494 
JOURNAL OF HORTICULTURE AND COTTAGE GARDENER. 
£ June 20, 1889 
a wonder to me more are not grown in small establishments.— 
Alfred Bisnor, Westley Hall Gardens, Bury St. Edmunds. 
THE CULTURE OF PHAL2ENOPSE3. 
Where houses exist for the growth of different species Phalao- 
nopsis should be grown in the division devoted to East Indian 
kinds or those that require a warm close atmosphere. Some of the 
best examples of culture that I have met with have been grown in 
ordinary plant stoves. If plants are received any time between the 
beginning of May and the end of September there is not much 
risk of their being seriously checked during transit. I have re¬ 
ceived plants during cold w r eather, and they have gradually dwindled 
away and in some cases have been lost, while in others they have 
been a long time before they have gained strength. 
TREATMENT OF PLANTS UPON ARRIVAL. 
* The shadiest corner in a warm house should be selected for the 
plants on arrival. They will often grow vigorously in one part of 
the house and dwindle away in another. When the plants arrive in 
spring it will soon be seen whether they take kindly to the quarters 
assigned them, and if they grow freely there they should not be 
moved. If they arrive in autumn when growth is almost complete 
all that can be done is to keep them in good condition throughout 
the winter, which is the most trying time for Phalmnopsis. A very 
common error in the management of these plants after they arrive, 
especially if it is the spring, is to repot them or to place them direct 
on to blocks or in baskets. The anxiety of the cultivator to push 
the plants forward and have them strong as quickly as possible 
may often lead to this treatment; but it should be avoided. Give 
the plants every chance of recovering from any check that they 
may have received in transit. If undisturbed at their roots 
for a time they are much more likely to establish themselves in 
their new quarters and overcome the change of position and change 
in their treatment. When suspended from the roof they should 
hang at least 24 feet from the glass, and then no damage during 
cold severe weather need be feared. Should the plants arrive in 
small pans they are readily suspended, or if this is not convenient 
blocks of wood can be cut, stood upon the stage, and the pans on 
them. We have seen ordinary 2-inch draining tiles used for this 
purpose. 
POTTING AND REBASKETING. 
After the plants have started into growth the future mode of 
culture must be decided upon. If they are to be grown in pans on 
blocks or in baskets avoid placing a large quantity of material 
about the plants. Some are occasionally seen elevated above large 
pots with as much moss and peat provided for each plant that 
would have sufficed for a dozen, with the result that the plants have 
gone back directly or during the first winter. If placed in pans 
those of moderate size only should be used ; but I have always 
found the plants succeed better in baskets or upon blocks where 
they can expose their roots to the moist warm at me sphere of the 
house. Much more preferable for these plants is something to 
which their roots can cling than a lirge quantity of material for 
holding moisture that will decoy in one season. When the 
plants are placed in baskets those of large size should not be used. 
Those made of teak are decidedly the best on account of their 
lasting propeities, and the roots cling to teak freely. Nearly fdl 
the basket with -harcoal in good sized lumps, carefully arranged, so 
that when it becomes necessary to renew the material used for re¬ 
taining moisture all small particles can be washed out by pour¬ 
ing tepid water into the basket. 
Large pieces of broken pots at the base of the baskets after a 
time become objectionable, as they quickly become green and slimy 
on the upper surface, and then retain a quantity of decomposed 
matter that the plants dislike. The small pans in which they are 
grown may be broken, not turning them out for fear of breaking 
any of the young growing roots. 'Do not remove any roots that 
cling to the pan, but place them into the basket carefully, the 
old material about the roots being picked away with care, and if in 
a bad state they must be washed in tepid water and allowed to 
drain. Let the centre of the basket be wtll elevated by a good 
sized lump of charcoal, and over this place peat fibre. It lasts in 
good condition longer than moss. Place the plant upon this with 
its roots spreading towards the sides of the basket. Tf 5 or G-inch 
baskets are used the roots will not extend beyond the sides. A 
little more peat fibre and small pieces of charcoal, or even crocks 
this time, should be carefully worked between and over the roots 
up to the portion of stem from which they issue. On the sur¬ 
face carefully place a little living sphagnum moss of the bed 
quality, and encourage them afterwards to grow by frequently 
dewing it with fine spray from the syringe. The material above 
the roots when the surfacing of moss has been arranged should not 
exceed half an inch. The peat fibre, moss, and charcoal should 
have been in the structure some hours previous to use, so as to 
become thoroughly warm. The plants are easily checked, and any¬ 
thing that will bring about this condition must be avoided. 
Frequently at the time of rebasketing sphagnum mos3 is pushed 
between the bars to aid in retaining moisture, and perhaps princi¬ 
pally for appearance sake. This need not be done, at least until 
rooting has well commenced ; in fact, I have long since discon¬ 
tinued the practice. The plants do equally as well, if not better,, 
without it. It soon becomes so wet that the roots will not enter 
it freely', or they often decay during winter—that is, those which 
may have just passed through it. In addition to this it assists in; 
decaying tlie bars of the basket.— Orchid Groaver. 
(To be continued.) 
ORCHID NOMENCLATURE. 
The subject of Orchid naming has been under consideration in? 
a desultory kind of way for a great length of time, but some 
prominence was given to it in 1886 when the Royal Horticul¬ 
tural Society held its provincial Show at Liverpool. Unfortunately 
no definite results were attained, and the general idea seemed to be 
that until Professor Reichenbach was avilling to accord his assist¬ 
ance to those Avho overe desirous of effecting some needful? 
alterations in the present system nothing of a satisfactory character- 
could be accomplished. Orchidists are now deprived of the- 
services of one avho was so long the leading authority on matters 
orchidic ; but the necessity for some improved system of nomencla¬ 
ture is more pressing than ever, as Avas proved by a little discussion 
which arose at the last meeting of the R.H.S. Orchid Committee at 
Westminster. A new variety of Cattleya Mossise Avas shown under • 
the name of Schroederiana, bestowed by the exhibitor, to which an 
objection was raised by several members of the Committee on 
the ground that it was an unauthorised name of a botanical character- 
and therefore misleading. It Avas suggested that the plant should 
be termed Baron Schroder’s variety, but this Avould have been an: 
evident misnomer, as the plant avas from Mr. A. H. Smee’s collec¬ 
tion, and was simply named in honour of a gentleman who had 
admired it greatly at the Temple Show. Moreover, the plan of 
terming distinct forms of Orchids Mr. Smith’s or Mr. Jones’s- 
variety is at leist clumsy, and if the plant passes into the hands 
of some other amateur it becomes misleading ; besides, the owner 
of a large collection might have several distinct varieties of the 
same species, and they could not all be named in this way. 
New varieties are becoming so numerous in all the principal! 
genera, it is necessary some recognised method should be adopted 
which may be the means of obviating the increase of a confusion 
that is already troublesome to all concerned with Orchids. The 
Council of the Royal Horticultural Society have an opportunity of' 
performing a valuable service either through their Orchid Com¬ 
mittee or by forming a special Committee for the purpose of 
considering the whole question. Some authoritative decision on 
the point with a few simple rules would aid all who have to do- 
with the naming of Orchids. 
Some time ago I committed a few observations to paper,, 
and they may be worthy of reproduction as bearing upon the sub¬ 
ject under consideration. 
The general system of nomenclature in the Orchid family should 
be formed in a similar manner to that adopted for other plants, 
which is now clearly defined and accepted by most botanists. The 
best and most authoritative exposition of this subject is to be found' 
in the “ Lois de la Nomenclature Botanique,” by M. Alphonse De 
Candolle, of which an English translation was prepared by Dr.. 
H. A. Weddell, and published by L. Reeve & Co., Covent Garden. 
The rules given in this treatise were adopted at the International' 
B itanical Congress in Paris, August, 18G7, avhen there were about 
150 botanists present, and they, therefore, represent the opinions of' 
the principal European authorities. Commenting upon the neces¬ 
sity for some recognised system, M. De Candolle refers to the 
enormous number of synonyms which had gradually accumulated. 
Thus in Steudel’s “ Nomenclator ” for 1821 “ there were 55 synonyms 
for every 100 admitted species. The second edition of 184D»gives the- 
proportion of 75 to 100,” and the index to De Candolle’s “ Pro- 
dromus ” a few years later gives 102 synonyms for every 100* 
accepted species. This is alarming, and affairs are not much better 
amongst the Orchids ; but it will be beyond the power of the Com¬ 
mittee to rectify evils of this character, though they co-uld impose 
some restiictions upon the names to be given to new species or- 
varieties. Two introductory rules in the treatise already mentioned 1 
are the following, and are well worth attention :—“ The rules of' 
nomenclature should neither be arbitrary nor imposed by authority. 
They must be founded on considerations clear and forcible enough, 
for everyone to comprehend and be disposed to accept.”' 
“ The essential point in nomenclature is to a\-oid or reject the- 
use of forms or names that may create error or ambiguity, or throw/ 
