June  13,  1901. 
JOURNAL  OF  HORTICULTURE  AND  COTTAGE  GARDENER . 
493  « 
Odontoglossum  x  Wilckeanum  Golden  Queen. 
A  grand  plant  of  this  beautiful  hybrid  Odontoglossnm  was  shown 
at  the  Temple  Show  by  W.  Thompson,  Esq.  (grower,  Mr.  W.  Stevens), 
of  Stone,  Staffordshire.  The  Orchid  Committee  awarded  it  a  first- 
class  certificate,  it  having  previously  had  an  award  of  merit  when 
exhibited  as  0.  crispum  Golden  Queen.  The  plant  from  which  our 
illustration  of  an  individual  flower  was  taken  bore  a  splendid  raceme 
of  twenty  large  flowers.  These  must  have  been  each  upwards  of 
5  in.  across  ;  creamy  white  in  ground  colour,  with  large  irregular  spots 
of  brown  on  the  sepals,  and  smaller  roundish  ones  on  the  petals.  Besides 
the  floral  award  a  cultural  commendation  was  also  recommended. 
Dendrobium  transparens. 
This  is  a  slender  growing  pretty  species  that  does  not  receive 
the  attention  it  deserves.  The  blossoms  appear  in  small  bunches  of 
two  or  three  upon  the  upper  portion  of  the  stems.  They  are  white, 
with  tips  of  purple  to  the  outer  segments  and  purple  blotches  on  the 
lip.  Its  culture  does  not  differ  materially  from  that  of  the  deciduous 
species  generally,  but  it  must  not  be  so  severely  dried  as  the  stronger 
growing  sorts  in  winter,  or  the  stems  will  shrivel.  D.  transparens  is 
■  >ne  of  the  many  species  for  which  we  are  indebted  to  the  Veitchian 
collector,  Mr.  T.  Lobb. 
Coelia  macrostacbya. 
This  will  not,  perhaps,  commend  itself  to  the  lovers  of  large  and 
showy  Orchids,  but  it  is  an  extremely  pretty  and  quaint  species.  The 
rosy  red  flowers  have  each  a  small  straw  coloured  sheath  at  the  base, 
which  gives  the  spike  a  light  and  distinct  appearance.  C.  macrostachya 
is  an  easily  grown  plant,  not  unlike  Zygopetalum  Mackayi  in  habit,  but 
some  growers  have  found  it  shy  flowering.  I  have  had  no  trouble 
with  it,  my  plan  being  to  give  it  a  distinct  resting  season  in  a  cool 
Peach  house  or  greenhouse  after  the  growth  is  complete. 
Thunia  Bensonise. 
The  blossoms  of  this  species  are  very  charming  just  now,  and 
though  not  perhaps  quite  as  showy  as  T.  Marshalliana,  it  is  never¬ 
theless  quite  as  valuable. 
The  sepals,  petals,  and  part 
of  the  lip  are  a  pretty 
amethyst  purple,  shading 
almost  to  white,  the  lip 
having  raised  lines  of 
golden  yellow.  T.  Ben- 
soniae  was  discovered  by 
Col.  Benson  near  Rangoon 
in  1866,  so  naturally  a 
very  hot  moist  house  is 
necessary  to  grow  it  well. 
When  the  growths  are 
complete  a  thorough  ripen¬ 
ing  in  the  full  sun,  and 
a  long  rest  subsequently, 
make  up  its  annual  routine. 
Oncidium 
Brunleesianum. 
It  is  a  great  pity  this 
species  is  so  rare,  as  its 
distinctiveness  would  in¬ 
sure  it  a  place  with  all 
lovers  of  this  genus.  The 
flowers  are  said  to  occur 
on  large  branching  pan¬ 
icles,  and  this  is  how  it  is 
usually  figured,  but  only 
the  more  fortunate  of  us 
see  it  in  this  form.  The 
small  bits  tnat  one  usually 
sees  only  whet  the  appetite 
for  something  better.  The 
sepals  and  petals  of  the 
flowers,  which  are  individually  small,  are  pale  yellow,  and  bent  forward 
in  a  hood  shape  over  the  similarly  coloured  lip,  the  latter  having 
an  intense  magenta  or  nearly  black  front  lobe. 
It  is  over  twenty  years  ago  since  this  Oncidium  was  introduced 
from  Rio  by  the  gentleman  whose  name  it  bears,  and  who,  it 
appears,  supplied  the  late  Professor  Reichenbach  with  flowers  for  its 
description.  On  one  or  two  occasions  since  then  a  few  plants  have 
appeared,  but  either  our  collectors  have  been  unlucky,  or  it  is 
extremely  rare  in  a  wild  state,  for  there  are  very  few  known  specimens 
even  now.  It  is  to  be  hoped  that  some  day  it  will  be  forthcoming 
in  quantity,  and  it  will  prove  a  grand  addition  to  this  already 
fine  genus,  a  eenus,  I  consider  personally,  one  of  the  most  useful 
in  the  whole  Orchid  family. 
Dendrobium  Schneiderianum. 
I  have  always  had  a  great  liking  for  this  pretty  hybrid,  and 
although  it  does  not  vary  so  much  as  some  others  in  this  section, 
some  of  the  later  forms  are  a  distinct  advance  on  the  earlier  ones. 
I  have  just  received  a  rather  belated  specimen,  but  a  good  one 
none  the  less,  from  a  Somerset  correspondent,  for  a  name.  In  habit 
D.  Schneiderianum  most  resembles  D.  Findleyanum,  though  one 
detects  a  likeness  to  D.  aureum  as  well,  while  the  flowers  have 
pretty  rosy  white  sepals  and  petals  tipped  with  purple.  The  lip  is 
oraDge  yellow,  with  radiating  lines  of  deep  purple  and  a  hairy  disc. 
Though  not  quite  so  vigorous  as  the  nobile  hybrids,  it  is  nevertheless 
a  good  and  healthy  grower. 
Orcbids  from  Shipley. 
A  nice  box  of  Orchids  containing  many  unusually  fine  forms 
comes  from  Mr.  J.  C.  Tallach  of  Shipley  Hall  Gardens,  Derby.  Some 
of  the  prettiest  forms  of 
the  useful  and  beautiful 
Oncidium  Marshallian  um 
are  included,  one  especially 
having  the  whole  of  the 
upper  part  of  the  flower 
a  very  deep  orange,  quite 
unlike  the  usual  yellow  of 
the  species.  Large  spikes 
of  such  a  form  must  make 
a  glorious  show,  for  even 
the  commoner  forms  are 
among  the  most  showy  of 
Orchids. 
Another  fine  Orchid 
included  was  a  grand  form 
of  Cypripedium  Rothschild- 
ianum,  with  exceptionally 
large  and  deeply  coloured 
dorsal  sepal,  and  very  wide 
across  the  petals.  This  is 
one  of  the  most  striking 
in  the  genus,  and  it  comes 
almost  as  a  shock  to  find 
that  more  than  twelve 
years  have  elapsed  since 
its  introduction.  Good 
forms  of  C.  Curtisi  and 
several  other  Oncidiums 
are  sent.  Tne  collection 
of  M.  Mundy,  Eaq.,  which 
I  had  the  pleasure  of 
visiting  recently,  is  replete 
with  such  fine  forms,  and 
under  Mr.  Tallach’s  care 
these  and  all  other  branches 
are  making  great  strides.  I  am  not  sure  whether  I  have  before 
mentioned  the  fact  in  this  column,  but  Shipley  is  one  of  the  few 
places  in  England  where  the  culture  of  Orchids  in  Belgian  leaf 
mould  is  successfully  carried  out. 
Night  Temperatures  for  Orchids. 
One  of  the  greatest  aids  to  keeping  Orchids  of  any  kind  in  health 
is  a  cool  and  restful  temperature  at  night.  Not  only  is  it  very 
refreshing  to  the  plants,  but  it  is  distasteful  to  the  insect  pests  that 
prey  upon  them,  these  thriving  and  multiplying  very  rapidly  in  a 
dry  warm  atmosphere,  such  as  is  caused  by  closing  a  house  early  in 
the  afternoon  and  turning  on  fire  heat  to  maintain  the  temperature 
at  some  given  point,  usually  much  too  high.  It  is  the  worst  of 
mistakes  to  keep  any  house  devoted  to  Orchids  at  a  stated  heat 
and  not  to  allow  this  to  vary  whether  the  outside  temperature 
is  high  or  low. 
It  does  not  do,  of  course,  to  run  to  the  other  extreme  and  let  the 
house  fluctuate  too  much,  but  when  there  is  a  difference  in  the  outside 
temperature  of,  say,  10°  or  15°  from  one  night  to  another,  as  there  often 
i3  at  this  time  of  year,  then  the  inside  heat  should  be  allowed  to 
follow  it  by  dropping  some  4°  or  5°.  Whenever,  owing  to  severe 
cold,  the  fire  heat  has  to  be  pushed,  it  is  best  to  damp  the  house  very 
freely,  and  endeavour  to  avoid  that  harsh,  dry  feeling  that  is  so 
enervating  to  Orchids  generally.  I  like  to  see  a  little  dew  on  the 
foliage  on  entering  the  house  on  a  summer  morning,  this  being  a  sign 
that  all  is  well. — H.  R.  R. 
