146 THE ORCHID REVIEW. 
‘“‘T may remark that I am successfully cultivating all the Cypripedia of 
this section, and attribute my success entirely to careful watering, and 
proper attention to atmospheric surroundings. I possess upwards of one 
hundred plants, all of which are healthy and increasing in size. All my 
plants are potted with limestone, in place of crocks, with which stone the 
pot is completely filled, so that the roots can run about as on their native 
rocks, The merest atom of fibrous loam is wedged between the stones on 
the top of the pot, in order to keep them firm when the plant is dipped. 
The winter temperature of the house in which they are growing is, maxi- 
mum by day, 65° Fahr., and minimum by night, 60°, by pipe heat. In 
summer we allow a oo of 5° with pipe heat, and higher still through the 
influence of the sun.’ 
The plant is certainly the picture of health, but we should atiabate a fair 
share of the success attained to the use of the limestone. Some people, we 
know, say that the addition of limestone is unnecessary, but it must be 
borne in mind that lime is sometimes present in the loam used. We have 
seen them growing under both conditions, the result being much in favour 
of the use of limestone. It is not likely that they would grow so persistently 
upon limestone rocks in a wild state were it not beneficial tothem. And 
while upon the subject we would suggest to our readers the advisability of 
trying the effect of adding a little limestone to the compost of the Bornean 
Cypripedium Sanderianum. Few people succeed with it, and we believe 
that it grows in a district where limestone is found. Whether it grows 
actually upon limestone we are not sure, but the experiment is worth trying, 
and, in any case, little harm could result. We may add, in conclusion, that 
last year we received a fine flower of C. Godefroyz leucochilum from R. H. 
Measures, Esq., The Woodlands, Streatham. It iscertainly a very charming 
thing. 
CYCNOCHES PENTADACTYLON., 
Mr. E. S. Rand, of Pard, contributes an interesting note to the Fournal 
des Orchidées (iv., p. 378) respecting this plant, which was figured in our 
last volume (p. 73, fig. 4). It is a native of the Upper Amazon, and is 
abundant round Teffé, though rarely of large size. A giant form, however, 
occurs at the upper part of the River Purus, whose pseudobulbs reach a 
height of three feet, whose racemes are two feet long, and bear from one 
hundred to two hundred flowers—all of them males. They are generally 
borne near the apex of the pseudobulb, and the females near the base; very 
rarely the two occur on the same inflorescence. The proportion of male to 
female flowers is enormous, being several thousands to one. Only two or 
rarely three flowers are borne on the female racemes. The flowers are very 
fragrant, having a strong vanilla-like paca 
