ORCHID CONFERENCE. 



89 



rarity in oirr collections. It is larger than the type, the 

 sepals and petals being of good substance and fine form, 

 the veined lip being of a rich amethyst-purple colour mar- 

 gined with rose, and this is emphasised by a narrow 

 golden band running down the disc of the lip. 



No. 10. C. Suavissima SchrodeHana. — A vigorous-habited variety 

 of the type, having pure white sepals and petals, the lip 

 being enriched with purple markings in a very pleasing 

 way. ft amed in honour of one of the most distinguished 

 amateurs, an honour it richly deserves. 



,, 11. C. Bluntii. — A distinct and handsome plant, named in 

 compliment to a well-known collector of Orchids abroad. 

 Although similar in some respects to C. Wagneriana, it 

 is distinct enough on its own merits to deserve the 

 award it obtained. It has larger expanded flowers, the 

 sepds and petals being pure white, and the lip suffused 

 with rose colour, having a rich gold blotch on the 

 disc. 



,, 12. 0. crispum Ruckerianium punctatissimum. — A strong- 

 habited variety having the creamy yellow flowers of the 

 type, which are, however, as the name implies, more 

 minutely dotted with cinnabar red markings. 



Culture. 



From a gardening point of view, "good cultivation" is a 

 most important factor in a floral display of any kind. It is what 

 the gardener travels about to see, and until quite recently it was 

 to see his own big successes in this direction that the public 

 paid for admission to our flower shows and gardens. After all 

 it is a pleasant surprise that we cannot claim any superlative 

 examples of the " elephantine " type for our Orchid Conference. 

 For example, there was nothing like the six or seven fine speci- 

 mens of OdontogJossum vexillarium, which were shown at the Paris 

 Exhibition on May 20th, one of which bore two hundred flowers, 

 and the whole group, as arranged in a large perforated iron 

 vase, bore about five hundred blossoms ; and a 11 made-up" plant of 

 Vanda teres (also from the Kothschild gardens at Ferrieres, over 

 which M. Bergmann presides), bearing at least three or four 

 hundred expanded flowers. Although we had no " made-up " 



