1S73. ] CALANTHE VEITOHII. 63 



trouble to raise them from spawn — and I advise only the best to be saved — may- 

 sow it in drills 3 in. apart and 2 in. deep, about the 20th or latter end of Feb- 

 ruary if the weather permit, and it must be protected, if severe weather occurs, 

 until the plants make their appearance. 



The taking up and storing of the bulbs is a matter of paramount importance, 

 and should not be defered until the stems die down. The beds should be looked 

 over frequently, and as any of the plants show signs of ripening, the}" 

 should be taken up at once, the tops being reduced, and the corms placed 

 in a cool, airy place to dry. When thoroughly dried, they may be cleaned 

 and put away in bags, packed in hampers or baskets, if the quantity require it. 

 and be placed in a moderately di-y room out of the reach of frost, for in 

 severe weather the frost will destroy them, even inside a cottage, if placed 

 next to an outer wall. I have known whole stocks lost in this locality from this 

 neglect when I have not lost a single root. I cultivate about 3,000, and there- 

 fore, of course, take some special interest in them, and should not like to hear of 

 their cultivation being discontinued. I feel certain that losses in a great measure 

 arise from want of a little more care in their treatment. — John Walkee, 

 Winlon, Manchester. 



CALANTHE VEITCHII. 



9l (rfOR real usefulness, I think it must be acknowledged that this is the best of 

 (lUir^ Mr. Dominy's hybrid productions amongst orchids ; for on account of its 

 V:^ beauty, and from the facility with which the stock may be increased and 

 (£r the plant grown, it is calculated to make its way into general cultivation 

 as an indispensable addition to our winter-flowering stove plants — not merely 

 because it is an orchid, but I may say in spite of it, for the mere fact of a plant 

 being an orchid seems sufficient to deter many from attempting its growrh, 

 although numerous species, really valuable and moderate in price, will succeed 

 even better in other situations than in the orchid-house proper. 



Our present subject, in common with its parents, izmaiot/es rosea and Calanthe 

 vestita, with the varieties of the latter, thrives well if potted in loam and old 

 cow-dung, with a moderate proportion of silver sand. A close pit is all that it 

 requires in the way of house-room ; and as the whole growth is made in the 

 summer months, it needs nothing more than slight shade during bright sunshine, 

 moderate supplies of air, and plenty of tepid water while in full growth, to be 

 gradually reduced as the pseudobulbs attain maturity. As soon as the flower- 

 spikes appear the plants may be removed to the stove, where they will reward us 

 with their lovely rose-coloured flowers, which form the most pleasing contrast 

 with other foliage. After flowering they must be kept dry and at rest until the 

 buds at the base of the bulb begin to move. 



Now for propagation. Most of the pseudobulbs of this class have a peculiar 

 constriction about the middle, giving the appearance of one bulb above another. 

 This neck is very brittle, and a year or two ago I accidentally snapped the top of 



