August  8,  1901. 
JOURNAL  OF  HORTICULTURE  AND  COTTAGE  GARDENER. 
121 
Cyprlpedium  x  Mandiae  magnificum. 
This  is  one  of  the  prettiest  hybrids  in  existence.  It  is  a  “  far¬ 
fetched  ”  variety,  having  resulted  from  callosum  Sanderae  X  Lawrence- 
anum  Hyeanum.  The  pouch  is  perfectly  green,  a  soft  and  beautiful 
shade,  the  broad  sepals  and  dorsal  petal  being  finely  lined  with 
white.  They  are  large,  too,  and  the  plants,  with  nicely  mottled 
foliage,  are  apparently  very  vigorous.  It  received  a  first-class 
certificate  on  July  30th,  when  Bhown  by  G.  W.  Law-Schofield,  Esq. 
(gardener,  Mr.  G.  S.  Hill),  New  Hall,  Hey,  Eawtenstall. 
'  Notes  on  Cattleyas. 
Experienced  growers  may  think  that  the  culture  of  Cattleyas 
has  been  so  well  thrashed  out  that  nothing  new  can  be  said  upon  it, 
but  there  are  always 
new  beginners  in  this 
as  in  other  cultures, 
and  this  must  be  my 
excuse  for  referring  to 
it.  First  as  to  tem¬ 
peratures.  Cattleyas  are 
often  mismanaged  by 
being  grown  in  too 
great  heat  and  a  close 
atmosphere.  They  like 
plenty  of  air  moving 
about  them  on  sill 
possible  occasions,  and 
an  atmosphere  well 
tempered  by  abundant 
moisture  ;  but  to  keep 
on  pressing  the  fire  heat 
and  damping  without 
air  in  plenty  is  wrong, 
and  if  persisted  in  will 
cause  weak  flowerless 
growth. 
It  is  not  much  use 
giving  figures  to  work 
to  exactly,  but  55°  may 
be  regarded  as  a  good 
winter  minimum.  In 
very  cold  weather  a 
drop  of  2°  or  3°  may  do 
no  harm  ;  in  fact,  it  is 
better  to  allow  it  than 
to  press  the  fire  heat 
unduly,  but  the  nearer 
this  figure  is  kept  to 
the  better.  A  rise  of 
5°  on  dull  days,  and 
another  10°  by  sun 
heat,  will  be  well  until 
the  outside  temperature 
rises,  when  naturally 
the  heat  must  advance 
with  the  season ;  but 
at  no  time  should  the 
night  temperature  be 
high,  Cattleyas,  above 
all  other  Orchids,  liking  Cypkipedium  x  1 
a  cool  restful  tempera¬ 
ture  at  night,  60°  being 
the  maximum  when  possible.  Ventilation  is  an  important  pna^e  of 
culture.  It  is  common  enough  with  beginners  to  allow  their  houses  to 
remain  closed  until  the  temperature  has  reached  a  certain  point,  and 
then  to  rush  a  lot  of  air  on.  This  is  a  great  mistake.  A  chink  of 
air  should  be  allowed  the  very  first  thing  in  the  morning — in  hot 
weather  a  little  may  be  left  on  all  night— and  this  must  be  increased 
by  degrees  a  very  little  at  a  time,  so  that  the  temperature  inside  the 
house  rises  gradually  and  naturally.  Treated  in  this  way  the  plants 
will  not  require  shading  so  early  in  the  day  as  when  the  heat  is 
allowed  to  rise  rapidly. 
A  very  good  test  for  Cattleyas  is  to  feel  the  foliage  with  the 
£uuad.  As  soon  as  this  begins  to  get  warm  to  the  touch  the  blind 
^should  be  lowered  and  kept  down  until  the  sun  is  leaving  that  part  of 
the  house.  The  afternoon  blind  in  houses  running  north  and  south 
should  be  lowered  as  the  sun  peeps  over  the  ridge,  and  kept  down 
until  closing  time,  when  the  house  must  be  thoroughly  damped  and 
shut  up,  the  blinds  also  being  raised.  After  a  house  has  been  closed 
for  the  afternoon  it  ought  not  to  be  opened  again  until  evening  if  this 
can  ba  avoided.  If  it  is  necessary  to  enter  let  the  door  be  closed  at 
once,  and  if  at  all  dry,  moisten  the  floor  again. 
The  compost  for  Cattleyas,  as  well  as  the  receptacles  in  which  they 
are  grown,  must  vary  according  to  the  habit  of  the  plant.  No  one 
would  think  of  giving  a  large  pot,  and  consequently  a  thick  body  of 
compost,  to  a  small-growing  species  like  C.  citrina  ;  nor,  on  the  other 
hand,  would  it  be  wise  to  place  vigorous  species  like  C.  labiata  in  very 
small  pans  or  on  blocks.  But  the  majority  of  Cattleyas  are  strong¬ 
rooting  Orchids,  and  like  a  rough,  open,  make-up  of  compost,  that  the 
roots  can  enter  freely,  and  that  dries  fairly  quickly  after  watering. 
Good  Orchid  peat,  broken  in  lumps  as  large  as  a  pigeon’s  egg,  and  an 
equal  quantity  of  clean,  freshly  gathered  sphagnum,  will  form  the 
b  ilk,  and  a  liberal  sprinkling  of  rough  lumps  of  potsherds  and  charcoal 
will  serve  to  sweeten  the  whole  and  keep  it  in  a  sound  mechanical 
condition. 
To  keep  the  species  to  their  proper  routine  of  growth,  flowering 
and  rest,  is  a  step  in  the  direction  of  success,  and  each  separate  plant 
has  to  be  considered. 
To  take  two  of  the 
labiata  group  as  in¬ 
stances,  C.  Gaskelliana 
and  C.  Mossite ;  the 
former  of  these  makes 
up  its  growth  in  early 
summer,  flowers  upon 
the  new  pseudo-bulb, 
and  then  takes  its  rest ; 
C.  Mossiae,  on  the  other 
hand,  rests  during  the 
winter  with  the  flowers 
in  sheath,  flowers  in 
summer,  and  makes  its 
growth  afterwards,  so 
that  while  C.  Gaskel¬ 
liana  is  growing  C. 
Mossiae  is  resting,  and 
vice  versa. 
C.  Trianae  is  a  winter 
bloomer,  and  has  the 
advantage  of  the  whole 
of  the  spring,  summer, 
and  autumn  to  form 
and  consolidate  its 
growth.  This,  too,  rests 
awhile  in  sheath,  like 
C.  Mossiae,  while  the 
old  autumn  -  flowering 
C.  labiata  comes  nearer 
in  style  to  C."  Gaskel¬ 
liana.  C.  Percivaliana 
and  C.  Mendeli  always 
rest  more  or  less  while 
the  flowers  are  forming, 
while  C.  gigas  and  the 
varieties  of  C.  Dowiana 
and  C.  aurea  bloom  on 
the  top  of  the  young 
growth. 
These  and  other 
peculiarities  of  the 
various  species  should 
be  kept  in  mind,  and 
allowed  for,  by  those 
an  Dias  magnificum.  who  wish  to  become 
successful  cultivators. 
It  would  be  folly  to 
atiempt  to  dry  off,  or  even  re  luce  the  water  supply,  to  C.  Mossiae 
after  Hovering,  for  reasons  given  above,  but  it  would  be  quite 
correct  to  do  so  to  a  limited  extent  with  C.  Gaskelliana  and 
C.  labiata.  The  pretty  C.  citrina,  mentioned  above,  is  rather  peculiar 
in  its  habits..  The  most  of  its  growing  is  doue  in  the  winter, 
when  other  species  are  at  rest,  while  in  summer  it  enjoys  a 
long  period  of  quiescence.  During  the  latter  season  it  is  impossible 
to  keep  it  too  cool,  and  if  only  those  who  give  it  a  home  in  stuffy 
hothouses  would  hang  the  plant  in  an  airy  moist  house  from  May  to 
August,  they  would  probably  have  less  fault  to  find  with  it. 
Of  quite  a  different  character  is  the  heat-loving  C.  superba,  one  of 
the  grandest  coloured  species  in  this  fine  genus,  but  unfortunately  one 
of  the  most  difficult  to  keep  in  health  for  any  length  of  time. 
Contrary  to  the  accepted  idea  that  a  very  poor  and  thin  root  run  is 
