52 



CHAPTER X. 



THE GENUS CATTLEYA. 



Cattle YAS are, beyond question, among the 

 finest of Orchide^ : their flowers are generally 

 large and splendidly shaded with various hues. 

 They are inhabitants of South America, luxuri- 

 ating in places possessing a temperature of 60'^ 

 to 70^, and frequently damp almost to excess ; the 

 rains in such situations being very heavy at cer- 

 tain times ; but under artificial treatment less 

 water is required, and while resting very little 

 indeed will suffice, neither should they be al- 

 lowed to make more than two growths in a year, 

 as it causes them to become weak and not flower so 

 fine when three growths are made in one season. 



The system that I recommend for their culti- 

 vation is in middling sized pots, as they seldom 

 require moving ; the pots should be three parts 

 filled with broken sherds to give a good drainage, 

 for if that is not done the plants will soon be- 

 come sickly, and from which state they seldom 

 can be recovered. 



The mould that I prefer for them is peat, na- 



