Cxiv PROCEEDINGS OF THE ROYAL HORTICULTURAL SOCIETY. 



Professor Church thought that the ordinary solutions for plant- 

 culture containing phosphates and salts of lime should be used 

 for Orchids, not the solution surcharged with nitrogen compounds 

 recommended by Mr. Smee. He would suggest spraying with 

 " pulverised " solutions the epiphytal Orchids, for he had proved 

 with Echeverias— as Boussingault had also long ago with other 

 plants — that salts if moist could be absorbed by the surface of 

 the leaf, so that when a lithium salt was placed upon a lower 

 leaf, it was detected in others above. Dr. McNab had previously 

 proved the transmission of lithium salts imbibed by the roots 

 throughout the plant, following the suggestion of Prof. Church 

 to use this salt. Mr. Veitch and Dr. Masters called attention 

 to the practice carried out by amateur Orchid growers of 

 scattering fragments of carbonate of ammonia (smelling salts) 

 so that the vapour might be absorbed. Mr. Henslow suggested 

 that it might be absorbed with the aid of vapour of water, as he 

 had found by experiments that this can be absorbed by leaves. — 

 (" Transpiration in a Saturated Atmosphere,'" Journ. Lin. 

 Soc, Bot., xxiii. p. 303.) 



Scientific Committee, July 27. 

 Dr. M. T. Masters in the Chair, and six members present. 



Hybrid Orchid. — Mr. Veitch exhibited a new hybrid — 

 Epilaalia x — between Epidendrum radicans and Laalia purpurata. 

 The former grows to from 7 to 8 feet in height, but the hybrid 

 is only about 18 inches. Its leaves more resemble those of 

 Laalia, nor does it root so freely as the Epidendrum. The 

 flowers are larger than those of the latter parent, and scarlet, 

 but with a much broader and blotched lip, approximating to 

 that of the Laalia, though the deep mauve colour of this species 

 is entirely wanting. Mr. Veitch observed that it is remarkable 

 that the pollen of Epidendrum radicans is potential in crossing 

 Laalia, Cattleya, and Sophronitis, but not with itself. Dr. 

 Masters remarked that this hybrid thus corroborated Reichen- 

 bach's statement that the genera Laelia and Epidendrum were 

 identical. 



Apples Diseased. — Dr. Bonavia inquired as to the nature of 

 a disease which so commonly attacks Apples. Dr. Masters 



