672 



The Weekly Florists' Review. 



MARCH 24, 1S9S. 



Hebe in the picture is fairly typical, no 

 one foresaw or ventured to prophesy 

 that this was the initial movement in 

 the founding of a large and distinct 

 group as beautiful as any in the whole 

 cyp. family, yet all cyp. lovers will 

 agree to the placing of C. Leeanum and 

 its varieties in the first rank for 

 beauty. C. insigne needs no descrip- 

 tion. 



C. Spicerianum has a dorsal sepal 

 almost entirely pure white. This char- 

 acteristic is transmitted to all of its 

 progeny in, slightly varying degree, as 



showing marked likeness to this one 

 of their parents. They will continue 

 rare, too, as the natural habitat of 

 Fairieanum is unknown and though 

 large sums of money have been offer- 

 ed no collector has yet earned the re- 

 ward by bringing home a batcli of 

 plants. Here is still a real golden op- 

 portunity, for the man that can find its 

 home and get plants to Europe in live 

 condition will strike a real paying 

 ■■Klondike" that will "pan out" in bard 

 cash. 



C. Rothschildianum is well repre- 



View in Cattleya Trianae House at Lager & HurrcU's. 



can be seen by reference to the picture 

 in the variety of C. Leenaum amplia- 

 tum. After a distinct break has been 

 secured we have abundant evidence 

 bow after developments may follow 

 along definite lines. Whilst two sim- 

 ple species gave a beautiful hybrid 

 combining the best qualities of both, 

 by using a finer variety of C. insigne, 

 as for example that known as Maulei, 

 and crossing this with C. Spicerianum, 

 was secured Leeanum Burfordense. a 

 still finer form. This shows great in- 

 herent possibilities, though space will 

 not permit of enlarging upon thtm 

 here. 



C. Arthurianum has been selected for 

 illustration because although a hybrid 

 with insigne for one parent it bears 

 a stronger impress of its other parent, 

 C. Fairieanum, this last being one of 

 the rarest species known. There are 

 about a dozen Fairieanum hybrids 

 carefully cherished in private collec- 

 tions, all of them in form of Sower 



sented in the picture and a glance at 

 its peculiar form and spidery petals 

 will enable readers to understand the 

 interest aroused a short time ago 

 when a question of Rothschildianum 

 hybrids arose. It is obvious that a 

 flower so striking would transmit dis- 

 tinctive traits to its progeny, as in- 

 deed it has to such hybrids from it as 

 have been flowered. It is a nativs of 

 New Guinea and was introduced to 

 cultivation by Sander & Co., of St. Al- 

 bans, England, in 1S87. 



C. Curtisi, a species from Sumatra 

 and here illustrated, has a bold and 

 beautiful flower. It is one of the pa- 

 rents of two very fine American hy- 

 brids, as crossed with argus it gave 

 Ilurrellianum, and with Philippinense, 

 Clinkaberryanum. besides which there 

 are at least two dozen other cyps that 

 claim it as one of their parents. 



C. hirsutissimum is a beautiful spe- 

 cies from Assam that has broad dis- 

 tinctions peculiar to itself and as 



plainly stamped upon any of its pro- 

 geny, of which Alcides and Euryloch- 

 us, both described in The Review of 

 Dec. 30, and Germinyanum, form a se- 

 lect trio, with about a score of others 

 in existence hardly less beautiful. 



C. tonso-villosum stands out as a 

 prominent looking llower in the picture 

 and is as bold as it looks. It is a 

 hybrid of the two species that form its 

 name, but with the villosum features 

 so predominating that it was selected 

 to typify that family. C. villosum is a 

 beautiful, easily grown free flowering 

 cyp coming from Burmah, is a parenr 

 of about three dozen fine hybrids, one 

 of them, Pygmalion,, being described In 

 the issue of Dec. 30, whilst Harrisian- 

 um, nitens, luridum and Lathamianum 

 all show its potency in the origination 

 of lovely forms. 



C. pavoninum is a hybrid represent- 

 ing C. venustum, this being an old 

 species long in cultivation, easily 

 grown, in a cool house and one that 

 has filled a large part in the origina- 

 tion of hybrids. 



Last, and least in size, but far frcm 

 least in relative importance, comes the 

 pretty little C. niveum in the left bot- 

 tom corner of the picture. It repre- 

 sents the opposite extreme of C. can- 

 datum, having a dainty close bui t 

 flower with all its parts overlapping 

 each other, the flowers of snowy white- 

 ness except for a few irregularly scat- 

 tered dots of color about the base of 

 its petals and sepals. It was intro- 

 duced from the Malay archipelago 

 about 20 years ago. Together with C. 

 bellatulum and C. concolor and their 

 numerous most beautiful hybrids, they 

 form a race of their own, of exceed- 

 ing beauty, but they are mostly rare 

 and require careful treatment. It is 

 necessary to graduate in the school of 

 ordinary cyps before one essays the 

 cultivation of these precious gems. 

 A. HERRINGTON. 



Madison, N. J. 



ORCHIDS FOR PROHT. 



"Does it pay to grow orchids for cut 

 flowers?" 



"Certainly It does if they are 

 handled properly and the right kinds 

 are grown." 



Above is my first question and the 

 reply to same by Messrs. Lager & 

 Hurrell during a recent visit to their 

 establishment. Though at Summit (N. 

 J.) they commenced at the bottom of 

 the ladder, and being exclusively or- 

 chid growers and importers I con- 

 cluded they would be the right people 

 to settle some often discussed and 

 knotty problems as regards orchids for 

 profit. What the florist is most inter- 

 ested in is whether the orchids that 

 find ready sale can be produced at a 

 figure that will leave a good margin 

 of proflt. 



"What are the right varieties?" I 

 asked. 



"Following is a list of the best kinds 

 for cut flowers and those marked with 

 a * are especially desirable: *Cattleya 

 Trianae. *C. labiata, C. Mossiae, C. 

 Mendelli, C. Chocoensis, *C. Gigas, C. 



