•^-.V i- .. >7.''7;-.-.T 



TJ^r';c^:\'Y . ^ ■ijf,"'^'' 



16 



The Weekly Florists' RevieWr 



SErXEMBER 21, 1911. 



SEASONABLE NOTES. 



Cattleya Labiata. 



Cattleya labiata has buds in the 

 larger sheaths well advanced and many 

 will be in flower toward the end of 

 September. I often wonder what we 

 would do for cattleya flowers in fall 

 and early winter wore labiata taken 

 away. Yet it is not so many years ago 

 that it was one of the so-called lost 

 orchids. It is a mistake to materially 

 reduce the water supply for labiatas 

 until the flowers have been cut. Give a 

 liberal quantity until that time; then 

 gradually reduce it. As the plants come 

 into flower, move them to the coolest 

 part of the house, where they will not 

 be exposed to the sun's rays. As there 

 will soon be many orchids in flower, 

 where a collection is grown, it pays to 

 keep a small division especially for 

 plants in flower. With a close and 

 somewhat cooler temperature, they keep 

 much better than in the atmosphere 

 which suits the growing plants. 



Speaking of C. labiata, this is the 

 cattleya par excellence for any one just 

 starting in orchid culture in a small 

 way. It is as easy to grow as the gera- 

 nium, and a special house is not needed 

 for it. The demand for cattleya flowers 

 steadily grows, and any one with a few 

 pans or baskets in flower will find them 

 excellent for store decoration, for use 

 in designs, or in groups at any of the 

 exhibitions. So far as the initial cost 

 goes, the grower can generally get back 

 his money after the first crop of flowers. 



Cattleya Dowiana Aurea. 



The beautiful yellow cattleya, Dowi- 

 ana aurea, starts to flower about the 

 end of September, flowering for several 

 months where a few dozen plants arc 

 grown. Continue to water them freely 

 until the blooms are cut, after which 

 time careful treatment through the win- 

 ter is necessary. Any overdose of 

 water in dark weather is liable to kill 

 the plants. Keep them well up to the 

 glass at the warmer end of the house, 

 letting them get a good deal of sun. 

 Never min^ if the leaves get pale in 

 color, as wiell as the bulbs. The dark 

 gr<^wn ones are not those which bloom 

 freely, and, furthermore, they go to 

 piccwi quickly in the winter unless 

 haii^j^^ with great care. 



Various Cattleyas. 



Some of the late summer cattleyas, 

 suclh as Harrisonise, Luddemanniana, 

 Loddigesjii, Leopoldii, granulosa, Eldo- 

 rado, GiftBkelliana and bieolor, are now 

 out of flower or soon will bcr Give each 

 of them a good rest before overhauling 

 and repotting them. It is better to see 

 the new growths pushing and the roots 

 peeping before repotting. Use clear 



osmunda fiber for all cattleyas, and the 

 coarser brands are the best; they wear 

 better than the soft, spongy samples, 

 which also hold the water rather too 

 long. After flowering and before re- 

 potting, give the plants any necessary 

 cleaning. Thrips are liable to deform 

 some flowers where fumigation is neg- 

 lected; especially is this the case with 

 plants grown near the roof of the house. 

 A couple of fumigations before the labi- 

 atas open will clean out any of these 

 pests, which annually destroy large 

 quantities of orchid flowers. 



Lselia Anceps. 



La^lia anceps is now growing strongly 

 and the roots want a good supply of 

 water. The flower spikes will be quite 



well advanced, especially in the colored 

 varieties. As a rule, the white forms 

 flower the latest. While white cattleyas 

 are generally weak in comparison with 

 the colored ones, the white forms of 

 Ltelia anceps are in nearly every case 

 much more vigorous than the colored 

 ones and produce much stronger flower 

 stalks, which also have better keeping 

 qualities in a cut state. These la;lias, 

 as well as majalis, autumnalis, acumi- 

 nata and others, like a light, airy house 

 and resent anything like a close atmos- 

 phere. They want only a light shade; 

 when grown in heavy shade they grow 

 beautifully but flower poorly. They 

 should have the colder end of the cat 

 tleya house in winter, but any wanted 

 for Christmas can be given a little more 

 heat. 



Calanthes. 



Calanthes will still be in active 

 growth. They still need an abundant 

 water supply, with manure water twice 

 a week. Cow or sheep manure, with 

 some soot added, strained through a 

 bag, is a safe manure for these and 

 many other orchids. An oversupply of 

 water is usually the cause of black spot 

 on the leaves, while a damp, clammy 

 atmosphere, without fire heat, will fur- 

 ther aggravate it. Try to give them a 

 little fire heat every night and on all 

 dull, damp, cold days. The night tem- 

 perature for them should be 70 degrees. 



Saccolabium Bluntii, Flowered by Julius Roehrs Co.* 



