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HE Notes on the Ecology of Orchids by Mr. J. L. Hermessen, at pp. 
77-79, are extremely interesting and suggestive, and might with 
advantage be extended to other species, especially those which are difficult 
to grow under ordinary conditions. Many cases of failure can be attributed 
to the fact that the cultivator has no clue to the requirements of some 
plant that comes into his hands, and consequently places it under wrong or 
unnatural treatment, under which it succumbs. Mr. Hermessen remarks 
that very little of this kind of information is supplied in our Hand-books on 
Orchids, but the fact is that in many cases very little is known, and in 
others such information as is available is widely scattered and difficult to 
utilise. Importers have often been blamed for this lack of information, and 
not entirely without reason, although it is not always furnished by collectors. 
Even where cultural difficulties have been overcome it is interesting to know 
something of the conditions under which our popular Orchids occur in a 
wild state, and Mr. Hermessen’s contribution forms a welcome addition to 
our knowledge of the subject. 
1¢| OUR NOTE BOOK. 
Perhaps no more graphic illustration of the lack of information about a 
popular Orchid could be found than the history of Cattleya labiata, which 
a valued contributor now informs us (see page 120) is to be found in all the 
hills in the rainy belt region of Pernambuco, Parahyba and Ceara. What 
would this information not have been worth some thirty years ago, before 
the rediscovery of the long-lost plant! And it is not a little remarkable 
that the clue to Swainson’s original locality was overlooked by everyone 
until the writer stumbled across it quite accidentally (see O.R., vili. pp. 
362-365). Yet, curiously enough, almost every locality considered at all 
possible, had been searched. And this does not quite complete the matter, 
for, in the meantime, the plant had been confused with C, Warneri and 
Lelia lobata (O.R., xv. pp. 335, 336), which, indeed, was partly responsible 
for the fact that when rediscovered it was at first not recognised. The 
ecology and geographical distribution of Orchids is an interesting subject. 
