72 ORNAMENTAL GARDENING 
ting out poison but if there is likelihood of continued trouble it 
is best to fasten the plants only on the vertical stems of trees, 
and not on horizontal or sloping surfaces. There are nocturnal 
insects that eat the leaves of Orchids, which could probably be 
held in check by spraying according to instructions in the chapter 
on insects. The only disease that has so far troubled my plants 
is a blight which breaks out suddenly and sometimes destroys 
a large plant in asingle day. The affected parts turn to a semi- 
transparent brown and become soft as though they had been 
boiled. I presume that it is the work of a fungus. Slitting the 
sheaths that surround the pseudobulbs and removing them, in 
case there are indications of trouble, isa good thing, and thorough 
dusting with sulfur is excellent. Cut away and burn all diseased 
parts. 
I would advise every one who has hammock and cultivates 
ornamental plants to try at least a few Orchids. One can start 
with the Cattleyas, Dendrobiums, Epidendrums or Laelias; the 
cheaper plants are as good as any. Do not put them too high 
on the trees as it will be difficult to water and attend to them, 
and much of the fine effect of the flower is lost if they are out of 
reach. If one can have a background of thick foliage so much 
the better. 
One can even grow Orchids in a clump or grove of planted 
trees; all that is needed is shade, protection from strong wind 
and a reasonable degree of moisture in the air. One sometimes 
sees them growing in exposed places in full sunshine but I have 
had poor success in trying to establish them in such places. 
There is an indescribable charm about the Orchids and who- 
ever once becomes interested in them can never break away from 
their spell. The forms of their flowers are so strange, their text- 
ure is so delicate, their colors so soft and beautiful, often so won- 
derfully brilliant and bizarre that it is no wonder that they claim 
almost universal admiration, whether seen in Orchid houses or 
used for decoration. But to see them in perfection one must go 
into the dark, steamy, tropical forests where they naturally 
belong. Charles Kingsley said ‘‘Even to look up at them 
perched on bough and stem as one rides by, and to guess what 
exquisite and fantastic forms may issue, in a few months or weeks, 
