Southport has great advantages over some other districts as regards purity of atmo- 
sphere and abundance of light and fresh air, but there are many persons having 
houses of the same kind, and a position equally advantageous, who would not obtain 
the same results. The rule we always lay down for the cultivation of these plants 
is to secure for them all the bright light possible. The only way to be successful 
in growing them is to give them plenty of light, air, and moisture in their 
growing season; and even in their resting season they require all the available light. 
There is no doubt that the main reason why these plants are grown so well is 
that Mr. Percival perseveres in getting to know the wants of the various species, 
many of which require treatment differmg from their fellows, some, for example, 
liking more moisture than others, while others require more heat. All this may be 
learned by studying the altitudes to ‘which the plants ascend in their native 
country—information which is to be obtained partly by reading, and partly from 
collectors and growers. There are many other Orchids grown in the collection 
besides Cattleyas, and Mr. Percival is building separate houses for the different 
~ classes—houses constructed of good size, and so that they afford plenty of air and 
light. Small houses suit Odontoglots, but Cattleyas require more room. 
Cattleya Dowiana aurea is an evergreen plant, with clavate stems about eight 
inches in height, bearing broad dark green foliage, it being after the style of C. gigas 
in its growth. It comes from a different country from C. Dowiana, which is a 
Costa Rica species, but is so much like it that we cannot separate the two, the 
chief difference being in the colour of the flowers, which in the variety aurea 1s 
of a lighter yellow than in the type. There is a wonderfully fine illustration of 
C. Dowiana in Warner’s Select Orchidaceous Plants, series 2, t. 27, which was 
taken from one of the finest plants of that species which we have yet seen. In 
C. Dowiana aurea the sepals and petals are of a primrose-yellow, while the broad 
lip is of a fine magenta, richly veined and blotched with golden-yellow. It is 
- altogether a charming flower, blooming during the summer and autumn, according 
as it makes’ its growth, the flowers being produced before the growth is completed. 
They last three weeks or more in beauty if they are kept free from damp; if, 
therefore, they are placed in a dry warm house they will keep fresh until the last, 
for it is dampness which is the cause why these and other Orchid flowers often 
become spotted with decay. _ It is better to have a flowering house for those plants 
which are in blossom. 
We find this variety requires the heat of the Cattleya house, and should be 
grown close to the light, being planted in good fibrous peat, with abundant 
drainage, so that a good supply of moisture at the roots may be given bi se 
risk during the growing season. When the plants are at rest a more limited 
supply will suffice. The plants should be suspended from the root of the 
Orchid house. : . 
