August  27,  1903. 
JOURNAL  OF  HORTICULTURE  AND  COTTAGE  GARDENER. 
189 
Cattleya  atalanta  superba. 
The  hybrid  (from  C.  guttata  Leopold!  and  C.  Waracevviczi)  was 
fctaged  by  Messrs.  James  Veitch  and  Sons,  Ltd.,  of  Chelsea,  on 
August  4,  in  the  Drill  Hall  meeting  of  the  R.H.S.,  when  an  award 
of  merit  was  accorded.  The  sepals  and  petals  are  rosy  purple,  while 
the  lip  is  richer  and  deeper  purple.  It  is  one  of  the  handsomest 
varieties  seen  for  a  considerable  time. 
The  Week’s  Cultural  Notes.  | 
One  of  the  most  deceptive  of  Orchids  in  appearance  is  Sacco- 
labium  giganteum,  its  large,  fleshy  leaves  and  strong  habit  giving 
the  inexperienced  an  impression  at  first  sight  that  it  must  be  a  very 
easily  grown  subject,  one  kept  in  health  without  any  difficulty.  But 
this  is  net  the  fact,  as  cultivators  have  found  to  their  cost.  Perhaps 
the  principal  reason  is  that  it  flowers,  and  flowers  very  profusely,  in 
the  middle  of 
winter,  when  the 
energies  of  the 
plant  are  at  its 
lowest  ebb,  and 
when  the  climatic 
conditions  outside 
make  it  very  diffi¬ 
cult  to  maintain  a 
congenial  atmo¬ 
sphere  in  the 
warm  houses. 
It  behoves  those 
in  charge  of  it, 
then,  to  make  the 
most  of  the  grow¬ 
ing  season  with  it, 
and  to  prepare  it 
now  while  the 
weather  is  suitable 
for  the  strain  of 
flowering  later  on. 
A  brisk  moist  tem¬ 
perature  by  da}', 
running  up  on  fine 
afternoons  to  90deg 
or  lOOdeg,  with 
ample  sunlight  and 
judicious  ventila¬ 
tion,  will  produce 
free  yet  solid 
growth,  and  this 
is  the  desidera¬ 
tum.  Immature 
growth,  rushed  on 
in  strong  heat  and 
moisture,  is  the 
kind  that  falls  a 
prey  to  spot,  that 
dread  scourge  of 
distichous  -  leaved 
Orchids.  Plants 
so  treated  soon  go 
wrong,  the  foliage 
drooping  in  early 
spring,  and  the 
spike  of  flower 
being  poor  and 
washy  in  colour. 
The  Golden 
Chain  Orchid,  as 
Platyclinis  fili- 
forme  is  popularly 
known,  is  now 
fully  in  flower,  and 
apt  to  be  thought¬ 
lessly  treated.  At 
the  time  the 
blossoms  open  the  pseudo-bulbs  are  only  partly  grown,  and  to  place 
the  plants  about  in  draughty  passages  or  corridors,  or  even  in  the 
conservatory,  is  to  court  defeat.  The  flov'ers  last  a  little  longer,  it 
is  true,  but  the  pseudo-bulbs  are  badly  checked. '  The  best  plan  is 
to  keep  them  in  a  dry  part  of  the  house  in  which  they  are  grown, 
avoiding  syringing  in  their  immediate  locality,  and  as  soon  as  the 
flowers  are  past  their  best  to  cut  them,  and  return  the  plants  at 
once  to  their  growing  quarters. 
Imported  plants  of  Odontoglossum  Harryanum,  0.  grande,  and 
others  that  are  pushing  flower  spikes,  should  have  these  removed  to 
avoid  injury  to  the  plants,  or  at  least  they  should  only  be  allowed  to 
carry  one  or  two  flowers  to  perfection,  just  to  show  what  the  variety 
is  like.  The  former  especially  is  easily  injured  in  this  way,  many 
fine  plants  having  been  reduced  to  an  almost  flaccid  slate  by  the 
strain  of  flowering  before  being  properly  established.  They  are  in 
most  cases  sufficiently  weakened  by  their  journey  home,  and  when 
further  depleted  of  energy  by  premature  blossoming,  I  do  not  envy 
anyone  the  t-<sk  of  restoring  them  to  health  and  vigour. — H.  II.  R. 
x: 
Cattleya  atalanta  superba. 
The  Boom  in  Orchids. 
Anyone  visiting  the  English  flower  market  at  Covent  Garden 
will  be  surprised  at  nothing  m.ore  than  the  profuse  display  of  Orchids 
on  sale  as  cut  bloom  in  spikes  and  in  full  flower  in  pots.  Amongst  a 
few  cf  the  prettiest  specimens  on  show  at  the  present  time,  v/e  were 
particularly  struck  with  the  following: — Cymbidiums,  from  23.  6d. 
to  33.  a  dozen  blooms;  Coelogynes,  from  2s.  to  3s. ;  Lselias,  from  33. 
to  5s.  ;  Odontoglossums,  2a.  to  4s. ;  O.  crispum  and  O.  Pescatorei 
being  very  fine  indeed.  The  Cattleyas  are  high  priced,  being  worth 
from  12s.  to  18s.  a  dozen  blooms.  0.  Alexandra  formed  a  leading 
line  in  these  popular  Orchids,  and,  as  usual,  was  well  to  the  fore. 
For  growing  in  a  house  with  Carnations,  with  a  night  temperature  of 
55  to  57deg.,  Cypripedium  insigne,  C.  Lawrenceanum,  and  C.  Spicer- 
iannm  will  be  found  excellent.  So  will  Cmlogyne  cristata,  Lmlia 
anceps,  Odontoglossum  citrosmum,  0.  grande,  O.  crispuqa,  0.  Insleayi, 
and  O.  Rossi 
majus,  and  On- 
'  ,  cidium  crispum. 
The  culture  of 
these  Orchids  is 
by  no  means  diffi¬ 
cult.  In  brief, 
they  need  water¬ 
ing  in  winter  only 
when  they  are  dry. 
In  the  spring  and 
s  u  m  m  e  r,  w  h  e  n 
I  they  are  growing, 
they  should  be 
syringed  and 
watered  freely. 
They  should  also 
be  shaded  from  the 
hot  sun.  Pot  Or¬ 
chids  do  well  in 
rooting  material 
made  up  of  equal 
parts  of  peat  and 
sphagnum  moss, 
and  the  pots  should 
be  quite  half  full 
of  drainage.  Or¬ 
chids  ought  to  be 
freely  grown  by 
the  million.  Most 
of  the  cheapest 
varieties  need  no 
more  skill  to 
flower  them  to  per¬ 
fection  than  the 
best  strains  of 
Cyclamens  re¬ 
quire.  As  the 
roots  or  bulbs  can 
be  purchased  as 
cheaply  as  23.  6d. 
and  5s.  each,  Or¬ 
chid  culture  can¬ 
not  fail  to  increase 
in  popularity. — 
(Western  Morning 
News.) 
Ccelogyne  Dayana 
with  486  blooms. 
A  remarkable 
specimen  Orchid, 
which  secured  the 
silver  medal  of 
the  Massachusetts 
Horticultural  So¬ 
ciety,  was  exhi¬ 
bited  in  Horticul¬ 
tural  Hall,  Boston,  on  May  23.  It  was  a  single  plant  of  the 
Ccelogyne  Dayana,  and  had  485  blossoms.  It  was  grown  in  the  con¬ 
servatory  of  Mr.  W.  P.  Winsor  of  Fairhaven,  by  P.  Murray,  gardener. 
'.i 
States  a 
the  New  . 
American  Society  for  Horticultural  Science 
A  movement  is  on  foot  to  establish  in  the  United 
society  for  horticultural  science.  Professor  Beach,  of 
York  Experiment  Station,  Geneva,  N.Y.,  is  an  active  promote-r 
of  the  society,  and  those  interested  should  address  him  for 
particulars.  The  object  of  the  society  is  to  more  fully  establish 
horticulture  on  a  scientific  basis.  The  membership  would 
naturally  be  made  up  of  the  horticulturists  of  the  experiment 
stations  and  of  the  United  States  Department  of  Agiicultuie, 
together  with  other  scientists  whose  lyork  has  a  horticultural 
bearing.  The  meetings  would  be  held  in  connection  with  those, 
of  some  kindred  society,  as  the  American  Pomological  Society  or 
the  American  Association  for  the  Advancement  of  Science.- 
