ersluys had excuse
enough. Who could have expected to see an Oncidium buried in long grass,
exposed to the full power of a tropic sun?

_Oncidium Lanceanum_ is, perhaps, the hottest of its genus. Those happy
mortals who can grow it declare they have no trouble, but unless
perfectly strong and healthy it gets "the spot," and promptly goes to
wreck. In the houses of the "New Plant and Bulb Company," at
Colchester--now extinct--_Onc. Lanceanum_ flourished with a vigour
almost embarrassing, putting forth such enormous leaves, as it hung
close to the glass, as made blinds quite superfluous at midsummer. But
this was an extraordinary case. Certainly it is a glorious spectacle in
flower--yellow, barred with brown; the lip violet. The spikes last a
month in full beauty--sometimes two.

An Oncidium which always commands attention from the public and grateful
regard from the devotee is _Onc. papilio_. Its strange form fascinated
the Duke of Devonshire, grandfather to the present, who was almost the
first of our lordly amateurs, and tempted him to undertake the
explorations which introduced so many fine plants to Europe.

The "Butterfly orchid" is so familiar that I do not pause to describe
it. But imagine that most interesting flower all blue, instead of gold
and brown! I have never been able to learn what was the foundation of
the old belief in such a marvel. But the great Lindley went to his grave
in unshaken confidence that a blue _papilio_ exists. Once he thought he
had a specimen; but it flowered, and his triumph had to be postponed. I
myself heard of it two years back, and tried to cherish a belief that
the news was true. A friend from Natal assured me that he had seen one
on the table of the Director of the Gardens at Durban; but it proved to
be one of those terrestrial orchids, so lovely and so tantalizing to us,
with which South Africa abounds. Very slowly do we lengthen the
catalogue of them in our houses. There are gardeners, such as Mr. Cook
at Loughborough, who grow _Disa grandiflora_ like a weed. Mr. Watson of
Kew demonstrated that _Disa racemosa_ will flourish under conditions
easily secured. I had the good fortune to do as much for _Disa
Cooperi_, though not by my own skill. One supreme little triumph is
mine, however. In very early days, when animated with the courage of
utter ignorance, I bought eight bulbs of _Disa discolor_, and flowered
them, every one! No mortal in Europe had done it before, nor has any
t