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14 



The Weekly Florists^ Review^ 



Apbil 20, 1911. 



SEASONABLE NOTES. 



Miltonia Vexillaria. 



Miltonia vexillaria, the beautiful 

 early summer flowering orchid, has 

 just commenced to push its flower 

 spikes. It grows well in winter in the 

 cattleya house, but in summer prefers 

 cooler and somewhat shadier quarters, 

 although some successful growers have 

 excellent success in growing it with 

 cattleyas all the time. While the 

 leaves are somewhat soft when com- 

 pared with such orchids as cattleyas, 

 leelias, coelogynes or dendrobiums, they 

 are much benefited by direct sunlight 

 from the middle of November until the 

 middle of March, after which time a 

 light shade usually is found beneficial. 

 The influence of sunshine toughens the 

 foliage, turns it to a ruddy or magenta 

 hue and puts the plants in a better 

 condition to withstand our hot sum- 

 mers. When the young growths are 

 sending out roots is the correct time 

 to do any needful repotting. There is 

 no better compost than moderately soft 

 osmunda fiber. The tough and hard 

 variety is better for cattleyas, but not 

 quite so good for miltonias. 



Thrips is an arch enemy of this mil- 

 tonia, but a dipping in tobacco water 

 or spraying with the same liquid will 

 keep it away. Miltonias and odonto- 

 glossums are injured by heavy fumiga- 

 tions. They will not stand hydrocyanic 

 acid gas, and some of the nic6tine ex- 

 tracts and even tobacco stems will hurt 

 them. A temperature of 56 to 58 de- 

 grees at night for the ndxt few weeks, 

 with a light spraying overhead on 

 bright days, will be found to suit these 

 miltonias. 



Lxlia Anceps. 



The season's crop of flowers on Lselia 

 anceps will now be cut and any rebasket- 

 ing or potting should be done. They 

 are likely to succeed better in pans 

 than in baskets, as the roots are more 

 under control. Pure fern fiber is the 

 ideal compost for them and water must 

 be sparingly applied until the roots are 

 well advanced and growths started. 

 Many people fail to flower laelias satis 

 factorily, especially the beautiful white 

 varieties, such as Stella, Schroeders, 

 alba, Dawsoni and others. The trouble 

 is that they are given too much sum- 

 mer shade, and while this treatment 

 produces big bulbs and beautiful dark 

 green leaves, the crop of flower spikes 

 is almost nil. 



In their native habitats in Mexico, 

 L. Anceps is nearly always found on 

 trees or rocks, growing in the full sun, 

 and during the growing season is 

 drenched almost daily by torrential 

 rains. Under these conditions it makes 

 hard bulbs, with tough, but not dark 

 green leaves. We must imitate these 



conditions to some extent under glass, 

 by giving the plants merely sufficient 

 shade to prevent the sun burning the 

 leaves, and by syringing freely every 

 afternoon in summer. One good grower 

 hangs his plants on a tree, where they 

 get plenty of sunshine, and uses the 

 hose on them freely. He always get? 

 a big crop of flowers, as will anyone 

 who omits heavy summer shade. They 

 do not want a warm house at any time. 

 They are really cool orchids and 50 to 

 55 degrees at night is ample for them. 

 In summer any airy, light greenhouse 

 will suit them, with the plants hung 

 well up to the glass. 



Calantlies. 

 Early in March was the proper time to 

 start the bulbs of calanthes, using ordi- 

 nary seed flats, half filled with crocks 

 or coarse ashes. On this we place a layer 

 of moss and fill the balance with sharp 

 sand. We place the bulbs fairly close to- 

 gether, but allow room between - them 

 for the young growths when they ap- 



pear. Give one soaking watering; then 

 apply moisture rather sparingly. In a 

 warm, moist house, kept at 65 to 7(' 

 degrees at night, root and growth ac 

 tion will soon commence. When ready 

 for repotting, mix up a compost of two 

 thirds fibrous loam, from which thi> 

 finer particles have been screened out 

 and one-fourth old, lumpy, dried cow 

 manure, to which should be added somr 

 sharp, gritty sand. Use either pots oi 

 moderately deep pans. Three good bulb? 

 will go in an 8-inch pan and one bulb 

 in a 5-inch pot, or, if extra strong, one 

 in a 6-inch pot. One-third of the pot 

 should be drainage and, in potting, th( 

 compost should be made so firm that 

 the bulbs will stand up without stakes. 



Oncldiums. 



That valuable fall flowering oncidium, 

 varicosum Kogersii, is now in active 

 growth, and if any repanning has not 

 yet been done, it will be better to de- 

 lay it for a season, as more harm than 

 good would come from disturbing the 

 plants now. A top-dressing of fresh 

 fern fiber can be given, picking out 

 some of the old compost. It is better 

 not to use any moss; there is always 

 the likelihood of shell snails or other 

 such pests lurking in it and they usual- 

 ly place themselves in evidence when 

 the young flower spikes appear. This 

 oncidium does specially well in 5-inch 

 and 6-inch pans, hung close to the light 

 at the cooler end of the cattleya house, 

 or in a house where odontoglossums 

 thrive. They dislike a close, moist at- 

 mosphere. 



Fhaius Orandifollus. 



Fhaius grandifolius, the stately old 



Phalaenopiis Grown by W. N. Cnag, North Easton, Mats. 



