Odontoglossum crispum regine is, like the other forms of the Princess of Wales” 
Odontoglot, an evergreen plant, and should be grown in the same way as the species. 
When in a vigorous condition, it produces its handsome drooping racemes of flowers 
freely; these have the sepals and petals white, heavily spotted with reddish brown. 
The treatment of the Odontoglossums of this section, as many times noted in our 
pages, is well understood by the majority of Orchid growers. We cannot, indeed, find - 
any better method of cultivation than we have already described, and which we 
may here recapitulate. Thus for potting material they must have good fibrous peat 
and sphagnum moss, or the fibre from the tufted masses of the common Polypody, 
which have been accumulating for years on the hill tops, and on old pollard trees 
in our woods and forests. This material is very much used in Belgium for the 
Odontoglots, as well as other Orchids, and with extremely good results, which is 
a proof of its adaptability for the purpose. The fibre is taken from the rhizome of 
the Polypody, the rhizomes not being put with the fibre when used, as they would 
grow and the foliage produced would smother the Orchid; this fibre should be 
chopped up with live sphagnum moss, and these mixed make a good compost for 
Odontoglots. The results of this treatment, which we have witnessed during the 
last two years, have proved it to be most successful; we have, indeed, never 
seen the plants grown better than they are in many collections in Belgium, and 
we have in consequence been induced to try the fern-fibre for potting Orchids. 
There is no doubt that if the best fibrous peat can be obtained, and the fine 
part is carefully shaken out of it, this is still as good a material for Orchid culture 
as can be adopted; there are, however, many sorts of peat, and it is difficult to 
get the best. We have of late been fortunate in procuring some very good 
fibrous peat; but there are, of course, places where peat is not procurable, which 
makes the Polypodium fibre useful. This, no doubt, is the chief reason why it 1s 
used in Belgium, where it is found in abundance in some parts. Grown in this 
way the plants require more water than when grown in the ordinary compost, as 
the fibre is more porous and dries up more quickly, which, however, is all the 
better for the plants, as the material for them to grow in cannot be too open, 
since most of these Orchids are, in their native country, located on trees, where they 
find little material about them to hold water. 
