514 
June  22,  1899 
JOUnNAL  OF  HORTICULTURE  AND  COTTAGE  GARDENER, 
Lmiak  ruRPUBATA  Annie  Louise. 
Thougii  Lffilia  purpurata  is  undoubtedly  one  of  the  handsomest 
and  most  popular  Orchids  in  cultivation,  it  cannot  be  said  that  the 
number  of  varieties  of  the  highest  quality  is  very  great.  Now  and 
again  we  have  one  of  much  above  the  average  merit,  and  when  such  is 
the  case,  it  is  hailed  with  pleasure  by  all  orchidists.  Such  a  one  is 
L.  p.  Annie  Louise,  which  was  exhibited  at  the  recent  Temple  Show 
by  G.  W.  Law  Schofield,  Esq,,  Kawtenstall,  Manchester,  when  a  first- 
class  certificate  was  recommended  by  the  Orchid  Committee  of  the 
Koyal  Horticultural  Society.  It  is  a  noble  flower.  The  sepals  are 
very  soft  rose,  and  the  broad,  slightly  wavy  petals  deeper  rose,  with 
bright  crimson  veinings,  and  a  paler  base.  The  superb  lip  is  rich 
crimson,  deepening  towards  the  throat  and  side  lobes.  A  flower  of  this 
form  is  depicted  in  the  woodcut,  fig.  113. 
Epiphronitis  Vbitchi. 
This  is  one  of  the  finest  hybrid  Orchids  (fig.  112)  in  existence,  and, 
fortunately,  it  is  so  easy  to  grow  and  so  freely  propagated,  that  already 
Fig.  112. — Epiphronitis  Veitchi. 
it  has  found  its  way  into  many  collections  which,  in  the  near  future,  it 
will  doubtless  be  much  more  grown.  Beautiful  bright  scarlet  blossoms, 
that  last  for  weeks  in  perfect  order  on  a  plant  of  singularly  graceful 
habit,  are  the  result  of  this,  one  of  the  most  successful  crosses  ever 
made.  Its  parents  are  Epidendrum  radicans  and  Sophronitis  grandiflora, 
and  it  was  raised  in  Messrs,  Veitch’s  nursery  about  ten  years  ago.  It 
thrives  well  in  rather  small  baskets  or  pots  in  a  shady  part  of  the 
Cattleya  house. 
Dendrobium  Wardianum  album. 
The  flowers  of  the  true  albino  of  D.  Wardianum  are  quite  distinct 
from  a  form  called  by  some  D.  Wardianum  candidum,  in  which  the 
sepals  and  petals  are  pure  white,  having  lost  the  rosy  purple  tips,  but 
not  the  maroon  blotches  at  the  base  of  the  lip.  The  only  tint  of  colour 
in  the  true  form  is  a  yellow  blotch  in  the  centre  of  the  lip,  and  by 
this  our  correspondent  can  tell  whether  or  not  his  is  the  true  form.  At 
one  of  the  earlier  meetings  of  the  Eoyal  Horticultural  Society  this 
year  many  grand  forms  of  this  fine  Orchid  were  shown,  among  them 
being  a  plant  of  each  of  those  mentioned  above.  There  is  not  the  least 
doubt  about  their  distinctness. 
Dendrobium  Ealconeri  giganteum. 
There  is  a  very  close  affinity  between  D.  Ealconeri  and  D.  Wardi¬ 
anum,  as  is  shown  by  this  form,  which  is  almost  exactly  like  the  older 
Assam  form- — really  the  type  from  a  botanical  point  of  view — of  this 
popular  species.  The  colouring  is  very  beautiful,  much  brighter  than 
that  of  the  long-stemmed  Burmese  form  of  D.  Wardianum,  yet  distinct 
from  D.  Ealconeri,  which  has  also  shorter  pseudo-bulbs.  It  is  rather  a 
difficult  plant  to  grow,  the  slender  stems  having  less  staying  power 
than  the  larger  ones,  and  unless  considerable  care  is  exercised  the 
young  growths  are  apt  to  damp  badly  in  spring.  Small  pots  or  pans 
and  very  little  compost  are  necessary. 
Thunia  Marshalliana. 
This  fine  Orchid  has  done  grandly  this  year,  producing  fine  elegant 
racemes  with  nine  and  ten  flowers  on  each,  and  every  stem  has  its 
flower  spike.  There  is  no  doubt  that  ample  sunlight  suits  this  plant 
exactly.  It  will  grow  and  flower  freely  when  the  sun  shines  full  on 
the  plants,  and  the  atmosphere  is  loaded  with  moisture  ;  but  in  a  dark 
or  shady  house,  stems  a  couple  of  yards  in  length  will  be  produced 
without  a  sign  of  bloom.  The  compost  should  consist  of  good  loam, 
peat,  and  moss,  and  it  is  usual  to  repot  annually. 
The  Atmo.sphere  of  Orchid  Houses. 
In  creating  a  suitable  atmosphere  for  the  growth  of  Orchids, 
ventilation,  damping,  and  the  supply  of  ammonia  to  the  air  have  all 
to  be  considered.  It  is  necessary  so  to  balance  the  elements  that  one 
does  not  preponderate,  so  to  speak,  over  either  of  the  others.  Anyone 
with  a  little  experience  will  know  how  difficult  this  becomes  at  times, 
especially  during  capricious  weather,  and  when  a  cold  wind  is  blowing 
under  a  bright  sun.  The  careless  grower,  as  a  rule,  drops  his  blinds, 
takes  off  most  of  the  air,  and  leaves  the  plants  to  take  care  of  them¬ 
selves  as  best  they  may. 
The  grower  who  studies  the  needs  of  his  plants  knows  that  by 
doing  so  he  would  be  depriving  them  of  much  needed  light  and  air, 
both  being  as  necessary  to  the  growth  of  most  Orchids  as  it  is  to  that 
of  a  Vine.  So  by  frequent  attention  he  keeps  the  air  constantly 
changing,  yet  always  correct,  and  never  lowers  the  shading  earlier 
than  is  absolutely  necessary  to  protect  his  plants  from  the  rays  of  the 
sun.  Needless  to  say  the  latter  is  the  more  successful,  and  in  this  I 
do  not  wish  to  be  taken  as  advising  anyone  to  be  constantly  running 
to  the  blinds  and  ventilators,  but  by  careful  and  judicious  manipula¬ 
tion  of  both  to  strike  the  proper  balance  between  a  close,  moist,  and 
shady  house  on  the  one  hand,  and  on  the  other  an  arid  and  draughty 
one  with  the  foliage  scorching. 
With  regard  to  the  supply  of  ammonia  to  the  atmosphere  this  is 
a  phase  of  culture  not  sufficiently  practised,  especially  with  the 
epiphytal  division,  that  practically  live  on  what  that  they  derive  from 
the  atmosphere.  There  are  various  methods  of  supplying  this  element, 
and  one  of  the  most  satisfactory  is  sprinkling  about  under  the  stage  a 
mixture  of  dry  soot  and  lime  in  equal  proportions.  This  is  only 
practicable  in  certain  cases,  of  course,  but  where  possible  it  is  a  great 
aid,  the  constant  and  moderate  supply  caused  by  the  dripping  of  the 
water  on  the  soot  and  lime  being  just  what  is  needed. 
Where  any  objections  are  raised  to  this  method  recourse  may  be 
had  to  sulphate  or  carbonate  of  ammonia,  dissolving  either  of  these  in 
water  and  using  it  for  damping.  A  little  of  the  former  may  be  put  in 
the  evaporating  troughs  with  a  good  effect.  Damping  itself  is  rather 
under  than  overdone.  If  Orchids  were  watered  less  at  the  roots  and 
more  through  the  atmosphere,  we  should  have  healthier  plants  without 
a  doubt.  Kegarding  the  admission  of  air  so  much  depends  on  circum¬ 
stances  that  nothing  like  definite  instructions  can  be  laid  down,  but  I 
would  like  to  warn  readers  against  the  unpractical  theorists  who 
advise  nailing  down  the  top  lights  and  other  methods.  Top  ventilation 
should  never  be  overdone,  but  in  its  place  is  very  useful. — H.  E.  E. 
AN  AMATEUR’S  GREENHOUSE.— No.  2. 
When  I  gave  the  account  of  the  contents  of  my  little  greenhouse 
in  what  I  may  call  its  spring  aspect,  I  said  that  of  course  very  soon 
that  would  be  all  changed ;  the  bulbs  which  had  mainly  contributed 
to  its  adornment  would  be  passed,  and  many  of  them,  such  as  the 
Freesias,  having  been  throughly  baked,  would  be  laid  aside  for  another 
season.  But  I  said,  also,  that  other  plants  were  in  progress  to  take 
their  place.  Of  course,  where  the  means  at  the  disposal  of  owners  are 
much  greater  than  mine,  this  is  a  matter  of  no  difficulty ;  not  so  where 
there  is  but  the  one  house  with  its  small  annexe,  and  yet  I  think 
anyone  coming  into  it  now,  with  its  overflowing  wealth  of  bloom, 
will  almost  think  that  I  have  been  drawing  the  long  bow  when  I  said 
that  the  plants  to  fill  it  up  were  all  grown  in  the  one  house. 
Pelargoniums. 
They  mainly  consist  of  Pelargoniums,  which  are  during  the  winter 
in  48-inch  pots,  and  placed  on  the  shelves  near  the  glass.  In  the 
month  of  February  these  were  repotted,  mostly  in  24-inch  pots,  and 
in  a  compost  consisting  of  loam,  old  cow  manure,  well  decayed  leaf 
mould,  and  a  little  sand.  These  were  either  returned  to  shelves, 
where  they  wintered,  or  placed  in  the  back  part  of  the  staging  until 
they  began  to  grow  well,  and  were  then  afforded  a  more  prominent 
position.  The  Pelargoniums  belong  to  the  Show  and  Decorative 
section,  with  a  few  Zonals.  I  need  hardly  say  that  the  Show  varieties 
are  not  so  much  in  evidence  as  they  used  to  be  fifty  years  ago.  We 
