February 10, 1894. 
THE GARDENING WORLD. 
371 
ORCHID NOTES AND GLEANINGS. 
By John Fraser, F.L.S., Kew. 
Cypripedium Fascinatum. 
On the i2th December last, this hybrid Cypripedium 
was exhibited at a meeting of the Royal Horticul¬ 
tural Society by M. Jules Hye, of Ghent, Belgium, 
and was accorded a First-class Certificate, No his¬ 
tory of its parentage was then given, although it is 
fairly well delineated in the face of the flower itself. 
The seed parent was C. Spicerianum magnificum, 
crossed with C. hirsutissimum. The effect of the 
former is to be seen in the upper sepal, which is 
broadly obovate, with a deep claret midrib, 
suffused with purple all over the centre, and green at 
the very base. The lower half is finely spotted with 
deep purple, and the whole is surrounded by a 
broad white margin. The petals as plainly show 
the effects of the male parent both as to size and 
colour; the lower half is greenish, and the upper 
half purple, but the whole is overlaid by a dense, 
dark, purple spotting, which runs about three-fourths 
over their whole length, leaving the apex of a clear 
purple, as in C. hirsutissimum. The margins are 
surrounded by a clear green line, and the upper one 
is wavy. The large lip is of a dark, shining brown. 
The purple staminode has a green spot in the centre, 
and is margined with ivory white, showing the 
effects of the seed parent. A beautiful illustration 
is given of it in the Revue de L' Horticulture Beige for 
this month. The hybrid grows very vigorously, and 
likes shade and moisture. 
Catasetum Imschootianum. 
A LARGE proportion of the species of Catasetum are 
characterised by dull brown and green colours more 
or less spotted with purple. That under notice 
exhibits pale green and yellow, and is altogether 
very light in colour. It is most nearly allied to C. 
Hookeri, but has larger pseudo-bulbs and broader 
leaves than the latter, and is distinguishable in 
other ways. The long raceme bears a great many 
flowers, all fully expanded at the same time. The 
sepals and petals are all directed to the apex of the 
flower, where they are somewhat incurved and 
wholly of a pale greenish yellow. The lip is a 
shade or two darker, but of a soft yellow and 
developed into a pouch, with its broad rounded side 
lobes loosely grasping the column between them ; 
the whole organ is fleshy and more durable than the 
sepals and petals. It is named in compliment to 
Mr. Alfred Van Imschoot, the enthusiastic Belgian 
Orchidist. A plant of it bearing several spikes, 
each of which bore thirty to thirty-five flowers, 
was exhibited at a meeting of L’Orchideenne on the 
igth of November last, when a First-class Diploma 
of Honour was awarded it. L’Horticulture Inter¬ 
nationale, Brussels, were the exhibitors, who also 
introduced the plant from Brazil. There is a good 
plate of it in the Lindenia, pi. 403. 
Cattleya Eldorado Treyeranae. 
Beautiful varieties continue to turn up amongst 
the importations of Cattleya Eldorado, so that in 
the near future we should expect it to increase con¬ 
siderably in popularity and take rank alongside of 
the other forms of C. labiata. There are indeed 
several varieties in this country which are both 
beautiful and highly appreciated. Others continue 
to come, however. That under notice has been 
named in compliment to Mrs. D. Treyeran, the wife 
of a distinguished Orchid collector at Bordeaux, in 
whose collection it now finds a home Judging from 
the plate in the Lindenia, pi. 402, it is a delicately 
coloured and attractive variety. The sepals and 
petals are of a pale rosy-lilac colour, and the petals 
%re relatively short, broad and blunt, while they 
take an ascending direction. The lamina of the lip 
is of the same hue as the sepals and petals, but the 
throat is completely occupied by a large, prominent, 
and very conspicuous orange blotch, which serves to 
give character to the whole flower, giving it an 
effective appearance. 
Phaius Cooksoni. 
This is the first true hybrid Phaius that ever was 
raised, and is the progeny of P., Wallichi crossed 
by P. tuberculosus. The latter has, until recently, 
rather puzzled the skill of cultivators in this country, 
but P. Cooksoni, from its appearances and from the 
opinion of cultivators, is a strong growing plant and 
easily kept in robust health. It combines the 
characters of the two parents admirably, and shows 
much of the remarkable beauty of the pollen plant. 
In vigour it approaches P. Wallichi. The flower 
stems rise well above the leaves, bearing a many- 
flowered raceme of bloom. The sepals and petals 
are oblong-lanceolate, and white suffused with light 
rose, and tinted with yellow, more especially along 
the centre. The basal half of the lip is rolled round 
the column and greenish yellow ; the expanded and 
three-lobed lamina is undulated and crisped, with the 
middle lobe soft rose spotted with dark rosy purple ; 
the side lobes are uniformly much darker. The 
throat is tawny yellow with radiating lines, one of 
which runs almost to the apex of the lamina. There 
is a good plate of it in the Orchid Album, pi. 478. 
Laelia Anceps Sanderiana. 
This superb Laelia has been exceptionally brilliant 
during the past two months. I have seen it flowering 
with great freedom in many collections—and what 
a valuable subject it is where cut bloom is in demand. 
Coming into flower during the short winter days, it 
fills up what would otherwise be a great gap. I 
noticed recently when looking through the select 
collection of Orchids formed by E. Woodall, Esq., 
St. Nicholas House, Scarborough, a fine specimen in 
a ten inch pan carrying four grand spikes, and 
having an aggregate of eighteen huge blooms, the 
individual flowers attaining a diameter of seven 
inches. Mr. Woodall and his able gardener are proud 
of it, and well they may be.— J. McNab. 
The Orchid Growers' Calendar. 
Calanthes. —Where a stove temperature can be 
afforded these most useful winter-flowering Orchids, 
they can be easily grown to perfection. From now 
until the growths are well advanced is the time 
when they require careful treatment. Too much 
water before there are plenty of roots to absorb it 
causes spots in the foliage. Now is the time to pot 
them up, using a compost of loam, peat, cow 
manure, and coarse sand in about equal parts. Six- 
inch pots are the most useful to use, and these will 
take three bulbs of moderate size; the largest may 
be potted singly into 5-in. pots. About an inch of 
crocks will be ample, as Calanthes makes a great 
quantity of roots. They should not be raised above 
the level of the pots like most other Orchids, but 
when finished the soil should be about an inch below 
the rim, so as to allow of their being well watered 
during the summer months. The best position for 
them at present is a shelf near the glass. As 
pointed out above, very little water must be given 
them direct for a time, but syringe amongst the pots 
on bright days. ' 
Shading. —It seems rather early to think about 
putting up the blinds, yet during the last few days 
the sun has been almost too strong for Phalaenopsis 
and Odontoglossums. True, the shading of the 
former can be generally managed unless the collec¬ 
tion is a large one without shading such things as 
Saccolabiums, Aerides, Angraecums, etc. We shall 
get ours fixed this week to be used just in the middle 
of bright days, more to keep the temperature down 
than anything else—it is early days for putting on much 
top air, even if the sun is hot in the warmer divisions. 
Cattleya House. —Cymbidium Lowianum will 
soon be opening its blooms, and will be all the better 
able to stand the strain if the plants are given weak 
manure water about twice a week ; they are moisture- 
loving plants, and must therefore be treated 
accordingly. 
Lycaste lanipes.— Last season I mentioned 
having a plant carrying sixteen flowers from one 
bulb. This year it has nineteen blooms on eighteen 
spikes, one being twin-flowered. Is this usual ? [No. 
—Ed.] We have never seen it before. We treat our 
plant rather liberally, giving it a good rich com¬ 
post to grow in similar to that recommended for 
Calanthes, and when growing freely weak guano 
water is applied about every other watering. 
Thrips.— Now is the time when these pests breed 
very fast, and must be kept under by either 
sponging the plants so affected with tobacco water, 
or by fumigation. We like tobacco juice better than 
any other insecticide, considering it more safe, for 
should any of it by chance reach the roots of the 
plants it will do no harm, in fact in some cases it might 
do good, for it contains a good deal of ammonia. 
Temperatures. —We shall gradually raise the 
temperature now, and increase the moisture as the 
days lengthen.— C. 
Cultivation that Fails. —Amongst the florists of 
New Orleans are many who believe there is such a 
thing as a “ growing hand” for plants, that is, that 
plants have an affinity or a liking for the ministra¬ 
tions and attention of some people in preference to 
that of others. Of course, it is a fallacy to look at it 
from this point of view, because plants have no 
choice in the matter. It rests with the intellectual 
capacity and the practical application of the culti¬ 
vator’s skill as to whether he succeeds or fails. 
Some growers bestow the best of their abilities upon 
certain plants, and yet fail to succeed, simply because 
they proceed to act on mistaken principles. There 
are difficult cases, every man who has even a fairly 
wide knowledge of plants will admit, but the 
difficulties may not be insurmountable, provided he 
knows how to proceed. Instances of failure are 
numerous even amongst the commonest of plants. 
Many will remember that some years ago the culture 
of cool Orchids more often resulted in failure than 
otherwise, simply because the plants were coddled 
to death in too high a temperature. When the 
tuberous Begonias were being distributed over the 
country for the first time, amateurs with a green¬ 
house or cool conservatory often succeeded better 
than the professional gardener, because the latter 
kept his plants in a close, warm, and stuffy atmos¬ 
phere, instead of keeping them cool and well 
ventilated. The same might be related with regard 
to Carnations and Auriculas that are practically 
hardy. The Old Clove Carnation has been put in 
frames for the winter and kept unduly covered up 
with leaves, bracken, litter, or mats, until the bulk 
of the plants died. Of course, this was attributed to 
their tender constitutions, whereas it was due to the 
excessive and lengthy exclusion of light. Others 
have killed even Fuchsias and Hydrangeas by 
excessive watering with heavy doses of liquid 
manure at times when sunshine was a very scarce 
commodity. The result was the roots were saturated 
and swamped with water and thereby killed. 
A Botanist’s Joke. —An extremely interesting 
and instructive address was delivered on the 23rd 
ult., at the Athletic Institute, under the auspices 
of the Birmingham and Midland Counties Gardeners’ 
Mutual Improvement Association, by Mr. A. W. 
Wills, J.P., F.C S., their President, on " The 
Functions of Leaves.” Mr. W. R. Latham presided. 
In the course of his address the lecturer im¬ 
pressed upon his hearers the advantage and the 
absorbing interest that would be gained by even a 
slight study of botany, such as was in the reach of 
all gardeners. He related an amusing anecdote in 
connection with a native plant, or, as it is generally 
termed, a weed, which he had taken up from the 
ground, and rolled up under his arm, in a piece of 
paper. On his way home he met a friend, an excep¬ 
tionally fine Rose-grower, who came up to him in an 
excited manner, and, seeing the plant under Mr. 
Wills’ arm, inquired, ” What is it ? What a 
luxurious foliage? Does it bear any flower ?” etc. 
” Oh, yes,” answered Mr. Wills, " it bears a very 
gorgeous flower,” and he gave his friend the Latin 
name for the weed. The gentleman asked him to 
give him a slip of it. "Well,” responded he, " I 
don’t think I can give you a slip, but it seeds very 
plenteously, and if that would be of any use to you 
I shall be glad to oblige you.” The Rose-grower 
thanked him profusely, and as he turned to go said, 
" Oh, by the way, is there any English name for it ?” 
Then, of course, the cat was out of the bag, and Mr. 
Wills could do nothing else but say it was simply a 
common Dandelion. 
Localities for Fairy Rings.—On fairly moist 
and fertile meadows at the foot of the North Downs 
in the south-east of Surrey, numerous large and 
widely-scattered rings exist, or did so till recently. 
The green band forming the ring is narrow and forms 
a tolerably regular circle. In Buckinghamshire, 
near to Maidenhead, but on the Taplow side of the 
river Thames, is a level meadow completely covered 
with Fairy Rings, often more or less interfering with 
one another, and giving the field a curiously varie¬ 
gated appearance, reminding one of a heavily 
spotted Odontoglossum crispum, the leaves of 
Croton variegatum, Aucuba japonica, or some of 
the Dieffenbachias with blotched leaves. 
