August  22,  1901. 
JOURNAL  OF  HORTICULTURE  AND  COTTAGE  GARDENER. 
169 
Coryanthes  speciosa. 
This  belongs  to  a  genus  of  which  the  flowers  are  of  a  very 
singular  character,  some  of  the  species  being  also  remarkable  for  their 
handsome  ^appearance.  One  thing  very  much  against  them  is  that  the 
flowers  only  remain 
in  beauty  two  or 
three  days.  At  the 
same  time,  wherever 
a  collection  of  Orchids 
is  grown  some  of  the 
species  of  this  genus 
should  find  a  place. 
Their  culture  is 
not  difficult.  Like 
imost  Orchids  they 
require  a  season  of 
rest  after  the  growth 
is  completed.  The 
house  should  be  cooler 
at  the  resting  period, 
and  the  roots  ought 
mot  to  be  watered 
■until  the  compost  is 
dry.  During  growth 
the  plants  require 
good  supplies  of 
water,  and  the  roots 
must  not  suffer  at 
that  time.  The  pots 
should  be  filled  two- 
thirds  of  their  depth 
with  potsherds,  and 
some  clean  sphagnum 
*be  placed  over  the 
crocks.  The  best 
compost  is  very  fibry 
turfy  peat  and  sphag¬ 
num  in  equal  parts. 
’They  also  succeed 
well  in  baskets,  and 
will  also*  grow  on 
blocks  of  wood. 
C.  speciosa  is  a 
native  of  Brazil,  and 
■requires  to  be  grown 
in  the  warm  house, 
at  least  when  making 
its  growth.  The 
leaves  must  be  kept 
quite  clean  by  occa¬ 
sionally  sponging 
them  with  tepid 
water. — B. 
The  Week’s  Cultural 
Notes. 
Every  day  now 
sees  the  sun  dimin¬ 
ishing  in  power,  and 
it'becomes  necessary 
to  hasten  the  ripen¬ 
ing  of  all  classes  of 
■Orchids  now  finish¬ 
ing  their  growth. 
The  "ripening  or  con¬ 
solidating  process 
'takes  a  different  form 
with  different  species,  and  it  will  not  do  to  expose,  say,  a  Phalaenopsis 
to  the  same  amount  of  sun  and  air  that  would  be  right  and  necessary 
for  a  Dendrobium  of  the  deciduous  section.  With  the  latter  the 
time  for  ripening  and  resting  is  easily  apparent.  As  soon  as  the  last 
leaf  on  the  stems  is  perfected  the  plants  shoull  be  placed  in  the 
full  sun,  and  the  amount  of  atmospheric  moisture  reduced.  The 
■roots  must  still  be  kept  moist  until  the  foliage  turns  preparatory  to 
falling,  when  less  water  must  be  given  and  the  plants  gradually 
dried  off,  until  in  wi  ter  they  may  for  several  weeks  be  kept 
absolutely  dry.  Nothing  of  this  kind  can  be  allowed  with  the  more 
sensitive  leaved  Moth  Orchids.  They  should  by  degrees  be  inured  to 
more  light  and  air,  but  the  change  must  be  very  gradual,  and  nothing 
like  dry  rest  is  necessary  at  any  time.  Just  now  the  water  supply 
must  be  very  free,  and  it  must  continue  so  as  long  as  any  signs  of 
growth  or  young  roots  is  apparent. 
Touching  the  roots,  these  form  a  good  index  to  the  condition  of 
the  plants.  When  they  are  beginning  their  resting  season  the  root  tips 
gradually  cloud  over,  a  white  film  covering  the  moist  growing  points, 
and  this  is  when  the  slackening  of  the  moisture  supply  should  begin. 
This  clouding  is  more  easily  noticed  in  the  distichous-leaved  section, 
such  as  Pha'aenopsis, 
A  e  r  i  d  e  s,  Saccola- 
biums,  Angraecums, 
and  Vandas,  than  in 
those  having  smaller 
roots  ;  but  a  watchful 
cultivator  will  notice 
it  in  all,  and  alter 
his  treatment  accord- 
indy. 
Cattleya  Bowring- 
iana  requires  more 
moisture  now  than 
most'species,  its  very 
free  -  rooting  nature- 
showing  that  a  full 
supply  is  needed  now 
that  the  flower  spikes 
are  forming,  and  the 
pseudo  -  bulbs  are 
developing.  C.  citrina 
will  in  many  cases 
be  beginning  to  grow, 
and  if  it  seems  ne¬ 
cessary  a  little  fresh 
compost  £may  be 
placed  about  the  new 
growths,  carefully 
avoiding  injury  to 
them  in  the  process, 
or  disturbing  the 
roots.  No  endeavour 
to  force  it  to  grow 
must  be  made ;  just 
let  the  plants  have 
their  own  way,  and 
treat  them  accord¬ 
ingly.  Cattleya 
Dowiana,  C.  aurea, 
and  C.  gigas  are  very 
apt  to  start  into 
growth  now,  and  this 
should  be  prevented 
if  possible,  not  by 
unduly  drying  the 
roots,  but  by  placing 
the  plants  well  up 
to  the  light,  and 
allowing  plenty  of 
air. — H.  R.  R. 
CORYANTHES  SPECIOSA. 
plum  Season 
Opens.  —  The  Plum 
season  is  to  be  a  bad 
one,  according  to  the 
opinion  of  Covent 
Carden  dealers.  The 
Plum  crop  this  year 
is  in  quantity  about 
half  of  that  we  had 
las  yesr  They  are 
selling  at  2s.  6d.  to 
3s.  a  basket  of  28  lbs. 
Last  y<a’  one  could 
buy  them  in  London  for  Is.  per  basket,  because  the  quality  was i  so 
inferior.  The  Plums  on  sale  at  present  are  more  fit  for  cooking  t  a 
anything  else,  but  next  week  we  shall  have  good  eating  Plums  on  sale. 
Kent  is  a  good  place  for  Plums,  but  Middlesex  is  much  better, 
because  in  the  latter  place  growers  take  more  pains,  not  only 
growing  the  Plums,  but  in  sorting  them.  Rent  groweis  Pu  ® ,  i:t:e8 
Plums  in  one  lot;  the  Middlesex  men  sort  them  in  three  quahHes. 
The  best  year  we  had  for  Plums  was  about  six  years  ago,  when 
mads  a  crreat  deal  of  monev  on  them. 
