valuable plant for decoration, as its blossoms last so long after being cut, and being 



white it will be always in request. 



Dendrohium Draconls grows about a foot in height. It is an evergreen plant, 

 with dark hairy stems, producing deep green foliage and short racemes of flowers. 

 The sepals and petals are pure ivory-white, and the lip is also white, wath a bright 

 vermihon throat. It flowers in May, June, and July, and lasts about six weeks. 



9 



This plant does well in pans or pots suspended from the roof of the East 

 India house, near the light, as like all the Dendrobes it requires all the light 

 possible in order to ripen its stems, but the burning sun must be kept from it. We 

 have grown it in the stove hanging under a plant of Stephanotis, where there is little 

 shade from the foliage of the Stephanotis, and with this treatment it has bloomed 

 very freely. The best potting material for it consists of rough fibrous peat and 

 sphagnum moss, with a liberal supply of water at the roots iu the growing season. 

 When the growth is completed give just enough to keep the stems in a plump state. 

 It will grow either in pots or baskets suspended from the roof, and also on blocks 

 of wood with live sphagnum moss about the roots, but under the latter circumstances 

 wlien iu vigorous growth the plants will require more water and attention. 



OlK'HIDS AT SaNDRINGHAM, THE RESIDENCE OF H.E.H. THE PeINCE OF ^V 



A short time since we paid a visit to Mr. Penny to see the Orchids at 

 Naiidrmgham, and were much struck with the many fine specimens w^e saw in bloom, 

 the miiss of flowers on some of them, and the colour and size of the blossoms; 

 they gave one the idea of being well cared for. Mr. Penny is quite an enthusiast 

 among good plants, and appears to have selected some most beautiful species and 

 varieties of the Orchid family, especially among the forms of Odontoglossum Alexandrw 

 aii'l 0. Pescatorei, the fine drooping spikes of which are cut and sent to the Princess, 

 ho IS a great admirer of them as decorations, intermixed with the bright Epidendi 



ntdltmm majus and Ma sd evaUias , of which there is here also a well-grown set of 



The Epidaidrum viteUinum majiis was conspicuous for its large spikes of 

 bright orange-sr;,rl,.t flowers; and we saw some splendid varieties of MasdevalUa, 

 witli fine bright colours and large flowers. We noticed some well-grown plants of 

 Odontoijlo.'^mm vexUlarium, with the flowers five inches across, and good in colour; 

 Catthya MosmE in good bloom, some of the flow^ers measuring eidit inches across 



f fine substance, shape, and colour: fine plants of C. MendeUi and C. gig^i^^ 



some good plants of Ixelia anceps, promising well for bloom in the autumn; and 

 well-grown plants of L. anceps Dawsoni. This choice collection includes many 

 other goud Oivhi,ls grown for the pm^pose of cutting and used for decorating the 

 mansion. The great aim of Mr. Penny is to grow those kinds that are nin.t 

 useful and lusting for that purpose. We quite fall in with him in tliL . 

 a« there are no flowers that ai^e better adapted for decorative purposes than those 

 ()rchuls which last long after being cut.-B. S W 



