422 



JOURNAL OP HORTICULTUEB AND COTTAGE GARDENER. 



[November 27,1873. 



noticed there is an arrangement of betls, having a conical 

 mound in the centre, surrounded by two concentric beds, 

 T^ifh an opening to give access to the mound, and on the face 

 of the slope a number of oblong beds converging towards 

 the centre and narrowing at their inner ends. Near this there 

 are also a neatly laid-out rosery, and cones which in summer 

 are covered with Geraniums ; and a short distance from the 

 horseshoe-shaped croquet lawn is another small flower garden, 

 having for its centre a raised circular bed, the wooden sides of 

 ■which are covered with Ivy, and around it are neatly-designed 

 beds of which it would be impossible to give a correct idea of 

 the outlines without a diagram, but which form an harmonious 

 whole. Before quitting the pleasure grounds we may mention 

 that there are here and there other cones for bedding plants 

 in summer, and that the most has been made of the situation 

 by winding walks and the artificial eminences already noticed, 

 and, finally, that to Mr. Miller is due the credit of layiug-out 

 the whole. Farther from the house are some noble specimens 

 of Scotch Fir and Picea Pinsapo, together with fine avenues of 

 the latter tree, WeUingtonias, and Deodars. 



A CENTUEY OF ORCHIDS FOR AMATEUR 

 GROWERS.— No. 14. 



CATTLEYA. 



This genus is a very extensive one, and, moreover, contains 

 some species which produce the largest and most richly- 

 coloured flowers of any Orchids in cultivation, so that it is not 

 at all surprising that they are great favourites with all growers 

 of this order. They are all natives of America, some being 

 found at considerable elevations in New Grenada, but the 

 majority occur in Brazil. Cattleyas all make pseudobulbs, 

 and the flowers are produced upon a raceme which issues from 

 the apex, at the base of the blade of the leaf or leaves ; the ra- 

 ceme in its young state is protected by a sheath, through which 

 the flowers escape when approaching maturity. They grow in 

 a state of nature upon the branches of forest trees, and some- 

 times upon rocks, and may be regarded as amongst the easiest 

 plants to cultivate if a Uttle care and thought are bestowed 

 upon them. To these general remarks, however, there are a 

 few exceptions, for some species I have found extremely diffi- 

 cult to manage. No doubt this difticulty arises from a want 

 of knowledge of theu' peculiar surroundings in their native 

 habitats, and consequently we have not been able to discover 

 their requirements ; but as these particular kinds will not be 

 recommended to my amateur friends in this enumeration, we 

 may dismiss them at once, and accept the general rule that 

 Cattleyas are easily grown under the conditions already laid 

 down. If desired they may be grown upon blocks of wood, but 

 I am under the impression that, saving in a few instances, 

 they succeed far best in pots ; di'ainage must be good, and kept 

 in perfect worldng order, and, to prevent recapitulation, I would 

 advise my readers to bear in mind the remarks upon this sub- 

 ject in a former ai'ticle. 



For soil use good fibrous peat, from which nearly all the soil 

 has been well beaten ; use it in moderate-sized lumps, and 

 mix with it some chopped living sphagnum moss and a little 

 clean silver sand. The plant should be elevated above the rim 

 of the pot, and cave must be taken that the decumbent stem 

 is not buried below the soil, or it will be very apt to cause the 

 decay of the eyes. In the matter of water Cattleyas are some- 

 what particular, and although they like an abundant supply to 

 their roots and in the atmosphere, they do not like much from 

 the syringe, unless they are suspended upon blocks of wood ; 

 indeed I have seen the use of the syringe amongst them at- 

 tended with very bad consequeuces through the decay of their 

 young shoots, which often occurs from the water lodging in 

 the large sheathing scales which envelope the pseudobulbs in 

 a yoimg state. 



After the growing season is past most of the species belong- 

 ing to this genus should have a good rest, but it is even quite 

 possible to starve these until the pseudobulbs grown thin and 

 wrinkled — a state which is sure to be foUoweJ by weak and 

 puny growth ; therefore I say, Rest them thoroughly, but do 

 not carry system to such an extreme as to risk the health or 

 destroy the vigour of the plant. By attention to the above 

 simple rules I have had great success with the majority of the 

 kinds now in cultivation, and therefore consider I am ciuite 

 justified in saying they are easy to grow. I once heard a 

 young man commence to read an essay upon their cultivation 

 by saying that Cattleyas required a very rich and deep soil to 

 send their long thick roots into ; this assertion, however, pro- 



duced such roars of laughter from the young gardeners as- 

 sembled, that the poor fellow doubled-up his essay, put it in 

 his pocket, and left the room in disgust, and was never after- 

 wards heard to venture an opinion upon Orchid-growing ; and 

 as I never saw this deep-cultivation system carried out, it is 

 quite beyond my power to give any details in these pages. 



C. Tr.iAN.B. — A species which in growth very much resembles 

 C. Mossiie. It usually attains a height of from 12 to 15 inches, 

 the pseudobulbs being stout, each bearing a single, thick, 

 fieshy, rather pale green leaf. Unlike the last-named species, 

 however, its lovely flowers are produced late in autumn and 

 winter, a circumstance which is sure to endear it to the hearts 

 of the majority of amateur growers, whilst those who only 

 countenance summer-flowering kinds suitable for exhibition 

 purposes do not find space for it in their collections ; but by so 

 excluding them they deny themselves of one of the richest and 

 most gorgeous displays to be found amongst Orchids, second 

 only to that produced by C. Mossia;, and perhaps more ap- 

 preciable than even that, on account of their serving to make 

 the heart glad just at the time that Englishmen, in their dank 

 and foggy atmosphere, are all supposed by some of our friends 

 across the water to be brooding over suicide, and therefore 

 as a preventive to a fit of melancholy I say grow a lot of 

 Cattleya Trianas. There are many varieties of this plant ; that 

 which is considered to be the normal state of the species pro- 

 duces flowers 5 or G inches in breadth, the sepals and petals 

 are broad and rosy blush in colour ; lip large, and of the same 

 colour, the front being tipped with rich purple, and the throat 

 stained with orange inside. The variations from this, however, 

 are great. Some have the sepals and petals wholly clear rose 

 with a rosy -violet lip ; others have this deep-coloured lip with 

 white sepals and petals ; whUst one beautiful variety has pure 

 white flowers, saving the orange-yeUow throat of the lip, and a 

 tinge of soft rose in front. These exquisite flowers are borne 

 upon erect racemes, and remain in perfection nearly a month 

 if kept in an atmosphere free from damp. Native of New 

 Grenada. 



C. MossLE. — This superb plant is grown by the dozen by 

 many Orchid-growers, and amply it repays for any space or 

 trouble which may be devoted to it. As a rule this species 

 attains the height of 12 or 15 inches ; occasionally, however, 

 varieties are found far below this size, and also larger. The 

 pseudobulbs bear a single, thick, and leathery dark green leaf, 

 from the base of which and the top of the pseudobulb the 

 racemes of flowers are produced, and which in their youngest 

 and most tender days are enclosed in a fleshy sheath which 

 grows up with the young leaf ; the racemes bear from three to 

 five flowers, each of which measures from 3 to 6 inches in 

 diameter. As regards colour I am at a loss, for scarcely two 

 plants can be found exactly alike, whilst the breadth of sepals 

 and petals, as well as size of the labellum, is equally variable. 

 Amongst the hundi'eds, however, which have come under my 

 notice, I have not seen one which I could say was not worth 

 growing, although, by comparison, some were infinitely in- 

 ferior to others. As a rule the sepals and petals may be said to 

 be deep blush, the lip large, stained at the base with orange, 

 the centre in front being suffused with rich violet rose, the 

 edoB being paler and prettily fringed ; these colours vary in 

 intensity, as do also *' --".'.' " 'jins of the margins in the 

 numerous V. ' "- — ■ pretty enough, l .^gj.g of this species are 

 produced dm-i.^^"" ^'.y^'," June, ana'.j"ii"iy, and continue in full 

 beauty for eral weeks. Native of La (ruayra. 



C. AcLANiyi.'5. — In every respect different from the previously- 

 named members of this fimily; it is a dwarf-growing species, 

 the pseudobulbs being slender, and seldom more than 5 or 

 inches ; -hese bear a pair of ovate or nearly round, thick, 

 leathery, dark green leaves ; the raceme bears several large 

 flowers, the sepals and petal'- of which are tawny yellow, trans- 

 versely barred with chocola.- ; the lip is spreading, and of a 

 rich rose colour. These colours, however, vary considerably in 

 different varieties. It blooms during June and July, and lasts 

 nearly a month in full beauty. It appears to be tolerably 

 plentiful in the neighbourhood of Bahia and several other 

 parts of Brazil. 



C. jiAxniA. — A. winter- blooming species of great beauty, and 

 therefore doubly valuable in the eyes of those who do not 

 devote their entire space and attention to those kinds which 

 bloom in time for summer exhibitions. The plant in question 

 grows some 12 or IS inches high, bearing a pair of leaves on 

 the top of the pseudobulb, from between these the raceme 

 rises, bearing from five to ten flowers ; sepals and petals bright 

 rose ; lip rose, beautifully streaked and veined with violet and 



