tlAY 20, 191S. 



The Florists^ Review 



31 



flowers from the new pseudo-bulb in 

 the same way as C. gigas. It thrives 

 particularly well in a temperature 5 

 degrees higher than that usually given 

 cattleyas. One of its parents, C. gigas, 

 does best in a similar temperature. 



W. N. C. 



SEASONABLE NOTES. 



The Cattloya House. 



Cattleyas are, in many cases, now 

 in active growth and as the root action 

 increases and pseudo-bulbs develop, 

 more water will be found necessary. 

 Plants which have not been overhauled 

 for a year or two will require more 

 copious waterings than such as have 

 been recently repotted or rebasketed, 

 and these latter will be benefited by 

 weak doses of liquid cow manure or 

 some of the commercial fertilizers. Be 

 careful not to make the doses heavy, 

 or more harm than good will result. 

 Where dipping is impracticable, it is 

 easy to mix up a tank or barrel of 

 the liquid and apply through a Kin- 

 ney pump. I know some growers say 

 orchids do not need any food, but the 

 best answer to that is the appearance 

 and flowering qualities of fed versus 

 unfed plants. Eather more shading 

 will now be needed, but do not make 

 it heavy. The dark green-leaved 

 plantp are never the freest bloomers. 

 Leave air on night and day; a close 

 atmosphere tends to make the plants 

 soft and causes roots to ramble over 

 the sides of receptacles instead of go- 

 ing into the compost. A spraying over- 

 head once a* day will now be beneficial 

 to all cattleyas and laelias. 



Some May-Flowering Orchids. 



Probably the most popular of all 

 cattleyas blooming at this season is 

 Cattleya Mossise. This is one of the 

 most inexpensive cattleyas. It is also 

 easily grown, free flowering and car- 

 ries large, attractive flowers of excel- 

 lent lasting qualities. Three to five 

 flowers are usually carried on a sheath, 

 occasionally six or seven. Every com- 

 mercial grower handling orchids at all 

 should try some Cattleya Mossiae. 

 Some may be had in flower for Easter; 

 others will last until the middle of 

 June. 



C. Mendelii is another beautiful 

 cattleya, possessing much substance, 

 now in flower. It is getting scarce and 

 is now high in price compared with C. 

 Mossise. Some of C. gigas are also 

 now in flower. This is one of the most 

 noble of cattleyas and brings a higher 

 market price than any other. As the 

 flowers possess less substance than 

 Mossise or Mendelii, it must be kept 

 well shaded while in flower, as the 

 blooms are easily scorched. 



Laelia purpurata is now at its best 

 and Iselio-cattleyas and brasso-cattleyas 

 are fairly abundant. These latter are 

 etriking and beautiful, but lack con- 



stitution and will never become mar- 

 ket varieties. They prefer the warmest 

 end of the cattleya house, which, by 

 the way, also suits Cattleya gigas well. 



Miltonia VexiUaria. 



Miltonia vexillaria, the charming 

 and useful summer orchid, is flowering 

 now. At this season it succeeds best 

 in a cool, shaded house, one, if possible, 

 of a lean-to nature with a northern 

 exposure. The flower spikes frequently 

 get caught in the sheathing at the base 

 of the growths, or between some of 

 the leaves, and should be released be- 

 fore they become twisted or broken. 

 These miltonias delight in a sunny 

 house in winter, where the foliage 

 takes on a bluish tint and becomes 

 tough, and such plants always bloom 

 earlier and more abundantly than those 

 grown in shade. 



A NEW CATTLEYA HYBRID. 



John Tiplady, formerly gardener for 

 A. B. Dick, at Lake Forest, 111., but 

 now connected with the Chicago Feed & 

 Fertilizer Co., says that orchid lovers 

 ought to journey to Lincoln park, Chi- 

 cago, sometime during the present 

 moon, and ask Head Gardener Budolph 

 Schiele to show them his new Cattleya 

 Mossise seedling, now in flower for the 

 first time. 



"This new and improved type of the 

 much admired C. Mossise," says Mr. 

 Tiplady, "demonstrates clearly what 

 progress may be accomplished by hy- 

 bridization. In color and size of flower 

 and apparent constitution of plant, this 

 hybrid is a decided improvement and 

 an acquisition. It is beyond my ability 

 to describe properly the color of this 

 newcomer. ' ' 



CATTLEYA EDWAEDI. 



One of the hybrid orchids which at- 

 tracted much attention at the recent 

 spring show in the Grand Central Pal- 

 ace, New York, was Cattleya Edwardi, 

 a hybrid between C. Schilleriana and 

 C. gigas. The flowers are of medium 

 size, with somewhat narrow sepals and 

 petals of a deep rose color. The rather 

 flat lip is lightly fringed with purple 

 stripes, strongly resembling one of the 

 parents, C. Schilleriana. C. Edwardi 

 is a vigorous grower and produces its 



OBEEN PETALS ON VON SION. 



Enclosed you will find a specimen 

 bloom of Narcissus Von Sion. Will 

 you kindly tell me what is the matter 

 with it? You will notice that the 

 bloom is crowded with thick green pet- 

 als between the regular yellow petals, 

 so much so that the flower appears al- 

 most like a ball, with the green just 

 the color of the stems. The blooms in 

 the whole bed are like it. 



M. T. A. J.— Kan. 



The flower was much withered after 

 its long journey. Outdoor flowers of 

 Double Von Sion narcissi often come 

 as described. This peculiarity seems 

 to indicate a running out of the stock. 

 In that case the bulbs should be lifted 

 after the foliage has matured, and 

 should be replanted in fresh soil, when 

 the trouble will largely disappear. 



C. W. 



Cattleya Edwardi, Schilleriana x Gigas. 



