June  11,  1896. 
JOURNAL  OF  HORTICULTURE  AND  COTTAGE  GARDENER. 
537 
a  vista  of  new  beauties  which  the  garden  in  time  will  bestow,  and 
the  promise  of  fresh  delights  to  its  owner  in  working  among  and 
admiring  more  flowers  than  before.  The  Latin  maxim,  which, 
translated,  reads,  “  We  cannot  all  of  us  do  everything,”  need  not  be 
cited  as  an  argument  for  lack  of  effort.  All  of  us  cannot,  nay  none 
of  us  can,  grow  everything,  but  we  can  do  much  more  than  in  the 
past  to  make  our  gardens  more  enjoyable  than  ever  before.  — 
S.  Arnott. 
Odontoglossums  at  West  Mount,  Kelvin  Side,  Glasgow. 
A  grand  and  imposing  display  of  the  above  is  now  in  flower  at 
the  residence  of  W.  Stevens,  Esq.  I  have  during  the  last  ten 
years  watched  with  interest  the  growth  of  this  superb  collection, 
and  I  have  no  hesitation  in  saying  that  such  a  fine  lot  of  well 
grown  planes  of  such  excellent  varieties  cannot  be  excelled  in  this 
country.  They  are  grown  in  a  span-roofed  house,  where  at  the 
present  time  there  are  upwards  of  100  spikes  in  perfection. 
O.  Alexandrses,  with  four  and  five  fine  spikes,  are  not  common,  but 
here  they  are,  and  grand  examples  of  cultivation  too.  There  are 
innumerable  plants  showing  flower,  so  that  this  grand  display  will 
be  kept  up  for  some  time.  Besides  the  Alexandrass,  there  are 
Pescatorea,  c'istatellum,  Halli,  leutoglossum,  and  its  variety 
mulus,  the  bright  Oncidium  concolor,  Epidendrum  vitellinum 
majus,  and  Masdevallias  flowering  profusely,  and  reflecting  great 
credit  upon  Mr.  David  Wilson,  the  gardener,  who  has  had  charge 
of  this  place  for  many  years  past. — Alfred  Outram,  F.R.H.S. 
[Specimens  of  the  Orchids  referred  to  by  our  correspondent 
have  reached  us  and  they  are  superb.  The  varieties  of  Odonto- 
glossum  crispum,  perfect  in  shape  and  in  some  beautifully  spotted, 
are  the  best,  but  the  others  are  such  as  can  rarely  be  seen  save  in 
places  where  the  energies  are  mainly  directed  towards  Orchids 
alone.] 
Oncidium  macranthum. 
The  beautiful  scented  scapes  produced  at  this  season  by  this 
Orchid  are  hardly  surpassed  by  any  in  this  extensive  genus,  and 
yet  how  often  is  it  arranged  so  that  its  distinct  beauty  can  be  seen  ? 
It  is  far  from  attractive  when  the  spikes  are  twined  round  and 
round  stakes  placed  in  the  pots,  or  trained  straight  up  the  rafters, 
as  I  recently  saw  it  in  a  large  Orchid  growing  establishment.  The 
graceful  jaunty  pose  of  the  individual  blossoms  is  quite  lost,  and  it, 
in  fact,  is  when  trained  in  either  of  these  ridiculous  positions 
inferior  to  many  others  not  half  so  amenable  to  grouping  with 
pretty  effect.  An  ideal  way  of  growing  it,  to  my  way  of  thinking, 
would  be  to  place  the  plant  in  a  fairly  moist  conservatory  as  soon 
as  the  spikes  had  attained  a  length  of  about  a  foot,  arranging  the 
plants,  say  at  the  base  of  some  large  Palm  or  Tree  Fern,  so  that  as 
the  spikes  lengthened  they  would  take  their  own  way,  and  eventually 
twine  themselves  about  the  foliage  and  stems. 
My  reason  for  this  would  be  the  fact  of  the  blossoms  each 
showing  to  its  full  advantsge,  an  impossibility  with  any  arrange¬ 
ment  after  they  had  opened,  simply  because  the  ovary  at  the  base 
of  the  flower  loses  the  power  of  turning  to  the  light  as  soon  as  the 
latter  opens.  Where  this  method  of  arrangement  cannot  be  carried 
out  the  plants  may  stand  in  any  shaded  position,- preferably  with  a 
green  background  of  Ferns,  and  by  dropping  a  very  fine  twine 
or  thread  from  the  roof  bars  catch  up  the  spikes  at  irregular 
distances  loosely  to  form  a  series  of  festoons.  Many  other 
methods  will  suggest  themselves  to  anyone  interested  in  the 
tasteful  arrangement  of  their  plants,  and  must  of  course  vary 
with  the  number  of  plants  and  other  conveniences  to  hand  ; 
only  let  the  arrangement  be  as  natural  a3  possible,  and  finish  with 
it  as  far  as  may  be  convenient  before  the  flowers  open  for  the 
reason  given  above. 
If  reasonable  care  is  taken  in  its  culture  O.  macranthum  is  by  no 
means  a  difficult  plant  to  grow,  but  there  are  a  few  points  needing 
strict  attention,  without  which  good  results  must  not  be  looked  for. 
In  repotting  the  best  material  only  should  be  used,  and  this  in  a 
rough  and  open  condition,  the  roots  being  large  and  fleshy,  pre¬ 
ferring  to  ramble  about  over  rough  lumps  of  peat  and  charcoal 
rather  than  to  being  embedded  in  a  finer  more  moisture-holding 
medium.  About  equal  parts  of  peat  and  sphagnum  moss  with 
plenty  of  rough  nodules  of  charcoal  and  ballast  will  suit  it  well, 
and  the  drainage  should  fill  quite  two-thirds  of  the  depth  of  the 
pots.  These  should  be  of  fair  width,  the  roots  spreading  hori¬ 
zontally,  the  base  of  the  leading  shoot  at  potting  time  being  just 
above  the  rims. 
It  is  not  well  to  elevate  them  too  much,  for  as  the  plants  grow 
they  gradually  rise  higher,  owing  to  their  habit  of  producing  their 
bulbs,  and  it  often  becomes  necessary  to  add  a  little  moss  and  peat 
as  growth  proceeds.  No  harm  is  done  by  covering  the  older  pseudo¬ 
bulbs,  in  fact  it  cannot  always  be  avoided  ;  but  those  that  are  still 
bearing  leaves  must  be  kept  above  the  surface,  as  they  frequently 
push  back  breaks  that  may  be  useful  for  propagating,  or  if  left 
help  to  furnish  the  plant. 
After  repotting  a  rather  closer  and  warmer  atmosphere  is 
advisable  until  the  roots  are  again  on  the  move,  this  being 
especially  necessary  if  the  plants  have  been  much  disturbed,  an 
unwise  proceeding  when  it  can  by  any  means  be  avoided..  Growth 
commences  in  early  spring,  the  embryonic  shoot  appearing  in  the 
sheathing  base  of  the  old  leaves.  If  any  suspicion  of  thrips  exists 
the  plants  ought  at  this  stage  to  come  in  for  a  thorough  cleaning, 
for  if  this  new  shoot  is  attacked  all  hope  of  healthy  progress  is 
over  for  the  season.  The  safest  plan  is  to  immerse  the  entire 
plant  in  a  pail  or  tub  of  water  for  at  least  an  hour  previously,  in 
order  to  drive  out  any  insects  that  may  be  hiding  in  the  compost. 
Have  a  weak  solution  of  softsoap  and  tobacco  rea  ly  to  hand,  and 
while  the  plants  are  still  wet  dip  the  heads  in  this  right  up  to  the 
FIG.  88.— MILTONIA  VEXILLARIA  MEM  OR  I A  G.  D.  OWEN. 
compost,  but  without  touching  the  latter  or  roots.  Lay  them  on 
their  sides  until  all  are  dipped,  then  go  over  each  plant  separately 
and  carefully  with  the  sponge,  afterwards  rinsing  them  with  clear 
tepid  soft  water. 
This  will,  at  all  events,  insure  a  clean  shoot,  and  if  the  plants 
are  grown  in  a  moist  and  cool  temperature  progress  will  be 
rapid.  As  soon  as  the  joung  shoots  have  attained  a  height  of 
about  4  inches  the  tips  of  the  spikes  will  be  seen  in  each.  Great 
care  and  watchfulness  is  essential  if  slugs  or  woodlice  are  plentiful, 
the  insects  named  being  very  fond  of  the  succulent  flower  spikes, 
and  one  night  of  their  depredation  may  mean  the  ruin  of  many 
plants.  The  spikes  grow  quickly,  the  young  pseudo-bulbs  mean¬ 
while  growing  away  on  their  own  account.  Considerable  activity 
will  now  be  going  on  at  the  root,  these  foraging,  as  it  were,  for 
the  moisture  to  maintain  the  growing  shoot  and  spike.  They  are 
often  pushed  out  over  the  tops  of  the  compost,  and  it  is  at  this 
time  that  the  top-dressing  mentioned  above  should  be  applied  if 
seen  to  be  necessary,  so  that  these  young  vigorous  roots  enter  it  at 
once  to  the  subsequent  invigoration  of  the  whole  plant. 
The  production  and  maintenance  of  the  large  many-flowered 
spikes  are  naturally  a  considerable  strain  on  the  resources  of  the 
plant,  and  this  must  not  be  intensified  by  keeping  them  in  a  dry 
atmosphere  while  in  flower,  or  allowing  the  spikes  to  remain  on 
weak  plants  too  long.  It  is  not  necessary  to  keep  up  moisture 
enough  to  spot  the  blossoms,  but  such  an  atmosphere  as  one  expects 
to  find  in  a  carefully  tempered  fernery  or  similar  structure. 
0.  macranthum  comes  from  Central  America,  and  was  introduced 
in  1867. — H.  R.  R. 
