The plant from which our plate was reproduced flowered in June, 1893, in 
the magnificent collection of M. le Comte Adrien de Germiny, at Gouville, Seine 
Inferieure, France, where so many gems of the noble Orchid family have found a 
a home, and thrive under the able management of the genial head gardener, 
M. Pierre Vincent. 
Spathoglottis gracilis, as a glance at our plate will show, is a handsome and 
interesting addition to our Orchid houses, though it may, perhaps, not be considered 
to have equal claims at our hands as the more showy species, such as S. Augustorum 
and S. Kimballianum. However, it certainly has a charm of its own, and as it 
is not, we believe, a difficult kind to cultivate, it cannot fail to prove a favourite 
with many, especially as the colour of the flowers is far from common in Orchids. 
Like the other members of the genus, S. gracilis is a terrestrial species, and seems 
to thrive best if grown in a compost of good fibrous loam, peat, and chopped 
sphagnum, to which a little sharp silver sand should be added to keep the mixture 
open. A few lumps of charcoal will be found beneficial, as it practically prevents 
the soil becoming sour. The plants may be placed either in pots or Orchid pans, 
the proper amount of drainage being of course essential. They should be suspended 
near the glass in the East Indian house, and receive a_ liberal supply of water, 
while the atmosphere should also be charged with abundant moisture. A short 
period of rest after the growths have been completed—during which they may be 
removed to a cooler place, and the supply of water gradually diminished—will 
give the plants an opportunity to ripen their growths. 
