20 



THE ORCHID WORLD. 



[October, 1914. 



disinterestedness the most beautiful Orchids 

 of Central America became denizens for the 

 first time of the glass-houses of Great Britain. 

 The following particulars, extracted chiefly 

 from an address delivered before the Royal 

 Horticultural Society in February, 1867, by 

 Mr. Bateman, will be read with interest: — 



" From the moment he received the letter 

 he laboured incessantly to drag from their 

 hiding places the forest treasures of 

 Guatemala and transfer them to the shores of 

 his native land. In pursuit of this object 

 there was scarcely a sacrifice he did not make, 

 or a danger or hardship he did not brave. In 

 sickness or in health, amid tlie calls of 

 business or the perils of war, whether detained 

 in quarantine on the shores of the Atlantic 

 or shipwrecked on the rocks of the Pacific, he 

 never suffered an opportunity to escape him 

 of adding to the long array of his botanical 

 discoveries. 



" Never shall I forget my delight on 

 opening the first box of Orchids he sent me, 

 all carefully packed and in the best possible 

 condition. Though gathered at random every 

 plant was new. Masses of Epidendrum 

 Skinneri (the first to flower and thence named 

 after him), divers other Epidendrums, 

 Oncidium Cavendishianum, On. leucochilum, 

 and Odontoglossum bictonense, the first 

 Odontoglossum that ever reached England 

 alive." 



Skinner's subsequent discoveries and intro- 

 ductions included Cattleya Skinneri and 

 Lycaste Skinneri, which alone will keep his 

 name in memory so long as Orchids continue 

 to be cultivated. Schomburgkia tibicinis, 

 Epidendrum cnemidophorum, E. Stamford- 

 lanum and Odontoglossum grande have an 

 exceptional botanical interest in addition to 

 their great horticultural merit. 



After the dispersion of Mr. Bateman's 

 collection, Mr. Skinner greatly assisted the 

 Polish collector Von Warscewic, who brought 

 to Europe many beautiful Orchids previously 

 unknown, for such was his enthusiasm for 

 Orchids that either personally or through his 

 agents he continued to search for new species 

 to the end of his life. — From Veitch's Manual 

 of Orchidaceous Plants. 



THE RELATION OF LIGHT TO 

 GREENHOUSE CULTURE. 



BULLETIN 144 of the Massachusetts 

 Agricultural Experiment Station con- 

 tains an interesting article by Dr. 

 George E. Stone, on " The Relation of Light 

 to Greenhouse Culture." The summary is as 

 follows : 



" The experiments described in this bulletin 

 not only have a bearing on the physiology of 

 crops, but also on greenhouse construction 

 and management. 



" Light has an important influence on the 

 configuration of plants. Since most of the 

 plant energy is derived from the air through 

 sunlight, the optimum light conditions are 

 important, and there is a marked difference 

 in plants as regards their light requirements. 



" During the short winter days many green- 

 house crops do not obtain sufficient light, 

 therefore any factor in greenhouse construc- 

 tion v\-hich will increase the amount of light 

 is important. 



" Lack of light is responsible for many 

 greenhouse diseases ; on the other hand, too 

 intense light may prove harmful m some 

 instances. 



" The old type of greenhouse was crude in 

 construction, especially as regards light. The 

 modern tendency is to build larger houses, to 

 use stronger material casting less shade, and 

 larger and better quality glass. 



" Large houses can be constructed relatively 

 more cheaply and managed more easily 

 because there is a less rapid change of 

 atmospheric conditions, etc., which helps to 

 eliminate many greenhouse troubles. 



" Morning light is more intense than after- 

 noon light, our experiments showing a 

 difference of 10 per cent., and ranging as 

 high as 30 per cent, for some months. This 

 difference is not constant from day to day, 

 from month to month or from year to year. 



" The difference between morning and 

 afternoon light has a practical bearing on the 

 location of greenhouses as regards points of 

 compass. 



" The location of a house as regards points 

 of the compass has a bearing on the practice 



