226 THE ORCHID REVIEW. [AuGusT, 1910. 
with good results. I pot rather firmly, but do not allow the loam to be 
squeezed into dense lumps. The mortar is soaked for a day or two in water 
before use. I make the surface of the compost about 4in. below the rim 
and allow it to rise a little in the centre. The plants should be so arranged 
that the point from which new roots may be expected to spring is at, or 
very little below, the surface. The compost (excluding drainage) should 
consist of about one half lumps of mortar and one halfloam. Moss, whether 
in or on the surface of the compost, is bad for the plants. Chalk may be 
substituted for the mortar, but I believe the latter is better. Mortar or 
chalk is most easily broken into suitable lumps with a stout bradawl or 
stiletto. 
Cypripedium concolor, C. concolor. Sandere, C. Godefroye and -C. 
niveum grow very well with a slight modification of the above method. I 
bought some imported C. concolor in 1907. They consisted of several small 
weak growths, the largest leaves not exceeding 2in. in length and some 
small leafless fragments of rhizome. All have grown, and are in fine con- 
dition ; one flowered in 1908, and others, including one grown from a bit of 
thizome, have flowered since. For these species I use smaller and deeper 
pots in proportion to the size of the plant than for bellatulum. More than 
# of the potting material consists of lumps of mortar. The remaining }, 
used only for filling in the spaces between the lumps of mortar and for 
lightly surfacing, is a mixture of loam 2 parts, Belgian leaf mould or chopped 
oak leaves 1 part, and crushed mortar 1 part; or Belgian leaf mould may be 
used instead of the loam. . 
The only trouble I have had with any of this section is the loss:of leaves ° 
and, in one or two cases, whole growths, by rot at the bases of the leaves. 
I believe that this rot is probably due to water lodging in a growth and 
running down between leaves, the bases of which are closely folded round 
each other, not to any condition, such as watering, affecting the whole pot, 
as other growths and bellatulum seedlings in the same pot are quite 
unaffected. By cutting away all affected parts with a sharp knife, applying 
powdered chalk, and giving less water, the rot seems to have been stopped 
in some cases. I believe that placing the plants in a current of air at the 
temperature of the house would do much to cure the trouble, and would 
probably be a good preventive measure too. C. bellatulum seedlings very 
rarely, if ever, suffer from rot, probably because they are less crowded and 
get more air than the older plants. 
All the plants of this section flower well; C. bellatulum generally flowers 
twice a year, and frequently produces two flowers on one scape. On two 
occasions I had to remove large buds produced from the base of seed pods © 
of five or six months old. This species makes large pods of seed freely 
without any apparent strain on the plant. 
