150 
JOURNAL OF HORTICULTURE AND COTTAGE GARDENER. 
f Ftbtuary SO, IfcW. 
the surface. Care is necessary not to give too much water at first. 
If the compost is rendered too wet, either by the syringe or water¬ 
ing, puny growth only will result. 
Odontoglossums. 
Where these have been kept in a temperature at night of 50" to 
55°, some of those that have flowered will display signs of growth. 
If these were potted last year in fibry peat with a layer of living 
moss on the surface, they will only need top-dressing at the present 
time. It is best to do this work before fresh roots issue from the 
base of the pseudo-bulbs. The moss should be carefully removed 
from amongst the roots, and fibry peat supplied. A little living 
sphagnum may be placed in patches amongst the peat, and if en¬ 
couraged to grow will soon spread over the surface. If not, after 
growth and root activity has commenced in earnest a few good 
leads will quickly establish themselves amongst the peat. When 
the plants are top-dressed early there is no fear of breaking tender 
young roots, and when they commence growing they enter the fresh 
compost on the surface freely. 
Large Pots. 
For Odontoglossums large pots are not needed. Plants with 
l.irge pseudo-bulbs can be grown in G-inch pots, unless there are three 
or four strong leads, when larger pots are required. These plants 
do not succeed so well when they have a mass of unoccupied soil 
.about their roots. It is apt to become too wet, and the roots perish 
in consequence. We have tried potting the plants without dis¬ 
turbing their roots, but this practice is not a safe one ; a quantity of 
decayed material accumulates about them, which quickly results 
unsatisfactorily. No injury follows this method when the plants have 
been imported and are started in small pots, they can be repotted 
safely ; in fact, it often has to be done during the season of growth. 
It is surprising how long these plants can be kept in the small pots 
in which they have been started. They will make strong growths 
and large pseudo-bulbs before it is necessary to place them into 
larger pots. We are firmly convinced that more harm results from 
growing these plants in pots too large for them than from keeping 
them in those that are too small. 
Cypripediums. 
Plants imported in autumn are a long time before they form 
roots and start into growth. We have tried placing them in pots 
directly they arrive and suspending them roots upwards in the 
stove or other moist structures, and have found the latter treatment 
the most satisfactory. Plants subjected to this treatment for the 
past two months show no signs yet of rooting and growing. 
Although they have been freely syringed, they have remained 
almost the same in appearance. During the past week ttey 
have improved in freshness, and will not be long before 
they commence forming roots. Plants in this condition 
should have a little living moss bound about the roots. 
This will increase the amount of moisture about them, and 
directly they commence rooting they should be placed in pots 
according to their size. Peat fibre, moss, and a little charcoal, or 
crocks, form a good compost for them at first. The pots used 
should be about half filled with drainage and the plants slightly 
elevated above the surface.— Orchid Grower. 
L’Orchideenne. 
The monthly meeting of the above Society took place on the 
0th inst, in the central gallery at L’Horticulture Internationale, 
Park Leopold, Brussels. The Orchids exhibited were very 
numerous, and exceptionally good for this time of the year. There 
was a large attendance of amateurs, and the fine weather in the 
afternoon brought hundreds of visitors to admire the display. Of 
the Committee members the following were presentMessrs. 
J. Hye-Leysen, Wallaert, Massange de Louvrex, Lubbers, Lalle- 
mand, Miteau, Rodigas, L. Linden, Secretary du Trien de Terdonk, 
Treasurer. 
M. G. Warocqu^ staged a large group, foremost among them 
being a well-flowered specimen of Lielia anceps bearing over 
100 blooms ; a new Cypripedium named Warocqueanum, which has 
flowered with a number of imported plants bought as C. puestans, 
the colour of the petals being especially fine ; a splendidly flowered 
plant of the beautiful Odontoglossum Pescatorei Lindeni, of which 
he is the only possessor ; and Odontoglossum crispum sulphureum, 
a fine form, very rich in colour. M. J. Hye-Leysen exhibited a 
group of choice Orchids, several of which were certificated, in¬ 
cluding a superb form of Lielia anceps alba, named Lindeni, Odonto¬ 
glossum Wilckeanum albens, and a beautiful variety of Cattleya 
Trian®. M. Wallaert sent Dendrochilum glumaceum validum, 
shown for the first time, very distinct and beautiful ; also a fine 
variety of Cattleya Trian®, and Cypripedium villosum albo-mar- 
ginatum. M. le Comte de Bonsies contributed a well-flowered 
specimen of Cattleya Trian®, a beautiful dark variety. M. Van 
Imschoot sent a well-flowered plant of Cattleya speciosissima, and 
a flower of a Lycaste, variety unknown, apparently of the L. plana 
type. M. Vervaet staged a number of exquisitely fine varieties of 
Cattleya Trian® ; also Cypripedium Barteti, and Godseffianum, the 
latter being particularly good. M. Miteau sent a well-flowered plant 
of Cattleya Trian® Baillonville, several plants of Cypripedium 
Boxalli varieties, and Cypripedium barbatum Veitchi, a beautiful 
hybrid; and several fine varieties of Odontoglossum crispum. 
M. Linden contributed a large and interesting group ; the most 
noteworthy were Cattleya Trian® Hyeana, an excellent variety, 
with large well-shaped blooms of a rich colour ; also a well- 
flowered specimen of the paler variety, Cattleya Trian® pallida 
Odontoglossum Rossi maximum, a similar variety to the one shown 
by Madame Gibez at the last meeting, the flowers being of ex¬ 
ceptional size and superb colour ; a large specimen of Maxillaria 
luteo alba ; Cattleya Percivalliana, a superb variety of Odonto¬ 
glossum crispum, and others. 
The following awards were made by the Committee :—Diploma 
of honour of the first class to M. G. Warocque for Cypripedium 
Warocqueanum, to M. Wallaert for Dendrochilum glumaceum 
validum, to M. J. Hye-Leysen for L®lia anceps Lindeni. Certifi¬ 
cates of merit of the first class to M. G. Warocqu6 for Odonto¬ 
glossum Pescatorei Lindeni, to M. Linden for Odontoglossum Rossi 
maximum, to M. J. H. Leysen for Odontoglossum Wilckeanum 
albens, to M. Linden for Dendrobium Wardianum giganteum, to 
M. Linden for Cattleya Trian® Hyeanum, to M. Vervaet for Cypri¬ 
pedium Godseffianum, to M. Wallaert for Cypripedium villosum 
albo-marginatum, to M. J. Hye-Leysen for Odontoglossum crispum 
guttatum, to M. Miteau for Cattleya Trian® Baillonville, to M. 
Wallaert for Cattleya Trian®, to M. J. Hye-Leysen for Cattleya 
Trian®, to M. Vervaet for Cattleya Trian®. Certificates of merit of 
the second class to M. G. Warocque for Odontoglossum crispum. 
sulphureum, to M. J. Hye-Leysen for Odontoglossum Mulus, to 
M. Linden for Odontoglossum crispum, to M. Vervaet for Cypri¬ 
pedium Barteti, to M. Miteau for Cypripedium barbata Veitchi, to 
M. J. Hye-Leysen for Cypripedium lajvigatum platyt®nium, to M. 
Linden for Cattleya Trian® pallida, to M. Vervaet for Cattleya 
Trian®, and to M. Warocque for Coelogyne Lemoniana. A first class 
cultural certificate was awarded to M. G. Warocque for L®lia 
anceps. Second class cultural certificates were awarded to M. 
Miteau for Cypripedium Boxalli, to M. Linden for Maxillaria luteo 
alba.— Brussels Correspondent. 
INSECTS OF THE FLOWER GARDEN. 
The beetle tribes offer a great contrast to the butterflies and 
moths, some species of which have been described in previous 
articles. In their condition as beetles many of them are of dull- 
colours, and disinclined to exhibit themselves to view, though some 
few species make themselves conspicuous in broad daylight. But 
while they are in the larval state most of them are hidden from 
observation, a large number being under the earth or secreted in 
plants. At this time of the year, when our flower beds and borders 
are turned over in preparation for another season, beetles are 
familiar objects to the gardener, and usually recognised as such. 
Should their larv® be unearthed, however, a doubt often arises as 
to what they will “ turn to,” and they receive the vague name of 
“ grubs.” Said I to a friend who was making devastation amongst 
beetles by the free use of a hoe. ‘‘ Take care what you are about,, 
it is very unlucky to kill a sunshiner.” He acknowledged that he 
was ignorant of what a “ sunshiner ” was, and I explained that 
this name was formerly given more particularly to the small 
brilliant beetles of the genus Amara, which frequently come in the 
gardener’s way, therefore are likely to be killed. The supposition 
was that if this happened a storm of wind or rain might be looked 
for. Many other beetles besides the Amar® in that group might 
be called sunshiners also, as they have often bright colours. There 
is seldom need to destroy them, since their proceedings are not 
such as to make them injurious, the bulk of them being of car¬ 
nivorous habit. 
Certainly there have been some instances recorded lately in 
which predatory or carnivorous beetles seem to have gone “ off 
their heads,” and leaving their wonted food have attacked such a 
fruit as the Strawberry, and also the succulent roots or under¬ 
ground stems of plants. One of these much complained of was 
popularly called “ black Jack,” a dark beetle of the genus Harpalus 
probably. Other species have been proved to be similarly trans¬ 
gressors, and as their jaws are powerful for their size they can do 
some mischief. I am inclined to think that the reason of this. 
