370 THE ORCHID REVIEW. [| DECEMBER, 1907. 
growing season I find occasional soakings of manure water very beneficial ; 
alsodamping amongst the pots with soot water. They enjoy rather more 
light during the summer than crispums, and, like crispums, plenty of air 
whenever possible. When flowering is over we keep them fairly moist for a 
few weeks, as they then make up fine bulbs, then gradually decrease the 
supply, but we never allow them to become so dry as to cause the bulbs to 
shrivel in the least. They are grown in the ordinary compost for 
Odontoglossums, chopped peat, and sphagnum (but no leaves), and a good 
sprinkling of crushed potsherds. O. grande has a bad reputation for 
losing vigour, but they improve here each year under this treatment. 
Several of the leads this season had three spikes, and we have had a spike 
carrying nine perfect flowers.” Should any reader fail to succeed with this 
beautiful species we strongly recommend him to adopt the above treatment, 
for better results we have never seen. 
Odontoglossum grande, the largest flowered species in the genus, is a 
native of Guatemala, where it was discovered by Mr. G. Ure Skinner, who 
introduced it to cultivation. It was described from dried specimens by Dr. 
Lindley in 1840 (Bot. Reg. xxvl., Misc. p. 47), but had been previously 
introduced, for two plants of it flowered in the collection of James Bateman, 
Esq., at Knypersley, in August and October of that year. Mr. Skinner had 
forwarded to Mr. Harris, of Kingsbury, a number of Guatemalan Orchids, 
accompanied by dried specimens and remarks on climate, &c., which letter 
was handed to Dr. Lindley for publication, and formed the subject of a very 
interesting paper. Skinner described O. grande as growing in damp shade, 
ina climate of 60° to 70° F., seldom, however, reaching the higher figure, and 
he expressed an opinion that the reason why the plants he had formerly sent 
home had not flourished was that they had been kept too warm. Bateman’ 
who soon afterwards figured the species (Orch. Mex. & Guat. t. 24), remarked 
that when the plants first arrived they were universally supposed to be O. 
Insleayi, because of the great similarity in the bulbs and leaves. He also 
alluded to the fact that wild specimens had spikes bearing as many as eight 
flowers, or double the number produced by his own plants. It is a noble 
species when well grown, and the accompanying figure is an excellent 
illustration of its character under suitable treatment. 
A Trio oF ODoNTOGLossuMs.—The commercial grower of Orchids, who 
has facilities for handling Odontoglossums, would find O. grande, O. Schlie- 
perianum, and O. Insleayi three useful and easily grown subjects. They 
are all very easy to grow providing a suitable compartment can be found 
for them while they are making their growth in summer. In Nature they 
are found at high altitudes in woody, moist situations in Central America, 
where the rainy season is long and the percentage of atmospheric moisture 
