528 



Garden and Forest. 



[Number 462. 



growth. Every plant should be examined, as some may- 

 need more material in order to have them firm in the 

 pots and baskets, even if they do not need to be repotted. In 

 repotting- fill the baskets and pots three-quarters full of new 

 charcoal, which is better than crocks, as it does not become 

 sour. Care should be taken not to destroy any more of their 

 adventitious roots than can possibly be helped, and it is essen- 

 tial to guard ag-ainst overpotting. Good fibrous peat that has 

 been thoroughly washed and free from dirt and insects should 

 be used. Press in the peat as firmly as possible and use no 

 moss with it, as this soon decays and becomes sour. A light 

 layer of moss on the top of the peat is beneficial. It encourages 

 the tender roots and does not become sour as it does when packed 

 in with the peat. Another very important point is to see that the 

 plants are thoroughly washed of all dirt and insects, for clean- 

 liness in every respect is a cardinal point in successful Orchid 

 culture. 



After repotting, the temperature should not be raised too 

 quickly, as this will tend to start an early growth, which will 

 be finished before fall, when a second growth would be liable 

 to take place, and this will weaken the plant and cause inferior 

 flowers. The increasing brightness of the sun during the 

 early spriner months will necessitate shading to guard against 

 burning. For this purpose some prefer dimming the glass 

 with a mixture of driers and oil. Others use whitewash ; 

 others still use shades of small slats. The former is a good 

 practice, but it requires much labor to clean off the glass 

 in late autumn. Shading with cheesecloth or light muslin, 

 arranged so that it can be conveniently lowered during sunny 

 days and rolled up during cloudy weather, is convenient. It 

 gives an equal shading throughout the house and breaks off 

 the brightest of the sun's rays. The glass does not retain the 

 heat as it does when painted, and the house will be several 

 degrees cooler under cloth. As the Orchids begin to show 

 their new growth a greater amount of moisture and watering 

 will be needed. An occasional dipping, when the pseudo- 

 bulbs are about half-grown, in a very mild solution of cow- 

 manure will be beneficial in producing strong growths. 



While some of the richest and most delicately colored 

 flowers of some varieties are at their best during these few 

 months, it will be interesting work to cross a few varieties, as 

 there is no telling what the seed may produce in a few years 

 hence. It requires much patience to raise some Orchids from 

 seed. Select only strong plants of the best varieties when 

 crossing in order to obtain good fertile seed. The seed-pod 

 generally ripens in from eight to twelve months, and needs 

 watching toward the time of ripening, or it will burst and 

 much of the seed will be lost. 



The seed should be sown as soon as ripe in pots prepared 

 specially for the purpose. California peat is a good material for 

 these pots, as it is fine in fibre, and the seed will not settle very 

 far into it. The seed should be sprayed only after it is sown, as 

 heavy syringing washes it away. After the germination and a 

 leaf or two are seen the seedlings should be transplanted into 

 very small pots. We have now a seedling Cattleya which has 

 been flowering for the past five weeks, besides several Cypri- 

 pediums, which are worth describing. 

 Tarrytown, N. Y. William Magee, Jr. 



Cypripedium bellatulum. 



'"THE genus Cypripedium may be said to consist of three 

 -*■ well-marked divisions, though but one of these is gener- 

 ally admitted — the tropical American kinds grouped under the 

 name Selenipedium. These are easily recognized by their 

 long foliage without marking, and the pollen is dry and pow- 

 dery and not of the wax-like consistency common to all Cypri- 

 pediumsfrom the east ; there is also a structural difference in 

 the seed-capsule, and various smal'er details make a dividing 

 line between those that come from the east and west. The 

 Cypripediums proper, most of which have beautifully tes- 

 sellated leaves, are natives of the islands of the Malay 

 Archipelago, where they occur mostly in isolated spots, two 

 species rarely growing together, and also of the mainland of 

 the East Indies, reaching up through Burma and into the Shan 

 states, whence came our most recent acquisition, C. Charles- 

 worthii, sent home by a British officer fortunately possessed 

 of botanical knowledge and taste. 



The section of the genus, however, to which reference is 

 specially made now is that which embraces Cypripedium bel- 

 latulum, C. niveum, C. Godefroyae and C. concolor, with their 

 several varieties. These are distinct in having flowers of a 

 uniform ground color, from pure white to various yellowish 

 white shades ; in the great width of petal, the outer segments 



of the flowers being equal, or nearly so, and in the markings 

 of spots instead of stripes. The foliage of this division is also 

 strikingly individual, being thick and fleshy, tessellated, and not 

 of such large dimensions as in the other sections. The flower- 

 scapes are always dwarf. 



This last section presents as great difference, from a cul- 

 tural point of view, in the plants themselves. And while 

 separating them botanically is not usually practiced, the culti- 

 vator, if he wishes to grow these gems, must be most careful 

 to give them suitable treatment, or they will speedily be classed 

 among the things that were. Hybridists were quick to note 

 the striking characteristics of this section, and soon began to 

 use them. Some of the most interesting results have already 

 been obtained, and it is impossible to predict what is in store, 

 so that it is not so much on account of the species mentioned, 

 as the hybrids that have been raised from them by crossing 

 with other species, all of which partake, to a great extent, of 

 the habit of growth of Cypripedium bellatulum or its kindred. 

 These hybrids are now among the most prized in collections, 

 and it is essential to understand their requirements. 



It has often been stated in published descriptions of these 

 plants that they grow on lime-stone rocks, and that the addi- 

 tion of this material to the potting compost will greatly facilitate 

 their growth. We have no lime-stone in this district, but old 

 mortar refuse is an excellent substitute, as well as useful to 

 keep the potting soil sweet and porous, and it is well to use it 

 as drainage for the pots. If newly imported plants are re- 

 ceived, it will invariably be found that a deep red clay of a 

 most tenacious nature is adhering to the thick roots. We find 

 even now, after a year or two of watering, that this red earth 

 still sticks to the roots that are alive and sound. This fact set 

 us to thinking about the usual peat and moss compost gen- 

 erally advised, and prepared us somewhat for a later experi- 

 ence — that of finding in some of the noted English collections 

 whole shelves near the roof-glass filled with these Cypripedes, 

 all in most vigorous health, and potted in loam alone, with the 

 addition of lime-stone. The fact is our moss compost holds 

 too much moisture in suspension for the plants, if it is kept in 

 a growing condition, as withotherCypripedes ; and if the moss 

 is allowed to die it is even worse, for the plants like to be in a 

 fairly dry condition before water is given. If a few pieces of 

 loam-fibre are placed at and around the collar of the plants it 

 will be found ample for their needs, and water must never be 

 given until it is really needed, or damp will take off even the 

 strongest plants. 



Another point to be observed, and it is the most important 

 of all, is to suspend the plants where they will never be watered 

 or sprayed over the foliage. However they may be placed in 

 a wild state, whether in clefts or fissures of the rocks, or if the 

 moisture is rapidly evaporated by the air, certain it is that we 

 must not apply it overhead. It is an easy matter to use pots 

 of exactly the same height, putting several of them together 

 in a basket and dipping them in a vessel of water when dry; 

 no danger of decay at the base of the leaves need then be 

 feared. It is the only difficulty to be apprehended, and one, 

 too, that has prevented many from taking up the cultivation 

 of this exquisite set of plants. 



Plants newly received have most likely come by way of 

 Europe, and our experience, which is also that of others, is 

 that thrips are very certain to be present. These destructive 

 little pests seem inseparable for some time, because water 

 cannot be applied so freely as with other species. Strong to- 

 bacco dust, a pinch in each growth, will discourage them in 

 time, and fumigating may also be resorted to, as this whole 

 genus will not take harm from the operation. 



It is not too much to say that Cypripedium bellatulum at 

 least should be grown in every collection, however small. It 

 is also the easiest to obtain, presents great variety in itself, 

 both in the leaves and flowers, and will almost surely lead 

 one to want other species, as they present, taken altogether, a 

 series of gradations that point to one common origin, though 

 some are insular while others grow on the mainland, far in the 

 interior. The gem of the series is a spotless form of C. bella- 

 tulum, discovered by Commissioner Moore, who also found 

 C. Charlesworthii. The foliage is also devoid of color other 

 than green, and this fortunately led to its being kept separate 

 by its discoverer. 



Chemical fertilizers for Orchid culture is a delicate subject, 

 and many cultivators denounce their use in strong terms. We 

 have, however, for some time used them in homoeopathic doses, 

 and in some instances with surprising results. We have no hesi- 

 tation at this time in saying that a little nitrate of soda or sul- 

 phate of ammonia, or, better still, both alternately used as a 

 weak solution for watering, will give depth of color to the 

 leaves and vigor not to be had under other treatment. This 



