OKCIIIDS : now TO GROW THEM SUCCESSFULLY. 49 



mixing it woll to^otlior and pressing it moderately firm into 

 the pots. I then press down the compost with a pointed stick, 

 making a furrow all round close to the rim of the pot, just 

 suflficiently deep to admit and st<'ady half-a-dozen of the litth* 

 seedlings, using the pointed stick in doing this, and I moisten the 

 tij) of the stick, generally with my tongue, as the tiny plants 

 then adhere to th(! point and can easily be deposited where 

 requinui. Previous to tilling the pots they should be soaked in 

 water, (^specially if new, or they quickly absorb the moisture 

 in the small amount of compost so necessary for the young 

 seedlings. Th(! couipost should also be thoroughly damped 

 previous to being used for the seedlings, after which the watering 

 of them is a delicat(^ operation, and must be done with the greatest 

 care, until the little plants are steadied by theii- own roots. 

 The pots containing the little seedlings are best nursed in th<' 

 small wood baskets used for Orchids, accommodating from eight 

 to a dozen pots in each, and suspending them close under the 

 roof, where they are shaded from the direct rays of the sun. 

 The baskets in which the pots are to stand should have more 

 cross bars fixed in the bottom, to prevent their falling through — 

 the air will then pass up between them and lessen the chance 

 <^f too much moisture collecting around them, which is to be 

 avoided. These very small pots, however, dry very quickly, 

 and should be examined at least once every day and water given 

 to the dry ones. I usually apply the water by dipping the hand 

 into the water and let it drip 'gently from the fingers on to the 

 plants, but it can be done in various other ways, so that it is 

 done gently and without disturbing the little plants. Especial 

 care should be taken with the seedlings dming their resting 

 season, as such small plants wdll not stand the same amount of 

 drying and resting as estabHshed plants which have large pseudo 

 bulbs and have a much larger mass of material about their roots 

 to retain the moisture, the probability of the seedling plants 

 becoming seriously dry must be guarded against. Some cultivators 

 recommend that they should be kept wet and in a growing state, 

 both winter and summer, but I object to this treatment on the 

 ground that although the plants may possibly be brought into 

 bloom a little earlier, those that have always been stewed in heat 

 are seldom strong, nor have they the robust constitution necessary 

 to maintain a lengthened existence; it is, therefore, wisest to 



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