January  16, 1896. 
■JOURNAL  OF  HORTICULTURE  AND  COTTAGE  GARDENER- 
47 
a*  far  as  is  possible  bo  afforded  the  opportunity.  When  men 
who  are  born  on  the  land,  so  to  say,  have  no  inducements  to 
keep  them  at  home,  they  flock  to  the  towns  to  increase  tho 
misery  there.  With  far  more  men  working  for  themselves  in  a 
humble,  useful,  contented  way  in  country  villages,  the  number 
would  be  so  increased  that  larger  farms  could  be  more  cheaply 
worked  by  the  help  that  would  be  readily  forthcoming  when  it 
could  be  turned  to  profitable  account,  and  when  not  wanted,  not 
requested.  This  is  actually  the  case  where  an  ample  number  of 
small  holdings  of  various  sizes  cluster  around  the  larger  farms. 
The  striking  effects  of  high  cultivation  are  happily  by  no 
means  rare.  We  should  not  have  to  go  far  to  find  an  instance 
of  land  which  yielded  no  rent  to  its  owner,  but  which,  after 
division  into  small  plots,  brought  him  for  years  and  is  doing 
so  now — £4  an  acre.  The  workers  remain  “  on  the  land,” 
bringing  up  families  in  homely  comfort,  and  arc  ready  to  do  a 
day  or  week’s  work  for  others,  when  they  may  be  desired.  What 
high  culture  does  in  comparison  with  neglect  is  demonstrated 
every  year  in  hundreds  of  instances  by  the  Surrey  County 
Council.  There  are  plots  side  by  side  in  various  districts  in 
which  Continuation  School  Gardens  are  provided,  all  the  workers 
being  supplied  with  seeds  in  quality  and  variety  exactly  alike, 
yet  tho  value  of  the  produce  is  100  per  cent,  greater  in  one 
plot  than  in  another  2  feet  from  it,  and  this  in  dozens  of  instances. 
There  profit  and  loss  may  be  seen  side  by  side.  It  is  useless 
for  the  few  students  who  fail  to  blame  the  climate,  soil,  or  seeds. 
Doing  work  well  at  the  time  it  needs  doing  is  the  key  to  success, 
negligent  or  slipshod  methods  being  followed  by  failure.  As 
in  small  plot*  so  it  is,  and  must  be,  in  large  areas,  because  the 
governing  factors  are  absolutely  the  same.  Unfortunately  there 
are  far  too  many  examples  of  failure  in  most  counties,  and  hence 
the  rector’s  refrain — 
“  Hark  to  the  cry  of  our  English  land, 
Starved  for  the  want  of  the  human  hand.” 
This  Orchid  is  remarkable  for  its  easy  culture,  freedom  of 
flowering,  and  endurance  of  a  cool,  dry  atmosphere  when  in  flower, 
being,  indeed,  one  that  may  be  removed  to  the  drawing-room  or 
boudoir  without  fear  of  injury,  and  forming  a  most  attractive 
plant  for  a  period  extending  over  three  weeks.  It  produces 
drooping  racemes  of  pure  white  flowers  3  or  4  inches  in  diameter, 
with  a  large  blotch  of  rich  yellow  in  the  middle,  the  veins  having 
a  golden  crest-like  fringe. 
It  may  be  grown  in  pots,  in  baskets,  and  on  blocks.  Plants  in 
small  pots  or  saucers  (perforated),  and  baskets,  the  latter  when 
neatly  mossed  being  suitable  for  the  table.  The  pots  or  baskets 
should  be  well  drained  ;  half  the  depth  should  be  occupied  with 
crocks,  and  the  material  may  consist  of  equal  parts  live  sphagnum, 
rough  pieces  of  peat,  and  charcoal,  with  a  sprinkling  of  sand,  raised 
in  a  moderately  high  cone  in  the  centre,  and  well  pressed  down. 
The  p»eudo-bulbs  may  be  placed  about  their  own  diameter  apart, 
and  pegged  to  the  surface,  using  galvanised  pegs,  which  are  quickly 
made  of  No.  14  gauge  wire.  The  pseudo-bulbs  should  not  be 
buried,  their  base  merely  resting  on  the  surface  of  the  material.  A 
little  live  sphagnum  may  be  placed  between  them,  which  gives  a 
neat  finish.  The  time  to  repot  or  re-surface  is  just  after  the 
flowering  is  over,  or,  as  a  rule,  the  early  part  of  February. 
I  prefer  to  grow  this  plant  on  blocks  of  wood.  The  size  used 
is  18  inches  long  and  about  9  inches  diameter,  taking  off  about  one- 
third  longitudinally,  so  as  to  form  a  flat  side  for  suspending  against 
a  wall  or  the  end  of  a  house.  If  the  blocks  can  be  suspended  clear 
there  is  no  reason  why  they  should  not  be  round  and  covered  with 
the  pseudo-bulbs,  so  as  to  allow  little  if  any  more  than  their  own 
diameter  between  them.  The  blocks  are  of  Elm  stripped  of  the 
bark.  I  cover  them  with  a  little  rough  peat,  then  introduce  the 
Coelogyne  along  with  the  sphagnum,  and  secure  with  galvanised 
nails  and  copper  or  galvanised  wire.  They  are  suspended  any¬ 
where  in  the  stove  whoro  there  is  room  and  light.  Tho  effect  of 
these  blocks  when  the  Coelogynes  are  in  bloom  is  charming.  The 
blocks  are  easily  kept  moist,  as  the  water  needs  only  to  be  poured 
on  the  top,  and  there  is  no  fear  of  water  lodging  in  the  young 
shoots  and  causing  their  decay.  Water  will,  of  course,  find  its  way 
to  the  bottom  of  the  block,  so  that  the  upper  part  will  be  driest. 
During  growth  the  plants  must  not  be  allowed  to  become  dry, 
and  copious  supplies  of  water  are  necessary,  keeping  them  constantly 
wet  from  the  time  the  plants  begin  to  grow  in  spring,  and  I  give 
a  light  dash  from  the  syringe  twice)|a  day  after  the  pseudo-bulbs 
FIG.  7.— CYPRIPEDIUM  EURYADES  (See  page  59!) 
begin  forming.  From  February  to  October  they  require  plenty  of 
water,  but  when  they  are  of  good  size  water  only  need  be  given  to 
keep  them  from  shrivelling.  Whilst  growing  a  stove  temperature 
is  necessary,  or  that  of  the  Cattleya  house,  but  in  winter  they  may 
be  kept  cool  or  in  a  temperature  of  50°  to  55°,  though  they  will  do 
well  enough  in  a  stove  temperature,  only  do  not  keep  them  very 
moist,  or  premature  growth  may  commence. 
Ccelogyne  cristata  does  well  in  an  ordinary  stove,  and  ex¬ 
cellently  in  an  intermediate  house  ;  notwithstanding,  it  is  all  the 
better  if  encouraged  when  making  growth,  as  a  dry  atmosphere 
causes  the  leaves  to  become  stunted,  and  as  these  are  so  are  the 
pseudo-bulbs  and  flowers. — Orciiidist. 
“  The  Orchid  Hybrids.”* 
Under  this  title  the  author  has  prepared  an  exhaustive  list  of 
Orchids  raised  by  cross-fertilisation,  which  will  doubtless  prove  of 
interest  to  anyone  concerned  in  the  nomenclature  of  these  plants. 
Briefly,  the  system  followed  in  the  classification  is  described  by 
the  author  on  page  69,  where  he  says,  “  The  progeny  of  two  species 
belong  under  one  name  only,  and  if  found  to  vary  sufficient  to 
admit  special  distinction  allow  them  varietal  rank.” 
Obviously  this  opens  up  a  long  list  of  synonyms,  and  these  are 
arranged  as  a  key  by  which  it  is  easy  to  find  any  hybrid  desired. 
Into  the  merits  or  otherwise  of  this  system  it  is  not  intended  to 
here  enter,  for  the  chief  value  and  interest  of  the  book  to  the 
general  reader  lies  in  the  mass  of  information  it  contains  as  to  the 
origin  of  the  many  hundreds  of  hybrids  therein  mentioned.  The 
date  when  first  raised,  the  name  of  the  raiser,  and  the  parentage  of 
the  hybrid  are  given  under  its  name.  Then  come  particulars  of 
other  places  where  it  has  been  raised,  and  in  many  cases  the 
number  of  plants,  the  date  when  fertilised,  and  other  interesting 
information,  while  the  synonym*  are  given  in  italics.  A  supple¬ 
ment  is  added  in  a  like  form,  and  others  are  promised  as  they 
become  necessary,  so  that  an  up-to-date  record  of  what  is  being 
done  by  hybridists  will  be  the  result.  The  need  of  such  a  record 
*  “  The  Orchid  Hybrids.”  By  Geo.  Hansen.  Dulan  &  Go.,  Soho  Square,  London. 
