October  19,  1899. 
JOURNAL  OF  HORTICULTURE  AND  COTTAGE  GARDENER. 
341 
lULia 
CYPRIPEDIUM  (ENOSUPERBIENS. 
This  Cypripedium,  respecting  which  “  A  Young  Orchid  Grower  ” 
desires  some  information,  is  an  exceptionally  handsome  hybrid  that 
resulted,  as  the  name  implies,  from  a  cross  between  C.  oenanthum 
and  C.  superbiens.  It  was  first  exhibited  by  Sir  Trevor  Lawrence, 
Bart.,  Burford  Lodge,  Dorking,  at  the  Drill  Hall,  on  Sept.  12th, 
1893,  when  the  Orchid  Committee  of  the  Royal  Horticultural 
Society  adjudged  an  award  of 
merit  for  it.  The  prevailing 
colour  is  a  brownish  red,  this 
suffusing  the  petals  and  lip.  The 
former  are  bold  and  spreading, 
the  latter  being  somewhat  pointed. 
As  shown  in  the  illustration 
(fig.  67)  the  dorsal  sepal  is  broad 
and  imposing.  It  is  heavily  lined 
with  chocolate  dots  and  suffused 
with  rose  margined  with  white. 
and  these  can  be  well  kept 
with  XL  All  vaporiser. 
I  am  sending  you  a  few  flowers  cut  from  a  plant  grown  as 
described  above.  They  have  been  open  fully  a  month,  hence  are 
as  you  will  see,  fading  somewhat.  The  plant  that  produced  them 
has  not  flowered  so  late  in  the  season  before. — H  J.  C.,  Grimston 
Tadcaster. 
[Notwithstanding  the  fact  that  the  flowers  were  past  their  best, 
it  was  easy  to  see  that  they  had  had  size  and  substance,  while  the 
richness  of  the  shades  of  colour  had  not  yet  passed  away.] 
Cattleya  atjrea. 
This  is,  in  my  opinion,  the  queen  of  the  Cattleya  family,  and  one 
of  which,  perhaps,  many  persons  have  had  cause  to  complain.  It  has 
a  bad  habit  of  suddenly  turning  black  and  going  off,  and  this  is 
Sale  of  Orchids  at  The  Firs. 
Messrs.  Protheroe  &  Morris 
have  just  completed  a  three  days’ 
sale  of  Orchids  at  The  Firs, 
Warwick,  the  total  sum  realised 
amounting  to  £3110,  for  the 
collection  of  the  late  Major 
Mason.  Amongst  the  prices 
obtained  were  Cattleya  inter¬ 
media  alba,  £22  Is. ;  Cattleya 
Lord  Rothschild,  £36  5s. ;  Cypri¬ 
pedium  Lawrenceanum  Hyeanum, 
£76  13s.  and  £89  5s.;  Cypri¬ 
pedium  insigne  Dorothy,  £29  8s. ; 
Cypripedium  insigne  Sanderse, 
£54  12s. ;  Cypripedium  insigne 
Maulei,  £32  11s.;  Cypripedium 
callosum  Sanderae,  £73  12s.  ; 
Cypripedium  insigne  giganteum, 
£147  ;  Cattleya  labiaia  alba,  £63; 
and  Dendrobium  Phalsenopsis 
alba,  £52  10s. 
Cattleya  labiata  vae. 
Gaskelliana. 
Amongst  the  several  varieties 
of  Cattleya  labiata  the  one  here 
mentioned  is  certainly  not  the 
least  worthy  of  culture.  Its 
flowering  period,  during  the  early 
autumn  months,  when  Cattleya 
flowers  are  not  plentiful,  is  one 
great  advantage  in  its  favour. 
Another  is  that  under  fairly  good 
general  cultural  conditions  it 
grows  and  flowers  well  each  year. 
I  know  of  plants  that  have  done 
this  for  some  seasons  in  an 
ordinary  plant  stove  where  the  rinht  temperature  during  the  winter 
months  is  at  an  average  of,  say  60°,  with  a  rise  of  from  7°  to  10° 
during  the  day  when  the  weather  is  fine  and  the  sun  shines. 
The  plants  I  allude  to  are  growing  in  8  and  10-inch  pots, 
drained  with  clean  potsherds  to  fully  half  their  depth.  The  root 
medium  is  tough  fibry  peat, .with  an  admixture  of  one-eighth  of  newly 
burnt  charcoal  in  nodules  from  the  size  of  a  large  Walnut  down¬ 
wards.  Tbe  whole  surface  is  covered  with  a  thin  layer  of  fresh 
sphagnum.  Repotting  is  done  every  alternate  year;  any  time  in  the 
late  spring  months  before  annual  growths  are  made.  The  flowers 
are  produced  from  these  as  soon  as  they  are  of  their  full  size. 
During  the  growing  and  flowering  period  a  sufficient  quantity 
of  chilled  rain  water  should  be  given  so  as  to  keep  the  material 
they  are  growing  in  well  moistened.  Afterwards  it  should  be  kept 
on  the  dry  side  until  spring  comes  round  and  growths  show  signs 
of  breaking  away  from  the  base  of  last  year’s  growths.  If  the  tempe¬ 
rature  of  the  house  they  are  growing  in  is  kept  in  a  genial  condition 
both  as  to  heat  and  moisture,  insect  pests  will  not  give  much 
trouble.  Yellow  thrips  are  the  worst  pest  we  have  to  deal  with, 
Fig.  67. — Cypripedium  <eno- superbiens. 
generally  to  be  attributed  to  too  much  water.  I  find  this  Cattleya  will 
do  with  much  less  water  than  the  generality  of  its  relatives.  Where 
Cattleya  gigas  succeeds,  this  one  ought  to  do,  as  in  some  localities  they 
grow  together,  and  that  is  where  those  two  lovely  natural  hybrids  are 
found — namely,  C.  Hardyana  and  C.  Massaiana.  As  regards  compost, 
this  species  will  succeed  in  the  ordinary  Cattleya  mixture,  but  should 
be  grown  in  the  warm  Cattleya  house.  Water  must  be  applied  with 
great  caution,  as  I  am  convinced  that  more  disasters  are  attributable  to 
this  cause  than  any  other.  I  find  the  plants  are  much  better,  and 
flower  more  freely,  when  suspended  beneath  the  roof. 
Cypripedium  memoria  Moensi. 
This  fine  hybrid  Cypripedium  is  again  in  flower,  and  may  be 
placed  with  the  most  select,  as  undoubtedly  it  is  one  of  the  very  best 
both  as  regards  its  flowers  and  growth.  It  was  raised  by  the  late 
Mr.  J.  Moens  from  uncertain  parentage,  bui.  undoubtedly  C.  Spicer- 
ianum  is  one  parent,  and  l  should  suggest  some  variety  of  C.  Boxalli 
as  the  other.  The  dorsal  sepal,  which  is  the  most  conspicuous  part 
of  the  flower,  is  very  large,  obovate,  of  an  intense  rosy  purple  colour, 
