8 



THE ORCHID WORLD. 



[October, 1915. 



potting material retaining moisture for 

 excessive periods, provided, of course, that 

 the drainage is open and of sufficient depth. 

 As a rough guidance to the attainment of a 

 periodical sweeting of the material by drying- 

 out, pots of such a size as to allow room for 

 the formation of two new growths will be 

 quite sufficient shift, while the depth of the 

 potting compost need be no more than from 

 one-third to one-half of that of the pot. 



Place the plant with its oldest growth close 

 to the edge of the pot as no development is 

 likely to take place from this portion, by so 

 doing the active portion may be given room 

 for development in far smaller pots than could 

 otherwise be used. — F radical. 



A VISIT AND SOME 

 REFLECTIONS. 



AI^ECENT visit to that Mecca of 

 Orchidists, Messrs. Armstrong and 

 Brown's establishment at Tunbridge 

 Wells, has revealed to the writer fresh 

 beauties and many things of interest to the 

 lover of Orchids. 



No matter the season one is always sure to 

 find something to instruct and to admire. 

 Although the present time is not the best of 

 periods to select for the purpose of finding a 

 galaxy of bloom yet there is evidence of 

 nlenty, to be followed by more and more as 

 the weeks roll on. 



One cannot fail to note the distinct progress 

 anidiig the ])laiits which find a home here — a 

 U'm[)orarv one willi many it is true, for as 

 soon as a seedling reveals some new charm of 

 form or colour it is gone to find sanctuary 

 elsewhere. Good things do not stay here 

 long. But when I say good things where can 

 we draw the line, for do not all Orchids come 

 under that appellation, more or less? 



SdHie of the young hybrids are showing 

 tl u-n- first l)lo()iu, and Mr. Armstrong kindly 

 pouilcd out a few of special interest, and 

 amongst them 1 noted four real gems, viz., 

 Odontoglossum amabilc x Jasper, of very rich 

 colouring and form, the apical half of the lip 



pure white, the basal half showing the 

 Harryanum influence — a striking flower. A 

 strange break in colour is Odm. crispum x 

 Oda. Charlesworthii ; it is bright olive-brown. 

 A distinct advance is to be seen in Oda. 

 ("harlesworthii x Odm. ardentissimuin, of a 

 deep heliotrope, quite a baby yet, m a 2-inch 

 pot. In another house is one of the finest 

 O. crispum xanthotes ever seen, the jjunty of 

 the white ground showing up the rich yellow 

 spots. There is also a very fine variety of 

 Miltonioda Harwoodii. 



The above alone serve to emphasize the 

 extraordinary advance continually taking 

 place, and makes one wonder where it is going 

 to stop. Many gems, no doubt, lie as yet 

 unseen, their lustre hidden in their infancy, 

 like diamonds in the blue clay. What 

 fascination lurks here to be revealed 111 due 

 time. 



One noticed suine ver\' fine iorms of 

 Cattleya Iris, a beauty of former da)'s and 

 still is, but out-distanced in the race. Cattleya 

 Venus, too, 111 her varied loveliness : one form 

 had quite a mottled hp, and another with 

 dark cnmson-pur])le which showed up the 

 golden .sepals and petals derived from C. 

 aurea in perfect harmony, all vieing with each 

 other to capture the eye. What can be more 

 gorgeous than Laelio-Cattleya Geo. Wood- 

 hams, a show in itself, and the honoured 

 parent of many newer iiybrids? 



The Sophro-Cattleyas, too, and their 

 correlatives the Sophro-Laelias are here in 

 hundreds ; much is anticipated as their 

 flowering stage approaches. 1 just missed 

 seeing a Sophro-Cattleya which is reputed to 

 l)e a great advance on anything yet seen in 

 this section, and no doubt we shall hear more 

 about this plant. How far in this section have 

 we to travel before the limit is attained ? Not 

 far, I think, for their colouring gets richer and 

 deeper. I have an idea — I may be wrong — 

 that this family, the Sophro- and Leelio- 

 Cattleyas, may some day land us into the 

 " Blues," not of despondency or of melancholy, 

 but as the forerunner of a new race to uplift 

 our enthusiasm in fresh delights and possi- 

 bilities. I think if it comes (Ah, that "if," 

 what vast consequences are involved in that 



