57 



CHAPTER XII. 



GENUS ljj:lia. 



This is also a splendid genus, of the pseudo- 

 bulbous class ; they are found in different parts 

 of South America, growing in a very low tem- 

 perature and a damp atmosphere. They are 

 rather difficult to manage when first imported. 



My method of cultivation, is to place the smaller 

 ones on blocks of wood covered with sphagnum, 

 and suspend them in as light a place as possible, 

 but not allowing the full rays of the sun to shine 

 on them ; if grown in pots, I use a good drainage 

 for them, and a mixture of chopped sphagnum, 

 turfy peat, and a few small potsherds, all mixed 

 together, and the plant elevated a little above the 

 rim; in growing them this way they will not re- 

 quire so much water, as if grown on blocks of 

 wood; they require to be kept constantly moist 

 while growing, or else their bulbs will not come 

 to perfection ; the species L. superhiens is said 

 to be one of the finest and at the same time the 

 most difficult of all ORCHiDEiE to cultivate; the 



