JOURNAL  OF  HORTICULTURE  AND  COTTAGE  GARDENER. 
247 
Autumn  Orchids. 
Although  during  tho  late  summer  and 
autumn  months  Orchids  in  flower  are  far  less 
numerous  than  at  any  other  time  of  year,  it 
is  consoling  to  find  that  among  them  are  some 
of  the  brightest  and  most  beautiful  kinds  in 
existence,  while  the  paucity  of  bloom  is  in  a 
manner  made  up  for  by  the  interesting  state  of 
the  plants  themselves.  The  true  Orchid  lover 
finds  as  much  pleasure  in  his  hom.es  when 
nothing  is  in  flower  as  when  very  gay,  though 
the  fact  remains  that  to  most  growers  the 
flower  is  the  aim  and  end. 
Foremost  among  the  Orchids  that  flower 
now  is  the  beautiful  Cattleya  aurea,  and  its 
lovely  crimson  purple  lip  with  golden  network 
as  it  were  thrown  over  it  forms  one  of  the  most 
delightful  of  contrasts  in  tho  world  of  Orchids. 
Among  the  Masdevallias  of  the  showy  flowered 
section  there  are  several  that  flower  now,  and 
the  glowing  Disa  grandiflora  may  also  be  men¬ 
tioned,  as  well  as  the  hybrid  M.  Veitchi,  one 
of  the  best.  In  the  same  house  probibly  the 
pretty  Epidendrum  vitellinum  will  be  throwing 
up  its  richly  tinted  spikes  of  vermilion  and 
golden  yellowu  What  a  uselul  and  beautiful 
kind  this  is!  and  there  are  few  that  keep  up 
a  display  over  so  long  a  season. 
Among  the  Odontoglossums  and  Oncidiums 
are  many  fine  autumn  flowering  kinds,  and  those 
who  had  a  careful  look  at  some  of  the  largo 
groups  at  Shrewsbury  must  have  noticed  how 
delightful  Orchids  are  when  used  in  a  natural 
and  tasteful  way  amid  refreshing  looking  greenery, 
instead  of  being  jammed  down  in  a  crude  mass 
of  colour,  as  we  see  them  at  the  Temple  and  other  shows  when  I 
Orchids  are  plentiful.  Mr.  P.  Blair’s  Oncidium  macranthum, 
rambling  about  amidst  tho  stems  and  foliage  of  his  Palms,  was 
a  -very  delightful  instance  of  this  pretty  and  natural  style  of 
grouping. 
A  section  that  cannot  be  left  out  of  the  briefest  resume  of  the 
Orchids  that  flower  now"  is  the  beautiful  Odontoglossum  grande  and 
similar  kinds,  such  as  0.  Insleayi  and  0.  Sehlieperianum.  Here  are 
splendid  species  for  the  amateur  and  beginner,  for  the  plants  flower 
and  do  well  in  an  ordinary  C'ol  fernery — not  a  dry  greenhouse — and 
keep  up  a  long  continued  display.  One  may  write  of  the  beauties 
of  these  and  other  autumn  blooming  species,  but  a  mere  mention 
of  them  is  rather  bald  reading,  and  I  think  I  have  mentioned  euough 
to  show  that  the  Orchid  house  in  autumn  is  not  quite  a  barren  waste. 
I 
Aerides  Godeeroy^e. 
Fig.  49. — Cattleya  Luddemanniana- alba. 
habitat  extends  over  a  great  expanse  of  country  in  tropical  America, 
and  it  was  in  cultivation  both  at  Kew  and  other  places  before 
the  present  century  opened. 
L.elia  Dayana. 
Very  fine  just  now  are  the  brightly  tinted  flowers  of  this  Orchid, 
which  is  one  of  those  kinds  that  are  much  better  cultivated  now 
than  formerl}".  I  have  seen  it  flowering  very  freely  this  week, 
and  the  bright  tint  in  the  lip  makes  it  easilv  distinguishable  from 
anytlvng  else  now  in  flower.  The  best  plants  I  have  seen  were 
grown  suspended  from  the  roof  in  small  wood  baskets,  and  kept 
in  a  moderately  cool  house.  Here  they  did  not  suffer  from  spot 
in  the  least,  and  though  imported  at  least  half  a  dozen  years,  are 
more  vigorous  r.ow  than  the  first  season.  It  is  a  native  of  South 
Brazil,  and  was  introduced  bv  Messrs.  Low,  through  their  collector 
Mr.  Boxall,  iu  1876. — H.  R.  R. 
almost  inseparable  from  our  artificial  winter  treatment.  The  plants 
should  be  kept  well  up  to  the  glass  in  a  light  house.  The  spikes  are 
not  unlike  those  of  A.  Fieldmgi,  but  without  the  'arch,  and  the 
bio  soms  are  a  pretty  rose  tint.  It  is  a  native  of  Cochin  China,  intro¬ 
duced  by  Mons.  Godefroy  of  Argenteuil. 
Epidendrum  ciliare. 
This  is  one  of  the  oldest  of  known  Orchids,  and  has  never  been 
particularly  popular,  but  it  is  certainly  worth  growing  as  a  distinct 
and  pretty  plant.  The  flowers  are  white,  with  a  very  beautifully 
fine  bristled  lip,  and  these  last  a  long  time  in  perfect  condition. 
This  makes  it  very  useful  when  it  flowers  now,  but  though  I 
have  noticed  it  in  bloom  in  several  collections  recently  it  is  by  no 
means  constant  as  an  autumn  blooming  Orchid.  Grown  in  a  cool 
intermediate  house,  with  ample  light  and  air,  and  a  distinct 
season  of  growth  and  rest,  it  will  flower  well  annually,  but  in 
more  huat  and  moisture  it  keeps  growing  all  the  time,  and  flower 
spikes  are  rarely  seen.  The  plant  has  the  habit  of,  and  is  some¬ 
times  imported  with,  one  or  other  of  the  labiata  Cattleyas.  Its 
Cattleya  Luddemanniana  alba. 
At  the  meeting  of  the  Committees  of  the  Royal  Horticultural 
Society  held  in  the  Drill  Hall,  Westminster,  on  Tuesday,  the  12th 
inst.,  very  few  Orchids  were  exhibited.  This  was  a  change  from  the 
grand  displays  that  have  become  the  rule,  but  n  >  more  could  be 
expected  at  this  season  of  the  year.  Amongst  those  shown  were  one 
or  two  of  much  beauty,  and  standing  out  conspicuously  above  all  was 
Cattleya  Luddemanniana  alba,  which  had  been  sent  by  Mr.  W.  H. 
Tindale,  gardener  to  E.  Duckworth,  E<q.,  Shaw  Hall,  Flixton, 
Manchester.  A  more  chastely  beautiful  Orch'd  could  scarcely  bo 
conceived,  and  the  Committee’s  appreciation  took 
the  form  of  the  recommendation  of  a  first-class 
certificate.  It  is  a  true  albino,  inasmuch  as 
it  is  wholly  glistening  while,  save  for  a  touch 
of  soft  yellow  on  the  side  lobes  of  the  throat. 
The  flower  is  portrayed  natural  size  in  fig.  49. 
This  pretty  plant  is  a  near  relation  of  A.  roseum  and  others  of  that 
ilk,  a  fine  thing  when  it  does  well,  but  a  iittle  more  difficult  than 
A.  odoratum  or  A.  Fiildingi.  Not  that  any  trouble  will  be  found  in 
getting  it  to  grow;  the  trouble  is  often  to  keep  the  leaves  on  after  the 
plant  has  been  grown.  The  best  way  to  do  it  is  not  to  place  it  in  too 
much  heat  and  shade.  Sun  heat  in  autumn  it  delights  in,  and  this 
keeps  the  leaves  hard  and  in  likely  trim  to  stand  the  slight  checks 
Bulbs  for  the  London  Parrs. — Messrs.  James  Carter  &  Co., 
Il’gh  liolborn,  inform  us  that  they  have  again  nceiverl  orders  to 
supply  the  bulb3  requited  for  flowering  next  ‘pring  in  the  Royal  Parks 
of  London,  including  Hyde  Park,  Regent’s  Park,  St.  James'  Park,  and 
Kensington  Gardens.  Tney  have  been  similarly  instructed  by  the  London 
County^Council  to  lurnish  the  bulbs  required  lor  the  parks  and  gardens 
under  its  control. 
