April  14,  1904 
JOURNAL  OF  HORTICULTURE  AND  COTTAGE  GARDENER, 
313 
Dendpobium  thypsiflopum  at  Rothesay. 
Mr.  J.  Lornie,  Tlie  Gardens,  South  Park,  Rothesay,  N.B., 
sent  us  the  photograph  which  we  reproduce  on  this  page, 
together  with  a  four-flowered  spike  of  Cypripedium  x 
Rothschiidianum,  but  the  latter,  unfortunately,  is  too  dark  to 
print  from.  It  shows  a  very  healthy  fine  plant,  however,  with 
exceptionally  handsome  flowers.  INIr.  Lornie  informs  us  that  he 
has  grown  both  the  Dendrobium  and  the  Cypripediums  “  from 
tiny  scraps,”  which  speaks  well  for  both  the  air  of  Rothesay  and 
the  gardener’s  skill. 
Cultupal  Notes. 
There  will  be  many  species  that  require  repotting  during  this 
month  and  next,  as  so  many  plants  push  new  roots  freely  at 
this  time  of  year,  while  the  fact  of  the  best  of  the  growing 
season  being  in  front  of  them  has  also  to  be  considered.  The 
Promenseas  are  pretty  little  plants,  that  like  a  sweet,  open 
compost,  and  in  consequence  must  be  top-dressed  or  repotted 
every  season.  They  are  basket  Orchids,  thriving  well  in  the 
cool  end  of  the  Cattleya  house  or  with  the  Chimsera  section  of 
Masdevallias.  If  a  little  really  good  loam  of  a  fibry,  silky 
nature  is  at  hand,  it  may  be  added  in  the  proportion  of  one  to 
four  of  the  ordinary  compost,  but  only  the  best  must  be  used. 
Loam  is  an  excellent  addition,  too,  to  the  compost  for  the 
sweetly  scented  and  beautiful  Maxillaria  grandiflora,  an  Orchid 
sadly  neglected  by  the  present  day  grower,  but  one  of  the  most 
charming  of  cool  house,  easily  grown  kinds.  Later  plants  of 
Lycaste  Skinneri,  L.  lanipes,  L.  Barrintonia?,  Maxillaria  San- 
deriana,  and  others  of  this  section  should  be  on  the  bench  at 
the  same  time  as  those  above,  as  all  need  much  the  same  mix¬ 
ture.  None  of  them  should  be  raised  much  above  the  rims  of 
the  pots,  and  as  all  need  very  free  supplies  of  moisture,  the 
drainage  should  be  free  and  open. 
Although  in  many  cases  the  flowers  of  Sophronitis  grandiflora 
would  last  considerably  longer,  it  is  not  advisable  to  allow  them 
to.  They  will  last  almost  as  long  when  cut  and  placed  in  water, 
and  this  will  free  the  plants  for  attention  to  the  compost.  These 
should  not  be  disturbed  oftener  than  absolutely  necessary,  as  the 
roots  are  not  vigorous  or  very  freely  produced.  As  a  rule,  once 
in  four  years  is  often  enough  to  shake  them  out,  a  ’little 
re-arrangement  of  the  growths  and  careful  top-dressing  sufficing 
in  the  intervening  years.  ^ 
One  point  in  top-dressing  is  often  overlooked;  that  is  the 
supply  of  pieces  of  crocks  with  the  new  compost  in  place  of  those 
removed  with  the  old.  Unless  these  are  provided,  each  year 
adds  to  the  thickne.ss  of  compressible  water-holding  material  and 
the  plants  do  not  dry  rapidly  at  the  roots  as  they  should  d’o.  I 
saw  a  nice  batch  of  Oncidium  ampliatum  during  the  week  im¬ 
ported  plants  that  had  not  since  their  advent  to  the  Orchid 
house  had  any  compost  until  a  week  or  two  back,  and  the  fine 
gionth  they  are  making  proves  how  little  compost  is  reallv 
necessary  for  this  fine  plant.  Many  specimens  are,  I  am  sure 
first  weakened  by  being  allowed  to  flower  before  becoming  estab- 
^-^11*^11^  R  ^  smothered  in  unnecessary  compost. 
Diacpium  bieopnutuni. 
The  “  Orchid  Review  ”  for  April  figures  this  beautiful  plai 
and  furnishes  the  following  notes:  “The  annexed  illustktii 
represents  a  very  fine  specimen  of  Dracrium  bicornutum  whi 
Hoiyered  at  Kew  some  time  ago,  and  was  photographed  by  M 
Gnessen,  who  was  then  in  charge  of  the  orchid  houses  It 
certainly  a  well-grown  example,  producing  a  dozen  spikes 
Hower.  llie  plant  has  sometimes  the  character  of  being  diffici 
to  keep,  but  this  chiefly  arises  from  growing  it  under  imsuital 
conditions.  The  habitat  of  the  species  indicates  a  high  tei 
perature  and  a  moist  atmosphere,  and  under  these  conditio 
It  IS  very  successfully  grown  at  I;^ew.  Teak  baskets  seem  to 
most  convenient  receptacles,  and  a  mixture  of  fibrous  peat  a 
sphagnum  moss  forms  a  suitable  compost.  The  climatal  coni 
tioii.s,  however,  seem  the  most  important,  and  warm  house  trei 
ment  is  essential  to  success.  The  species  has  been  known  f 
about  Severn ty  years,  having  been  oriainally  described  a 
figured  in  1834,  under  the  name  of  Lpidendrum  bicornutr 
{Hook.  Bot.  Mag.,  t.  3332),  from  a  plant  which  flowered  in  t 
collection  of  Lari  Fitzwilliam,  at  Wentworth,  in  April  of  th 
year.  It  had  been  introduced  liy  Messrs.  Shepherd,  of  Liv( 
pool,  from  Trinidad,  a  locality  from  whence  it  has  since  be 
trequently  imported,  and  where  it  is  said  to  grow  on  rocks 
small  islets  so  close  to  the  sea  that  they  must  often  be  bathed 
with  salt  spray.  Afterwards  it  was  found  by  Sir  Roliert  Schom- 
burgk,  in  Demerara,  growing  on  the  trunks  of  trees  by  the  River 
Berbice.  It  has  also  been  found  on  the  Esseqiiebo  and  Corentyne 
Rivers,  as  well  as  on  the  Ivwaimatta  Savannah,  in  Guiana,  and 
on  the  Island  of  Tobago.  It  is  one  of  a  few  species  having  hollow 
pseudo-bulbs,  which  are  tenanted  liy  small  ants,  which  find 
ingress  through  a  small  cleft  at  the  base,  that  invariably  occurs 
in  the  new  growths.  It  is  a  very  beautiful  species  when  well 
grown.” 
Vanda  Amesiana. 
When  in  flower  the  general  aspect  of  this  species  may  be 
likened  to  a  Phalsenopsis,  and  it  blossoms  at  various  seasons. 
The  plant  itself  is  dwarf,  with  stiff,  fleshy,  dark  green  leaves 
1ft  long.  The  fragrant  flowers  are  in  erect  racemes  of  20  to  50 ; 
the  sepals  and  petals  are  white,  flushed  with  rose,  and  the  lij) 
is  rich  magenta-rose,  except  on  the  margin,  which  is  paler,  and 
their  size  is  l^in  to  2in  in  diameter.  It  tnrives  under  similar 
treatment  to  V.  crerulea. 
Orchids  in  the  Sale  Rooms. 
Messrs.  Protheroe  and  Morris  sold  950  lots  of  orchids  at  their 
Central  Auction  Rooms,  07  and  68,  Cheapside,  E.C.,  on  Friday 
last.  Some  of  the  prices  realised  were  as  follows;  For  a  beauti¬ 
fully  spotted  Odontoglo.ssum  crispum,  55gns ;  O.c.  punctatum, 
14gns ;  Cypripedium  x  J.  H.  Veitch  (Curtisi  x  Stonei  platy- 
clinum),  a  strong  plant,  40gns ;  Lycaste  Skinneri  alba,  £2  7s.  6d. 
Dendrobium  thyrsiflorum. 
C.  Thompsoni  inversum,  £3  15s.  ;  C.  insigne  Harefield  Hall 
variety,  with  two  growths,  4gns ;  C.  insigne  Sanderm,  two 
growths,  £4.  For  twenty  small,  unflowered  Odontoglossuin 
crispums  only  11s.  were  obtained,  and  this  was  the  highest  bid 
out  of  a  number  of  lots  of  equal  number.  Plants  of  Calanthe 
Regnieri,  with  one  strong  bulb  and  one  to  two  breaks,  fetched 
4s.  ;  Phalsenopsis  Reimstadiana,  e.stablished  plants  in  bin  pots, 
brought  6s.  each;  Lmlia  cinnabarina,  in  flower,  7s.;  and 
Oncidium  concolor,  with  two  to  three  spikes,  5s. 
Sale  of  Orchids  at  Manchester. 
Lovers  of  orchids  were  much  interested  in  the  sale  by  auction 
of  the  Warrenhurst  collection  by  Mr.  John  Cowan  of  Liverpool, 
in  the  Grosvenor  Hotel  on  April  6,  when,  amongst  others,  the 
following  prices  were  realised  : — Cypripedium  insigne,  Harefield 
Hall  variety,  15gns ;  Cypripedium  Lawrenceanum  Hyeanum, 
29gns ;  Cypripedium  callosum  Sanderm,  14gns ;  Odontoglossuin 
crispum,  fine  variety  in  flower,  20gns  ;  Odontoglossuin  crispum 
guttatum  xanthoglossum,  18gns  ;  Odontoglossuin  Adriana?,  9gns  ; 
Cattleya  Mantini  inversa,  15gns  ;  and  a  grand  specimen  of  Coelo- 
gyne  pandurata,  which  produces  green  and  black  flowers, 
realised  20gns.  The  general  prices  were  goofl,  and  showed  that 
the  interest  in  these  lovely  plants  is  without  doubt  increasing. 
