248 



THE ORCHID WORLD. 



[August, 1914. 



ORCHIDS AT BALCOMBE, 

 SUSSEX. 



THE extensive nursery of Mr. C. F. 

 Waters at Balcombe, Sussex, has long 

 been noted for Carnations and other 

 popular flowers, but these are gradually 

 giving place to a rapidly increasing collection 

 of Orchids. Many thousands of Odonto- 

 glossums and Cattleyas are grown for 

 cut-flower purposes, while there are quantities 

 of smaller plants, as yet unflowered, from 

 which several choice varieties may reasonably 

 be expected. 



During the last two years considerable 

 attention has been paid to the raising of 

 hybrid Orchids, no less than 6,000 having 

 been pricked off into small pots during the 

 last twelve months. These are under the 

 care of Mr. Geo. Day, who for twenty-four 

 years was in the employ of Messrs. Veitch 

 and Sons, at Langley, where under Mr. J. 

 Seden he gained considerable knowledge on 

 the subject of hybridisation and seed raising. 



A glance through the record book of 

 crosses made shows that many very promising 

 batches of seedlings have already been 

 secured. The most forward is Cattleya 

 Fabia, while one which should make some 

 fine results is Cattleya Dusseldorfei Undine 

 crossed with Cattleya Mossiae Wageneri. In 

 other cases highly coloured parents have been 

 used, from which excellent results will 

 undoubtedly be obtained. 



A span roof house with ample means for 

 maintaining a suitable temperature is specially 

 reserved for seed raising. Small pans are 

 partly filled with sphagnum moss, over which 

 a piece of linen or canvas material is placed 

 and securely held in position by additional 

 moss packed round the edge on the inside of 

 the pan. A space of about one inch is left 

 between the surface and the top of the pan. 

 The seed is evenly sown over both the moss 

 and canvas material, and the whole covered 

 with a sheet of glass. Germination soon 

 commences, the first seedlings being removed 

 after a few weeks' growth. Much of the 

 success depends on the maintenance of an 

 abundance of atmospheric moisture combined 



with a high temperature. It is of interest to 

 note that the majority of the seedlings are 

 secured from off the moss portion of the 

 seed-raising pans, the central canvas portion 

 rarely giving a good crop. 



In other houses the're is a comprehensive 

 assortment of Lycastes, Oncidiums, Dendro- 

 biums, Calanthes and recently imported 

 Renanthera Imschootiana. 



ALBINO CATTLEYAS. 



For some considerable time Mr. J. Leemann 

 has specialised in albino Cattleyas, his 

 collection at West Bank, Heaton-Mersey, 

 being one of the most important in the 

 country. The reproduced photograph in this 

 issue shows a selection, consisting of about 

 one-fourth, of the plants as they appeared 

 during the month of June last. 



Cattleya Mossiae is strongly represented, 

 the Reineckiana forms including superba, of 

 fine shape and substance, Hardy's variety, 

 with almost solid colour on the labellum, and 

 one somewhat similar, but having a longer 

 labellum and with the colour on it more 

 broken up. There are also several good 

 forms of C. Mossiae Wageneri, one having 

 pink veining on the labellum, which is very 

 effective. C. Mossiae Her Majesty, of the 

 Arnoldiana type, shows up the boldest in the 

 photograph. Included in the group is 

 Cattleya Queen Mary and C. Mrs. Myra 

 Peeters, both excellent hybrids with pure 

 white segments. 



To obtain the best results the plants must 

 be well cultivated, and although C. Mossiae is 

 never considered one of the easiest it 

 certainly grows well when under the care of 

 Mr. S. Smith, who has produced many 

 attractive plants as well as a number of 

 healthy propagated pieces. Plants which 

 carry their flowers for the full period during 

 each season require very careful treatment to 

 ensure a continuance of the high standard 

 seen in our illustration. With this, however, 

 Mr. Smith finds no difficulty ; the longer the 

 plants remain in the West Bank collection so 

 much the stronger do they become. 



