FEBRUARY, 1908. ] THE ORCHID REVIEW. 51 
their own, but I do not think it makes much difference what they are grown 
in as long as the conditions for growing are right. Our own preference wil 
be mentioned presently. If the temperatures are kept even, and the house 
moist, newly potted plants will soon commence rooting. 
The C. Fairrieanum and its hybrids will also require examining. 
Although this class does not want such large pots as the insignes, it is as 
well to give them ample room, as we find that in good-sized pots we get 
the finest flowers. Then there are the Euryades, Actzus, aureum, and 
many other sections which will require attention. 
For C. insigne and strong rooting varieties we use a mixture of loam, 
peat, leaves, and chopped sphagnum in equal parts, and for the smaller- 
rooting varieties we use less loam, with plenty of crushed crocks mixed 
in. With a machine a boy can soon crush a sackful of crocks. I should ad- 
vise everyone to get one of these crock-breaking machines, as they are great 
time-savers, and the dust from the crocks is much better to use than sand. 
We find by sifting out the small when crushing for pot crocking, we get 
sufficient to keep us going for potting mixtures. 
The C. bellatulum, niveum, Godefroye, and concolor class requires 
rather more care than the other Cypripediums, especially bellatulum album, 
as it seems toe have a knack of dying off almost while one is looking at it. 
They require a drier atmosphere and much less water at the roots. 
It is surprising how long they will stand and not shrivel, in fact they appear 
to appreciate neglect as regards watering. Any of these plants which are 
not showing for flower can now be potted or top-dressed, using small lime- 
stone chippings and crocks freely in the compost, as the less water the 
material holds the better for the plant. They are a beautiful class of 
Cypripediums and well worth a little extra care in their cultivation. Lime- 
stone can be used in potting the hybrids of the bellatulum group, as it keeps 
the leaves from going a sickly yellow, which one often sees in these hybrids, 
and also produces finer flowers. 
SEEDLING CyPRIPEDIUMS.—There is a great difference of opinion as to 
when is the best time to sow Cypripedium seed, but I find myself that a 
great deal depends on what convenience one has for sowing. If a small 
house can be set apart for this work I do not think it makes any difference 
what time of the year the seed is sown; but if space is limited, and 
one is obliged to sow on any pots scattered about the Cypripedium house, 
then we find Spring the best time. As far as we have gone at present, the 
result of our work has not been very encouraging when the seedlings 
flowered, but we are hoping for better results. It is most interesting watch- 
ing the tiny seedlings grow to flowering size, and somewhat compensates 
for the lost pleasure of watching imported Cypripediums flower. Great 
care is required when watering the seedlings which have been pricked off, 
