100 THE ORCHID. REVIEW. [Juty-AuGusT, 1920, 
ed ORCHIDS IN INDIA. Bes 
T the Centenary Flower Show held in the garden of the Agri-Horticul- 
tural Society, at Alipur, India, on February 2oth and 2tst last, the 
first prize for specimen Orchids was won by Mr. Gosto Behary Seal, of 
Calcutta, the subjects being Angraecum eburneum and Ancectochilus 
Roxburghii. He was also awarded a prize for a method of propagating 
Orchids from flower spikes, and was a successful exhibitor in groups that 
do not come within the scope of this journal, gaining one of the five Lindley 
Medals offered by the Royal Horticultural Society of London. We have 
received photographs of the Orchid exhibits mentioned. 
Propagation by flower spikes was already known in the case of Phale- 
‘nopsis and Phaius grandifolius, but Mr. Seal mentions the case of a flower 
spike of Oncidium Jamesianum, about 18 inches long, which was accidentally 
broken off, but was planted, and after flowering the stem remained dormant 
for a couple of months and then sent out a small plant, which rooted very 
slowly. With Phalenopsis Mr. Seal has been very successful. A P 
Schilleriana, he remarks, *‘ which bore a small plant on a flower spike was 
tried, and the young plant, with a short piece of stem attached, was planted 
in fine silver sand, rooted and ultimately grew to flowering size. Flowering 
stems cut into nine inch lengths have produced plants in P. Schilleriana, 
amabilis, intermedia, grandiflora, and Sanderiana. The flower-spikes of 
these I generally cut just before the flowers’ completion, and instead of 
throwing away the spikes, I cut them into 9-inch lengths, and pot them in 
the same way, and am generally successful in getting a plant on each. Those 
cuttings which did not give plants threw flower spikes on the season 
following. . Several friends, both European and Indian, have also tried the 
the same method and have been successful. I have found that Phaius 
grandifolius is good at producing plants. When the flowering stems are 
fully mature I cut them, and instead of throwing them away make them 
into 6-inch cuttings, and plant them in the same way, and with complete 
success, and for the past six years I have been raising young plants by this 
novel method.” 
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OPHRYS MUSCIFERA TRIANDROUS.— A very curious abnormal form of 
Ophrys muscifera has been sent to Kew by Mr. Eric Ogden, King’s School, 
Canterbury, which was found in a wood near there, where the Fly Orchis is 
common. It was the only one found, and takes its character from the 
abnormal development of the column, and the corresponding imperfect 
development of the lip; all the three flowers being similar in this respect. 
