Hal!  on 
August  5.  Messrs.  Charlesworth  and  Co.,  Heaton,  Bradford, 
were  the  exhibitors.  The  flowers  are  of  waxy  appearance,  and 
the  sepals  and  petals  of  a  bright  reddish-orange  colour.  They 
are  further  spotted  with  ruby  tint,  and  the  lip  is  purplish-rose 
on  the  side  lobes  and  at  the  tips,  and  there  are  lines  of  yellow 
on  the  disc.  The  parents  are  Lselia  cinnabarina  and  Cattleya 
Acklandhe,  and  the  hybrid  takes  after  the  latter  in  general 
habit. 
Liquid  Manure  for  Orchids. 
Liquid  manure  is  not  generally  given  to  Orchids,  but  it  is 
a  question  if  great  numbers  would  not  be  benefited  if  it  were. 
Peat  is  too  much  used  under  the  mistaken  impression  that  it 
yields  something  beneficial  to  the  plants.  We  do  not  say  that 
peat  should  never  be  used  in  Orchid  culture,  for  we  know  that 
great  numbers  require  some  such  material ;  but  we  feel  assured 
from  experience,  that  great  numbers  would  be  much  better 
without.  All  Orchid  growers  admit  that  decaying  peat  is  an 
evil ;  but  few  seem  to  understand  that  only  decaying  material 
can  yield  plant  food.  A  friend,  who  has  on  more  than  one 
occasion  brought  us  plants  from  the  East  Indies  and  else¬ 
where,  tells  us  that  all  the  good  roots  he  has  seen  on  Orchid 
plants  in  the  wild  state  were  either  attached  to  fresh  hard 
bark,  or  growing  among  living  vegetation,  or  dangling  in  the 
air.  He  also  assures  us  that  many,  or  most  of  the  kinds  which 
grow  on  trees,  are  fed  with  liquid  manure  naturally.  He  has 
almost  invariably  found  the  branches  of  the  trees  bespattered, 
often  plentifully,  with  the  excreta  of  both  birds  and  mammals. 
This  is  washed  by  rain  within  reach  of  the  roots  of  the  Orchids, 
and  we  cannot  doubt  that  they  are  thereby  benefited.  Is  not 
this  a  hint  worth  thinking  about?  Orchids,  however,  are  not 
to  be  tampered  with,  but  we  are  sure  that  weak  liquid  manure 
applied  to  these  plants  which  have  filled  their  pots  or  baskets 
completely  with  healthy  roots  helps  them  greatly,  as  in  the 
case  of  Cypripedium  insigne  and  many  others. — A. 
The  Dendrobiurc. 
The  genus  Dendrcbium  is  deservedly  one  of  the  most  popular 
in  the  Orchid  family,  containing  as  it  does,  a  very  large  number 
of  exquisitely  beautiful  species,  usually  of  easy  culture  and 
presenting  a  flowering  return  when  compared  with  their  size 
far  in  excess  of  most  other  kinds.  Many,  indeed,  are  quite 
indispensable  in  collections,  every  known  species  is  worthy  of 
culture,  and  every  month  in  the  year  is  graced  by  their  lovely 
blossoms. 
For  cultural  purposes  one  may  almost  group  the  species 
under  four  headings.  The  first  would  be  the  deciduous  sorts,  of 
which  D.  Wardianum,  D.  crassinode  and  D.  Bensonise  are  well 
known  examples.  The  evergreen  sorts  such  as  D.  densiflorum 
and  its  allies  would  form  the  second  group.  D.  formosum  and 
others  of  the  nigre-hirsute  section  would  form  the  third,  while 
the  fourth  would  consist  of  the  Australasian  sorts  generally,  as 
D.  bigibbum  and  the  lovely  D.  phalsencpsis.  But  although  these 
sections  of  the  genus  are  fairly  distinct,  the  species  in  some 
cases  overlap  and  run  into  each  other,  so  to  speak,  yet  it  is, 
perhaps,  the  best  that  can  be  done  in  the  way  of  classification. 
The  first  section  require  a  great  amount  of  sunlight,  heat, 
and  moisture  to  encourage,  develop  and  properly  consolidate 
the  long  cylindrical  stems  that  are  their  characteristic.  Very 
few  of  them  have  any  liking  for  a  great  thickness  of  compost, 
but  all  delight  in  having  their  roots  crowded  together  in  very 
small  receptacles.  I  have  had  D.  Wardianum  in  small  pans  and 
halves  of  cocoa-nut  shells  grow  ever  a  yard  in  length,  with  stems 
of  good  thickness  throughout,  that  in  their  season  were  wreathed 
with  the  lovely  blossoms  and  strikingly  handsome. 
Clearly  then,  it  is  not  the  amount  of  compost  they  need  to 
make  them  satisfactory.  But  firmly  fixed  they  must  be  on  the 
home  of  their  adoption.  There  must  be  no  rocking  about  in  the 
pans,  or  the  roots  will  not  be  able  to  take  held  of  the  compost, 
and  the  plant  will  be  weakened.  It  is  best  to  tie  them  firmly  to 
stake  the  first  season,  and  allow  the  growths  made  to  attain 
their  natural  horizontal,  pendant  or  upright  position,  according 
to  the  habit  of  the  individual  species.  Then  when  these  root  in 
their  turn,  the  whole  plant  will  be  naturally  and  firmly  estab¬ 
lished.  This  may  seem  to  many  a  small  matter,  but  only  these 
who  have  had  a  few  years’  experience  know  how  imperative  it 
really  is.— H.  R.  R. 
Indian  Mangos, 
During  my  latest  visit  to  England  I  noticed  articles  about 
Mangos  in  the  newspapers,  and  I  saw  some  fine  fruit  cf  a  good 
Bombay  variety  (Peary  or  Peter)  in  a  shop  near  New  Street 
Station,  Birmingham,  priced  4d.  each.  This  fruit  would  cost 
that  in  Bombay  market.  I  also  heard  of  consignments  of  fruit 
being  sent  from  Bombay,  but  I  never  knew  if  the  venture  was 
profitable  or  not.  I  think  the  ordinary  English  fruit  eater  is 
tempted  mere  by  the  cheapness  of  a  new  fruit  than  by  its 
looks,  and  very  few  would  give  4d.  even,  except  for  curiosity, 
and  a  Mango  being  a  fruit  most  difficult  to  judge  of  the  stage 
of  its  ripeness,  the  probability  is  the  buyer  would  not  waste 
another  4d.  on  such  fruit.  On  the  other  hand,  he  might 
perhaps  get  a  really  good  one,  and  if  he  did  he  would  never 
forget  it.  It  will  be  a  long  time  before  Mangos  can  be  landed 
in  England  for  Id.  each.  That  is  about  the  price  paid  in  Mango 
districts  here  in  India,  six  rupees  a  hundred.  With  Mangos 
all  depends  upon  the  stage  of  their  ripeness.  If  too  ripe,  a 
rotten  Turnip  is  better;  or,  if  too  unripe,  the  “tow  and  turpen¬ 
tine”  is  predominant.  They  are  even  worse  than  Melons  to 
judge  of  the  proper  stage  of  ripeness  in  which  to  eat  them, 
and  one  day  too  much  or  too  little  makes  all  the  difference  in 
LaeIio  =  Cattleya  x  Adolphus  superbus. 
flavour.  Then  again  England,  except  on  very  hot  days,  is  not 
the  country  to  eat  Mangos  in.  A  hot  day,  about  90deg  in  the 
shade,  and  a  fine  ripe  Mango  just  taken  off  the  ice  after  break¬ 
fast,  in  the  morning,  is  a  thing  one  will  never  get  in  England 
as  we  do  in  India.  So  the  Mango  stands  a  poor  chance  of  ever 
becoming  a  favourite  in  Great  Britain,  or  a  profitable  fruit  to 
send;  and  until  the  vendor  of  the  fruit  knows  exactly  when  as 
to  ripeness  and  what  variety  to  sell  his  customers,  the  chance 
cf  the  Mango  is,  I  fear,  not  much. 
There  are  many  people,  however,  living  or  travelling  abroad 
who  would  like  to  know  the  names  cf  the  best  varieties.  The 
following  list  may  also  conjure  up  pleasurable  remembrances 
in  many  readers  in  England,  old  residents  in  India,  who  had 
their  garden  and  favourite  Mango  tree. 
Mangos  in  India  are  propagated  by  inarching,  which  is  the 
best  method  when  properly  done.  It  does  not  matter  much 
with  the  native  gardener  if  a  bit  cf  string  is  left  on  or  two 
inches  of  “snag”  is  left  to  grow  over.  One  of  his  reasons  for 
having  a  “graft”  is  because  it  “bears  better.”  The  “bit  of 
string,”  or  the  rotten  end  cf  the  stem,  is  not  taken  into  con¬ 
sideration.  Grafts  made  as  they  are  made  here  would  never 
live  in  England  ;  but  in  this  country  Nature  repairs  a  lot  of 
bad  carpenter’s  work  in  the  way  of  inarching,  and  even  from 
Government  gardens,  where  professional  Europeans  superintend 
the  work,  the  “grafts”  are  just  as  bad  as  it  is  possible  to  make 
them.  Seedlings  give  good  results  if  seed  is  properly  selected, 
and  I  would  advise  intending  planters  in  the  Colonies  to  import 
fruit  and  sow  the  seeds  in  layers,  in  trays  of  soil,  instead  of 
buying  “  grafts,”  which  in  some  localities  arc  “  made  specially  ” 
for  the  market,  and  consist  of  two  seedlings  tied  together. 
Venily  the  ways  of  the  native  gardener  “arc  peculiar.” 
The  general  idea  in  India  amongst  Europeans  about  Mangos 
is  that  there  are  four  good  varieties — Bombavs,  Maldahs, 
