September  20,  1900. 
JOURNAL  OF  HORTICULTURE  AND  COTTAGE  GARDENER. 
263 
Cypripedium  Cyrie. 
It  is  impossible  for  us  to  say  how  many  species,  hybrids  and 
varieties  of  Cypripediums  are  in  cultivation,  as  there  may  be  hundreds 
that  have  never  been  publicly  exhibited.  Neither  can  we  give  you 
the  dates  on  which  special  awards  have  been  made  lo  what  you 
describe  as  the  “choicest  sorts,”  Cypripedium  Cyris  (fis;.  69),  of 
which  you  make  special  mention,  received  a  first-class  certificate  from 
the  Royal  Hoiticuhural  Society  in  the  year  1895,  when  it  was 
exhibited  by  Mr.  Norman  C.  Cookson,  Wvlam-on-Tyne.  It  is  a  hybrid 
resulting  from  a  cross  between  C.  villosum  Boxalli  atratum  and 
C.  Argus.  The  dorsal  sepals  and 
petals  are  large,  white  and  green, 
heavily  spotted  with  brown  in 
colour  ;  the  lip  is  brown  and  green. 
This  is  in  reply  to  “  P.  B.  D.” 
Cultural  Notes. 
Every  month  in  the  year 
brings  its  own  special  work  in 
the  Orchil  houses,  and  though 
the  present  is  not  a  particularly 
interesting  t  me  with  regard  to 
flowers  or  a  busy  one  in  cultural 
details,  yet  it  is  a  season  when 
the  grower  needs  to  be  on  the 
alert.  Many  plants  are  just 
finishing  their  growth  for  the 
season ;  many  others  are  in  the 
midd'e  of  their  growths,  while 
a  few  are  perhaps  due  to  finish, 
but  owing  to  circumstances,  are 
not  as  forward  as  they  should 
be.  In  addition  to  these  there 
are  othtr  plants  that  commence 
to  grow  at  this  end  of  the  season  ; 
they  are  few,  but  they  must  be 
attended  to  if  all  are  to  be  kept 
in  the  best  condition. 
Taking  first  of  all  the  sorts 
that  have  completed  their  growth 
or  nearly  so.  One  set  of  plants 
presses  prominently  into  notice 
at  this  time  ;  the  deciduous  Den- 
drobiums.  They  are  peihafsthe 
most  showy  and  generally  useful 
of  all  spring  flowering  Orchids, 
and  quite  indispensable.  Unfor¬ 
tunately  a  number  of  them  are 
not  so  amenable  to  cultural 
methods  as  one  might  wish,  and 
no  matter  how  carefully  they  are 
grown  it  IS  apparently  impossible 
to  keep  them  m  health  in  our 
Orchid  houses  for  many  years. 
On  the  other  hand  tRere  are  a 
number  <  f  charming  kinds  that 
increase  and  improve  under  culti¬ 
vation. 
Among  these  it  is  to  be  hoped 
that  the  spie  idid  hybrid  forms  raised  by  crossing  the  best  species 
may  be  reckoned.  Many  of  these  have  now  been  in  cultivation  for 
a  number  of  years,  and  d  spite  the  rapidity  with  which  they  have 
b  en  propagated  they  show  no  signs  of  failure  or  decreasing  vigour. 
But  this  is  a  digression,  and  it  is  well  to  note  that  whatever  kinds 
we  are  growing,  whether  easy  to  cultivate  or  “mifify,”  as  growers 
term  it,  the  more  closely  it  is  looked  after  the  more  likely  it  is  to 
flourish. 
Just  now  the  one  thou’ht  will  be  to  ripen  or  consolidate  the 
growth.  Without  this  preparation  it  is  useless  to  expect  flowers 
in  plenty  or  of  high  quality.  But  all  the  plants  will  not  be  ready 
at  once,  and  it  is  just  as  unsatisfactory  to  ripen  the  growth  of  a 
Dandrobium  prematurely  as  it  is  to  roast  a  Peach  or  a  Fig  shoot 
before  the  growth  is  properly  finished.  Here  is  where  the  difference 
between  a  watchful  and  a  careless  cultivator  comes  in.  The  one 
takes  notice  of  every  plant  individually ;  when  it  is  ready  for 
removal  to  a  drier  and  lighter  house  for  the  ripening  process  he  takes 
it  there.  The  other  takes  the  plants  in  batches,  some  ready  to  go  and 
some  not.  It  is  hardly  necessary  to  say  which  is  right  or  which 
obtains  the  better  results. 
Plants  that  are  late  for  any  reason,  such  as  having  been  kept  back 
for  flowering  late,  should  be  given  a  place  in  the  warmest  and  lightest 
bouse  at  command,  but  where  plenty  of  atmospheric  moisture  is  kept 
up.  It  is  often  more  convenient  where  there  is  a  Dendrobium  house 
to  alter  the  temperature  and  conditions  to  suit  the  majority,  or  those 
that  are  ripening  off,  and  remove  the  few  that  are  still  growing  to  the 
more  suitable  atmosphere  mentioned. 
There  are  a  few  plants,  such  for  instance  as  D.  chrysanthum,  that 
usually  begin  to  grow  just  now.  It  is  not  wise  to  over-excite  these, 
but  the  bouse  in  which  they  are  grown  must  be  sufficiently  humid  and 
light  to  insure  their  not  being  checked.  Where  Phalsenopsis  are 
cultivated  the  house  will  be  found  suitable  for  this  class  of  Dendrcbium. 
Speaking  of  Phalaenopsis,  although  the  plants  in  this  fine  genus  do  not 
require  the  same  amount  of  hardening  or  ripening  as  do  pseudo- 
bulbous  species  generally,  yet  a 
distinct  difference  must  be  made 
in  the  atmosphere  now.  Where, 
by  keeping  up  exciting  conditions 
in  autumn,  the  leaves  are  soft 
and  green  on  the  approach  of 
winter  there  is  sure  to  be  trouble 
in  spring  from  leaf-dropping,  large 
and  apparently  healthy  leaves 
dropping  through  being  loose  s.t 
the  axils.  It  does  not  take  much 
of  this  kind  of  thing  to  ruin  a 
fine  syiecimen  of  any  of  these 
lovely  Moth  Orchids,  so  it  is  wise 
to  see  that  the  texture  of  the 
foliage  is  so  consolidated  by  due 
exposure  to  light  and  air  now 
that  it  is  able  to  withstand  any 
slight  check  that  may  be  caused 
in  winter.  All  the  distichous 
leaved  section  in  short  are  better 
for  this  slight  hardening  in  the 
autumn.  They  are  not  so  sensi¬ 
tive  to  checks  as  are  the  Mcth 
Orchids,  but  Aerides,  Saccola- 
biums,  Angrsecums,  and  the  rest 
will  all  be  found  to  flower  more 
freely  when  looked  after  in  this 
respect.  Cattleyas  are  as  varied 
in  their  likes  as  Dendrobiums, 
and  though  there  is  not  space 
here  to  mention  species,  it  will 
be  found  that  here,  and  in  other 
large  genera,  a  system  of  looking 
c'osely  after  individual  species  is 
preferable  t^  collective  methods. 
— H.  R.  R. 
Cattleya  guttata. 
Although  the  individual 
flowers  of  this  species  lack  the 
size  of  the  various  Cattleyas  of 
the  labiata  section,  they  are 
nevertheless  very  useful  and  beau¬ 
tiful.  It  is  one  of  the  taller 
growing  species,  frequently  attain¬ 
ing  a  height  of  2  feet  or  more, 
strong  and  vigorous  in  habit, 
and  one  of  the  easiest  of  Cattleyas 
to  manage.  The  pseudo-bulbs  bear  a  pair  of  thick,  dark 
leaves,  and  from  the  apices  of  these  the  flower  spikes  are  produced. 
Strong  spikes  bear  eight  or  ten  flowers,  each  about ^  4  inches  in 
diameter;  the  sepals  and  petals  are  greenish  yellow  with  red  spots, 
the  side  lobes  of  the  lips  are  white,  folding  over  the  column,  the 
frontal  portion  dark  rose.  . 
The  variety  Leopold!  is  far  superior  to  the  type,  being  very  richly 
coloured.  The  sepals  and  petals  are  chocolate,  velvety  in  appearance, 
and  profusely  spotted  with  dark  crimson ;  the  labellum  is  also 
deeper  in  co'our  than  that  of  the  type.  This  is  now  geneially  known 
as  0.  Leopold!.  C.  guttata  and  its  varieties  thrive  m  a  coin  post 
consisting  of  equal  parts  of  peat  fib  e  and  sphagnum,  with  a  httle 
charcoal  and  potsherds  added.  Care  is  necessary  that  no  water  lodges 
in  the  apex  of  the  young  growth  or  about  the  bases  of  the  pseudo¬ 
bulbs  in  the  spring. — Orohidist. 
Fig.  69. — Cypripedium  Cyris. 
