AUGUST, 1923.] THE ORCHID REVIEW. 247 
AN AMATEUR’S EXPERIENCE. 
By JOSEPHINE R. WALKER. 
T was winter when last I wrote concerning our Orchids. We have built 
a small cool house to accomodate the Odontoglossums and allied plants 
during the summer months, at present there are no means of heating it, so 
if hot-water pipes are not put in before next winter the plants will have to 
be returned to their old quarters. 
We had some lovely Dendrobiums in flower during the spring time; 
they included Pierardii, crystallinum and lituiflorum var. Freemanii, this: 
latter having shorter stems than in the type, but the flowers are more richly 
coloured. D. amcenum is a sweet scented and delightful species that has 
done very well with us; we have four plants potted together, and the 
colour ranges from deep amethyst to the lightest mauve. D. fimbriatum 
and ochreatum have also given several racemes of flowers; I should like to 
cross these two yellows, for I am told it has seldom been tried. D. 
Jamesianum has flowered exceedingly well, with nine large blooms on the 
same bulb, it lasted weeks in perfection and was a real joy tous. The bulb 
made here was considerably larger than any of those produced in its native’ 
home. 
We have received from India about 70 Dendrobiums and Vandas. The 
plants of D. Jamesianum include some fine examples, while the Vandas are 
in good condition and are a very welcome addition, bringing our number to 
twenty-eight representatives of this genus. Our former method of cultivating 
these plants on blocks of wood was not satisfactory, so they have all been 
placed in pots and are now more than happy. Among the imported plants 
are five odd-looking ones with tiny bulbs andlong single leaves resembling 
those of Cypripediums, but more pointed and as firm as green leather. 
Our Cattleyas are coming on as never before, owing I am sure to the 
extra heat during the winter. We lost a few of the seedlings, but as we 
have several of each cross this was of no consequence. Our collection of . 
all kinds consists of about 500 plants, and their names range from A to Z 
with Ada to Zygopetalum. ice 
EPIDENDRUM ORGANENSE.—This species is a native of the Organ 
Mountains, Brazil, whence it was introduced, among Sophronitis grandi- 
flora, by Messrs. Sanders, with whom it first flowered in July, 1891. It is’ 
allied to E. calamarium, Lind!., but is dwarfer in habit, and has dull yellow 
sepals and petals, the former much marbled and streaked with purple-brown: 
behind, and the lip whitish with nine purple radiating lines round the crest. 
It was originally described in the Kew Bulletin, 1898, p. 194, but does not- 
appear to be in cultivation at the present time. 
