December  19, 1898. 
JOURNAL  OF  HORTICULTURE  AND  COTTAGE  GARDENER. 
571 
fruit  is  sold,  most  of  it  being  personally  taken  by  passenger  train 
to  London.  The  result  has  proved  that,  Vine  for  Vine,  the  Duke 
of  Buccleuch  has  realised  the  most,  money  of  all.  Had  the  fruit 
been  packed  and  left  to  take  its  chance  of  the  “  knocking  about  ” 
incident  to  a  long  journey,  the  results  might,  and  probably  would, 
have  been  different.] 
Dendrobium  Treacherianum. 
Rarely  is  this  Dendrobium  seen  at  our  exhibitions,  and  as  a 
consequence  the  plant  staged  by  Mr.  W.  H.  White,  Orchid  grower 
to  Sir  Trevor  Lawrence,  Bart.,  Burford  Lodge,  Dorking,  at  the 
last  meeting  of  the  Royal  Horticultural  Society  held  in  the  Drill 
Hall,  Westminster,  attracted  some  considerable  amount  of  atten¬ 
tion.  The  specimen  was  a  splendid  example  of  culture,  and  was 
hearing  three  spikes  of  flowers  carrying  ten,  seven,  and  five  blooms 
respectively.  The  colour  of  the  sepals,  petals,  and  the  front 
portion  of  the  lip  is  bright  rose  shading  to  crimson  towards  the 
throat  and  side  lobes.  Several  flowers  on  the  plant  exhibited  were 
fully  expanded,  while  others  were  still  in  the  bud  stage.  A  first- 
class  certificate  was  awarded  to  this  plant  by  the  Orchid  Committee. 
The  woodcut  (fig.  87)  will  convey  to  our  readers  an  idea  as  to  the 
form  of  the  flowers  and  their  method  of  production. 
Sowing  Orchid  Seeds. 
As  the  advice  given  to  a  correspondent  in  the  Journal  for 
November  28th  (page  521)  on  sowing  Orchid  seed  is  the  reverse  of 
what  my  own  experience  points  to  as  the  best,  I  should  like  to  ask 
if  it  refers  to  Orchids  generally,  or  to  any  family  in  particular.  I 
have  been  successful  in  raising  Dendrobium,  Disa,  and  Phaius  from 
seed,  and  have  never,  as  far  as  I  could  discover,  had  any  seed 
germinate  (although  apparently  good)  when  the  surface  of  the 
material  the  seed  was  sown  on  consisted  solely  of  sphagnum.  I 
have  at  present  a  sowing  of  Dendrobium  and  another  of  Disa 
germinating,  and  it  is  strikingly  noticeable  that  there  is  none  to 
be  seen  on  the  sphagnum,  while  on  the  bare  patches  of  peat  in  the 
same  pans  they  can  be  easily  seen.  The  seedlings  in  question  are 
at  the  stage  of  a  tiny  semi-transparent  green  globe,  apparently 
attached  to  the  peat  fibre  by  numerous  hair-like  processes,  sur¬ 
mounted  by  a  tiny  narrow  leaf,  and  might  be  easily  overlooked  by 
anyone  who  was  not  looking  purposely  for  them.  The  Disa  seed 
germinated  most  profusely  on  the  slightly  scaly  rhizome  of  an 
Odontoglossum  crispum,  but  have  since  nearly  all  gradually 
shrivelled  away,  apparently  from  lack  of  moisture,  as  those  on  the 
peat  in  the  same  pot  are  growing  satisfactorily.  I  think  the 
experience  of  other  readers  of  the  Journal  of  Horticulture  would  be 
both  interesting  and  instructive,  as  I  feel  sure  much  good  Orchid 
seed  fails  to  germinate  from  what  to  the  would-be  raisers  is  an 
unexplained  cause. — J.  H.  Lane,  Colesborne. 
[Since  the  note  referred  to  was  published  we  have  seen  seed- 
ling  Orchids  growing  in  sphagnum  as  closely  together  as  Mustard 
and  Cress.  No  doubt  more  Orchids  of  various  kinds  have  been 
raised  in  that  way  than  in  any  other,  though  it  is  conceivable  that 
different  material  and  its  condition  may  be  found  more  appropriate 
for  the  germination  of  the  seed  of  particular  kinds,  and  hence  the 
value  of  published  experience  as  in  the  above  communication. 
Also  since  the  publication  of  the  note  referred  to  we  have  seen 
what  may  be  described  as  an  Orchid  seed  bed  of  considerable 
extent  not  composed  of  either  sphagnum,  peat,  or  anything  of  the 
kind,  but  of  strips  of  deal  about  an  inch  wide  placed  an  inch  apart 
or  so  across  a  bed  and  kept  constantly  moist.  On  these  the  seeds 
are  scattered,  and  when  the  young  plants  are  visible  the  strips  are 
cut  into  lengths  and  affixed  in  a  bed  of  sphagnum  in  baskets,  and 
in  this  way  do  not  receive  a  check  in  their  early  stages  by  trans¬ 
plantation.] 
Cattleya  labiata  autumnalis. 
The  last  few  years  have  been  remarkable  for  the  number  of 
choice  Orchids  introduced  that  flower  during  late  autumn  and 
winter.  The  present  species,  although  not  new,  was  comparatively 
little  known  until  its  re-introduction  a  few  yearn  since,  and  the 
same  may  be  said  of  the  charming  Dendrobium  Phalaenopsis.  Both 
these  kinds  are  now  well  known  ;  I  had  almost  said  common,  but 
this  epithet  is  capable  of  a  double  meaning,  and  in  one  sense  it 
certainly  would  not  apply. 
The  genus  Cattleya  will  always  have  a  very  great  attraction  for 
orchidists,  and  this  is  not  to  bo  wondered  at  considering  the 
magnificence  of  the  flowers,  the  wide  range  of  colour,  and  the 
fact  that  beautiful  blossoms  may  be  enjoyed  every  month  in  the 
year.  C.  labiata  autumnalis  may,  without  a  doubt,  be  reckoned  as 
one  of  the  best  in  the  genus,  and  a  plant  quite  indispensable. 
Notwithstanding  Cattleyas  are  easily  grown,  it  is  a  fact  that  many 
beginners  in  their  culture  are  not  as  successful  with  them  as  with 
some  other  kinds,  and  if  there  is  one  thing  that  tends  to  this 
unsatisfactory  state  of  affairs  more  than  another  it  is  the 
preconceived  notion  that  Orchids,  and  therefore  Cattleyas,  require 
to  be  deluged  with  water  for  six  months  in  the  year,  and  that 
during  the  remainder  they  must  not  have  a  drop  near  them. 
They  are  in  fact  to  be  grown  on  a  hard  and  fast  rule  which 
admits  of  not  the  slightest  variation,  and  such  questions  as  "  When 
FIG.  87. — DENDROBIUM  TREACHERIANUM. 
shall  I  dry  off  my  Cattleyas  ?  ”  or  “  When  must  they  be  started  ? 
are  frequently  put  with  a  naivete  that  is  almost  startling  to  hear. 
The  sooner  these  ideas  are  confuted  the  better  for  the  success 
of  the  experimenter,  for  if  they  are  acted  on  the  loss  of  many 
valuable  plants  will  be  the  inevitable  result. 
C.  labiata  autumnalis  usually  arrives  in  this  country  in  very 
good  condition,  and  if  ordinary  precautions-  are  taken  very  few 
plants  will  be  lost  in  establishing.  They  ought  always  to  be 
obtained,  if  possible,  early  in  the  year,  and  may  usually  be  potted 
at  once  in  crocks,  the  laying  out  process  being  hardly  necessary 
in  their  case.  Sometimes  new  roots  will  be  pushed  in  advance  of 
the  growth,  and  in  such  cases  it  is  advisable  to  lay  on  a  little 
compost  consisting  of  the  best  peat  fibre  and  sphagnum  moss.  But 
if,  on  the  other  hand,  the  growths  make  their  appearance  first, 
roots  are  not  usually  emitted  until  the  new  pseudo-bulbs  are 
approaching  completion,  and  the  compost  therefore  will  not  be 
required  until  this  occurs. 
