JOURNAL  OF  HORTICULTURE  AND  COTTAGE  GARDENER. 
3G7 
May  3,  1900. 
OdontogloBSum  crispum  Victoria  Regina. 
Dueinq  the  past  few  years  one  of  the  most  successful  growers 
of  Odontoglossum  crispum  has  been  Mr.  W.  Steveus,  gardener  to 
'W.  Thompson,  Esq.,  Walton  Grange,  Stone,  Staffs,  whose  collection 
has  such  an  enviable  reputation.  At  Waltcn  Grange  is  fouod,  in 
addition  to  numbers  of  superb  varieties,  such  an  excellence  of  culture, 
that  the  plants  must  be  a  constant  source  of  delight,  whether  they  are 
in  or  out  of  flower.  One  of  the  latest  varieties  to  be  shown  before  the 
•Orchid  Committee  of  the  Royal  Horticultural  Society  at  the  Drill  Hall 
was  named  0.  crispum  Victoria  Regina,  of  which  a  representation  is 
given  in  fig.  102.  The  basal  colour  of  this  beautiful  variety  is  pale 
heliotrope  With  traces  of  the  more  commonly  seen  white,  and  numerous 
large  ^nd  small  bright  brown  spots.  The  Orchid  Committee 
recommended  a  first-class  certificate  for  this  plant. 
Rriopsis  rutldobulbon. 
The  singular  rough  purple  brown  pseudo-bulbs  of  this  species 
distinguish  it  from  any  other  Orchid,  though  an  approach  to  it  is  seen 
in  some  of  the  Pleiones.  It  is  not  exactly  a  popular  species,  but  is 
more  frequently  exhibited  than  formerly,  and  is  well  worth  growing. 
The  flowers  are  small,  with  yellowish  sepals  and  petals  margined  with 
purple;  the  lip  is  similarly  coloured.  A  position  not  far  from  the  roof 
glass  in  the  cool  end  of  the  Cattleya  house  should  be  chosen  for  it, 
and  not  much  compost  must  be  placed  about  the  roots. 
Epidendrnm  Parkinsoniaunm. 
Quite  a  number  of  different  names  have  been  given  this  plant, 
and  one  meets  with  it  occasionally  under  all  of  them  Recently  I 
saw  it  in  a  Norfolk  collection  under  the  name  of  Brassavola  Pescatorei, 
and  though  it  was  so  called  at  one  time,  I  believe,  I  know  of  no 
authority  for  the  name.  It  is  a  rather  shy  flowering  plant  in  some 
collections,  but  is  very  attractive  when  it  does  flower.  Coming  from 
various  situations  in  Mexico,  naturally  it  varies  a  good  deal,  and  this 
may  possibly  account  for  some  of  the  duplicating  of  names. 
I  have  seen  fine  plants  of  it  grown  in  baskets  suspended  from  the 
roof  of  an  intermediate  house,  where  it  usually  tak' s  a  downward 
direction  as  soon  as  it  reaches  the  sides  of  the  basket.  Its  large,  rough 
leaves  indicate  its  liking  for  light,  and  though  these  keep  a  brignter 
green  in  a  shady,  warm  house,  such  plants  are  unlikely  to  flower 
much,  and  it  is  better  to  keep  it  near  the  glass.  For  compost  use  equal 
parts  of  peat  and  sphagnum  moss,  and  not  too  much  of  it,  keeping  the 
plants  well  up  in  the  ba>kets.  The  flowers  are  of  various  shades  of 
yellow,  with  green  and  white  markings. 
Notes  on  Culture. 
"J'he  spring,  so  far,  has  been  very  trying,  and  now  the  change  from 
cold  winds  and  dull  weather  to  an  almost  tropical  sun  will  be  felt 
badly  by  all  plants  under  glass,  and  Orchids  not  less  than  others. 
Shading  has  been  little  used  until  now,  and  all  of  a  sudden  we  have  to 
rush  into  it  on  all  hands.  But  if  a  little  care  is  taken  now  the  plants 
will  reap  all  the  advantage  of  the  improvement  in  the  weather  without 
the  check  unavoidable  in  its  absence. 
It  is  only  reasonable  to  expect  that  plants,  after  a  long  cold  winter, 
are  not  in  a  fit  condition  to  bear  sudden  bursts  of  sun,  so  although,  so 
far,  shading  has  been  below  the  average,  it  must  now  be  considerably 
above  lor  the  time  of  year,  or  mischief  to  the  foliage  is  bound  to  be 
done.  When  plants  have  been  newly  potted  this  extra  care  is  very 
necessary.  Already,  perhaps,  rather  severely  checked  at  the  roots,  the 
plants  must  not  be  further  weakened  by  damage  to  the  foliage,  or  a 
condition  of  collapse  might  easily  be  brought  about.  Cattleyas  and 
Lselias  are  especially  apt  to  be  injured  now,  light-loving  Orchids 
though  they  undoubtedly  are. 
The  value  of  winter  cleaning  is  now  very  apparent,  for  in  any 
plant  or  house  where  this  was  neglected  there  will  be  evidence  of  it, 
and  unless  the  new  growths  are  to  be  overrun,  the  defect  must  be 
made  good  at  once,  on  the  principle  of  better  late  than  never.  The 
silvery  edged  Stock  seed  scale  will  be  especially  busy  after  a  week  or 
two  of  this  Warm  weather,  and  though  more  easily  dislodged  from  his 
position  than  some  others  of  his  family,  it  is  a  foe  of  the  first 
magnitude  if  overlooked  or  its  energy  underrated.  A  good  plan  to  get 
rid  of  this  pest  is  to  fumigate  one  night  and  sponge  the  plant  the 
next  day,  repeating  the  fumigation  a  few  days  later  to  destroy  any 
chance  insects  that  may  be  left. 
Thunias  will  grow  rapidly  now  if  placed  quite  in  the  eye  of  the 
sun  in  a  well  moistened  atmosphere.  So  will  Dendrobiums  of  all 
kinds,  but  the  growth  of  these  is  more  tender,  and  when  young  it  is 
necessary  to  shade  slightly.  I  have  never  seen  Thunias  injured  by 
sunlight  provided  the  atmosphere  was  moist.  If  growing  in  a  house  the 
least  bit  too  warm  for  them  this  will  be  very  trying  now  to  Coelogyne 
cristata  and  its  varieties.  It  is  impossible  under  such  circumstances 
to  prevent  a  little  shrivelling  of  some  varieties,  and  if  a  late  batch  is 
grown  these  especially  should  be  kept  as  cool  and  moist  as  possible 
now.  They  illustrate  exactly  opposite  conditions  to  the  Thunias  and 
Dendrobes  in  pots. 
The  splendid  racemes  of  Cymbidium  Lowianum  are  especially 
attractive  when  the  flowers  first  open,  before  that  delightful  tint  of 
colour  disappears  from  the  point  of  the  lip.  When  it  does  so  we 
should,  if  we  considered  the  health  of  our  plants,  remove  the  spikes; 
but  they  will  last  lor  many  weeks  if  left,  and  left  they  are  in  the 
majority  of  cases.  So,  too,  with  many  of  the  finest  Oucidiuras  ;  but 
these  are  not  so  long-suffering  as  the  Cymbidiums,  and  often  settle 
the  question  by  shrivelling  up  and  dying  when  too  hard  pressed.  In 
all  departments  there  is  a  waking  into  life  as  it  were ;  the  houses  are 
Fig.  102. — Odontoglossum  crispum  Victobia  Regina. 
daily  getting  more  and  more  gay  with  blossoms,  and  will  do  until 
midsummer,  or  after.  In  the  flowering  house  an  attempt  must  be 
made  to  so  strike  the  happy  medium  with  legard  to  atmospheric 
moisture,  that  the  flowers  are  not  injured  by  damp  on  the  one  hand, 
or  the  plants  by  opposite  conditions. — H.  R.  R. 
- - 
Eupaxoriums  at  Easter — The  tall-growing  Eupatorium  odoratum 
can  be  had  at  the  Easter  festival  with  a  fair  amount  of  certainty, 
where  the  conditions  obtain  for  their  growth  and  the  means  for 
hastening  or  retarding  them  as  the  season  requires.  As  a  conservatory 
plant  Eiipatoriums  have  a  just  claim  for  space,  that  is  when  the 
structure  is  of  good  size,  and  furnished  with  ground  beds  for  the 
arrangement  of  pot  plants.  They  are  too  tall  for  stages  generally, 
but  as  most  cinservabories  and  corridors  have  some  ground  space, 
their  growth  should  be  more  generally  adopted  than  appears  to  be  the 
case.  They  can  be  grown  in  fairly  large  pots  or  restricted  to  small 
ones,  the  most  important  condition  being  a  regular  water  supply.  This 
is  necessary  because  of  their  freedom  in  rooting  and  their  succulent 
growth,  which  suffers  quick  y  if  allowed  to  become  dry.  There  are 
few  plants  of  easier  growth  or  propagation,  the  present  being  a  very 
good  time  for  securing  cuttings.  Cut  fliwers  in  long  sprays  may  be 
had  from  this  Eupatorium,  bub  it  is  best  placed  in  water  as  soon 
as  cut,  because  it  soon  flags.  If  it  is  gathered  for  packing  it  should 
be  deeply  immersed  in  water  as  soon  as  removed  from  the  plants, 
otherwise  it  soon  becomes  withered  and  useless.  It  may  be  said 
against  it  that  at  Easter  there  are  a  wealth  of  other  spring  flowers; 
but  even  if  .this  be  true,  to  those  who  have  the  convenience  there  is 
room  for  this  plant. — W.  S. 
