December 18, 1890. ] 
JOURNAL OF HORTICULTURE AND COTTAGE GARDENER. 
535 
indeed, this has been noted from the time of its first introduction. 
Mr. Skinner said of it ‘ that it varied in almost every plant ; ’ but 
although during the past thirty years we have seen many plants in 
flower, not one to approach the beauty of the one here figured has 
appeared. The colouring of the sepals and petals is for the most 
part of a pale green, marked over the surface with brown blotcheq 
or of a dull brown, mottled more or less with green, and the lip 
white, dotted all over with blue or pale rose with white markings, 
and not the rich rose and chestnut brown of this illustration. The 
present plant is evidently a near ally of O. bictonense, but Mr. 
Skinner points out the difference in the two species. He says, 
1 0. bictonense has oblong narrow bulbs and leaves, and no rhizome, 
but massed and always terrestrial, half buried in mossy banks.’ 
Our present plant has large and flat bulbs, and a running rhizome ; 
but we think that the conditions under which Mr. Skinner found 
it— ie, on rocks—are too often lost sight of by our Orchid 
growers. We have frequently observed this plant to be very much 
over-potted, and in consequence thriving indifferently, therefore 
bear in mind our advice and do not overburden the roots with soil, 
which is the great stumblingblock, especially to young amateur 
growers. Drain the pots carefully a^d well, and use for soil about 
half good peat fibre, from which all the fine mould has been w r ell 
shaken, and some chopped sphagnum moss ; mix the whole together 
with some medium-sized nodules of charcoal, and in potting add 
here and there a slight darh of sharp gritty silver sand, pressing the 
whole down very firmly. At this the dull season of the year water 
sparingly, but keep the plant moist, and at the turn of the season, 
when the days lengthen and the sun brightens, more may be given, 
FIG. 71.— CYMBIDIUM TEACYANUM. 
until in the summer season it may be treated in the same manner as 
the beautiful 0. crispum (Alexandras), which we all love so well.” 
Cymbidium Tpacyanum. 
At the meeting of the Royal Horticultural Society on 
December 9th Mr. H. A. Tracv of Amyard Park Road, Twicken¬ 
ham, exhibited a vigorous and handsome Cymbidium, for which 
the Orchid Committee awarded a first class certificate. Doubts were 
freely expressed, however, with regard to its being a true species. 
One experienced orchidist considerei it as “a form of C. longi- 
folium,” another dubbed it as “merely a fine C. giganteum,” a 
third authority fancied he could discover “a nearer relationship to 
C. Hookerianum in the form, size, and markings of the lip.” It is 
quite plain from these different opinions that the plant was not a 
readily recognised form of any well known type, and it was 
admittedly distinct if only as a variety, while it was unquestionably 
handsome. In the growth and foliage with the smooth stem or 
leaf bases it resembles C. longifolium or giganteum, but the flowers 
are of great size, 5 inches or more in diameter, with broad sepals 
and petals evenly and strongly veined or spotted in lines of a 
in small pots with sand at the base, and plunge them in bottom 
beat. These soon break into growth, and when large enough the 
young should be taken off and re-rooted. By this means numbers 
acre produced in little more time than one or two would be secured 
from the stem when allowed to break from the top in a natural 
manner. Plants of this nature when they bear conservatory treat¬ 
ment during the summer are invaluable in assisting to change the 
(character of that structure.—0. A. 
Odontoglossum Uro-Skinneri. 
The “ Orchid Album,” published by Messrs. B. S Williams, 
Upper Holloway, has now reached part 105, including 420 coloured 
plates of the best and most interesting Orchids in cultivation, form¬ 
ing quite an Orchid library. In the present number plates and 
descriptions are devoted to Odontoglossum Uro-Skinneri, the 
beautiful hybrids Cypripediums Marshallianum and oenanthum 
superbum, and the showy Dendrobium chrysotis, with its heavily 
fringed lip like D. Brymerianum. 
The illustration of Odontoglossum Uro-Skinneri represents an 
uncommonly fine variety, the sepals and 
petals heavily barred with brown on a 
green ground ; the lip heart shaped, with 
an undulated margin, bright rose with 
white streaks. The raceme is a long 
one, and most effective. The following 
particulars are extracted from the notice 
accompanying the plate. 
“The typical species was fiund by 
Mr. George Ure Skinner, whose name 
it commemorates, near the village of 
Santa Catarina, in the district of Solola, 
which is nearly a hundred miles distant 
from the City of Guatemala ; but the 
plant here figured is a much finer variety 
than the one taken for illustration by 
Mr. Bateman in his monograph of the 
genus Odontoglossum ; indeed, we can¬ 
not but think that the appellation «of 
splendens is really deserved by this 
variety. It wouli seem that the plant 
first flowered in the establishment of 
Messrs. Veitch & Sons of Chelsea about 
the year 1859, and some discussion took 
place about its being a hybrid ; but Mr. 
Skinner was strongly opposed to this 
theory, and he writes thus :—‘ I may 
be allowed to satisfy you that this is 
no hybrid ; it is a very distinct species, 
which I found growing on rocks near 
the village of Santa Catarina ; ’ and he 
further adds, ‘ it proves a very bad 
plmt to get over alive, but in several 
attempts a few survived. We suspect, 
however, that in the days when Mr. 
Skinner wrote these lines the means of transit were much slower than 
at the present time, and the style of packing was not so well under¬ 
stood as it is to-day ; there is consequently far less risk than formerly 
in the transit to England. We wish someone would put this to the 
test now in the case of Odontoglossum Uro-Skinneri, as the plant is 
becoming somewhat scarce in cultivation. It is a noble large-grow¬ 
ing kind, and we have seen it growing luxuriantly in the collection 
of H. J. Buchan, Esq., Wilton House, Southampton. Here, too, 
we.'saw the first seedling Odontoglossums which had been raised in 
this country ; they had been obtained from this species without 
any efforts at hybridisation, and were growing and doing well. 
“ The grand variety here figured was grown in the fine collec¬ 
tion of E. Salt, Esq., Ferniehurst, Shipley, Leeds, and is another 
fine record to add to the many superb varieties which have flowered 
.'in that establishment, and we are much indebted to him for the 
opportunity of figuring it in the pages of the ‘ Album.’ It blooms 
in the autumn months, and lasts a long time in full beauty. 
“ Odontoglossum Uro-Skinneri is a bold-growing evergreen 
plant, making large flat pseudo-bulbs, which spring from a creeping 
rhizome. The leaves are ovate-lanceolate, firm, and of good sub¬ 
stance ; the ground colour of the sepals and petals is very variable ; | 
