NovEMBER, 1908.| THE ORCHID REVIEW. 324 
expansion. They are small and pale when first opening, but grow steadily 
for three or four weeks, while the colour also develops, and what appears at 
first to be a poor form ultimately develops into a fine form with that bright 
blue tesselation which makes the species so attractive. Here were also some 
plants of V. Watsoni, pushing up several spikes, with a few Odontoglossums, 
and plants of the rare Coelogyne Mooreana, one showing two spikes. This 
beautiful species is figured at page 329. 
A Cattleya house followed, full of strong healthy plants, a large number 
being hybrid seedlings, and we noticed many in bud, with a few expanded 
flowers, but most of the flowering plants had been removed to the large 
flowering house. Every plant hada lead label clipped to the rim of the pot, on 
which is stamped a number, which corresponds to a numbered book in which 
the names, parentage and other details are kept. Osmunda fibre forms the 
staple compost, and it was remarked that Westonbirt was one of the first 
places in England where this compost was extensively used. It is considered 
superior to peat in feeding qualities, and more durable than polypodium 
fibre, while leaves, which give a rich food supply, perish much too quickly, 
and with them the roots of the plants. 
Then came a house of unflowered seedling Cypripediums of flowering 
size, of which quite a third were showing for bloom, and many were already 
out. For thesea compost of yellow loam with a little peat and moss is 
used. The vigour of the plants was specially marked, and many were 
throwing three and four, and one no fewer than six blooms at the first 
attempt. This was derived from C. insigne Sanderianum X C. X Leeanum 
Clinkaberryanum, of which other plants were flowering, and we noted one 
fairly intermediate in shape, and the basal half of the dorsal sepal green with 
very small spots. Several seedlings from the same seed pod as C. X Bianca 
(Leeanum Prospero X insigne Sanderz) are flowering, one of them 
promising to be finer than that certificated (p. 310). Another had many 
small spots on the dorsal sepal, petal and interior of the lip, with the ground 
colour yellow. A third had a little minute dotting on the dorsal sepal, and 
was inferior in shape, and a fourth had very narrow light green leaves and 
one bud. A seedling from C. insigne Harefield Hall var. x bellatulum had 
most beautiful foliage, and is producing a scape. C. X cenanthum superbum 
x M. de Curte had a very richly coloured dorsal sepal, but was only 
moderate in size and shape, while another seedling most resembled the 
former. C. X Milo Westonbirt var. X Sallieri aureum had a well-blotched 
dorsal sepal with a green ground and scarcely any white. A form of C. x 
Hannibal (Leeanum giganteum X nitens) was most like a good Leeanum 
with numerous small spots, while another from the same seed pod was quite 
poor. There was a very fine C. X Hitchinsie, and two other seedlings with 
three and four buds. C. x Cynthia is a very pretty hybrid from C. X 
