RESTING ORCHIDS 45 



easy to do much mischief by subjecting them to a too 

 prolonged and rigorous resting time. Seedling Orchids, 

 as a rule, require little or no resting season until after their 

 first flowering, and Cattleyas, Laeliocattleyas, and other 

 evergreen hybrids require a rather shorter period of rest 

 than deciduous species. 



Bulbophyllums, Cirrhopetalums, and many other small- 

 growing Orchids are frequently killed by attempting to give 

 them a dry resting season, although there is a section which 

 lose their leaves in winter like the deciduous Dendrobiums, 

 and these are benefited by being dried off in a cooler house 

 when the leaves fall, keeping them dry until growth starts 

 again, in the same manner as Dendrobium nobile, D. War- 

 dianum, D. crassinode, and other deciduous Dendrobiums. 



The evergreen Dendrobiums of the D. densiflorum and 

 D. Farmeri class require a short rest in a lower tempera- 

 ture, and should be watered a little occasionally, especially 

 if they show a tendency to shrivel, which is not a good 

 thing for any Orchid. 



Aerides, Vandas, and Saccolabiums require a lower 

 temperature in winter, and less water. Many of these begin 

 to grow in March ; after that season they require heat and 

 moisture more liberally. 



As a rule, the plants themselves give the best indication 

 when the resting season has arrived, and, in the case of 

 those which lose their leaves, they show how much rest is 

 necessary. The starting of the new growth indicates when 

 growing conditions should be restored. In respect to the 

 very small-growing species, and especially evergreen kinds, 

 it is much better to ignore the resting season rather than 

 to lower the vitality of the plants by a severe drying off. 



