April  1,  1897. 
JOURNAL  OF  HORTICULTURE  AND  COTTAGE  GARDENER, 
267 
Hamburg  Exhibition. 
!We  are  informed  that  Baron  Sir  H.  W.  Schroder,  The  Dell, 
Egham,  is  sending  to  the  Hamburg  Exhibition  a  collection  of  his 
magnificent  Orchids.  Sufficient  will  be  forwarded  to  make  an 
exhibit  occupying  a  space  equal  to  55  square  yards.  It  is  probable 
that  the  quality  of  the  Baron’s  Orchids,  as  grown  by  Mr.  Ballantine, 
will  be  a  surprise  to  considerable  numbers  of  our  German  friends. 
Dendrobiums  in  Beauty. 
Though  the  beauty  of  individual  plants  of  good  species  and 
varieties  of  Dendrobiums  is  well  known  and  thoroughly  appreciated, 
the  sight  of  a  large  collection  in  full  flower  always  claims  a 
wonderful  amount  of  admiration.  There  is  a  brightness  of  colours 
in  one,  a  depth  of  tone  in  another,  a  softness  in  a  third,  and  an 
exquisite  harmony  in  a  fourth  that  maintain  the  interest  and 
appeal  with  irresistible  force  to  everyone’s 
sense  of  beauty.  Interesting  as  is  the 
Yeitchian  collection  of  Orchids  at  all  times, 
no  visit  was  ever  more  enjoyed  than  that 
made  recently  to  see  the  Dendrobiums  in 
beauty. 
Scores  of  plants  were  blooming  pro¬ 
fusely,  representing  several  sections,  and 
inclusive  of  such  as  Wardianum,  crassinode 
Waltoni,Dulcie,nobile  Cooksoni,  Euosmum, 
splendidissimum,  Yeitch’e  var.,  Wigani, 
Edithse,  atro-violaceum,  Endocharis,  nobile 
Sanderiana,  and  many  others.  These  names 
will,  however,  suffice  to  show  the  diversity 
of  the  plants  that  were  then  in  flower.  It 
is  surprising  how  healthy  the  Chelsea  plants 
always  look  when  the  smoke- laden  atmo¬ 
sphere  in  which  they  are  growing  is  taken 
iufo  consideration,  and  Mr.  Harris.  Messrs. 
Yeitch’s  grower,  is  deserving  of  credit  for 
the  incessant  care  and  skill  he  must  accord 
to  them. — Yisitor. 
Cymbidiums 
With  the  exception  of  one  or  two  well- 
known  species  Cymbidiums  are  not  popular 
Orchids,  the  most  grown  and  most  admired 
species  being  C.  eburneum  and  C.  Lowi- 
anum.  It  is  a  very  widely  distributed  genus 
geographically,  the  habitat  extending  from 
China  and  Japan  in  the  East  to  Western 
India,  a  few  kinds  also  hailing  from  Mada¬ 
gascar  and  the  Australian  Continent.  As  a  rule,  I  am  told  the  larger 
members  of  the  genus  grow  in  the  vicinity  of  water,  sometimes 
being  in  fact  almost  in  the  bed  of  mountain  streams,  and  this  doubt¬ 
less  accounts  for  their  liking  for  atmospheric  and  root  moisture. 
In  most  instances  the  roots  are  large  and  fleshy,  liking  a  sub¬ 
stantial  compost  and  good  root  room.  The  smaller  growing  species 
of  course  do  with  less  of  the  latter  than  such  as  C.  giganteum  or 
similar  kinds  ;  and  the  compost,  too,  may  with  advantage  be  kept 
a  little  lighter  and  more  open.  Equal  parts  of  peat  fibre,  loam, 
and  sphagnum  moss  suit  them  well,  abundance  of  rough  crocks  or 
charcoal  being  added  to  this,  and  also  a  little  dried  cow  manure  or 
some  artificial  fertiliser  for  the  stronger  growers.  The  majority 
do  best  in  pots  of  suitable  size  according  to  habit,  and  these  must 
be  thoroughly  clean  and  well  drained,  a  layer  of  rough  moss  being 
placed  upon  the  crock*  to  prevent  the  finer  particles  of  the  compost 
from  silting  down  among  the  drainage. 
Healthy  plants  usually  produce  roots  in  such  abundance  that 
the  pots  are  entirely  filled  with  them  ;  they  enwrap  every  bit  of 
compost,  and  cling  with  tenacity  to  the  sides  of  the  pot.  In  such 
a  case  it  is  obviously  impossible  to  spread  the  roots  out,  and  beyond 
picking  out  a  few  of  the  lower  crocks  nothing  is  needed  in  this 
way.  A  pot  large  enough  to  allow  a  couple  of  inches  of  new 
material  all  round  must  be  given,  and  this  should  be  firmly  placed 
with  a  thin  potting  stick,  but  not  rammed.  On  the  surface  a  little 
new  material  should  be  laid  and  trimmed  oil  neatly,  bringing  this 
well  up  to  the  base  of  the  last  formed  pseudo-bulb. 
Should  the  plant*  by  any  means  have  got  into  bad  condition  at 
the  roots  turn  them  out,  and  remove  all  the  old  material  from 
about  them.  Any  that  are  dead  or  far  gone  should  be  cut  clean 
out  with  a  sharp  knife,  and  it  is  just  as  well  to  wash  the  living 
roots  that  are  left  and  the  bases  of  the  old  bulbs  in  tepid  water 
before  repotting.  A  lighter  make  up  of  material  may  be  used  for 
this  cla*s  of  plant,  leaving  out  the  manure  and  most  of  the  loam, 
adding  more  moss,  charcoal,  and  crocks  in  the  place  of  it.  They 
are  better,  too,  for  a  little  nursing  afterwards,  a  little  more  heat 
and  atmospheric  moUture,  the  compost  being  kept  rather  on  the 
dry  side. 
With  regard  to  temperature,  such  kinds  as  0.  eburneum, 
C.  giganteum,  C.  Lowianum,  or  C.  Mastersianum  are  often  kept 
too  hot.  They  are  quite  at  home  in  a  cool,  moist  house  such  as 
suits  greenhouse  Ferns,  and  may  be,  in  fact  often  are,  well  grown 
with  them.  Here  one  seldom  comes  across  cases  of  flower  bud 
dropping  that  used  to  be  so  frequent  in  plants  grown  too  warm. 
The  foliage  and  bulbs  take  on  a  deeper  green,  insects  are  less 
often  seen  about  them,  and  they  are  more  satisfactory  in  every 
way.  One  of  these  species  at  least  —  C.  giganteum — has  been 
known  to  withstand  frost  ;  bu.t  this,  of  course,  is  carrying  cool 
treatment  much  too  far. 
From  the  time  they  begin  to  grow  until  the  pseudo-bulbs  are 
finished,  and  in  some  cases  until  the  flowers  are  open,  these  plants 
require  almost  aquatic  treatment.  Owing  to  the  open  condition  of 
the  compost  the  water  rapidly  gets  away,  and  almost  daily  applica¬ 
tions  are  required  when  the  weather  is  bright.  During  the  winter 
evaporation  is  of  course  slower,  and  root  action  not  quite  so  brisk, 
and  in  consequence  less  wRter  will  be  needed.  Bat  by  this  it  must 
not  be  inferred  that  they  require  drying,  as  this  treatment  is  about 
the  worst  possible  for  them,  and  weak,  puny,  oftentimes  flowerless 
growths  are  the  inevitable  result.  Endeavour  then  to  strike  a 
medium  course  that  will  keep  the  plants  plump  and  healthy,  yet 
not  damage  or  surfeit  the  root*. 
Abundance  of  air  is  also  of  great  help.  Early  in  the  morning 
before  the  sun  reaches  the  house  let  the  top  ventilators  be  opened 
a  little  to  let  out  the  night  moisture.  This  chink  of  air  can  be 
increased  as  soon  as  a  slight  rise  in  temperature  is  felt,  and  by  this 
gradual  increase  the  foliage  will  be  kept  cool,  and  it  will  not  be 
necessarv  to  shade  the  plant*  so  soon.  Thus  the  plants  get  a  nicely 
tempered  and  evenly  balanced  atmosphere  combined  with  plenty  of 
light,  and  this  will  go  a  very  long  way  towards  their  successful 
cultivation.  There  is  not  space  to  describe  the  flowers  of  these 
useful  Orchids  ;  but  all  are  beautiful,  if  not  very  showy,  while 
many  combine  the  two  qualities.  In  most  cases  they  are  very  kmg 
lasting,  and  often  the  blossoms  are  of  the  most  delicate  perfume. 
The  beautiful  C.  Tracyanum  (fig.  59)  is  not  so  well  known.  In 
the  growth  and  foliage  with  the  smooth  stem  or  leaf  bases  it 
resemble*  0.  longifolium  or  giganteum,  but  the  flowers  are  of 
great  size,  5  inches  or  more  in  diameter,  with  broad  sepal*  and 
petals  evenly  and  strongly  veined  or  spotted  in  lines  of  a  reddish 
tint  on  a  yellow  ground.  The  lip  is  long  and  broad,  pale  yellow 
spotted  with  red.  The  raceme  was  about  4  feet  long,  bearing 
numerous  flowers. — H.  R.  R. 
