332 
THE GARDENING WORLD 
Jan. 24th, 1885. 
THE 
(Drcbib (Srnfom Crimirar. 
Vandas in “Winter. —Whether it arose from the 
notion that Yandas, Aerides, Saccolabiums, Angrae- 
cums, and all other plants of similar habit and having 
distichous leaves required the same treatment, or what 
other line of reasoning induced it I know not, but 
always in years gone by and too frequently now do we 
see these plants, which in many cases have no other 
affinity than their similarity in habit of growth, all 
placed together in the East Indian-house. The mere 
fact of their having distichous leaves and profuse 
air-roots seems to have acquired for them one and all 
a character as heat-loving subjects. This method of 
growing all Aerides, Yandas, Ac., together, although 
it prevents perfection being attained, does not cause 
lamentable failures when the East Indian-house is kept 
down in temperature to the reasonably low limit 
prescribed for it in the present day, but, unfortunately, 
as many of the occupants will stand and seem to 
thrive well in a very high temperature, the heat in 
that house is generally far too great for many of the 
plants usually kept in it, and particularly for the 
Yandas, except, perhaps, Y. Lowii, V. Hookerii, and 
V. teres. 
Dr. Patterson, of Bridge of Allan, the Messrs. 
Thomson, of Cloverfords, and many others have 
grown them and still grow them in the most vigorous 
manner as little better than cold greenhouse plants; 
but as exceptionally cold-grown plants require excep¬ 
tional treatment, it is best to adopt the plan settled 
down to by Mr. Lee with his grand collection, Mr. B. 
S. Williams, and other large Vanda growers, and keep 
the plants in a Cattleya-house temperature all the year 
round, the temperature at the present time being 
maintained at 60 degs. to Go degs. Fahr. by day and 
55 degs. at night, with plenty of air in fine weather. 
In this they make stiff, hard, sharp-edged foliage, very 
different frcm the thin leaves loppingforwardatthetop, 
such as are made in a hot close house, and the flowers 
of the cool grown plants are incomparably better. 
Vanda tkicoiob and V. suavis. 
These, which differ only in the former having a 
yellow ground to the flowers and the latter a white 
one, have proved so prolific in fine varieties that since 
the year 1846-7, when Mr. Thos. Lobb first sent them 
to Messrs. Jas. Yeitch & Sons, of Chelsea, a long list of 
very distinct named varieties have been culled from 
the different importations. Those who had the privi¬ 
lege of seeing Mr. Lee’s grand collection in flower in 
his famed Downside Cattleya-house last year, were 
able to compare and make a good estimate of the value 
and distinctness of the different forms. As there seen 
the original Y. suavis Yeitchii, which often has a 
dozen and a half flowers on a spike, is still one of the 
best of the white ground varieties, the more delicately 
marked V. suavis Wingatei and V. suavis suaveolens 
being also very distinct in the same section. Of the 
“tricolors” with yellow ground, V. tricolor Pater - 
soni, Y. tricolor Leopoldii (with very round shiny 
flowers), V. tricolor Warneri, Y. tricolor Busselliana, 
and V. tricolor Dodgsoni, a grand form with violet lip 
and purple margin to the petals, were the best. 
Yanda insignis and V. CCEBULEA. 
The true Y. insignis was in bloom in many fine 
examples, being grown cool in precisely the same 
manner as the Y. tricolors, as it should be. V. 
ccerulea, that loveliest of blue Orchids, has been more 
sinned against with heat, perhaps, than any, and hence 
the mortality among the plants. Nothing can save it 
in any higher temperature than that given above, 
unless it be grown in a basket and placed near the 
glass, and in that case the probability is that it will 
have the low temperature indicated, although the 
thermometer in the house registers much more. 
Sir Wm. Marriott, who always grew and flowered it 
so well, treated it as a moist intermediate-house plant, 
and to that may in a great measure be ascribed the 
lovely hue of its flowers with him, for with this, as 
vith many other Orchids, there is as much in culture 
r s in variety, and a good variety may become a bad 
one in bad hands. 
Griffith found it in the Khasia Hill in 1846, growing 
on Oak and Pine trees, at an elevation of 3,000 ft. to 
4,000 ft., and so it may well be supposed that it does 
not want much stewing, but even the Oak trees on 
which they are found growing would soon depart this 
life if they were placed in the houses which the V. 
cceruleas, gathered off their branches, are often 
imported to. Y. ccerulea is one of the most beautiful 
and easily managed Orchids we have when grown 
moderately cool, it is even greatly strengthened by 
being placed in a still, moist, shady, unheated house 
during the hottest portion of the summer. Y. 
Denisoniana is a pretty pure white companion to Y. 
coerulea. 
Yanda Sandebiana. 
This king of Vandas, with its gigantic flat Odonto- 
glossum vexillarium-like flowers, is, I am sure, grown 
much too hot, and I am convinced it only wants the 
intermediate-house temperature. I am in a position to 
speak on this point, for I have made experiment with 
it. Early last summer I obtained a plant of it with 
three leads, and placed it in an unheated house, in 
which ferns were grown. It had not a single degree 
of artificial heat until the cold weather set in ; during 
the whole time it rooted vigorously, and last autumn 
two of the three leads flowered. Nothing could be 
more satisfactory than this, and yet I am sure that 
many sounder pieces of the same importation were 
killed off quickly in great heat—indeed I know they 
were. At the same time, I should advise the plant 
to be kept not too cold in winter, that is to say, not 
less than the prescribed Yanda temperature. 
Yanda limbata and V. Cathcaeti. 
Yanda limbata, hitherto so rare, is now obtainable, 
and it forms a very distinct and pretty plant among 
a collection, and so also does the generally despised V. 
Boxburghii, a good variety of which I consider a very 
desirable plant. Yanda Cathcarti, with its large wax¬ 
like yellow and brown-barred flowers, which Mr. 
Sydney Courtauld, of Booking Place, Braintree, grows 
and flowers so freely, is unlike many other Orchids, 
and V. lamellata, V. coerulescens, and all the others, 
are handsome and distinct in their different classes, 
and if grown as recommended, they will prepare for 
the hearty reception of those new or described, but 
not imported, species which we know are yet to 
come. 
The Vandas, when grown cool, require careful 
watering, as they keep healthy and plump in the 
cool in winter with a very moderate supply of water. 
In summer all the Vandas should be carefully shaded 
against direct sunlight, except in the early morning 
or late evening, as it is most destructive to them.—- 
James O'Brien. 
ORCHID NOTES. 
Odontoglossum Rossii majus. —Deference was 
made in a recent number of The Gaedening Woeld 
to the manner in which this Odontoglot is grown by 
Messrs. John Laing & Co., and the object of this note 
is to corroborate the statement of the writer that it 
does grow successfully in the cool-house, under pre¬ 
cisely the same treatment as is given to O. Alexandra}. 
It is more generally grown in a warmer temperature, 
but I am convinced that if anyone who so grows it 
will give it an impartial trial in the house recom¬ 
mended, it will soon prove that it is quite at home. 
By cool treatment, the plants of it here have in two 
years quite doubled the size of their pseudo-bulbs, 
and look remarkably strong and vigorous. I put them 
in the Mexican-house to open their flowers, which I 
fancy causes the latter to come larger, but if it does 
not do that, it causes them to come on quicker at a 
time when flowers of high quality are in great 
demand. I have often thought that no plant produces 
larger flowers in proportion to its small size, than 
this Orchid.— E. Dumper, The Gardens, Summerville, 
Limerick. 
Scuticaria Steeli. —This is a peculiar and at the 
same time very handsome Orchid. Its peculiarity 
consists in its habit and odd-looking leaves. To 
realize its appearance without seeing it one must 
imagine a bunch of stout, dark-green whip-thongs, 
about 2 ft. long, suspended from a block by their 
heels. These are the leaves. From the base of the 
leaves the short peduncles appear, each bearing a 
solitary flower of 3 ins. in diameter. The ground¬ 
colour of the flower is white, the sepals and petals 
being elegantly blotched with pale liver-coloured 
blotches, and the lip having radiating lines of the 
same tint and an orange-coloured cushion near the 
base. It is flowering at the present time in the 
Orchid-house at Kew. 
- a—’ — 
FLORICULTURE. 
The National Chrysanthemum Society.— 
“Nothing succeeds like success,” it is said, and this 
trite saying appears to be profoundly true in relation 
to this new' departure. It is a bold effort to assume 
the title and functions of a National Society. It was all 
the more startling when a local society launched out 
into a bolder effort and became national. The past 
year’s experience has conclusively justified the act, as 
was shown at the annual meeting of the Society at the 
Four Swans, Bishopsgate Street, E.C., on Monday 
evening, the 19th inst. One unmistakable evidence 
of success was the presence of a large number of 
members, and when the President, Mr. E. Sanderson, 
took the chair, making something like a quarter of a 
century of attendances in that capacity, he was 
greeted with a hearty round of applause. 
The report read by the energetic Secretary, Mr. 
W. Holmes, was most satisfactory; it bore testimony 
to the fact that in the year just past the society 
achieved a distinct and satisfactory success; that the 
exhibition held at the Boyal Aquarium in November 
last was the best yet recorded; that the enormous 
number of over 3,000 blooms were staged in competi¬ 
tion ; that the number of members had grown from 
140 in 1883 to 260 in 1884; and that accessions of 
subscribers were constantly being received. It also set 
forth that the establishment of a Floral Committee 
had answered well, and justified all the good anticipa¬ 
tions indulged in concerning it; that a liberal scheme 
for the affiliation of Chrysanthemum Societies and 
Exhibitions had been promulgated; and that the 
donations towards special prizes already received 
w'ere liberal indeed. The balance sheet showed an 
income of £308 9s. 3d., and an expenditure so near 
to that sum, that a balance of £1 6s. 6 d. ODly 
remained over; and that a sum exceeding £200 had 
been paid in prizes. 
Then came the election of officers, commencing 
with the re-election of Mr. Holmes as Secretary amid 
boisterous acclamation ; the worthy President was 
similarly honoured, an extra cheer being given in 
honour of his being one of the venerable fathers of 
the Chrysanthemum Societies; the Yice-Chairman, 
Mr. K. Ballantine; the Treasurer, Mr. J. Starling; 
and the Auditors, Messrs. J. Drain, jun., and Crane, 
were also re-elected; and in addition a General 
Committee of thirty-six persons. By an unanimous 
vote there was referred to this body the important 
functions of appointing the judges for the next show 
in November, and of nominating the Floral and 
Exhibition Committees. 
Then came the important matter of revising the 
schedule. A sub-committee had wisely taken this 
matter in hand, and brought up a report embodying 
suggestions of a valuable character. One of these was 
largely welcomed : that of so modifying the terms of 
the class for the best Group of Plants of Chrysanthe¬ 
mums arranged in a space covering 100 square ft., as 
that two classes should be made, one for a Group of 
Incurved Chrysanthemums, and another for Japanese 
varieties, each to cover a space of 60 square ft. Last 
year the judges experienced some difficulty in deciding 
upon the relative merits of Japanese as opposed to 
large-flowered Chrysanthemums, and a little strong 
feeling, happily of short duration, was aroused thereby. 
In the leading classes for plants the prizes were aug¬ 
mented, a step in the right direction. 
The leading class for Forty-eight cut Blooms, 
twenty-four to be incurved and twenty-four Japanese, 
was in like manner split up into two classes, effecting 
a severance between the Japanese and incurved 
varieties. They will now form two distinct classes of 
Twenty-four Blooms each, the prizes will be £10, £6, 
and £4, thus getting rid of the discrepancy in the 
