November  30,  1899.  JOURNAL  OF  HORTICULTURE  AND  COTTAGE  GARDENER. 
469 
must  be  afforded  with  caution.  Should  Rhe  house  feel  at?all  stuffy 
or  close,  damp  down ;  if  at  all  cold  or  damp,  refrain  from  doing  so. 
These  few  notes,  to  the  majority  of  cultivators,  may  seem  superfluous, 
but  1  am  inclined  to  think  that  many  of  us  have  yet  something  to 
learn,  even  in  the  winter  treatment  of  Orchids.  Certain  it  is  that 
only  by  attention  to  the  smallest  details  we  may  hope  to  succeed. 
Notes  on  Cypripedium  insigne. 
Cypripedium  Milo  Westonbirt  Variety. 
At  the  meeting  of  the  Royal  Horticultural  Society,  held  on  the 
21st  inst.,  Mr.  Arthur  Chapman,  gardener  to  Captain  Holford,  Weston¬ 
birt,  Tetbury,  Glos.,  exhibited  a  very  attractive  collection  of  Cypri- 
pediums,  for  which  a  silver  Flora  medal  was  accorded.  In  the  report 
cf  that  show,  on  page  448,  the  names  are  given,  and  further  reference 
is  called  now  only  to  introduce  the  illustration  (fig.  83)  of  the 
Westonbirt  variety  of  C.  Milo,  to  which  the  Orchid  Committee 
attached  the  award  of  merit  card.  As  the  woodcut  clearly  shows,  the 
flower  is  a  stmmgly  handsome  one,  of  perfect  form  and  bold  mark¬ 
ings.  The  pouch  and  petals  are  deep  claret,  overlying  and  almost 
obscuring  in  the  latter  case,  pale  green,  and  these  have  a 
thread-like  margin  of  light  green;  the  whole  shines  as  though 
varnished.  The  magnificent  dorsal  sepal  is  green  at  the  base,  but  the 
ground  colour  is  almost 
obscured  by  the  deep 
purple  brown  spots, 
which  on  the  lower 
portion  have  run  to¬ 
gether  in  the  form  of 
lines.  There  is  a  broad 
margin  of  pure  white. 
Wintering  Orchids. 
At  all  seasons  of  the 
year  cultivators  of  this 
beautiful  family  of 
plants  must  be  on  the 
alert,  and  at  this  period, 
when  dull,  cold,  wet 
weather  is  prevalent,  it 
is  obvious  that  an  in¬ 
creased  amount  of  atten¬ 
tion  is  necessary.  The 
whole  secret,  if  there  is 
one  in  Orchid  culture,  ( 
is  summed  up  in  the  c 
word  attention,  which 
embodies  cleanliness, 
composts,  temperatures, 
and  watering.  In  re¬ 
spect  of  the  first-named 
it  may  be  said  that  both 
the  houses  and  their 
occupants  must  be  kept 
as  clean  as  possible.  In 
speaking  of  composts  or 
soils,  I  may  say  that  I 
do  not  recommend  the 
removal  of  any  plants 
during  the  depth  of 
winter.  Should,  however,  the  compost  in  which  any  plant  is  growing 
be  at  all  sour,  do  not  apply  one  drop  of  water  more  than  is  necessary 
till  the  plant  begins  to  show  signs  of  fresh  root  action ;  then  it  can 
receive  new  compost,  even  at  this  time  of  year. 
Temperatures,  I  am  of  the  opinion,  must  be  most  carefully  studied 
in  all  cases,  although  I  do  not  consider  it  is  essential  to  keep  the 
various  houses  ri vetted,  so  to  speak,  to  any  certain  degree.  I  know, 
however,  that  much  harm  is  done  by  sudden  rises  and  falls  to  extreme 
points,  and  to  this  is  often  traceable  malformed  flowers  and  sheaths 
which  refuse  to  push  their  flowers  at  the  proper  season.  It  should 
rather  be  the  aim  to  keep  the  thermometer  as  near  a  certain  degree  as 
possible,  according  to  the  outside  condition,  and  in  very  severe 
weather  let  it  run  down  a  little,  rather  than  use  a  great  amount  of 
fire  heat.  On  the  other  hand,  on  all  occasions  when  the  weather  is 
favourable,  admit  fresh  air,  as  even  in  the  smallest  quantities  it  is 
beneficial. 
Watering,  although  the  last  to  be  noted,  is  not  the  least  in 
importance.  I  once  heard  it  said  the  application  and  the  withholding 
of  water  is  the  whole  secret  of  plant  culture,  and  to  a  certain  extent 
no  doubt  it  is  true,  and  it  certainly  applies  forcibly  to  Orchids.  In 
the  first  place  it  is  a  necessity  to  give  some  plants  water,  and  in 
others  to  withhold  it.  This  must  always  be  remembered — give  no 
plant  one  drop  more  than  it  requires,  and  allow  no  plant  to  suffer  for 
the  want  of  it ;  but  if  any  mistake  is  made,  err  on  the  side  of  dryness. 
Atmospheric  moisture  in  most  of  the  houses  will  be  required,  and 
This  fine  species  has  been  an  inmate  of  our  greenhouses  for  nearly 
a  century,  and  is  still  as  popular  as  any  plant  grown.  It  is  represented 
in  almost  every  garden  in  the  land  where  there  is  a  greenhouse,  and  it 
is  frequently  the  only  Orchid  cultivated.  In  my  opinion  this  Orchid 
has  every  good  quality  that  a  flowering  plant  can  possess  ;  it  is  not 
particular  as  to  compost  or  temperature,  but  it  seems  to  grow  and 
thrive  almost  anywhere,  although,  like  everything  else,  it  well  repays 
being  properly  cared  for.  When  seen  in  this  condition  even  the 
typical  flower  is  charming,  and  alter  having  done  duty  on  the  plant  in 
the  house  in  which  it  was  grown  it  can  be  cut, tandi  will  last  in  water 
for  a  considerable  time  when  flowers  are  scarce.;^,-  -  ^ 
It  is  not  so  much  of  the  type  that  I  now  wishRo  ’speak,  but  of  the 
two  peerless  varieties,  .C.  i.  Sanderse  and  C.j  i.  Sanderianum,  which 
will,  I  suppose,  one  day^beccme  as  common^as  those  two,  much  sought 
after  in  my  younger 
days — C.  i.  Maulei  and 
C.  i.  Cbantini.  It  is 
needless  for  me  to  state 
that  both  Sanderse  and 
Sanderianum  are  yellow 
varieties  of  the  type, 
and  they  are  much  in 
request  at  the  present 
time.  The  differences 
in  the  two  varieties  are 
in  form  and  colour. 
Sanderas  is  a  beautiful 
delicate  primrose  yellow 
flower,  the  dorsal  sepal 
having  a  broad  apical 
margin  of  pure  white 
and  a  few  brown  dots  ; 
these  are  found  to  vary 
according  to  the  con¬ 
ditions  under  which  the 
plant  has  been  grown, 
likewise  the  depth  of 
colour  in  the  whole 
flower.  Sanderianum  is 
perhaps  not  so  fine  as 
the  preceding  in  shape 
or  the  size  of  the  flower, 
and  is  best  described  as 
a  pure  yellow  and  white 
flower  without  any 
spotting.  0.  i.  Harefield 
Hall  var.  and  C.  i.  gi- 
ganteum  are  the  giants, 
so  to  speak,  of  the  whole 
family,  being  glorified 
editions  of  C.i.Chantini. 
I  They  are  much  larger,  and  the  spots  on  the  dorsal  sepal  are  bolder 
and  clearer. 
As  I  have  already  said,  they  well  repay  being  properly’ cared  for, 
and  as  I  am  not  aware  of  anyone  having  too  large  a  stock  of  either 
of  these  varieties  to  experiment  with,  I  would  recommend  that  they 
be  grown  in  the  warm  intermediate  house  in  a  compost  of  two  parts 
best  fibrous  peat,  one  of  sphagnum  moss,  and  about  half  a  part  of 
turfy  loam,  from  which  all  the  tine  has  been  taken.  When  the  plants 
become  fairly  established,  and  are  of  presentable  size,  they  may  be 
grown  in  a  cooler  temperature  ;  but  still  I  think  more  is  lost  in  the 
growth  of  the  plant  than  is  repaid  by  the  extra  tone  of  colour,  which 
is  undoubtedly  imparted  under  such  conditions. — J.  Barker,  Bessie. 
DENDROBIUM  NOBILE. 
At  the  last  fortnightly  meeting  of  the  Kingston  Gardeners’ 
i  Mutual  Improvement  Society,  Mr.  Hine,  gardener  to  Sir  Richard 
1  Tangye,  read  a  practical  paper  on  “  Dendrobium  nobile.”  His  advice 
to  those  about  to  start  the  cultivation  of  this  useful  and  tragrant 
1  Orchid  was  to  obtain  plants  from  the  nurseryman  in  the  spring; 
these  usually  have  flowered  once  and  will  be  about  to  start  into 
growth.  Do  not  repot  or  top-dress  them,  for,  as  a  rule, -they  will  be 
potted  in  sufficiently  good  material  to  serve  them  for  twelve 
1  months. 
The  plants  may  be  grown  in  a  warm  greenhouse  or  vinery,  but 
the  stove  is  their  favourite  home.  Keep  the  plants  on  the  dry  side, 
Fig.  83. — Cypripedium  Milo  Westonbirt  var 
