222 
THE ORCHID WORLD. 
[July, 1913. 
50 degrees ; No. 3, winter flowering Cypri- 
pediums ; No. 4, representatives of dissimilar 
genera, to bloom in succession in their 
respective seasons ; No. 5, general collection 
suitable for a cool house having a minimum 
night temperature of 42 degrees ; No. 6, 
selected Orchids for an intermediate house 
with a minimum night temperature of 
50 degrees ; No. 7, Orchids suitable for culti- 
vation in a stove or warm house ; and No. 8, 
hybrid Orchids for a house where the winter 
minimum temperature is 50 degrees. 
^3 U 
Irregular Peloria. — Mr. E. H. David- 
son, of Twyford, Berks., has recently flowered 
a very uncommon, yet nevertheless pretty, 
form of Cattleya Mossiee called Golden Ray, 
in which the broad petals are streaked with 
yellow in similar fashion to that colour 
usually seen on the labellum and in the throat 
of the same species. It is a well-known fact 
that the inner whorl of perianth segments is 
composed of the two lateral petals and a 
median one which, by its alteration in shape, 
is termed the labellum. A common event is 
for this labellum to revert to its original, or 
flat, shape, quite similar to the two lateral 
petals ; the flower assumes a regular condi- 
tion, and such events are termed regular 
peloria. But there is another method, much 
more rare, by which the three segments of 
the inner whorl may become alike, and this is 
by the petals assuming the form of the 
labellum. The flower thus becomes balanced, 
or regular, by the addition of other irregular 
segments. For examples such as these the 
term irregular peloria is used. It is of this 
later class that Mr. Davidson's specimen 
belongs, for the petals have attempted to form 
other labellum-like segments by copying the 
yellow markings of the throat and lip, 
although they have not gone so far as to 
acquire the particular convolute shape which 
distinguishes the labellum from the other 
segments. The attempt, interesting as it is, 
may best be described as incomplete irregular 
peloria. This variety appears constant, Mr. 
Davidson having had similarl)- marked 
flowers during previous years. 
VANILLA CULTIVATION. 
IN view of recent efforts to extend the 
Vanilla industry m the West Indies, the 
Agricultural Department of St. Vincent 
imported a number of plants of V. planifolia 
from the Seychelles. Some of these were 
distributed to an estate situated at an eleva- 
tion of 1,500 feet in the mountains, where the 
average rainfall is over 120 inches. 
The Agricultural News of the West 
Indies (XII., No. 286) gives some interesting 
particulars of how Mr. Huggins has secured 
success in their treatment: — "The lands are 
surrounded by high hills covered with forest. 
The Vanilla vines are planted in small 
sheltered clearings in the forest where the 
soil is of good depth, light, and rich in 
vegetable matter. After many trials in the 
endeavour to find a satisfactory support for 
the vines, it was found that they thrived 
well on stems of the tree fern (Cyathea 
arborea)." 
The usual methods for the pollination of 
the flowers and the cultivation and pruning 
of the vines was adopted, although it is in the 
curing of the pods that there appears to be 
some difference from former ways. The 
method of Mr. Huggins is stated as follows : 
— " After being drained, the pods are 
wrapped in the leaves of a native large-leaved 
aroid called ' Chainey,' and placed in a box 
for four or five days to ferment. When the 
pods have assumed a soft brown maroon 
colour they are taken out and placed on 
leaves in the drying house. This drying 
house is well ventilated, and arranged with 
shelves covered with i-inch mesh galvanised 
wire netting. The pods are spread out in a 
single layer and constantly ' smothered ' and 
turned until they assume a very dark brown 
colour, silky feel, and possess a supple 
consistency. They are then sorted into 
lengths and grades and packed in bundles in 
tins." 
Mr. Huggins states that quite 25 per cent, 
of his pods split in curing. This he con- 
siders to be due, in a large m.easure, to the 
difficulty of picking each pod at just the right 
stage of ripeness. 
