November, 19 12. 
where he collected Odontoglossum Pescatorei 
and triuniphans, returning" to Englatxl ni 
February, 1878. During the same year he 
again visited the Odontoglossum district of 
Colombia and brought home a large collection 
of plants in the early part of 1879. He, how- 
ever, soon returned again to Colombia, and 
from Antioquia traversed the country as far 
as the river Atrato. During this visit he 
collected Odontoglossum ramosissimum, O. 
sceptrum, Miltonia vexillaria, Cypripedium 
Roezlii, Cypripedium Schlimii album, Catt- 
leya aurea, and C. gigas, and various Mas- 
devallias. His treasures included numerous 
ferns, described in the "Journal of Botany," 
1 88 1, p. 202. His fifth journey was under- 
taken in December, 1880, on this occasion to 
Ocana and Bogota, when he again sent to 
England various Orchids. The following 
year he returned for a short period to this 
country, but ultimately travelled once again 
to Colombia where he established at Bogota a 
garden and carried on the business of export- 
ing Orchids. In i8gg Kalbreyer contributed 
to Mollers Deutsche Gartner Zeitung an 
article on Colombian Orchids, and m 1903 a 
description of his garden at Bogota. The 
same publication in its issue of October 5th, 
1 91 2, contains a portrait of Kalbreyer with an 
interesting article by Mr. Wilhelm Hennis, 
of Hildesheim, detailing his travels and 
adventures. 
II m u 
Pugilistic Toads. — I always keep a 
number of toads in my Orchid houses for 
the purpose of destroying vermin. The other 
morning, while watching two males, I was 
highly amused to see them have a regular 
set-to fight They went at each other in a 
regular scientific manner, sparring and boxing 
each other with their fore-paws, and butting 
with their heads. After a while they seemed 
to get tired, coolly sat down, and viewed each 
other with great complacency. From my 
earliest days I have been in the habit of 
watching the ways of the toad, and, never 
having seen them fight before, would like to 
know if any readers ever witnessed such a 
scene. — Alex. Paterson, M.D., The Garden, 
May 28th, 188 1. 
27 
THE CULTIVATION OF 
AIR PLANTS. 
A LETTER written by Thomas Fair- 
bairn to the Secretary of the Horti- 
cultural Society, August 25th, 1828. 
"In the summer of 181 3 I flowered the 
Air Plant, or Aerides odoratum, very finely ; 
it was one complete basket of flowers, and is 
in the recollection of many Gentlemen who 
were in the habit of going to see Sir Joseph 
Banks, at his library in Soho Square ; the 
plant was kept there for some weeks. 
The treatment was as follows: — I put the 
plant when first received into a basket with 
old tan and moss, and hung it up in the Pine 
House, where it was exposed to the summer 
sun and to the fire heat in winter , a tub of 
water was placed near it, so that I could take 
down and plung-e the basket six or seven 
times a day, or as often as I passed it. 
" The Air Plant that I have flowered so 
successfuUy lately at Claremont is Renan- 
thera coccinea ; it was brought from China 
by Captain Mitchel in 1824. Its treatment 
has been nearly the same as that described 
above, with some variation however, which 
cultivators may find an improvement : — First, 
some old rotten roots of fern and moss were 
collected, and put into the bottom of a china 
jar, in which the plant was placed ; it was 
then covered nearly over with the same 
materials, and as roots were made they were 
covered with more moss ; it was then sus- 
pended over the flue where the fire comes 
into the house, and a large water-pot with a 
syringe was always ready to give the plant a 
plentiful supply of water at every oppor- 
tunity, by which means that part of the house 
was kept moist. 
"I should add, that the }'oung roots in 
winter time ought to be well covered from 
strong heat, or they may dry up too quickly. 
The east end of the house is to be preferred 
for suspending the baskets, boxes, or pots, in 
which the plants are grown ; the water can 
then be applied to them there both in the 
morning and in the afternoon, and they can 
be kept more moist there than if they were 
on the west side. 
THE ORCHID WORLD. 
