552 
JOURNAL  OF  HORTICULTURE  AND  COTTAGE  GARDENER. 
December  17,  19(3. 
Liaelio-cattleyax  Decia. 
Many  charming  hybrids  have  emanated  from  the  nurseries  of 
Messrs.  .1.  Veiteh  &  Sons,  Chelsea,  and  among  these  may  be  included 
tlie  beautiful  Lmlio-eattleya  X  Deeia,  a  bloom  of  -vvhi  eh  is  depicted  in 
the  illustration.  This  is  the  result  of  a  cross  between  Cattleya 
Dowiana  aurea  and  Laelia  Perrini,  the  first  named  being  the  pollen 
parent.  In  many  respects  the  flower  resembles  a  Lselia  more  than  a 
Cattleya,  except  in  size.  The  sepals  and  petals  are  very  pale  rose,  the 
lip  at  the  base  being  rosy  mauve,  with  a  deep  purplish  crimson  lobe. 
This  fine  hybrid  is  being  frequently  exhibited  by  Messrs.  J.  Veitcli  and 
Sons  at  the  Drill  Hall,  Westminster.  A  First-class  Certificate  was 
awarded  for  it  by  the  Orchid  Committee  of  the  Royal  Horticultural 
Society. 
Coelogyne  (Pleione)  Lagenaria. 
Perhaps  a  few  remarks  on  the  treatment  afforded  this  pretty 
little  Intermediate  House  Orchid  may  not  be  out  of  place  at  this 
season.  Let  the  pseudo-bulbs  be  repotted  so  soon  as  new  leaves 
begin  to  appear  (if  this  operation  has  not  already  been  carried  out), 
which  is  from  the  same  point  as  the  floAver  preA'iously  occupied,  as 
by  that  time  nCAV  roots  ai-e  beginning  to  push  someAvhat  freely.  A 
compost  1  have  used  Avith  very  good  results  consists  of  peat,  tAvo 
parts;  sphagnum,  one  part;  half-decayed  leaves,  rough  and  flaky,  one 
part;  and  a  little  silver  sand,  charcoal  and  dried  coav  manure.  Shorten 
the  old  roots,  leaving  enough  to  hold  the  “  bulbs  ”  in  place,  and  pot 
them  level  AA'ith  the  rim  of  the  pot,  burying  the  “bulbs”  up  to  the 
neck,  as  the  ncAv  ones  Avill  be  much  higher  Avhen  they  develop.  I  find 
the  cooler  end  of  the  Cattleya  House  suits  them  very  Avell  so  far  as 
temperature  is  concerned,  and  Avater  may  very  sparingly  be  given 
until  growth  is  active.  When  the  roots  have  permeated  the  soil 
thoroughly  I  find  an  application  of  Aveak,  liquid  coav  manure,  at  each 
alternate  Avatering,  very  beneficial,  never  alloAving  the  compost  to  get 
really  dry  before  affording  Avater  Avhen  the  plants  are  in  full  groAvth. 
— CiROAVER,  North  Wales. 
The  Troubles  of  an  Orchidist. 
The  woes  dealt  out  to  mortals  are  many  from  the  first, 
But  the  troubles  of  an  orchid  man  must  surely  be  the  Avorst ! 
For  Avhen  the  fever  smites  him  Avith  its  stony,  mailed  fist, 
There’s  no  escape  left  open — he’s  a  full-fledged  orchidist! 
He'll  ponder  over  price  lists;  he'll  burn  the  midnight  oil. 
And  he’ll  send  all  o’er  creation  for  sample  peat  or  soil ; 
He’ll  argue  till  he’s  tired  on  the  merits  of  his  Avay, 
Hoav  and  Avhen  to  sun  or  shade  ’em,  ’till  there’s  nothing  left  to  say. 
He  has  some  fine  Angraeeums,  an  Oneidium  or  tAvo, 
Fifty-seven  kinds  of  Dendrobes  and  a  Vanda,  real  true  blue ; 
He  has  lots  of  Catasetums  and  a  Stenoglottis  pink. 
No  end  of  Epidendrums  and  Calanthes,  too,  I  think. 
His  Miltonia  speciosa  is  the  finest  in  the  State, 
And  his  Cypripedium  hybrids  are — Avell,  they’re  simply  great; 
He  imports  Odontoglossums,  Cattleyas  by  the  score. 
Has  forty  Lselia  crosses  and  Cymbidiums  galore. 
The  costly  Phalaenopsis  and  the  Isochilus  queer. 
The  lovely  Sophronitis  and  the  Spathoglottis  dear; 
There's  a  Brassavola  glauea,  and  an  lonopsis  too, 
Such  a  charming  Microstylis  and  an  Aerides  that’s  ncAV. 
There's  a  pot  of  Bulbophyllum  that’s  enough  to  drive  one  frantic, 
Masdevallia  cucullata  and  Stanhopea  gigantic; 
There’s  Sobralia  Amesiana  and  Phaius  rich  and  rare, 
And  a  Chysis  Langleyensis — but  I  really  must  forbear. 
For  Avere  I  to  go  further  and  enumerate  the  lot. 
Tetanus  Avould  seize  me — I’d  expire  on  the  spot. 
These,  and  many,  many  others  are  the  symptoms  of  his  plight. 
And  he’s  happiest  among  them,  be  it  morn  or  noon  or  night. 
Oh  the  Avoes  dealt  out  to  mortals  are  many  from  the  first. 
But  the  troubles  of  the  orchidist  must  surely  be  the  Avorst! 
— (“American  ( lardening.”) 
Decorations  Avith  Orchids. 
At  the  visit  of  the  Italian  monai’chs  Orchids  only  Avere  used  to 
decorate  the  Royal  table  at  the  Guildhall  luncheon.  BetAveen  three 
and  four  thousand  of  the  dainty  and  costly  blooms  Avere  arranged  in 
gold  stands  specially  designed  for  the  occasion,  representing  the 
Italian  colours  of  green,  Avhite,  and  red.  The  other  tAventy-six  tables 
Avere  embellished  Avith  Carnations,  Avhite  Lilac,  Roses,  Lilies,  and  Chi'ys- 
anthemums — in  all  about  9,000  blooms— or  a  grand  total  of  betAveen 
IZ  OOO  and  13_000  Orchids  and  less  important  floAvers.  To  a  generous 
corporation  the  cost  is  of  secondary  impcitance.  'Wl.en  the  King  and 
(^Hieen  lunched  in  the  Guildhall  last  a  cr.r  the  sum  of  £2,70  15s.  Avas 
spent  on  floAvers. 
Cultural  Notes :  Laelias  and  Cattleyas. 
Ltelia  albida,  uoav  pushing  its  floAver  spikes,  has  puzzled  cultivators 
more,  perhaps,  than  any  other  of  the  Mexican  species  belonging  to 
this  faAmurite  genus.  It  does  not  possess  the  strength  of  its  compeers 
L.  autumnalis  and  L.  anceps,  and,  Avhile  moA’ing  along  A’igorously  for  a 
fcAV  years  after  importing,  soon  feels  the  strain  of  having  an  unnatural 
atmosphere  about  it.  I  have  tried  L.  albida  in  all  sorts  of  receptacles 
and  in  various  temperatures,  and  my  experience  points  to  a  medium 
or  Cattleya  house  temperature  in  Avinter  and  an  airy,  moderately  dry 
house  in  summer,  as  likely  to  lead  to  the  best  results. 
v\.  trellised  block  is  suitable  as  a  rooting  medium,  covering  this 
thinly  Avith  equal  parts  of  sphagnum  moss  and  peat  or  leaf  soil.  Singu¬ 
larly  enough,  the  strain  of  floAvering  does  not  appear  to  have  any  ill 
effect,  or  but  little,  upon  the  health  of  this  charming  plant,  but 
something  indefinable  and  quite  mysterious  in  our  artificial  treatment 
is  not  to  its  taste.  My  adA'ice  is  to  floAver  it  as  freely  as  may  be, 
alAvays  proA'ided  that  the  plant  is  strong  and  Avell  rooted.  To  floAver  it 
at  all  before  properly  established  is  wrong.  The  soft  Avhite  scale  that 
affects  it  must  be  fought  by  sponging  frequently,  or  good  health  is  cut 
of  the  question. 
L.  majalis  is  quite  at  rest  noAV,  and  should  be  suspended  in  a  light, 
cool  place  until  signs  of  groAvth  appear.  Then  place  it  rather  suddenly 
in  Avarmer  quarters,  but  Avithout  much  atmospheric  moisture,  Avhen 
every  young  lead  Avill  be  found  to  contain  a  spike  of  its  very  shoAvy  and 
yet  refined  floAvers.  Plants  that  are  kept  moving  in  Avinter  never 
floAver  at  all  freely,  and  this  is  equally  true  of  other  and  larger-growing 
Lffilias.  The  popular  L.  purpurata  is  never  so  free  as  Avhen  the 
groAvth  finishes  up  in  autumn,  rests  in  Avinter,  and  comes  right  away 
to  the  floAvering  stage  in  spring. 
Cattleya  citrina  is  becoming  active,  and  must  be  given  a  cool, 
moist,  and  light  position.  The  natural  position  of  the  groAvth,  appa¬ 
rently  upside  doAvn,  is  a  protection  to  the  forming  spike  in  the  young 
lead,  preventing  moisture  from  collecting  therein.  Still,  a  lot  of 
syringing  is  not  adAusable,  especially  during  dull,  Avet  Aveather.  Like 
the  species  named  above,  C.  citrina  does  not  relish  a  lot  of  compost 
about  its  roots.  It  should  never  be  foi’ced  to  groAv  Avhen  it  seems 
inclined  to  rest,  or  vice  A-ersa,  but  the  plants  Avatehed  individually, 
and  retarded  or  encouraged  as  seems  necessary.  Puncture  or  abrasion 
of  the  leaves  during  cleaning  operations  must  be  studiouslv  avoided. 
— H.  R.  R. 
- - 
The  Liliaceffi.* 
( Continued  from  page  493.) 
The  tliree  genera  of  Clilorogalese  are  Bovviea,  Chlorogaluin, 
and  Nolina.  BoAviea  is  a  enrious  inonotypic  genus,  closely  allied 
to  Scilla  by  its  floAver  and  bulb,  yet  mimicking  the  groAAdh  of 
Asparagus.  BoAviea  volubilis  was  sent  to  KeAv  1862.  It  Avas 
planted  in  the  Succnlent  House,  and  Avhen  it  produced  its  long, 
slender  stems  it  became  an  interesting  object  to  botanists.  It 
produced  floAvers  the  second  year.  The  genus  Avas  named  after 
BoAA'ie,  formerly  a  collector  for  Kcav,  at  the  Cape  of  Good  Hope. 
The  bulbs  of  Chlorogaluin  pomeridianum  are  used  as  a  sub.sti- 
tnte  for  soap  in  California.  A  A'isible  benefit  might  be  the 
result  of  its  cultiA’ation  in  the  Transvaal. 
The  next  .section  to  be  considered  contains  the  caulescent 
genera,  i.e.,  those  Avith  leafy  stems  and  cap.sular  fruit.  They  have 
never  an  introrse  dehiscence  of  the  anthers,  in  this  respect  differ¬ 
ing  from  the  typical  Liliaceae.  This  group  contains  the  shoAviest 
plants  of  the  Order,  including  a  large  amount  of  garden  forms 
Avhich  in  their  Avild  state  are  chiefly  restricted  to  the  N.  Temperate 
regions.  The  tribe  Tulipeae,  Avhich  Ave  Avill  noAv  consider,  com¬ 
prises  200  specle.s  in  six  genera.  The  three  mo.st  important  are 
Lilium,  Fritillaria,  and  Tulipa. 
Lilium. 
Amongst  all  hardy  bulbous  plants  the  species  and  Amrieties 
of  this  genus  .stand  first ;  their  graceful  habit  and  rich  colouring 
making  them  invaluable  for  decoration  either  as  cut  floAvers  or 
border  plants.  They  are  derived  from  all  parts  of  the  Northern 
hemi-sphere,  and  are  mostly  found  groAving  in  fairly  gdod  soil, 
and  in  association  Avith  shi-ubs  or  other  plants  Avhich  shade  their 
roots,  keeping  them  cool,  and  at  the  .same  time  preventing 
cxcessiA’e  evaporation  of  moisture. 
The  majority  thriA^e  best  in  soil  rich  in  humus,  though  some 
give  excellent  results  in  ordinary  garden  .soil,  and  others  again 
Avill  hardly  exist  except  in  peat.  AVhen  planting,  hoAveA’er,  it  is 
adA'isable  to  place  a  layer  of  fibrous  peat  beloAv  the  bulbs,  and  to 
eiiAmlope  the  bnlbs  Avith  sharp  sand.  The  depth  they  shorild  be 
planted  at  depends  upon  sitnation  and  Amriety.  In  a  protected 
situation  the  bulbs  of  such  forms  as  L.  parvum,  Greyi,  and 
♦  A  paper  read  before  the  Kew  Gardeners’  Guild  by  Donald  MacGregor.  The 
sequence  is  based  on  Mr.  .1.  G.  Baker’s  clas.sification. 
