JUNB 8, 1911. 



ThcWcckly Florists^ Review. 



9 



SEASONABLE NOTES. 



Cattleyas. 



June is a month when orchid flowers 

 usually are fairly abundant, much more 

 so than in April, and this year some of 

 the big city markets have been over- 

 stocked with cattleyas for some weeks. 

 The demand in the hot months is not 

 by any means equal to that in the cooler 

 months, when labiatas and Trianses are 

 in season, but there is now more or less 

 demand for orchids the year around, 

 especially in the larger cities, and the 

 grower who would cater to the public 

 taste should be prepared to supply at 

 least a few of the summer varieties. 



C. Mossiae is now on the wane. It is 

 by far the freest flowering of the early 

 summer cattleyas. Any repotting should 

 be done now and care should be taken 

 to water more sparingly until new roots 

 are being freely produced. The tempta- 

 tion to water in hot weather is irresist- 

 ible for those whose expetience in or- 

 chid culture is limited, and it is hard 

 to convince even those who are good 

 growers of other varieties of plants 

 that even in the hottest weather newly 

 potted stock must be watered with ex- 

 treme caution. Especially is this nec- 

 essary where the houses are quite heav- 

 ily shaded. Use the hose, however, free- 

 ly among the pots on bright days; on 

 cloudy days little damping down is 

 necessary. Some top ventilation should 

 be left on the houses both night and 

 day now. Cattleyas dislike a close, 

 stuffy atmosphere. It weakens them, 

 and if there is much humidity in the 

 atmosphere it causes roots to push out- 

 side the pots and baskets, rather than 

 in the compost, and cattleyas with a 



wealth of aerial roots may interest nov- 

 ices, but no good grower wants to see 

 them, as the flowers from such plants 

 are of poor quality. 



We get hot, bright days in summer, 

 when a good, heavy shade on the glass 

 seems welcome. There are spells, how 

 ever, of dark, gloomy weather when we 

 wish the glass was clear. Those who 

 can afford it and use cloth blinds on 

 rollers, or lath shades, have a great 

 advantage, as they can give a maximum 

 of light when it is most needed. The 

 lath shades are much used in Europe 

 and are coming into use here. Their 

 initial cost, however, prevents their ex- 

 tended use. Heavy shade gives us 

 green-bulbed, green-foliaged cattleyas. 

 These, however, do not flower so well 

 as those grown in stronger light, 



C. Triana", C. labiata and C. Schroe- 

 dersB will now be making roots quite 

 freely and the water supply for them 

 should be increased gradually. Give all 

 of them the lightest possible location. 

 These and, in fact, all cattleyas and 

 laelias enjoy a syringing overhead about 

 the middle of the afternoon on hot days. 



The cattleya fly has been previously 

 referred to in these columns. It is the 

 worst foe orchid cultivators have to 

 fight. It seems wicked to cut away 

 handfuls of fine growths as they are just 

 starting, but it is the only true remedy. 

 Watch for the swollen growths and cut 

 off and destroy them before the flies can 

 hatch out and escape, or the damage 

 will be greatly extended. C. labiata is 

 headquarters for cattleya fly, but any 

 of the short-bulbed section, as well as 

 some leelias and epidendrums, are also 

 attacked. Long-bulbed cattleyas, such 

 as Harrisonise, Bowringeana, etc., are 



less attacked. Persistent fumigation 

 with a powerful nicotine extract will 

 account for some flies, but cutting oflf 

 the young growths is the best remedy, 

 murderous as it may appear. 



Oyprlpediums. 



With a few exceptions, cypripediums 

 enjoy a moister, warmer and shadier 

 house than cattleyas. They also do well 

 in small, stuffy 'structures, while cat- 

 tleyas enjoy larger, airier ones. Thrips, 

 if it gets a foothold now, will rapidly 

 disfigure the foliage on many varieties. 

 Syringing, sponging and dipping in to- 

 bacco water are necessary to keep it 

 away, or to fight it should it appear. 

 Plants of the insigne section do par- 

 ticularly well in cooler quarters than 

 many other varieties. A brick frame, 

 where they can be elevated on a stage 

 over a good bed of coal ashes, is an 

 ideal location. Here they can be freely 

 syringed and given all necessary ven- 

 tilation. Keep them close to the light. 

 In the case of plants having the pots 

 full of roots, supply weak cow manure 

 water once a week. Green-leaved cypri- 

 pediums, such as insigne, Sallieri, villo- 

 sum, Charlesworthii, etc., grow best in 

 good fibrous loam, while the variegated 

 leaved sorts rather like a fair amount 

 of osmunda fiber mixed with the loam. 

 Unlike the cattleyas, the lady's slippers 

 want a fair supply of water at the 

 roots, even in the so-called resting 

 period. 



Odontoglossnms. 



The repotting of odontoglossums 

 should now be completed. Filling the 

 pots one-third full of crocks and using 

 rather soft oamunda fiber, with a little 

 chopped, fresh sphagnum, gives an ideal 

 compost. It is also best to round the 

 compost above the rims of the pots. Low 

 potting is not to be recommended for 

 orchids. It is well to have the- bulbs 

 level with or just clear of the tops of 

 the pots. Odontoglossums should now 

 ue in their summer quarters. A north 

 house with blinds, a span lath house 

 without glass, a sunken pit — any place, 

 in fact, where as low a temperature as 

 possible is obtainable, with the neces- 

 sary light — will answer. Some day arti- 

 ficial refrigeration may make it possi- 

 ble to grow these most beautiful of all 

 orchids as we see them in Europe. 



^^JSitatfi^vi'a^y Fine Plant of Gittleya Labiata^ That Best of Florists' Orchids. 



