ON THE CULTIVATION OF BRITISH OECHIDS. 29 



that those planted with balls of earth never thrive well or live 

 long, owing, no doubt, to the native soil becoming sour by 

 being inserted in tliat of a different texture. I have never found 

 it necessary to use any chalk in the soil even for those which 

 are natives of chalk hills. When in Surrey, charcoal was not 

 then used as an ingredient in soils for pot-plants, but I have 

 since found it serviceable in the culture of native Orchids ; it 

 keeps the soil open and porous, and thereby becomes a pre- 

 ventive of sourness and clamminess after heavy rains in winter. 

 Charcoal should also be used in a coarse state for drainage, for 

 their roots run freely amongst it. In watering, the system of 

 little and often is preferable to giving a large supply at one time ; 

 indeed more plants have perished by an over supply at one 

 watering than by all other causes put together ; it is also bene- 

 ficial occasionally to remove some of the top soil, and to replace 

 it with fresh mould, so as to keep the surface pervious to air and 

 sun. The following is a list of sorts with Avhose culture 1 have 

 been pretty successful. 



Orchis Morio, L, — This is pretty generally distributed over 

 moist clayey soils ; it requires to be kept in pots in loam and 

 peat mixed with a little sand ; several roots may be planted in 

 one pot, which should be well drained. They may be preserved 

 for years if kept tolerably dry in winter and sheltered from spring- 

 frosts. 



O. 7nascula, L. — grows on clay soils, chiefly in or near cop- 

 pices, and in some places is very abundant. It does tolerably 

 well in the open border ; if kept in pots, tlie latter should be 

 rather large, as it makes strong roots. Pot with loam, peat, and 

 sand, using plenty of drainage, and let the plants be kept rather 

 dry during winter, and protected from frost in spring. 



O.fusca, Jacq. — I have had but little experience with this, 

 having only received some plants when in flower last year, and 

 without fibres left to their roots. They were potted in a mix- 

 ture of loam, peat, and sand, with the pots well drained, and 

 were placed in a cold frame ; they ripened tlieir leaves and 

 stems, and again came up strongly this spring, and were doing 

 satisfactorily until by some oversight they received a deluge of 

 water over head and in the hearts of the leaves, which soon 

 perished, and the tubers probably also perished soon afterwards. 



O. ustulata, L. — This small but pretty species is a native of 

 dry sunny chalk-banks, and must be kept in pots at all times in 

 a mixture of peat, loam, and sand. The pots should be well 

 drained and placed in a cool shaded frame all the year. By a 

 shaded frame is meant one so placed that the mid-clay sun does 

 not reach it, and not darkened by a shading of mats. 



O. maculala^ L. — is one of the most common of the British 



