THE MOST USEFUL ORCHIDS 47 



founded In 1825, and now that the greater part of a century has 

 elapsed it is still first and foremost in general estimation. The 

 distribution of the plants is through Northern India, Burmah, 

 and the Malaya. From a cultural point of view these Orchids 

 are divisable into two groups, one group needing abundance of 

 heat and moisture and the other succeeding under comparatively 

 cool conditions. 



Equal parts of peat and sphagnum make up a suitable 

 potting mixture, but in districts far removed from the smoke of a 

 factory town, some fibrous loam may be added with advantage for 

 those kinds that grow under the cooler treatment. The plants are 

 pseudo-bulbous, and in some cases the pseudo-bulbs are elongated, 

 and in others round or egg-shaped ; these are ribbed in some 

 species, notably in C. corrugata, and smooth in C. cristata. 



Coelogynes are evergreen and therefore must not be severely 

 rested, or allowed to become quite dry when not in active growth. 

 The best time to re-pot, as in the case of most Orchids, is when 

 new roots are being formed, and this is generally a little while after 

 the plants have finished flowering. The temperate species appre- 

 ciate warmer and rather close conditions for a few weeks after 

 they are potted, as they are then able to re-establish themselves 

 quickly in the new compost. 



Best Species 



C. ASPERATA is a Strong grower, its leaves often rising two 

 feet high ; the flowers, borne a dozen or so together in drooping 

 racemes, measure three inches across, and are pale yellow, with 

 bright red-brown and orange markings on the lip. It is a free 

 flowering species that should be grown in the stove and wintered 

 in the Cattleya House or Intermediate House. 



C. BARBATA hails from Assam and should be grown with 



