May  2],  19C?, 
JOURNAL  OF 
AND 
cottage  gardener. 
441 
Odontoglossum  crispum  var.  Persimmon. 
we  figure  to-day  is  one  tliat  attracted  very  ereat 
°  exhibited  at  the  Royal  Horticultural 
g  rri'-fiir’o? 
He  e^f  ’  the  sepals  curving  in  at  the  middle,  but  outward  at 
n^ii  I  plant,  which  was  shown  under  a  larcre 
el  glass,  bore  a  four-flowered  raceme,  and  was  in  a  oin  pot.  ^ 
The  Week’s  Cultural  Notes. 
Up  to  the  present  the  weather  has  not  been  by  any  means 
the  inoso  suitable  for  Orchids  making  their  growth^  the  lack  of 
sun  being  much  against  them.  Firc^heat  in  greatm-  quantities 
has  been  necessary,  and  the  atmosphere  has  in  consequmice  been 
nmre  difficult  to  deal  with,  more  Lpt  to  encouraae  St  .elts 
nd  less  suitable  for  that  free,  yigorous  growth  that  growers 
b^iv^  n^  period.  It  is  not  well  to  attempt  to  force  the 
bCt^  on  H  J  1  leading  to  weak  growth  ; 
Iiand,  the  season  is  getting  on,  and  the  most 
must  be  niade  of  eyery  ray  of  sun  that  appears. 
.rie,  n  Joying  kind.s  of  the  Dfendrobium  Epi- 
dend^rum,  and  similar  genera  that  are  most  incommoded  aSd 
in  the  case  of  species  difficult  of  cultiyation  the  season’s  record 
is  not  likely  to  proye  good.  Such  plants,  for  instai  crarEpi 
dendrum  bicornutum,  Dendrobium  Falconer!,  D.  PaHshi  D 
'“P‘ 
heads  kept  moderately  dry, 
and  their  roots  just  suffi¬ 
ciently  moist  to  keep  them 
growing.  Lost  time  with 
these  will  haye  to  be  made 
tip  later  in  the  season,  when 
in  all  probability  brighter 
weather  will  enable  the 
grower  to  maintain  a 
brisker  temperature  and 
more  suitable  atmosphere. 
There  will  still  be  an 
amount  of  repotting  and 
surfacing  to  be  attended  to. 
The  time  to  repot  Angu- 
loas  has  often  been  the  sub¬ 
ject  of  debate,  flowering 
as  they  do  upon  the  new 
growth  when  this  is  getting 
well  away.  Personally,  I 
prefer  to  wait  until  the 
flowers  are  past,  as  it  must 
seriously  interfere  with  the 
flowering  to  pull  the  roots 
about.  As  a  rule,  the  new 
tiers  of  roots  do  not  appear 
at  the  base  of  the  young 
leads  until  tliC'  flowers  are 
past,  and  as  long  as  these 
have  the  benefit  of  the  new 
compost,  all  should  be  well. 
JJut  there  must  be  no  delay, 
as  if  the  roots  are  damaged 
in  the  process  the  results 
will  be  disastrous. 
Calanthes,  both  decidu¬ 
ous  and  eyergreen,  are 
taking  abundant  supplies 
of  water  now.  Strong 
plants  of  the  latter  section 
that  were  not  repotted  Odontoglossum  crispum 
may  have  a  little  weak 
manure  water,  but  it  is 
stfy^  leadin^'To^^  oot  thick  on 
fo  crowding  as  soon  as  the  growrfis  beein  to 
Constant  y  givii  -  the  n 
more  and  more  room.  They  should  stand  upo?:  thin  beds  of 
ffia^^^The  mJjSt^ni?  kept  moist  by  constant  damp- 
crniliiinn  arising  serves  to  keep  the  foliage  in  good 
it  Plenfv^ef^  tliyasteful  to  the  insects  that  prey  upon 
damac^’ni  ^  possible  short  of 
aamag.ng  the  fcliage  is  quite  to  their  liking.— H.  R.  R. 
Captain  Holford’s  Orchids. 
Horticultural  Society’s  meetiufr.s  in. 
•  1  ^  r  ”cen  charmed  by  the  magnificent  groups  of  flowering 
Orchids  staged  by  Captain  G.  L.  Holford,  C.I  E.,  from  fits  beaS 
iW  garden  at  estonbirt,  in  Gloucestershire.  The  collection 
i«l»t  ““"P'l-'l  tlw!  Mlire 
giaafeu..  „,tl.  fcSa  bioaai’'‘’?rf'liri'e„rre‘oV  thlTaK 
wa.s  poised  a  specimen  Cattleya  Boweringiana  bearino-  ten 
prcreLrfd'^rtoLT^of^lOr^fl^ 
iresenrea  a  total  of  196  flowers  for  this  one  plant  Oncidiiimi 
TtTnl’'"!  was  shown  most  effectively  in  two  nia.sser 
Two  plants  of  ^  anda  caerulea  were  responsible  for  ten  handsome 
herrwe^rpfeces'^'of  noteworthy  piant.s 
field  Hall  var  r  /  pripedium  msigne  Sanderae,  C.  i.  Hare- 
•VnH  r  Sir  R.  Buller,  C.  i.  Dormani 
d  C.  Spiceiianum.  The  various  gardening  journals  were 
naiiimous  in  stating  this  to  be  one  of  the  finest  if  not  the  very 
best,  groups  ever  arranged  in  the  Drill  Hall.  And  it  wa.s  to  see 
theS  m;^Frfd?y  /rst  ''°\lr''H  journeyed 
and  as.sumed  his  charge  four' /ear?  ajo!'  'siime  th/*^dSe 
!^?eat?y  ?ump?it  reniodelled,  and  the  Orchid  collection  has  beL 
^reatly  augmented  and  improved.  What  Mr.  Alexander  has 
be" uliful''i'S"ff  salisfact[>ril,y  demonstrated  by  the 
n.e*oV,orf,S‘.fe:|m“ta  “> 
In  point  of  cultural  merit  the  visitor  finds  the  fullest  satis- 
fo/theseVr/?''**'*^  collections  of  Cattleyas  and  Odontoglossums, 
toi  these  are  two  genera  that  thrive  at  Westonbirt  with  a  vigour 
that  is  unsurpassed.  Thunias 
are  good,  Vandas  are  ex¬ 
cellent,  Calanthes  and  Mil- 
tonias  (to  employ  the  better 
known  name)  are  strong 
and  vigorous,  the  latter 
being  full  of  flower,  and  the 
Cypripediums  are  of  first- 
rate  merit ;  but,  even  good 
as  all  these  are,  they  did 
not  impress  one  to  the  same 
extent  as  did  the  splendid 
Odontoglossums,  with  their 
great  swollen  bulbs  so 
numerously  packed  in  the 
pots,  or  the  dark  fleshy 
leaves  of  the  Cattleyas.  The 
Dendrobiums  have  not  been 
mentioned,  but  the.se  are 
liberally  and  well  grown, 
and  under  Dir.  Alexander’s 
care  1  hey  will  in  time  rival 
the  two  classes  of  Orchids 
to  which  we  have  given 
such  unqualified  eulogium. 
The  group  of  Dendrobium 
Rhalsenopsis,  however,  would 
be  the  envy  of  any  owner 
of  an  Orchid  collection,  and 
a  gold  medal  was  awarded 
to  Captain  Holford  for  an 
exhibit  of  this  species  in 
London  three  years  ago, 
the  plants  I  am  writing  of 
being  the  identical  ones 
th  tn  shown,  and  in  the 
same  pots,  too.  The  new 
pseudo-bulbs  are  long,  even, 
and  plump.  The  grower 
here  has  in  his  mind’s  eye 
the  fine  plants  of  these 
staged  by  M.  Peeters,  of 
Brussels,  and  which  he 
,  wishes  to  excel. 
At  tlie  present  time  the  representative  set  of  Vanda  teres 
are  showing  their  richly  beautiful  blossoms.  V.  teres  gigantea 
IS  art  ennobled  form,  and  in  many  respects  resembles  a  minor 
tattleya.  \  .  Agnes  Joacquim  is  spoken  of  as  being  difficult  to 
flower,  and  perhaps  other  growers  of  it  have  the  same  exiteri- 
var.  Persimmon. 
