May  16,  1901. 
JOURNAL  OF  HORTICULTURE  AND  COTTAGE  GARDENER. 
409 
Cattleya  Mendeli  Queen  Alexandra. 
This  very  beautiful  and  handsome  new  variety  of  Cattleya  Mendeli 
was  shown  by  Mr.  H.  A.  Tracy,  Twickenham,  before  the  Orchid 
Committee  at  the  last  Drill  Hall  meeting,  on  the  7th  inst.  The  lip  is 
finely  fringed  and  fluted,  the  forepart  being  well  expanded  and  edged 
heat.  On  the  contrary,  a  cool  moist  atmosphere  ought  always  ta 
surround  the  plants,  this  being  very  distasteful  to  insects  which  attack 
it,  and  helping  materially  to  swell  up  the  large  inflated-looking  bulbs. 
In  summer  it  is  hardly  possible  to  shade  too  heavily,  but  in  winter 
these  plants  from  high  mountain  habitats  pine  for  every  ray  of  light 
and  sun.  If  grown  during  the  former  season  in  a  house  with  a 
north  aspect,  it  should  alwavs  be  rem  >ved  to  a  lighter  structure  on  the 
approach  of  the  dull  days,  or  it  will  not  be  easy  to  keep  it  in  health. 
Dendrobium  pulchellum. 
Although  this  pretty  dwarf  species  is  easily  grown  it  is  surprising 
how  very  seldom  one  comes  across  good  specimens  of  it.  They  are 
usually  starved  looking,  with  thin  and  poorly  coloured  flowers.  The 
reason  is  that  probably  growers  will  not  consider  how  easily  such  a 
CATTLEYA  MENDELI  QUEEN  ALEXANDRA. 
with  rose-purp'e.  The  throat  is  yellow',  while  the  large  substantial  j 
8" pal s  and  petals  are  rose-lilac  coloured,  slightly  tinged  with  purple. 
It  received  an  award  of  merit. 
Odontoglossum  pardinum. 
Both  in  habit  and  culture  this  plant  differs  from  the  majority  of 
Odontoglossums,  and  although  it  is  a  very  pretty  and  useful  species, 
it  is  questionable  whether  one-half  of  the  Orchid  growers  in  this 
country  even  know  it.  The  bulbs  are  large  and  green,  and  not  so 
covered  with  scales  as  are  most  others.  The  roots  are  soft,  and  very 
easily  injured  by  an  overdose  of  moisture,  or  by  water  remaining  in 
a  stagnant  state  about  them.  Yet,  owing  to  their  size,  a  fairly  wide 
receptacle  is  necessary,  so  it  is  well,  in  order  to  avoid  closeness,  to 
have  only  a  very  thin  layer  of  compost,  with  plenty  of  loose  lumps  of 
crocks  and  other  hard  material  mixed  with  it. 
Its  habitat  is  on  a  volcanic  mountain  in  Peru,  but,  although 
growing  naturally  so  near  the  equator,  it  will  not  flourish  in  any  great 
small  plant  may  be  incommoded  by  sudden  atmospheric  changes, 
from  wet  to  dry  or  lrom  heat  to  cold,  that  go  on  in  badly  managed 
Orchid  houses.  The  strong  and  sturdy  growers  do  not  suffer  readily, 
but  these  small  ones  are  very  apt  to,  and  the  aim  of  the  grower  must 
always  be  to  keep  the  house  as  regularly  heated  and  well  balanced  as 
possible. 
This,  with  due  attention  to  the  needs  of  the  roots  and  the  rise  and 
fall  of  the  temperature  as  the  growing  and  resting  seasons  come  round, 
will  lead  to  healthy  and  free  flowering  plants.  Very  little  in  the  way 
1  >f  compost  is  necessary,  but  the  bare  block  system  is  too  poor  tor  it. 
Small  trellised  rafts  with  a  litt'e  peat  and  moss  are  better,  and  the 
routine  of  culture  is  the  same  as  that  for  deciduous  Dendrobiums 
generally.  The  blossoms  are  produced  at  this  time  of  year,  and  are 
not  unlike  those  of  a  small  D.  Devonianum,  with  a  faint  but  delicate 
fragrance.  It  is  a  native  of  China  and  possibly  some  parts,  of  India. 
D.  pulchellum  is  the  name  it  is  known  under,  but  botanists  say  its 
correct  name  is  D.  Loddigesi. — II.  R.  R. 
