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754 THE GARDENERS' CHRONICLE. [DECEMBER 10, 1881.
Orchid Notes.
WORK IN THE HOUSES.--Whilst the present exceedingly
mild weather continues the houses can be
kept at their proper temperature with little anxiety on
the part of those who have charge of the fires.
There can be no doubt that with such weather out-of-doors
the treatment now being given is much better
for the plants than when there is heavy snow on the
ground, and a continuance of severe frosts for days
and nights together. Still whilst it is so mild, the
thermometer may safely indicate a few degrees higher
than it would be wise to keep if much firing were
now being used. The object now, let the weather be
what it may, is to induce many to remain in a state of
rest, or but slight growth; it will not do, therefore,
by excessive heat unduly to excite any into growth,
or to hasten on the blooming period. There are
always among the cool Orchids some pushing-up
flower-spikes, or starting again into growth, and the
difference of treatment these require at any period of
the year is comparatively slight when the other
sections are taken into consideration. These must
not be drived off in a bulk, though a partial rest after
blooming must be individually encouraged by a slight
withholding of water; and so, whatever the season
may be, the treatment in this section will be a careful
and consistent round of a regular and uniform character,
bearing in mind the requirements of indviduals.
The temperatures of the houses in the early
morning, at 7 A.M., should now be as near the following
figures as possible : — East India-house, 60[degrees];
Dendrobium-house, 58[degrees]; Cattleya-house, 55[degrees]; Odontoglossum-house,
50[degrees] to 53[degrees]. If the Phalænopsis,
and a few recently imported East India plants,
are placed in a separate divisiion, it may range
a little higher; but if less air is given it will cause
this department to be a little warmer and closer, and
will answer the same purpose. When it is practicable,
give air on all occasions, especially to the
Odontoglossum-house; with the glass outside ranging
from 40[degrees] to 50[degrees], little fear need be felt that any harm
will follow. The rare and distinct Vanda Cathcarti,
where it has been secured, should now be well
advanced with flower spikes. This generally commences
to show as early as August and September,
and the spike and buds come slowly on until the
flowers expand by Christmas, or sometimes not till
January is far advanced. The flowers last a long
time, which is some compensation for the lenght of
time one has to wait for their appearance. This will
in some cases grow as free as can possibly be desired;
in other instances it is just as difficult to manage.
One cause of this I believe to be that it is grown in
too much heat. This encourages yellow thrips, and
once this pest has settled upon it it seems to have the
plant completely in its power. The leaves being of
a thin papery texture are soon disfigured, and must
be cut away; smoking or dipping must then be
resorted to, and repeated if the first operation is not
successful. The coolest end of the East India-house,
where it can have plenty of light, will suit it best.
Being a quick grower naturally, it doubtless soon lifts
its head above the plants or foliage at its base, and
reaching upward it would therefore enjoy an abundance
of light. It is also much benefited when growing
by being syringed overhead morning and evening,
and is most at command when grown in a pot.
Among the late additions to the Dendrobium few
were distributed more quietly than the singular-growing
Findleyanum, and probably not one has
given more pleasure, or caused greater surprise, than
this. At first, with many growers, it did not appear
very deserving, but now it is admitted to be a most
beautiful species—very free in blooming, the flowers
of fine size, and the colours soft and pleasing. This
is best managed in baskets, and during the summer
grows very quickly. It flowers on the new growths
whilst the leaves, in some instances, are still upon the
bulbs; but if these miss blooming the first year they
will generally do so the second. It will now be
showing flower along its knotted bulbs, and will soon
prove it is worthy of all the care that has been bestowed
upon it. Wherever it can be obtained it
should be added to the collection without delay.
Another choice thing of recent introduction is Maxillaria
grandiflora. This succeeds best in a pot, in peat
and sphagnum, and, grown in the Cattleya-house during
the summer, it will have made stout bulbs and leaves,
and will now be flowering from the base of the newly
formed bulbs. Its erect showy blooms rival in some
respects the rare Lycaste Skinneri alba, and should
be represented in the collection by more than a single
specimen. Miltonia spectabilis, virginalis, rosea,
Moreliana, &c., will now be pushing new growths.
Pick out the old peaty soil, and top-dress them with
some fresh sphagnum and peat, using some crocks
among the soil. Do not shake them out unless it is
absolutely necessary, as they do not like to be often
disturbed; it causes the leaves to turn yellow and fall
off, and the plants become weaker in a very perceptible
manner. The Cattleya-house will suit these, as well,
too, the taller growers, as Clowesii, Regnelli and its
variety purpurea; candida grandiflora requires a little
more heat than any of them. W. Swan, Fallowfield.
ORCHID SEEDS.
I am not sure that the instructions given at p. 733
are quite sufficient for a beginner in the field of
raising seedlings. It would depend very much upon
how or where the living sphagnum was placed before
I should care to trust Orchid seeds on it. If they
were sown on a pot or pan of luxuriant living sphagnum
I would not expect to see a plant come up. The
method usually pursued, and which I have found
successful, is this. For instance, if the seeds to be
sown are those of a Cypripedium I would select a
plant of the same species as one of the parents that
had been potted some time—say six months; and I
would prefer one that had not too much living sphagnum
about it. The surface where the seeds are to be
sown should be one of bits of charcoal, tufts of fibrous
peat and potsherds, with live sphagnum at intervals.
The seed-pods will riper on the plant, and the seed
should be sown as soon as the pods open. The seed,
which resembles very much the dust in the sunbeams,
should be shaken out on to the surface; and if there
are any thick roots on the surface the seeds may vegetate
on them, and nowhere else (at least, I had an
experience of that kind once). I merely took the
Cypripedium as an illustration, but it is a fact that
the best way to rear seedling Orchids is to sow the
seeds on the surface of the compost on which other
plants of the same kind are growing. There are,
however, such an enormous number of seeds in a pod
that it is easy to try them in various ways. I think it
was the late Mr. Donald Beaton who sowed Orchid
seeds in rather an eccentric manner; but he was
successful in raising plants, which was the first point
gained, although he stated at the same time that he
never reared one. Mr. Beaton filled a flower-pot
with water, in which were some good-sized lumps of
charcoal; his fingere were held over the hold in the
bottom of the pot. The seeds were then sown on the
surface of the water, the finger was withdrawn, and
the water rushed out, leaving the seeds attached to
the charcoal, which was kept moist afterwards. In
this way he raised a large number of plants; but it
takes a long time before they are ready to be pricked
off, and they did not derive sufficient sustencance from
the charcoal to bring them on to that stage. J. D.
ORCHIDS IN FLOWER AT GLASNEVIN
On December 1 there were sixty-one species and
varieties of Orchids in flower here, and of these
thirty-one were in flower on November 1. The
following is a list of them:—
[two columned table]
PILUMNA FRAGRANS
This is one of the choicest Orchids we have for
flowering this season. Mr. Low has also a large
importation coming into flower; and as the flowers
open the plants are arranged in two sections. The
large-flowered variety is grown under the name of P.
nobilis. Why it should be elevated to the rank of a
distinct species merely because the flowers are larger
does not seem to be so easy to answer. P. fragrans
nobilis it ought to be, if a distinctive name is necessary.
The large-flowered variety is the best certainly,
although both ought to be grown in every collection.
The sweetly-scented flowers are of teh most delicate
white, with a lemon or yellow mark at the base of the
labellum. This is also a free-growing plant, and
should be potted like Cattleya Mossiae. It favours
either the cool or Cattleya-house. J. Douglas.
MR. BULL'S COLLECTION.
The following are now in flower at Mr. William
Bull's establishment, King's Road, Chelsea, S.W.:—
[two columned table]
ONCIDIUM CHEIROPHORUM.
In entering one of the Orchid-houses in Messrs.
Low's nursery at Clapton, the other day, the visitor
might observe what seemed to be a bed of the dwarf
yellow Wallflower coming into bloom, but on a closer
inspection it was found to be a quantity of exceedingly
healthy plants of O. cheirophorum; many spikes are
fully opened, and numbers more are coming on to
succeed them. The flowers open pale yellow, and
when fully opened they are of a golden-yellow, and
most sweetly scented. Mr. Low grows this in quite
a cool house, and I saw it doing well since in one
with a night temperature ranging from 60[degrees] to 65[degrees].
Now that there are large importations of this it may
soon beomce an inmate of most Orchid-houses. J. D.
ORCHIDS IN MIXED COLLECTIONS: FERGUSLIE.
Mr. Williams, in the Orchid Album for last month
gives a very just and appreciative notice of the
Orchids grown by Mr. Thomson at Ferguslie, the
seat of T. Coates, Esq., and remarks that they were
not grown in a house or houses specially set apart for
them, but in houses mixed up with stove and fine-
foliaged plants. My reason for noticing this is, that
I remarked the same success attended similar treatment
of Orchids by the late Mr. Ingram, at
Alnwick Castle. I saw them last autumn, and never
saw plants in more robust health grown in a
large plant-stove, with fine-foliaged and other stove
plants. The Dendrobiums were quite remarkable
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