Fepruary, 1916.] THE ORCHID REVIEW. 47 
8 
r. years ago we gave an account of the interesting establishment of 
Messrs. Armstrong & Brown, Sandhurst Park, Tunbridge Wells (O.R., 
XIX., pp. 164-168), and early in the new year we again had the pleasure of 
paying Mr. Armstrong a visit, when the following notes were taken. We 
need not repeat the general account of the establishment, but there is 
evidence of progress on every hand, and visitors to the R.H.S. meetings 
are familiar with the fine groups and sterling novelties shown by the firm. 
There was little to.indicate that the days were almost at their shortest 
when we stepped into a house containing about two hundred plants of the 
beautiful Cattleya Maggie-Raphael var. alba in full bloom, the result of 
crossing C. Trianz alba with C. Dowiana aurea. They vary somewhat in 
shape, but all have white sepals and petals, with, in a few cases, a just 
perceptible tinge of blush, and the lip is light rose with yellow veining. 
And they are as fragrant as they are beautiful, for the heliotrope-like 
perfume pervaded the house, and was noticed almost as quickly as the bank 
of colour. About as many were out of bloom. The rest of the house was 
devoted to spring-flowering Cattleyas and Leliocattleyas, and all were in 
the most robust health, and promise a fine display of bloom later on. We 
also noted examples of Brassocattleya Hye, Brassolelia Gratrixie, and 
others in bloom. 
It may be interesting to record here that Mr. Armstrong pots the plants 
annually, and uses Ai fibre as a compost. He commences in the 
autumn with the early-blooming varieties, and goes straight on until 
finished. Asked. whether this did not result in some being potted at 
the wrong time, and whether the compost did not sometimes suffer, he 
replied not if it was kept dry, as it should be at this season. Small pots 
and annual potting are recommended, and although some would stand over 
a second year they do not make the same progress in the second season as 
when potted annually. The Cattleya houses are kept about 60° F. at night, 
falling to 58° in the morning, the rise during the day time depending on 
the weather and the amount of sunlight, the latter an important element, 
and the position is a favoured one in this respect. 
In the long corridor, from which all the houses extend, we noticed 
many healthy Dendrobiums, including a nice batch of D. nobile virginale, 
also a lot of Cattleyas and allies, all being suspended from the roof. <A 
plant of Cattleya Percivaliana alba with two buds was pointed out and 
some thriving. examples of Cattleya intermedia alba, which succeed here 
better than in the Cattleya houses. Mr. Armstrong attributes this to the 
ORCHIDS AT TUNBRIDGE WELLS. | 
