COOL ORCHIDS. gr 
to understand how nature has packed away the 
component parts of its inflorescence, so as to re- 
solve them into four narrow arms and a labellum. 
But the colouring of this plant is not always dull. 
In the small Botanic Garden at Florence, by Santa 
Maria Maggiore, I remarked with astonishment an 
Onc. fuscatum, of which the lip was_ scarlet- 
crimson and the other tints bright to match. 
That collection is admirably grown, but orchids 
are still scarce in Italy. The Society did not 
know what a prize it had secured by chance. 
The genus Oncidium has, perhaps, more exam- 
ples of a startling combination in hues than any 
other—but one must speak thoughtfully and 
cautiously upon such points. | 
I have not to deal with culture, but one hint 
may be given. Gardeners who have a miscella- 
neous collection to look after, often set themselves 
against an experiment in orchid-growing because 
these plants suffer terribly from green-fly and 
other pests, and will not bear “smoking.” To 
keep them clean and healthy by washing demands 
labour for which they have no time. This is a 
very reasonable objection. _ But though the smoke 
of tobacco is actual ruination, no plant whatever 
suffers from the steam thereof. An ingenious 
Frenchman has invented and patented in England 
