POTTING EPIPHYTAL ORCHIDS. 17 



tion. The montlis of February and March are very suitable 

 for potting some of them — that is, after the resting season. 

 Those that do not require potting should be top-dressed with 

 good fibrous peat and moss, the old soil being removed from 

 the surface without breaking the roots of the plants. This 

 operation afi'ords the means of getting rid of many insects 

 which harbour in the old soil. The pots should be thoroughly 

 cleansed from the mould, moss, and dirt, too often seen 

 covering those in which Orchids are growing. Cleanliness is 

 one of the greatest secrets in the successful gi'owth of these 

 plants. Previously to potting the plants they should not 

 receive any water for four or five days. Some species should 

 be potted at a somewhat later period, viz., just as they begin 

 to grow. All the species of Phajiis, Calanthe, Dendrohium, 

 Stanhopea, Cyrtopodium, Brassia, Miltonia, Sobralia, Bletia, 

 Oncidiwn, and many others, require this treatment ; whilst 

 those of Lalia, Cattleya, Saccolabium, Aerides, Vanda, and 

 similar plants, should be potted just before the commence- 

 ment of their growing season. 



The chief point to be attended to in all potting is that the 

 pots should be well drained, the best material for drainage 

 being potsherds or charcoal. Before potting, be particular to 

 have the pots perfectly clean and dry, inside and out, and 

 the broken potsherds should be washed. After this is done, 

 select a pot in accordance with the size of the plant, but do 

 not give too much pot-room. Some plants require shifting 

 once a year, while it may not be necessary to shift others 

 oftener than once in two or three years ; but if a plant 

 becomes sickly or soddened with wet, the best way to bring 

 it back into a healthy state is to tm-n it out of the pot or 

 basket, and wash the roots carefully with some clean tepid 

 water, cutting off such of them as are dead ; and then to 

 re-pot it, not giving it much water till it begins to make 



