April  21,  1901. 
/OUIINAL  OF  nORTICULTUIlE  AND  COTTAIE  GABDENER. 
T*"  Odontoglossum  x  Waltoniense  Rosefieldiense. 
Ml’,  de  Barri  Crawsliay,  of  Eosefield,  Sevenoaks,  Kent,  starred  tlie 
plant  here  figured  at  the  meeting  of  the  Royal  Horticultural  Society 
oil  March  22,  and  an  award  of  merit  was  bestowed.  It  is  an 
attractive  variety  with  pale-tea  coloured  flowers,  the  middle  part  of 
the  petals  being  almost  white,  and  a  double  brown  dot  marks  the 
centre  of  each  of  the  sepals.  The  lip  bears  a  brown  blotch  with 
fringed  edge,  and  is  yellow  under  the  column. 
Orchid  Culture  for  Amateurs. 
The  beginner  in  orchid  culture  wculd  be  safe  to  commence  in 
the  spring,  and  the  plants  will  get  a  good  start  by  the  winter.  All 
plants  when  bought  and  received  should  be  sponged,  stem  and  leaf, 
to  free  them  from  dust  and  eggs  of  insects,  which  are  sometimes 
found  upon  newly-imported  plants.  Decayed  parts  should  be  cut 
away.  Then  lay  the  plants  on  sphagnum  moss,  or  get  pots,  partly 
filled  with  broken  crocks,  and  place  the  plants  in  them.  For 
Oattleyas,  Lselias,  Ac.  (top-heavy  plants),  this  plan  is  good.  Although 
some  orchids  root  in  almost  any  material,  leaf-soil,  loam,  and  close 
earthy  peat  soon  gets  stagnant  and  sour,  and  should  be  avoided. 
Clean  sphagnum  moss,  clean  pots,  clean  crocks  and  charcoal ;  these 
are  necessary.  Epiphytal  orchids  should  be  elevated  above  the  level 
of  the  pot,  pan,  or  basket,  to  guard  against  water  settling  and 
injuring  the  young  growths.  Terrestrial  orchids  should  in  most 
cases  be  potted  below  the  level  of  the  pot,  with  care  in  regard  to  the 
drainage.  Most  orchids  need  rest,  and  some  require  to  be  taken 
from  their  growing  quarters  to  cooler  houses  to  induce  them  to 
flower.  When  kept  wholesomely  dry,  orchids  will  stand,  at  times, 
very  low  temperatures.  More  harm  is  done  to  them  by  heat  than  by 
cold.  To  drive  a  boiler  is  worse  for  the  plants  than  dry  coolness. 
The  warmest  end  of  the  house  will  suit  the  tenderest  sorts, 
putting  the  cooler  types  nearer 
the  entrance  door.  Patience  is 
needed,  and  flowers  must  not  be 
expected  all  at  once. — X. 
Mr.  de  Barni  Crawshay’s 
Odontogrlossums. 
Mr.  de  Barri  Crawshay,  of 
Rosefield,  Sevenoaks,  Kent,  is  an 
ultra-specialist  among  orchidists . 
First  of  all  he  is  an  ordinary 
specialist  in  one  genus  (Odonto- 
glossums)  and  in  part  of  another 
(the  Mexican  species  of  Laslias)  ; 
but  he  is  an  ultra-specialist  in 
Odontoglossum  crispum  and  its 
innumerable  forms.  He  is  con¬ 
stantly  buying  batches  of  im¬ 
ported  Odontoglossums  at  the 
sale-rooms  in  Cheapside,  and 
these  he  cultivates  until  they 
flower  ;  whence,  retaining  the 
gems  and  discarding  the  worth¬ 
less,  he  gradually  increases  what 
is  now  known  to  be  a  rich  and 
valuable  collection  of  handsome 
varieties.  But,  while  he  con¬ 
sistently  introduces  natural 
plants  from  the  imported  stocks 
and  finds  unceasing  pleasure  in 
tending  and  testing  these,  he  is 
not  satisfied  with  that,  but  has 
for  years  been  a  hybridist  and 
<-ross-breeder  with  much  success. 
Visit  his  place  on  any  occasion, 
and  hundreds  of  seedlings  in 
tiny  pots  may  be  seen  on  one  side 
of  a  span-roofed  house.  Each 
plantlet  in  its  cosy  bed  of 
sjihagnum  furnishes  a  thumb 
pot,  which  in  its  turn  is  placed 
within  a  3in  pot,  so  that  there  is 
a  small  air-space  between  the 
two.  Tliese  small  pots  are  set  on  an  ash-covered  stage,  and  large 
sheets  of  glass  are  fixed  almost  vertically  from  the  roof  to  the 
front  edge  of  the  stage,  and  form  what  is  practically  a  case.  The 
sheets  of  glass  are  movable,  and  narrow  spaces  are  left  between  each 
for  the  circulation  of  air.  Finding  that  a  certain  small  black  fly  is 
injurioixs  to  the  well-being  of  the  seedling  orchids,  Mr.  Crawshay 
uses  Nature’s  trap  by  the  inclusion  of  some  Butterworts  (Pinguicula 
caudata),  whose  viscid,  sxicculent  leaves  were  seen  to  be  covered 
with  the  captured  insects. 
The  Odontoglossxim  houses  are  only  three  in  number,  but  they 
are  span-roofed,  and  one  is  of  very  considerable  length,  while 
another  contains  a  large  central  stage.  Thus  thousands  of  plants 
are  housed,  and  the  collections  ai’e  constantly  being  changed  by  the 
incoming  and  oxxtgoing  of  plants.  Wooden  spar  staging  above  a 
bed  of  coke  is  used  throxighout,  and,  as  a  coat  of  varnish  is  found  to 
be  more  economical,  more  cleanly,  more  enduring,  and  retain  a  better 
appearance  than  paint  would,  one  finds  that  these  spar-stagings  are 
mostly  varnished.  Paint  oxidises  and  becomes  rusty  where  the 
atmosphere  is  humid,  but,  from  what  could  be  seen  here,  the 
varnished  boards  remain  fresh,  and  are  easily  kept  clean.  Beneath 
the  central  stage  in  the  large  span-roofed  house  a  layer  of  half- 
decomposed  leaves  is  kept,  and  by  damping  this  there  arises  a 
natural  vapour,  which  must  have  an  important  effect  on  the  health 
of  the  plants. 
By  way  of  top  ventilation  in  the  long  span-roofed  structure,  the 
owner  contrived  to  make  a  lantern- ventilator  with  a  wooden  bottom 
having  movable  spaces,  which  regulates  the  ingress  of  air. 
While  the  plants  are,  of  course,  mostly  g'rown  in  the  ordinary 
pots,  a  few — only  a  few — are  cultivated  in  glass-pots,  and  more  than 
one  find  sufficiently  comfortable  and  healthy  quarters  in  jam  pots  and 
salt  jars !  But  let  me  hasten  to  add  that  the  cultivation  of  Odonto¬ 
glossums  in  salt  jars  having  no  drainage-holes  was  first  attemi^ted  to 
prove  that  it  could  be  done.  The  glass-pot  cirlture  is  of  interest, 
and  though  one  would  have  thought  that  the  roots  Avould  sixffer 
frequent  sudden  chills,  which  does  not  occur  in  earthenrvare  pots, 
yet,  upon  the  assurance  of  Mr.  Crawshay,  moribund  plants  have 
recuperated  and  grown  apace  when  tran.sposed  from  clay  jrots  to 
those  of  glass  !  It  was  observed  that  none  of  the  roots  clung  to  the 
glass,  nor  were  any  protruding  OA^er  the  rim,  whereas  in  the  ordinary 
receptacles  the  roots  intertAvined  like  the  A'eins  of  one’s  hands. 
A  feature  Avorthy  of  adoption  AV’as  that  of  having  dwarf  pottery- 
ware  pedestals  upon  Avhich  to  place  the  larger  plants  and  raise  them 
above  the  others.  Asa  rule  similar  pedestals  are  made  of  Avood,  cr 
inverted  pots  are  used.  In  some  of  these  a  shalloAv  tray  for  Avater 
AA’as  joined  to  their  base. 
It  was  in  1880  that  Mr.  CraAvshay  began  this  pet  hobby  of  orchid 
cultixre,  and  he  can  still  shoAv 
the  first  plant  he  purchased. 
“Here  it  is,’’  he  Avill  say,  “a 
miserable  Aveed,  not  Avorth 
‘tuppence’;  but  I  AvoAild  not 
accept  £100  for  it.”  The  species 
other  than  O.  crispum  Avhich 
liaA’e  found  quarters  at  Rosefield 
are  luteo-purpureum,  gloriosum 
(noAv  always  discarded),  triuui- 
phans,  Uro  -  Skinneri,  Lindley- 
anum,  and  Harryanum and  Mr. 
CraAvshay  possesses  at  least  tAvo 
magnificent  varieties  of  O.trium- 
phans,  namely,  Lionel  CraAvshay 
and  Raymond  CraAvshay,  and 
the  scarce  albino  form  of  Uro- 
Skinneri.  O.  t.  Lionel  Crawshay, 
Avith  tAvelvo  fioAvers  on  a  strong 
raceme,  is  Avithout  doubt  the 
finest  form  up  to  the  present 
time,  and  it  has  been  said  of  it 
that  “it  is  as  much  superior  to 
all  triumphans  forms  as  F.  K. 
Sander  is  superior  to  all  the 
crispums.” 
In  the  nomenclature  of  varie¬ 
ties  placed  before  the  Orchid 
Committee  of  the  Royal  Horti¬ 
cultural  Society  for  certificate, 
Mr.  CraAvshay  adheres  to  a  plan. 
He  has  five  names  he  ixtilises : 
1,  his  OAvn ;  2,  his  Avife’s  ;  3  and 
4,  that  of  each  of  his  tAvo  sons ; 
and  5,  the  name  of  his  house; 
and  the  sequence  of  them  here 
is  approximately  the  general 
order  of  merit  of  the  varieties 
according  to  Mr.  CraAvshay’s 
estimate.  Thus  the  CraAvshayan 
introductions  are  hall-marked 
and  standardised. 
But  sufficient  has  been  Avritten 
for  the  present.  I  have  said  nothing  of  varieties,  because  feAv  were 
in  flower  at  the  period  of  my  visit;  but  these  few  reminders  of  an 
excellent  collection,  Avhich  has  been  previously  reported  upon  in  our 
pages,  Avill  serve  to  quicken  the  interest  of  those  readers  Avho  may 
occasionally  see  this  gentleman’s  name  after  varieties  that  haA^e  been 
cei'tificated  at  the  Drill  Hall.  Mr.  Crawshay  is  out  and  out  an 
Odontoglossum  x  Waltoniense  Rosefieldiense. 
