September  15,  1898, 
JOURNAL  OF  HORTICULTURE  AND  COTTAGE  GARDENER. 
203 
Cattleya  Ella. 
On  Tuesday,  September  6th,  Messrs.  J.  Veitch  &  Sens,  Ltd.,  Loyal 
Exotic"  Nursery,  Chelsea,  exhibited  amongst  other  Orchids  at  the 
Drill  Hall,  Westminster,  a  hybrid  Cattleya  named  Ella.  To  this  the 
Orchid  Committee  of  the  Royal  Horticultural  Society  recommended 
an  award  of  merit.  It  is  a  hybrid  that  resulted  from  a  cross  between 
C.  Warscewiczi  and  C.  bicolor,  and  in  form  (as  may  be  seen  from  the 
avoodcut,  tig.  36)  and  colouration  is  very  handsome.  All  the  segments 
are  of  great  substance,  the  labellum  being  exceedingly  striking.  The 
colour  is  rich  velvety  crimson,  with  a  heavy  suffusion  of  purple  in  the 
centre,  and  a  light  crimson  slightly  fimbriated 
edge.  The  stout  sepals  are  delicate  purplish  rose, 
while  the  petals,  which  are  of  wavy  outline,  are 
a  deeper  shade  of  the  same  colour.  The  boldness 
of  the  pose  of  the  flowers  and  the  richness  of 
the  colours  secured  for  it  much  admiration. 
1  under  which  it  thrives,  and,  in  compiny  with  many  other  Vandas, 
disliKes  a  steamy  overheated  house.  The  latter  are  not  at  all  the  con¬ 
ditions  under  which  it  is  found  growing  naturally,  and  although  I  am 
not  an  advocate  for  following  exactly  the  conditions  that  obtain  in 
the  natural  habitats  of  Orchids,  it  is  not  wise  to  go  to  the  other 
extreme  and  ignore  them. 
The  Cattleya  house  is  fully  warm  enough,  and  the  growth  will  be 
in  most  cases  more  satisfactory  if  the  plants  are  kept  close  up  to  the 
v  entilators  in  the  roof.  Good  specimens  have  been  grown  in  fruit 
houses  and  even  ferneries,  while  in  more  than  one  instance  I  have  seen 
fine  plants  in  a  house  devoted  to  Odontoalossums  and  other  purely 
j  alpine  Orchids.  Thus  it  will  be  seen  that  the  plant  is  not  fastidious 
j  as  to  temperature,  but  the  fact  remains  that  in  many  places  it 
absolutely  refuses  to  thrive  though  the  conditions  are  apparently  right 
in  every  respect.  As  with  many  other  Orchids,  when  a  suitable 
place  is  found  for  it,  the  plants  must  be  allowed  to  remain,  excepting, 
of  course,  in  case  of  a  vinery  or  Peach  house,  when  it  will  be  necessary 
to  remove  it  during  the  winter. 
Y.  coerulea  greatly  dislikes  a  close  or  heavy  compost,  and  is  not, 
Dendrobium  Dearei. 
I  have  seen  many  fine  plants  of  this  useful 
and  pretty  species  during  the  last  few  weeks,  and 
as  this  is  the  dullest  of  all  seasons  for  Orchids  it 
makes  it  all  the  more  useful  for  keeping  up  a 
display.  For  cutting,  too,  there  are  few  Dendrobes 
to  surpass  it,  the  pretty  white  flowers,  relieved 
by  a  green  centre,  working  in  nicely  for  every 
purpose  that  cut  flowers  are  required.  To  grow 
it  well  a  high  temperature  and  plenty  of  atmo¬ 
spheric  moisture,  and  being  a  close  grower,  with 
a  short  distance  only  between  the  nodes,  a  rather 
long  growing  season  is  necessary,  so  that  the  young 
bulbs  may  be  well  ripened  after  flowering. 
Oncidium  phymatochilum. 
When  well  and  strongly  grown  with  tall  branch¬ 
ing  spikes  of  flower  few  species  are  more  beautiful 
than  this,  the  contour  of  the  spikes  being  exceed¬ 
ingly  graceful,  while  the  individual  blossoms  are 
also  very  pretty.  The  sepals  and  petals  are 
elongated  and  reflexed,  pale  yellow  or  creamy 
white  with  brown  spots,  the  lip  white  with  a 
very  prominent  crest.  The  plant  is  a  native  of 
various  parts  of  Brazil,  and  does  well  in  a  com¬ 
paratively  cool  house  if  well  looked  after  as  regards 
potting  and  keeping  to  its  proper  routine  as  to 
growing  and  rest,  it  was  introduced  about  1840. 
Cattleya  Gaskelliana. 
The  flowers  of  this  popular  Cattleya  are  not  so 
large  as  those  of  C.  Mossim  or  C.  gigas,  but  they 
are  extremely  pretty  in  the  best  forms,  and  come 
nearest  those  of  C.  labiata  autumnalis.  They  are 
fully  as  variable  as  the  latter,  and  very  useful  in  keeping  up  a  display 
before  these  come  in.  In  its  season  of  flowering  I  have  not  found 
C.  Gaskelliana  quite  so  constant  as  the  other  labiata  kinds,  such  as 
C.  Mossiae,  C.  Trianse,  and  others,  and  where  a  fair  number  of  plants 
is  grown  the  species  keeps  up  a  display  for  several  months.  Its 
culture  is  easy,  and  consists  in  growing  it  strongly  until  it  flowers, 
and  resting  it  afterwards  until  growth  commences  again  in  spring. 
This  is  not  always  possible,  for  no  matter  how  carefully  the  atmo¬ 
sphere  and  temperature  are  regulated,  a  few  plants  sometimes  grow 
out  of  season.  When  on  a  large  plant  only  one  or  two  of  the  growths 
do  so  it  is  as  well  to  ignore  this,  and  keep  the  plants  to  their  rest  as 
usual,  but  if  the  majority  of  the  growths  on  a  plant  start  out  of  season, 
then  it  is  the  best  practice  to  grow  the  specimen  on  rapidly  and  get 
this  second  growth  finished  up  as  early  as  possible. 
Vanda  cxerulea. 
Few  Orchids  have  so  many  encomiums  lavished  upon  them  as  this 
when  it  is  presented  in  good  cultural  condition,  and  none  is  more 
worthy  of  admiration.  The  lovely  blue  of  its  flowers  and  their  graceful 
pose  make  it  a  great  favourite  everywhere,  and  though  many  growers 
do  not  succeed  with  it,  it  is  surprising  how  easily  it  is  managed  when 
a  suitable  position  is  found  for  it.  Light  and  air  in  plenty,  and  a 
buoyant  rather  than  a  moist  heavy  atmosphere,  are  the  conditions 
Fig.  36.— Cattleya  Ella. 
as  a  rule,  satisfactory  in  large  receptacles  Nice  specimens  may  be 
reared  in  wood  baskets  about  5  or  6  inches  across,  and  these  may  be 
quite  half  filled  with  crocks  for  drainage.  Sphagnum  moss  and 
charcoal  form  the  best  compost,  and  is  easily  added  to  as  occasion 
i  arises  without  disturbing  the  plants.  Plenty  of  root  moisture  must 
be  given  during  the  growing  season,  and  though  much  less  is  required 
while  at  rest,  it  is  bad  practice  to  unduly  dry  them,  especially  during 
early  winter.  Some  time  in  spring  a  limited  supply  stimulates  root 
action,  and  is  for  this  reason  beneficial,  but  the  deficit  must  be  after- 
j  wards  made  up  or  the  plants  will  be  weakened.  Insects  are  not 
particularly  troublesome,  but  should  any  appear  they  must  at  once  be 
destroyed. — II.  R.  R. 
Black  Muscat  Grape.  —  The  delicious  Muscat  Hamburgh  or 
Black  Muscat  Grape  is  grown  with  notable  success  by  Mr.  Bond,  the 
clever  young  gardener  at  Olantigh,  near  Wye,  Kent.  Although  but 
poorly  supplied  with  accommodation,  having,  indeed,  only  one  small 
vinery,  he  is  able  to  show  some  beautiful  bunches,  as  excellent  in  size 
of  berrv  as  they  are  in  colour.  To  see  this  noble  and  exquisite  Grape 
with  model  bunches  and  huge  berries  as  black  as  sloes  is  a  real  pleasure. 
In  the  same  house  are  grown  Black  Hamburgh  and  Black  Alicante,  the 
latter  of  which  is  also  done  well,  but  the  Black  Muscat  is  the  gem  of  the 
house. — W.  Pea. 
