DISEASES OF ORCHIDS. bl 



these are found there are always plenty of small ants, so that 

 there must be something for these pests to live upon, or they 

 would not be followed by these busy insects that are always 

 searching for food. If the Scale is not destroyed, it will in 

 time infest the whole house of plants. The practice of clean- 

 liness by Orchid growers will be found the right road to secure 

 success in the cultivation of their plants. 



The WooDLOUSE and the small Snail {Helix alliaria) are 

 also very destructive. These, like the cockroach, are very 

 fond of the young roots ; they may be trapped by cutting 

 some potatos in two, scooping out the inside, and placing 

 them on the pots and baskets, looking them over every 

 night and morning till the house is cleared of the vermin. 

 Turnips cut in slices will answer the same end. Small 

 flower-pots, with some dry moss at the bottom, also form 

 capital traps for the woodlouse ; lay them on their sides in 

 different parts of the house, and examine them frequently-, 

 destroying those which are caught. Toads are very useful 

 in catching these pests, and a few placed in a house prove 

 very serviceable. 



DISEASES OF ORCHIDS. 



RCHIDS are subject to diseases in their leaves, 

 stems, and pseudobulbs, especially during the 

 damp months of winter. Of these the most in- 

 jurious are the Rot and the Spot. 



The Rot, which is apt to assail the thick fleshy bulbs, is 

 caused by too much moisture in the house. When the heat 

 is low, the drip from the glass will sometimes fall on the 

 crowns of the pseudobulbs, and this soon causes them to rot. 

 Steam is also very injurious in a house during the winter ; it 



