December  20,  1900. 
JOURNAL  OF  HORTICULTURE  AND  COTTAGE  GARDENER. 
549 
OdontogloBsum  crispum  nobilias. 
This  superb  variety  was  first  exhibited  by  Mr.  H.  Ballantine, 
igardener  to  Baron  Schroder,  in  1885,  but  it  was  not  until  February, 
1892,  that  it  received  special  recognition  from  the  Orchid  Committee 
of  the  Royal  Horticultural  Society.  In  March  of  the  last-named 
year  we  illustrated  this  variety,  and  we  now  reproduce  the 
woodcut  and  accompanying  letterpress,  in  reply  to  “  W.  W. 
Wood’s”  request  for  information,  for  it  will  be  of  interest 
to  many  other  young  Orchid  growers  as  well  as  our  correspondent. 
“  So  many  handsome 
varieties  of  Odontoglossum 
•crispum  have  been  intro¬ 
duced  from  time  to  time 
that  it  is  always  a  matter 
for  surprise  when  a  novelty 
of  exceptionally  distinct 
character  makes  its  appear¬ 
ance  amongst  the  hundreds 
of  imported  plants.  If  all 
the  varieties  of  this  protean 
species  which  have  received 
names  and  certificates  could 
be  seen  in  flower  together, 
side  by  side,  they  would 
present  a  range  of  variation 
highly  interesting  as  astudy 
and  attractive  as  a  floral 
display.  Yet  even  now 
*  new  departures  ’  are  oc¬ 
casionally  secured,  though 
more  rarely,  ami  they  are 
proportionately  valued  by 
their  fortunate  finders  or 
purchasers. 
“The  variety  shown  by 
Baron  Schroder  from  The 
Dell  Gardens,  on  February 
9th  last,  received  the  dis¬ 
tinctive  and  appropriate 
sec  mdary  title  of  ‘nobi- 
lius,’  and  of  which  it  was 
quite  as  worthy  as  the 
Dendrobium  honoured  with 
the  same  designation. 
Tbough  new  to  the  majority 
who  saw  it,  this  could  not, 
however,  be  claimed  as  a 
novelty  in  the  strict  sense 
•of  the  word,  for  it  was 
exhibited  at  the  Orchid 
Conference  in  1885,  when 
it  was  much  admired  ;  but 
as  it  had  not  flowered  from 
then  until  the  present  year  no  further  opportunity  had  occurred  for 
comparison  and  testing  its  qualities.  The  Orchid  Committee  soon 
indicated  their  opinion  of  the  plant’s  merit  by  the  award  of  a  first- 
class  certificate. 
“  As  can  be  judged  from  the  illustration  (fig.  140),  the  flowers  are  of 
great  size  and  fine  proportions,  the  sepals  and  petals  very  broad,  the 
latter  regularly  and  rather  deeply  cut  at  the  margin,  and  the  lip 
beautifully  fringed.  The  ground  colour  is  white,  and  the  exceedingly 
bold  confluent  blotches  of  rich  bright  brown  impart  a  remarkable 
character  to  the  flowers.  The  lip  is  of  a  size  proportionate  to  the 
other  parts  of  the  flower,  but  the  spots  are  smaller,  though  the  colour 
is  rich.” 
The  Resting  Season  for  Orchids. 
*  il  ■ 
In  most  departments  under  glass  there  is  a  possibility  of  forcing 
the  plants  when  extra  good  produce  is  needed,  and  to  get  vegetables, 
Iruit,  and  other  produce  much  out  of  sekson  is  looked  upon  as  a  test  of 
skill.  But  in  the  Orchid  houses  none  of  this  forcing  is  essential  or 
desirable.  There  may'”  be,  perhaps,  a  desire  on  the  part  of  some 
employers  to  have  Dendrobiums  of  the  nobile  and  similar  sections  at 
an  earlier  date  than  their  usual  flowering  season,  but  the  majority  of 
Orchids  must  have  their  proper  rest,  or  the  result  is  not  satisfactory  ; 
while  ill  the  cooler  section  forcing  is  quite  impossible.  Tne  plants, 
say  of  Masdevallias  or  Odontoglossums,  may  grow  and  look  green  for 
a  time  in  extra  heat,  but  of  flowers  there  would  be  few,  and  in  a  very 
short  time  the  plants  would  be  ruined. 
Hot  that  all  plants  require  rest  alike  at  this  time  of  year.  They 
do  not  all  demand  dry  and  cool  treatment  even.  Some  rest  in  a  cool 
house,  and  some  in  a  warm  one,  and  though  the  winter  season  is  that 
when  the  majority  of  them  rest,  some  do  not,  but  keep  on  growing. 
For  instance,  take  the  fine  Disa  grandiflora.  As  a  rule  this  will  now 
be  growing  rapidly,  and  continue  to  do  so  all  the  winter  and  spring,  the 
flowers  being  the  apex  of  growth  when  the  plant  dies  back  for  another 
year.  To  attempt  to  dry  this  off  then  must  only  end  in  failure. 
But  this  is  only  the  exception,  and  the  majority  of  Orchids 
are  quiet  now.  It  is  a  good  time  to  note  as  to  how  the  plants  have  been 
treated.  Some  there  are,  such  as  Cattleyas,  of  the  summer  flowering 
section.  To  grow  them  properly,  these  plants  should  now  be  well  on 
the  dry  side,  but  if  from  any  cause  the  pseudo-bulbs  have  not  been 
properly  developed  or  ripened,  it  is  impossible  to  keep  them  so  without 
injury.  They  would  imme¬ 
diately  shrivel  badly,  and 
this  would  assuredly  be 
followed  by  weak  growth 
in  spring.  The  drying  then 
must  be  with  judgment; 
those  plants  and  species 
that  require  it,  and  are  in  a 
condition  of  health  to  stand 
it,  are  benefited  by  it.  On 
the  other  hand,  improperly 
developed  specimens  or 
unsuitable  species  must  be 
humoured  according  to 
individual  likes  and  dis¬ 
likes. 
Even  varieties  of  species 
show  this  sensibility  or 
otherwise  to  distress  on 
being  dried  at  the  roots. 
For  years  I  grew  a  variety 
of  Coelogyne  cristata  that 
would  finish  and  shrivel 
without  any  great  reduc¬ 
tion  in  the  water  supply. 
It  was  a  long-bulbed  late- 
flowering  form  in  the  way 
of  the  Chatsworth  variety, 
while,  as  is  well  known, 
some  of  the  round-bulbed 
forms  suffer  a  good  deal 
of  drought  with  compara¬ 
tive  impunity.  It  may  be 
taken  as  an  axiom  that  any 
<iegree  of  dryness  that 
causes  this  plant  to  shrivel 
is  beyond  what  is  necessary, 
and  is  therefore  harmful. 
In  these  pseudo-bulbous 
sorts  we  have  a  kind  of 
guide  to  go  by,  but  when 
we  come  to  the  more  sen- 
eitive  leaved  species,  such 
as  the  Vandas, Saccolabiums 
and  Phalaenopses,  we  are  on  more  dangerous  ground.  The  roots  of 
these  are  guides  to  a  great  extent,  showing  by  their  green  or  cloudy, 
soft  or  hard,  points,  whether  they  are  seeking  for  moisture  or  aot. 
But  an  experienced  cultivator  will  not  be  guided  by  these  alone.  He 
will  watch  the  foliage  narrowly,  will  feel  it  occasionally  even  when 
he  is  sure  that  water  is  not  needed,  and  his  practised  eye  and  hand 
will  tell  him  at  once  whether  the  plants  would  be  benefited  or  not  by 
watering.  This  sort  of  thing  cannot  be  taught  by  word  of  mouth. 
Experience  is  necessary,  but  it  is  surprising  how  quickly  persons 
interested  get  the  knack  of  it.  The  plants  are  the  teachers. 
Coming  to  the  temperatures,  these  must  of  course  be  arranged 
accordino-  to  the  habitats  of  the  plants.  But  even  here  the  same  thing 
holds  good.  A  deciduous  Dendrobium  will  not  be  seriously  incom¬ 
moded  if  while  the  growth  is  inactive  the  plants  are  in  a  temperature 
of  from  35®  to  38°  for  instance.  I  have  known  them  to  stand  frosts. 
But  this  would  not  do  for  some  other  Species  that  like  equally  aS  much 
heat  in  the  growing  season,  and  are  also  deciduous.  Thunias,  for 
example,  or  even  Calanthes.  The  cooler  in  reason  the  h  ^uses  are  kept 
the  less  need  there  will  be  for  fumigating  and  cleaning  during  the 
winter  months,  but  both  these  aids  to  culture  are  at  times  necessary 
in  the  very  best  arranged  and  choicest  collections.  H.  R.  R. 
Fig.  140. — Odontoglossum  crispum  nobilius. 
