164 THE ORCHID REVIEW. [JUNE, 1909. 
become active. A. africana is one of the most popular in the class for six 
Orchids at Shows, and counts for points well, especially when it can be had 
with a number of spikes on, as its handsomely-blotched flowers attract 
attention. It is not a difficult subject to grow, and a nice sunny position in 
the Dendrobium or Cattleya house will suit it first rate. For a potting 
compost, peat, loam, and leaves, with plenty of crushed crocks, will suit it 
to perfection. Plenty of room should be left for water, as it likes abundant 
moisture during the growing season. 
SOBRALIAS.—This is a beautiful genus, and the plants themselves are 
very decorative when kept in good condition. Most of the varieties are 
summer-flowering, and the stems vary in height from one to six feet. The 
flowers are very handsome, many being equal to Cattleyas, and S. macrantha 
alba is very beautiful when perfectly grown and flowered. They are not 
difficult subjects, and they will grow well at the warm end of the Cattleya 
house or plant stove, and they will hide an ugly gable end all the year 
round. The individual flowers do not last long, but they produce several 
flowers on a stem, one just going over as another is ready to burst and fill 
its place, which gives them a fairly long flowering season. They like plenty 
of pot room, as they make a lot of strong fleshy roots, and plenty of space 
must be left for water, of which an ample supply must be given during the 
growing season. The leaves must also be kept clean by syringing. They 
should never be allowed to become parched, as the stems are only reeds, 
and cannot support themselves for any length of time if dry. Even in dull 
weather they should be kept just moist, but not saturated. If the leaves 
are allowed to drop they are very unsightly, and will make stunted growths 
the following season. They should not be disturbed unless the compost is 
sour, or likely to go sour before another year, as they object to being dis- 
turbed, and care must be taken not to break more roots than is really 
necessary. When breaking up specimen plants and re-making, all the small 
pieces can be potted in small pots, and shifted on as they fill the pots with 
roots. They then soon make specimen plants, and the strong pieces get the 
advantage of more growing space. A compost of loam, leaves and peat, with 
plenty of crocks and charcoal, will make a good growing mixture for them. 
The pots should be well crocked, to allow of a quick drainage. Keep them 
well syringed several times a day for a time after repotting, as it helps to 
keep the foliage from dropping. 
STANHOPEAS, as they pass out of flower, should be examined and potted 
or top-dressed. They are better grown in baskets on account of their 
pendulous spikes. Their remarkable flowers are always interesting, and 
most of them are highly scented, and though not pleasant to everyone, they 
are well worth growing. During their growing season they like a stove 
temperature, and when the growths are made up the plants can be removed 
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