September 8, 1892. ] 
JOURNAL OF HORTICULTURE AND COTTAGE GARDENER. 
200 
The Culture of Orchids for Cutting. 
“ L’Orchidophile ” contains some reflections on the subject of 
growing Orchids for cutting which those who imagine there is a 
fortune to be made out of the process might do well to inwardly 
digest. “ A certain number of readers have asked us,” it says, “ if 
the culture of Orchids for cut flowers would be a good speculation 
for an amateur. We doubt it. All those who import have an 
interest in recommending it. Where would the thousands of 
plants that are placed on the market go to if, from time to time, 
an amateur could not be induced to embark in a speculation which 
has at least the merit of absorbing a large number of plants ? All 
those who strive desperately to induce them to do so have only,” 
our contemporary continues, “ the sale of their plants in view. 
What does the failure of their client matter if they have realised 
some benefit themselves ? All plants are good for cut flowers when 
the dealers have a large stock of them, and species are recommended 
for the purpose that are quite unsuitable. If a few amateurs have 
not realised benefits from cut flowers, but diminished their expenses 
a little, it is certainly not with the plants the importers have 
enumerated. It may be affirmed with certainty that a speculation 
based ou the plants recommended by those interested in them would 
be disastrous. 
“ The sale of Orchid flowers is fairly active about Paris ; several 
horticulturists grow plants for this purpose. Duval of Versailles 
has the most important cut flower establishment. All there is 
managed economically and practically. Well, we are convinced 
that he does not realise any benefit from cut flowers. At Paris the 
period of the sale extends from November to June. All which 
flower after are unsaleable. The sale during the season is not 
regular ; one day the florists are disposed to pay absurdly high 
prices, the next they offer wretched ones. The sale of choice 
flowers is very uncertain ; a great wedding will increase it 
50 per cent. The amateur who cuts flowers under the impression 
that he is going to sell them is sure to be unsuccessful. How will 
he go about it? Will he go from shop to shop offering them, 
exposing himself to rebuffs ? or will he employ an intermediary 
for this task ? The flower is cut and it must be sold. The 
amateur will not know in what state the flowers have arrived, 
and we could cite among our subscribers many who have never 
received a halfpenny for what they sent. Either the flowers 
arrived badly packed, too late, or frozen, or the agent forgot to 
account for them. 
“ To have one agent for cut Orchids is not practicable. We 
have tried to sell flowers in Paris. We have offered them through 
an agent to florists in different parts. They paid a good price for 
those which they came to take from us, but they would not give 
anything for those which we offered to them. ‘ If we want 
Orchids,’ they said to us, 1 we know quite well where to find you.’ 
The Orchids which sell well as cut flowers are not very numerous. 
Cattleya Trianse, 0. Mendeli, early Mossises, labiatas flowering in 
November or March, Odontoglossum crispum, and O. Pescatorei 
form the basis of the trade ; the rest are only accessories. We 
repeat that in our humble opinion the amateur who sells flowers 
which he does not want may diminish his expenses ; he who cul¬ 
tivates them for the purpose must be ranked as a tradesman, and 
sad to say there are not many who enrich themselves at the 
trade.” 
Our contemporary does not, it will be seen, think that Orchid 
growing for the sale of cut flowers is a paying speculation, and 
reflects severely on dealers in imported plants. Let us hope they 
are not quite so bad in England as they are represented to be in 
Erance. 
Stenoglottis longifolia. 
This is a lovely cool house Orchid, which appears to be little 
known or cultivated. It is a plant of considerable merit, easily 
grown, readily propagated by division, and lasts in flower for a 
couple of months. Early in the year when growth commences it 
should be potted, three growths in a large 60 or small 48-pot being 
sufficient. The compost should be peat, leaf soil, sphagnum, and a 
little cow manure. If placed at the warmest end of the cool house 
it^will grow readily, and will commence to flower about August. 
The leaves are about 6 inches long, light green, the plants having 
somewhat the appearance of Disas. The spikes are erect, com¬ 
mencing to bloom 6 inches from the plant. The flowers are small 
and produced in quantity, and are of a pretty bluish purple. The 
lip is fimbriated and spotted with dark purple. The spike continues 
to elongate and produce flowers for a considerable time, thus the 
plant is a good addition to any collection. It is a native of Natal, 
and requires to be kept drier after flowering than it is when in 
bloom until growth commences again. Several plants were recently 
flowering in the cool Orchid house at Kew, together with the 
smaller S. fimbriata.—C. K. 
L^elia crispa. 
Flowering early in the autumn as this plant does it is 
always a great favourite with Orchid growers, as it helps to fill 
up a kind of gap in the Orchid year. Laelia crispa has a history, 
and is consequently interesting on that score. It is a native of 
Brazil, and was introduced in 1826 by Sir Henry Chamberlain, 
who sent p’ants to the Royal Horticultural Society’s Gardens at 
Chiswick. In 1827 it flowered for the first time in England, at 
the Chiswick Gardens, and was named by Dr. Bindley Cattleya 
crispa, under which name it is figured in the “ Botanical Register,” 
t. 1172, and the “ Botanical Magazine,” t. 3910. This charming 
Lielia grows at an elevation varying from 2000 feet to 3500 feet. 
The pseudo-bulbs are 8 to 12 inches high, bearing a stout solitary 
leaf nearly a foot in length ; the spikes, carrying four to six 
FIG. 29. —L-.ELIA CRISrA SUPERBA. 
flowers, rise from a yellowish green sheath. The sepals are white 
with revolute margins. The petals are broader than the sepals, 
white tinged with purple at their bases ; margins wavy and 
crisped. The lip is very beautiful, three-lobed, the side lobes 
encircling the column, white marked with yellow and purple on 
the inside ; centre lobe longer and reflexed, with a fine cri-ped and 
waved margin, deep red purple with dark purple veinings. The 
whole flower is about 5 inches in diameter. There are several 
fine varieties of L. crispa. A finelv crisped variety was exhibited 
at the meeting of the R.H.S. at Westminster on August 9th by 
T. Statter, Esq., Stand Hall, Manchester, under the name of 
L. crispa superba. The lip, which was velvety purple shading to 
mauve, was beautifully crisped and fimbriated. Fig. 29 represents 
it.—C. K. 
PROFITABLE USE OF WASTE LAND. 
Garden Allotments at Cardiff. 
Having been called upon lately, in conjunction with Mr. 
Stephen Treseder, Pwllcoch, Cardiff, to adjudicate on some garden 
allotments in Cardiff, for the best cultivation of which prizes had 
been offered, a short statement may be of interest as showing what 
may be done under the powers of the Allotments Act. The 
