December  11,  1902. 
JOURNAL  OF  HORTICULTURE  AND  COTTAGE  GARDENER. 
535 
Cypripedium  insigne,  Harefield  Hall  variety. 
Tiie  number  of  new  Cypripediums  is  almost  as  great  now  as  the 
yearly  number  of  new  Chrysanthemums,  and  the  enhanced  beauty 
of  the  present-day  forms  in  comparison  with  the  type  plants  is  striking. 
Some  are  remarkable  for  distinctness  of  colour,  while  many  combine 
size  with  other  attractive  points.  Coming  within  this  latter  category 
is  the  one  we  depict  to-day.  At  the  last  two  meetings  of  the  Royal 
Horticultural  Society,  in  the  Drill  Hall,  large  numbers  of  well-flowered 
plants  of  the  Harefield  Hall  variety  of  C.  insigne  have  been  exhibited 
from  many  different  cultivators.  The  variety  possesses  bold  flowers 
of  the  size  here  given,  and  these  are  carried  on  stout  footstalks.  The 
most  attractive  organ  is  the  dorsal  sepal,  it  being  quite  3  inches  across 
the  centre.  The  middle  portion  is  pale  green,  heavily  spotted  with 
chocolate,  and  all  round  the  outer  margin  there  is  a  broad  white 
edging.  The  pouch  and  petals  are  yellowish  green  with  veins  of 
darker  green,  and  suffusions  of  brown.  It  is  a  most  commendable 
and  robust  Cypripedium,  and  was  certificated  (F.C.C.)  in  December, 
1898,  when  staged  by  E.  Ashworth,  Esq.,  of  Harefield  Hall,  Wilmslow. 
flora  (C.  Bowringiana  x  C.  Dowiana)  ;  it  is  a  great  acquisition,  with 
its  deep  purple  lip,  and  petals  and  sepals  of  a  much  lighter  shade. 
Another  equally  attractive  Cattleya  was  Miss  Williams,  raised 
from  Harrisonise  and  Gaskelliana,  with  three  spikes,  carrying 
eighteen  blooms  collectively,  produced  from  the  current  year’s  growth 
of  pseudo-bulbs.  The  shape  and  colour  savour  more  of  the  prior 
mentioned  parent  than  the  latter.  A  nice  piece  of  Sophro-C'attleya 
Chamberlainiana  var.  triumphans  was  represented  with  four  vigorous 
growths,  carrying  a  complement  of  five  flowers,  each  about  4in  across. 
Noteworthy,  too,  was  a  neat  bit  of  Laelio-Cattleya  Decia  (L.-C 
Perrini  x  C.  Dowiana  aurea)  possessing  a  vigorous  spike  with 
several  very  showy  flowers.  An  attractive  object  should  be  a 
flourishing  piece  of  C.  labiata  autumnalis,  with  three  robust  spikes 
of  yet  unexpanded  blooms.  A  similar  remark  may  also  apply  to  a 
fine  specimen  of  C.  Bowringiana,  with  seven  or  eight  vigorous  spikes 
of  as  yet  unexpanded  flowers.  In  the  same  category  may  be  men¬ 
tioned  a  healthy  and  vigorous  plant  of  Vanda  coerulea.  bearing  eight 
or  nine  spikes  expanded  and  expanding  flowers.  Very  beautiful, 
too,  was  a  nice  specimen  of  the  Indian  Crocus  (Pleione  lagenaria), 
bearing  numerous  extremely  interesting  and  pretty  flowers.  A  piece 
of  Cattleya  maxima  was  distinguished  by  several  fine  flowers,  with 
their  purple  veinings  in  the  lip.  Enhancing  the  display  were  several 
representatives  of  Oneidiums  Forbesi  and  tigrinum  splendens,  with 
their  elongated  spikes  of  large  showy  flowers.  A  plant  of  O.  ornithc- 
rhynchum  likewise  lent  lustre  to  the  scene. 
Of  Dendrobes,  D.  Phalsenopsis  highburyensis  was  conspicuous  by 
its  richly  hued  flowers.  D.  formosum  Lowi  was  noted,  in  company 
with  a  good  piece  of  Barkeria  (Epidendrum)  Lindleyana.  A  very 
strong  and  healthy  piece  of  Angrseeuin  sesquipedalc  was  remarked 
with  two  or  three  vigorous  spikes  of  unexpanded  blooms.  In  a 
separate  structure  a  large  batch  of  the  almost  indispensable  Lcelia 
anceps,  bearing  hundreds  of  spikes  of  unexpar.ded  embryo  flowers. 
The  foregoing  are  a 
few  of  the  more  inter¬ 
esting  and  conspicuous 
kinds  of  Orchids 
noticed  at  the  time 
indicated.  Interesting 
and  instructive,  too, 
was  Mr.  Mackay’s 
series  of  experiments 
with  different  media 
for  potting  purposes, 
and  of  which  English 
leaf  mould  forms  a 
favourite  agent,  especi¬ 
ally  for  the  production 
of  vigorous  young 
plants  or  others  re¬ 
quiring  a  fillip  to  push 
them  along.  The  bene¬ 
fit  of  this  much  dis¬ 
cussed  and  popular 
becoming  agent  was 
well  demonstrated  by 
the  fine  roots  of  nu¬ 
merous  young  plants 
of  terrestrial  Orchids  at 
Highbury.  Otherwise 
peat  and  sphagnum 
continue  to  form  the 
stable  medium  for  esta¬ 
blished  plants  at  High¬ 
bury.  At  the  conclu¬ 
sion  of  an  enjoyable, 
but  all  too  brief  a  visit, 
and  when  the  shades 
of  eventide  began  to 
prevail,  the  scenic 
effect  of  the  show 
house  was  much  en¬ 
hanced  by  the  flood  of 
electric  light  switched 
on  at  the  doorway,  a 
provision  attached  to 
the  rest  of  the  glass 
structures  —  at  least, 
those  of  principal  im¬ 
portance  ;  and  then, 
after  reciprocal  hearty 
adieus  with  the  genial 
orchidist,  I  hastened  to 
view  another  floral  scene — that  in  the  Birmingham  Towp  Hall,  in 
connection  with  the  occasion  of  the  grand  festival  given  in  honour 
of  Mr.  Chamberlain’s  intending  visit  to  South  Africa.  The  elaborately 
decorated  galleries  and  the  richly  embellished  dinner-tables,  combined 
with  the  arrival  of  the  expectant  guests  awaiting  the  presence  of 
Mr.  and  Mrs.  Chamberlain,  afforded  a  tout  ensemble  of  beauty  and 
grandeur  not  readily  erased  from  the  memory  of  he  who  had  to  be 
content  to  participate,  albeit  in  an  ocular  instead  of  a  gastronomic 
demonstration. — W.  Cl. 
Orchids  at  Highbury  in  November. 
When  on  a  recent  visit  to  the  neighbourhood  of  the  home  of  the 
illustrious  Colonial  Secretary,  advantage  was  seized  upon  by  the  [ 
scribe  to  accept  an  in¬ 
vitation  by  Mr.  John 
Maekay,  the  grower,  to 
inspect  the  Orchids 
under  his  charge.  The 
visitor  found  his  cour¬ 
teous  cicerone  engaged 
in  packing  one  or  two 
flowers  of  a  new  hybrid, 
by  name  of  Brassc- 
C'attleya  Marisse  (C. 
YVarneri  x  B.  Digby- 
ana),  for  transmission 
to  the  meeting  of  the 
Royal  Horticultural 
Society  on  the  follow¬ 
ing  day.  The  bigener 
was  raised  at  High¬ 
bury,  and  the  blooms 
in  question  were  the 
first  produced,  and 
appeared  to  possess 
distinctive  merits,  its 
large  proportions  being 
suffused  with  a  delicate 
blush  pink,  and  a 
bright,  dense  purple 
spot  on  the  labellum, 
which  latter  partook  of 
the  Digbyana  fringe, 
the  disk  having  a 
greenish  -  yellow  hue. 
Since  the  writer’s  pre¬ 
vious  visit  several 
months  ago,  a  remark¬ 
able  improvement  was 
noticed  amongst  the 
Orchids  throughout, 
and  in  numerous  cases 
the  growths  wrere  of 
astonishing  propor¬ 
tions.  As  there  is 
'  almost  always  a  large 
demand  for  cut  Orchids 
at  Highbury,  it  might 
occasion  the  visitor 
some  surprise  to  find 
that  probably  a  com-  Cypripedium  insigne,  Harefield  Hall  variety. 
paratively  smaller  com¬ 
plement  of  plants  in 
flower  at  any  one  time  than  might  be  seen  in  collections  of  a  similar 
extensive  character.  The  show  house,  however,  at  the  time  of  the 
writer’s  visit,  was  resplendent  with  a  numerous  variety  of  Orchids, 
principally  Cattleya  labiata  in  variety  and  Ladio-Cattleyas. 
Among  the  latter  a  vigorous  specimen  of  Statteriana  was  noted, 
with  a  profusion  of  blooms  at  least  8  inches  across,  its  rosy-purple 
sepals  and  petals,  and  the  lip  of  a  rich  crimson-purple  colour, 
presenting,  as  it  did,  a  striking  object  amongst  its  compeers.  In 
close  proximity  was  observed  a  thriving  piece  of  C.  Mantini  grandi- 
