154 THE ORCHID REVIEW. 
possible, with a minimum of 45° in extreme weather; but Mr. Chapman 
considers that so low a temperature, except for a very short period, is very 
risky, unless the plants are comparatively dry. . . . A plant of M. ignea was 
already pushing up well, and a large M. racemosa with eighty leaves is one 
of the healthiest we have ever seen.” 
May I be permitted to contrast with this the treatment followed in my 
modest collection during the last twelve months ? 
All the Masdevallias of the cool section were grown in the open air from 
May 27th to October 6th following, when they were transferred to the cool 
house, where the night temperature during winter sank to about 40°, on one 
occasion falling to 36°. The. plants are all in perfect health and vigour ; 
and taking the two kinds named in your article, Masdevallias ignea 
Massangeana, has been flowering strongly since January 8th, and will 
probably continue flowering until the end of June, anda plant of M. racemosa, 
which I obtained from the Maplewell Collection in December 1892, with 
sixty-five leaves and twelve growths, has now one hundred and thirty-five 
leaves and nine growths, the leaves having more than doubled in size during 
the period in which I have had the ne 
The Acacias, Worthing. C. B. Lucig-SMItH. 
(We are much obliged for this interesting note, as a discussion of the 
conditions under which these interesting plants succeed best in cultivation 
can only do good. They sometimes get into a bad state of health, when the 
leaves seem to damp off at the base, but whether this is due to the combined 
influence of too much water with too low a temperature is perhaps not 
proved, though it is what Mr. Chapman seeks to guard against. An impure 
atmosphere is highly prejudicial to their welfare, and we have heard it 
asserted that they cannot be grown to perfection in the area most affected 
by London fogs, though Mr. Measures’ plants almost serve to dispel the 
idea. They are essentially Alpine plants, and grow naturally in cool, moist, 
and airy situations, generally occurring at a higher elevation than the 
Odontoglossums, and above the limits of the forest. In Peru they generally 
occur between 9,500 and 13,000 feet altitude, and in New Granada from 
6,000 to 11,000 feet. About Sonson the species are numerous and occur 
from 6,000 to about 7,500 feet. M. Chimera and its allies grow from 4,500 
to about 6,500 feet elevation, and, with a few other species from a some- 
what warmer climate, require a little warmer house during the winter 
months. Some of the species grow near the snow line, where temperature 
sometimes falls to near freezing point, and where mists and even fogs are 
frequent, though not accompanied by smoke and deleterious gases as in the 
case of London fogs. Rain is frequent and the atmosphere nearly always 
charged with moisture. These facts should be borne in mind, as a afford 
the safest guide to the cultivator.—Ep.] 
