THE ORCHID REVIEW. 59 
to decrease in size than to grow larger, which is needless to say extremely 
annoying. Such behaviour is not always distinctly traceable to any direct 
cause, although it cannot be questioned that there isa cause. I have known 
it arise through keeping the plants back too much, which necessitates a 
very cold temperature, in order to make them bloom much after their 
accustomed time. But whatever may be the reason such plants will 
persistently defy all attempts at coaxing into a better frame of mind. — Per- 
haps it may be a D. nobile or one of its numerous progeny, or it may be 
some other species quite different. 1t will doubtless be potted up in the 
best of compost, be given the best of positions, and subjected to the most 
careful watering, yet even then it still remains obdurate. Perhaps new 
growth will duly show, which would indicate that matters were all right, 
but suddenly they damp off; others may follow, and suffer the same fate. 
Before the growing season is quite over, however, the plant will have 
succeeded in forming one or two puny small pseudobulbs, with a 
ing number of roots. When you get such a plant and it should survive 
the winter, it is useless to waste time by trying to grow it in the usual 
manner. Take it out of the pot, cut off all the dead roots, separate each 
bulb at the base and lay them on damp moss on a shelf or somewhere out 
of the way in the warmest house. Keep the moss well supplied with water 
during the summer, then from some part of these old bulbs will spring new 
growths which will by autumn make nice little new bulbs, and these may 
afterwards be placed together and will soon make a good plant again. 
The foremost representative of the labiata section of Cattleya just 
now is Cattleya Trianz and its varieties, a most beautiful and useful species, 
but one, unfortunately, owing to its being so very susceptible to fogs, find- 
ing but little fayour in London gardens, as they generally fail there to expand 
their blossoms. Apart from this it is one of the freest to grow and flower. 
It soon commences to root and grow after blooming, and the repotting or 
top-dressing should not then be very long delayed. The usual Cattleya or 
int diate temp is only required. C. Percivaliana, although the 
flower on the whole is very rich and pretty, cannot, I think, be compared te 
the first named for general usefulness. One thing very much against this 
Species is its habit of failing to produce its flowers satisfactorily, and very 
average sized pseudobulbs 
often, too, in country places, even after making P 
fully equipped with sheaths. Of course the failure is not so great if the plants 
are kept rather dry and warm when throwing up their spikes, but there is 
always a large percentage that fails to come, which makes it appear that C. 
Percivaliana is even more ptib to pheric conditions than C. 
Trianze. 
There are a large number of Oncidiums which lend th 
Cool house culture, making growth there much freer and stronger than 
emselves kindly to 
