THE ORCHID REVIEW. 47 
Baron is his own chef des cultures, being ably supported by his excellent 
gardener, Mr. Ballantine, and his assistant, Mr. Clark, who has special 
charge of the Orchids at The Dell. - ' 
NOTES ON ORCHIDS IN THE JUNGLE. 
By MAJOR-GENERAL E. S. BERKELEY. 
[nat the surroundings of Orchids have a very great influence on the 
quality of the plants and size of the blooms, and that we have conse- 
quently good and inferior varieties of many kinds, is now more generally 
known than formerly. 
Dendrobium crumenatum is a very good instance of this, being an Orchid 
very widely distributed, and therefore existing under many differing climatic 
conditions. Inland, in some parts of India, and generally in Burma 
(excluding the Malay Peninsula), the variety found is extremely small, the 
bottle-shaped portion of its stems being not more than two or three inches 
long, and the flowers very small. The Ceylon form is distinct and of fair 
size. The largest variety is that found on the Malay Peninsula, ‘and 
generally on every one of the hundreds of islands in the Malay Archi- 
pelago, including Sumatra, Java, Borneo, and the Philippines. This plant 
is a giant in comparison with the inland Burmese form, the thickened base 
of the pseudobulbs being a foot or more in length, and the plants often 
three feet to the top of the flowering stems. 
The cause of these differences is the result of the long-continued in- 
fluence of certain climatic conditions. The stunted plants found growing 
inland, in Burma, &c., have been affected by the dry seasons through which 
they have to pass. Those growing in Ceylon receive more moisture, and 
are, therefore, of a larger type. Those found in almost every island in the 
Eastern Seas are under the influence of rain and great heat, which exist 
practically throughout the year. If the various varieties are grown under 
glass in England, each still retains its distinctive character, so that any one 
acquainted with these plants in their native habitats could distinguish what 
district they came from. 
All the varieties have one peculiarity in common which is worthy of 
notice. Every plant in the same district is suddenly discovered to be in 
flower on the sanie day, but a few days later not a solitary flower remains. 
Very pretty they look when seen in quantity, growing on scrub jungle. 
Many a bush is found lit up with them, and their sweet scent pervades the 
air. They are not easily seen when out of flower, so that the quantity 
takes the traveller by surprise. It is a pity that the flowers last such a 
short time, as, being white and sweet-scented, they are very attractive. On 
