September  4,  1902. 
JOURNAL  OF  HORTICULTURE  AND  COTTAGE  GARDENER. 
215 
Dendrobium  x  Leechianum. 
A  distinct  and  very  beautiful  hybrid  from  the  same  parents 
as  D.  x  Ainsworthi,  namely,  nobile  and  aureuin,  and  is  generally 
considered  a  better  grower  than  Ainsworthi.  In  a  short  time 
healthy  little  bits  make  fine  plants  if  well  treated.  They  are  best 
raised  from  flowering  stems,  and  if  these  are  taken  off  directly 
the  blossoms  are  past  and  laid  in  pans  of  moss,  they  will  be  nice 
stock,  ready  for  potting  separately  by  the  end  of  the  season.  The 
flowers  of  a  good  form  of  Leechianum  (see  illustration)  are  4in 
across,  the  sepals  white,  tipped  with  purple,  and  feathered  ;  a 
crimson  blotch  appearing  on  the  lip.  Messrs.  Veitcli  and  Low 
and  Co.  possess  tins  hybrid. 
The  Week’s  Cultural  Notes. 
Bright  days  and  cold  nights  are  what  may  be  expected  during 
September,  and  a  watch  must  be  kept  on  the  temperatures.  The 
plants  are  growing  very  freely  now,  and  a  check  in  any  depart¬ 
ment  owing  to  a  low  night  temperature  must  be  avoided.  When 
the  fires  have  been  discontinued  during  the  summer  months  tliey 
must  be  again  lit  up,  taking  the  opportunity  first  of  thoroughly 
cleaning  the  firebars,  flues,  and  every  part  of  the 
apparatus,  attending  to  any  leaks  that  may  be  in  the  pipes, 
and  putting  everything  in  order  for  the  winter.  This  will 
ensure  a  satisfactory  working  when  most  needed. 
It  is  unsafe  to  leave  tender  plants  out  of  doors  without 
the  protection  of  a  frame  after  this,  and  if  any  such  as 
Dendrobium,  Mexican  Lselias  and  others  are  still  in  the 
open  the  precaution  of  covering  with  mats  nightly  must  be 
taken  at  least  by  the  middle  of  the  month,  as  frosts  are  by 
then  to  be  expected.  If  these  plants,  and  Thunias, 
Bletias,  and  others  can  have  the  convenience  of  a  sunny 
and  fairly  dry  greenhouse  or  vinery  now,  they  are  safer 
here  than  anywhere.  The  Thunias  will  by  now  have  lost 
most  of  their  roots  and  leaves,  but  if  any  activity  is  shown 
a  little  water  must  still  be  given  or  the  stem  will  be 
weakened  for  next  season. 
Not  many  growers  are  really  successful  with  Disa 
grandiflora,  but  the  hybrid  between  it  and  D.  racemosa, 
viz.,  D.  Veitchi,  is  more  amenable  to  culture.  Just  now 
the  flowering  stems  are  dying  off,  and  a  frequent  mistake 
is  made  by  drying  them  at  the  roots.  Less  water  is 
needed,  of  course,  than  when  the  growth  was  in  full  swing, 
but  Disa  Veitchi  should  never  be  really  dry.  In  a  few 
Weeks  time  new  growths  of  many  of  the  Disas  will  show, 
and  this  is  the  best  time  to  give  fresh  compost.  Good 
peat  and  moss  with  a  little  loam  and  finely  broken  crocks 
will  grow  them  well,  and  a  cool  airy  house  or  frame  is  best 
for  them. 
Deciduous  Calanthes  are  taking  full  supplies  of  water 
now,  and  require  abundant  room,  so  that  both  foliage  and 
pseudo-bulb  have  room  to  develop  properly.  As  soon  as 
the  latter  have  attained  to  their  full  size,  it  will  be  found 
necessary  to  slightly  diminish  the  water  supply,  and  as  the 
foliage  turns  colour,  preparatory  to  falling,  a  still  further 
reduction  must  be  made.  I  have  always  found  that  the 
colours  of  the  blossoms  are  improved  by  withholding  the 
water  from  the  time  the  colour  shows.  The  roots  by  this  time 
have  lost  most  of  their  power,  and  no  good  can  accrue  from  pour¬ 
ing  water  on  the  compost. — H.  R.  R. 
The  Homes  of  Orchids. 
“  One  feature  of  tropical  vegetation  which  differs  greatly  from 
that  of  temperate  climes,”  says  Mr.  L.  Castle  in  his  interesting 
little  book  on  Orchids,  “  is  the  large  numbers  of  species  found  in 
a  comparatively  small  area.  In  Europe,  for  example,  we  have 
large  forests  of  one  or  two  species  of  trees,  and  thousands  of 
acres  of  open  moorland  similarly  clothed  with  a  few  species  of 
dwai'f  plants,  like  the  common  Ling;  but  in  the  tropics  every 
few  square  yards  is  a  small  botanic  garden.  This  is  shown  by 
the  fact  that  a  dozen  different  species  of  Orchids  have  been  found 
growing  upon  one  tree,  and  it  is  estimated  that  over  300  species 
have  been  introduced  from  Java  alone.  In  the  dry  season, 
from  April  till  October,  the  average  temperature  is  about 
86deg,  while  in  the  wet.  season,  from  November  till  March,  it 
ranges  from  83deg  to  90deg.  Cpon  the  Indian  continent,  in 
Burmah,  and  contiguous  countries,  where  Orchids  are  also  found 
in  considerable  numbers,  the  seasons  are  similar,  namely,  in  wet 
and  dry  periods,  the  former  the  season  of  growth,  and  the  latter 
that  of  rest;  but  the  further  inland  the  situation,  the  greater  are 
the  extremes  of  temperatures,  and  in  some  places  the  rainfall  is 
excessive,  amounting  to  hundreds  of  inches  a  year.” 
Rambles  in  Switzerland. 
( Continued  from  page  200.) 
Now  for  a  few  words  on  the  vegetable  products  of  the 
•Swiss  valleys,  and  first  of  these  must  be  the  fruit  trees,  for 
no  object  strikes  a  stranger  more  forcibly  than  the  continu¬ 
ous  orchards  and  vineyards  which  line  both  sides  of  all  the 
roads  in  all  these  valleys. 
The  vineyards  almost  exclusively  are  confined  to  the 
mountain  sides,  where  they  blend  with  the  valleys,  and  they 
do  not,  by  their  pi’oduce,  deserve  much  further  notice.  With 
scarcely  an  exception,  the  wines  manufactured  from  their 
Grapes  are  thin  and  acid,  and  not  one  is  equal  to  good  cider. 
The  only  exception  was  that  to  which  was  applied  the  not- 
over-refined  name  of  Liebfraumilch—  “Pretty  Maid’s  Milk.” 
I  was  laughingly  told  that  we  English  expect  every  country 
like  our  own  to  have  districts  noted  for  something  pleasant 
to  the  palate,  such  as  our  Yorkshire  hams,  Norfolk  dump- 
lings,  and  Cheshire  cheeses,  and  to  celebrate  anniversaries 
by  special  eatables,  as  plum  puddings  at  Christmas,  buns  on 
Good  Friday,  and  pancakes  on  Shrove  Tuesday.  But  I  had 
an  avalanche  of  instances  to  retort  upon  my  assailant,  for 
every  Swiss  town  has  some  gourmandic  speciality.  Bale, 
the  first  town  within  the  Cantons,  has  its  leckerli,  a  thick 
kind  of  parliament — I  mean  a  cake,  not  an  assembly  of  pre¬ 
sumed  wise  men  ;  and  in  every  town  I  passed  through  there 
was  some  notable  eatable,  until  I  escaped  through  the  last 
municipality,  Geneva,  without  being  made  dyspeptic  by  its 
gingerbread. 
The  Pear  trees  are  next  predominant  in  numbers,  for 
their  fruit,  as  I  have  already  mentioned,  is  cut  into  halves, 
dried,  and  consumed  largely  in  winter.  It  was  too  early  in 
the  summer  for  me  to  ascertain  the  chief  varieties  culti¬ 
vated,  but  ripe  Little  Muscats  were  then  (the  first  half  of 
July)  plentiful  in  the  markets.  The  Cherries— Bigarreaus, 
Black  Hearts,  and  a  red  Flemish,  were  also  very  abundant, 
selling  retail  at  the  rate  of  2£lb  for  4d.  Walnut  trees  are 
numerous  everywhere,  but  Apple  trees  are  scant,  and  Plum 
trees  still  more  rare.  Bilberries  and  Alpine  Strawberries 
were  plentiful  in  the  markets,  and  by  the  roadsides  where 
shaded  by  trees.  Of  kitchen  vegetables  there  were  abund¬ 
ance  of  all  kinds  common  in  our  markets,  and  the  only 
peculiarity  I  noticed  was  that  more  white  Carrots  were 
offered  for  sale  than  those  that  are  red-rooted. 
Of  ornamental  trees,  the  prevalence  of  the  Catalpa  is  re¬ 
markable,  and  especially  for  the  freedom  of  its  blooming. 
