July  23.  1903. 
JOURNAL  OF  HORTICULTURE  AND  COTTAGE  GARDENER, 
71 
Cypripedium  venustum  Measureslanum. 
Amongst  the  very  numerous  the  well-known 
venustum  is  highly  appreciated.  Every  collection  comprises  the 
type  and  several  variations  from,  some  cf  which  occasionally  find 
their  way  to  the  Drill  Hall.  Amongst  the  most  distinct  of  these 
during  recent  years  is  the  one  we  figure,  and  which  was  raised 
by  Mr.  H.  J.  Cliapman  when  Orchid  grower  to  Mr.  Measures  at 
iCamberwell.  We  believe  Messrs.  Williams  and  Son,  of  Hollowaj^, 
possessed  the  stock.  The  dorsal  sepal  is  white,  lined  with  green, 
the  petals  and  pouch  being  yellow,  barred  with  green, 
Cattleya  gigas. 
Leaving  expensive  and  rare  hybrids  out  of  the  question,  this 
is.  one  of  the  grandest  of  Cattleyas,  and  one  that,  given  proper 
attention,  any  amateur  may  grow  without  difficulty.  As  a  rule, 
imported  plants  arrive  in  a  good  and  leafy  condition,  needing 
only  to  be  potted  at  once  in  clean  potsherds  after  a  thorough 
cleansing. 
As  soon  as  roots  are  seen  starting  the  crocks  may  be  covered 
with  a  very  thin  layer  of  moss  and  peat.  In  a  warm  house  jiro- 
gre.ss  will  Ire  rapid,  and  the  plants  often  flower  the  first  season. 
It  does  not  vary  so  much  as  some  species,  though  there  are 
several  distinct  from  the  type,  and  a  poor  C.  gigas  is  very  seldom 
seen. 
A  good  form  measures  about  Sin  across ;  the  sepals  and  petals 
are  rosy-purple  with  a  deeper  tinted  lip,  this  latter  having  a 
white  eye-like  blotch  on  either  side  of  the  column.  A  native  of 
New  Guinea,  this  fine  Cattleya  was  discovered  by  M.  Warscewicz, 
a  Polish  collector,  but  though  originally  named  after  him,  it  is 
better  known  in  collections  by  the  above  title. 
The  Week’s  Cultural  Notes. 
As  yet  Orchid  growth  in  the  majority  of  cases  is  in  full  swing, 
and  the  one  thing  needful  is  to  keep  them  going  as  described  in 
recent  notes,  carefully  avoiding  anything  that  is  likely  to  check 
their  progress,  and  helping  them  along  by  suitable  temperatures 
and  due  attention  to  atmospheric  moisture,  ventilation,  and 
cleanliness.  This  may  be  said  to  be  the  Orchid  grower’s  simplest 
task,  for  with  bright  seasonable  weather,  long  days,  and  genial 
evenings  and  nights,  everything  is  in  his  favour. 
But  it  is  not  a  far  cry  now  to  the  time  of  finishing  growth, 
wdien  watchfulness  will  be  the  order  of  the  day,  and  each  species — 
one  might  almost  say  each  separate  plant- — requires  attention  to 
its  individual  wants.  For  instance,  there  is  the  long-bulbed,  two¬ 
leaved  section  of  Cattleyas,  such  as  C.  Leopold!  and  its  allies. 
These,  wdren  the  season’s  growth  is  nearing  completion  and  the 
flower  spikes  are  forniing,  may  with  advantage  be  kept  at  the 
coolest  and  driest  part  of  the  house,  as  when  growths  start  before 
the  flowers  are  formed  the  latter  are  seldom  as  strong  for  it, 
while  the  plant  itself  is  put  out  of  season,  as  it  were.  This,  with 
care,  can  usually  be  avoided  in  the  ca.se  of  these  long  bulbed 
specie.s,  though  I  admit  it  is  far  more  difficult  in  the  case  of  such 
species  as  C.  gigas  and  C.  Dowiana. 
But  the  rough  and  ready  methods  that  answer  in  the  case  of 
Dendrobiums  must  not  be  practised  with  these  Cattlej’as.  Speak¬ 
ing  of  the  former,  we  have  now  got  D.  thyrsiflorum  and  D.  densi- 
florum  both  nearly  at  the  apex  of  their  growth.  When  they  are 
quite  finished,  they  may,  after  a  week  in  a  lighter,  drier  house 
than  that  in  which  they  have  been  grown,  be  put  out  of  doors  in 
an  ordinarj"  sheltered  position,  or  if  a  semi-sheltered  frame  is  at 
command,  it  will  suit  them  perfectly.  Just  at  first  they  will 
need  attention  to  watering  at  the  roots  very  frequently,  but  after 
a  couple  of  weeks  in  the  open  air  only  sufficient  to  prevent 
shrivelling  will  be  required. 
D.  aureum,  D.  Bensonise,  D.  Ainsworth!,  and  D.  crassinode 
are  all  species  that  finish  early  and  lose  their  leaves  in  autumn, 
and  from  the  time  the  latter  turn  colour,  preparatory  to  falling, 
until  the  flower  buds  swell  at  the  nodes,  practically  no  water 
need  be  given,  but  cool,  dry,  airj^  conditions  that  conduce  to  a 
perfect  rest  and  subsequent  free  flowering.  These  notes  may 
appear  to  Some  a  little  premature,  but  it  is  safe  to  be  on  the  look¬ 
out. — H.  R.  R. 
Insects  as  Garden  Adornments. 
Tke  great  Hymenopterous  order,  of  which  ants,  bees, 
and  saw  flies  are  w^ell  known  representatives,  includes  a  host 
of  insects  common  in  gardens,  and  of  varied  form  and  habit, 
but  all  four-winged  in  their  perfect  state.  They  do  not  pos¬ 
sess  the  beauty  or  lustre  of  many  butterflies  and  beetles, 
though  some  of  them  have  brilliant  wings  or  bod.ies,  wdth 
showy  colours.  Conspicuous  on  the  wdng  as  flower-haunters, 
their  life  while  in  the  grub  or  larval  stage  is  mostly  hidden 
from  view.  These  insects,  like  those  of  some  other  groups, 
may  be  classed  as  species  that  are  of  service  in  gardens, 
those  that  are  more  or  less  injurious,  and  those  occupying 
a  neutral  position.  Many  species  furnish  us  with  garden 
music,  though  it  may  be  to  the  ears  of  some  people  a  less 
agreeable  melody  than  it  is  to  the  ears  of  others.  Amongst 
the  bees  there  is  a  joyous  hum,  and  another  expressive  of 
anger  or  alarm. 
It  must  be  put  down  to  the  discredit  of  the  insects  under 
notice  that  a  goodly  number  of  them  are  possessed  of  stings, 
and  are  often  not  slow  in  using  them.  I  have  a  little 
acquaintance  with  the  pleasures  and  pains  of  gardeners,  and 
so  far  as  I  have  observed  they  do  not  frequently  get  stung 
by  bees  or  other  insects,  yet  of  necessity  they  run  more  risks 
than  the  general  public.  They  have  to  disturb  bees  in  their 
visits  to  flowers  ;  occasionally,  too,  they  interfere  with  wild 
bees  that  are  busy  amongst  foliage,  or  crawling  upon  the 
earth.  A  gardener,  however,  said  to  me  that  his  fraternity 
are  not  over-sensitive  about  stings  if  they  do  get  them,  no 
more  than  they  are  to  scratches  and  cuts  ;  but  he  did  object 
to  the  tickling  caused  by  ants.  These  insects,  which  are 
Hymenopterous,  abound  in  gardens  we  all  know  ;  nor  do 
they  simply  crawl  upon  you,  they  bite  also  if  irritated.  I 
cannot  say  exactly  how  the  garden  ants  attack  us  ;  but  the 
large  black  ants  of  woods  manage  the  business  by  making 
a  couple  of  holes,  and  then  injecting  into  these  some  formic 
acid. 
Early  in  the  spring,  when  the  day  is  sunny,  the  humble 
or  bumble  bees  (Bombi)  put  in  an  appearance — pioneers  of 
their  tribe,  very  conspicuous  by  size,  colouring,  and  a  sort 
of  bustling  activity.  Certainly  these  spring  individuals  have 
plenty  to  do,  for,  like  the  queen  wasps,  having  survived  the 
winter,  it  is  their  work  to  start  the  new  colonies  of  the 
season.  Their  colour  varies  much,  even  in  the  same  species  ; 
but  they  are  mostly  banded  with  red,  yellow,  or  black. 
Some  people  meddle  rashly  with  them,  forgetting,  or  not 
knowing,  that  the  females  and  workers  have  stings,  though 
the  males  are  harmless.  The  fiercest  is  the  stone  species 
(Bombus  lapidarius),  very  hairy,  black,  having  biaght  red 
bands,  named  from  its  nest  being  often  in  heaps  of  stones, 
occasionally  in  dry,  shady  banks.  But  the  moss  humble  bee 
is  gentler,  "and  is  not  enraged  even  if  its  nest  is  disturbed. 
This  nursery  is  frequently  some  distance  underground,  and 
covered  by  a  dome  of  moss  ;  now  and  then  one  has  been 
discovered  situate  in  a  crack  of  a  garden  wall. 
Londoners  do  not  regard  the  humble  bees  wrth  trieridli- 
ness.  The  dislike  to  them  is  probably  to  be  explained  by 
the  fact  that  the  insects  bite  holes  in  the  corollas,  or  tnbes, 
of  some  flowers,  because  they  cannot  otherwise  reach  the 
honey,  owing  to  the  shortness  of  the  proboscis.  Such 
