ORCHIDS : HOW TO GROW THEM SUCCESSFULLY. 51 



probability of the seedling plants becoming seriously dry must b? 

 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 

 grow on the seedlings in a similar temperature to that in which the 

 old plants have been grown. 



DISEASES OF OECHIDS. 



Orchids, like all other plants, are subject to disease, but this 

 appears most frequently where a wrong course of treatment has been 

 followed. Cattleyas and Leelias are sometimes attacked by a fungoid 

 growth which causes the pseudobulbs and leaves to be marked their 

 whole length with black marks and spots, and if not stopped in time it 

 quickly destroys the plant by causing the pores to rot and become 

 putrid. When these marks are observed the darkened point should be 

 cut through with a sharp knife up the entire length of the mark, and a 

 little dry slaked lime rubbed into the cut this will sometimes prevent 

 the disease from spreading any further. The disease, however, rarely 

 occurs amongst healthy plants, and it may generally be attributed to 

 a badly ventilated atmosphere, or to the compost about the roots being 

 in a highly decomposed state. The genus Phalsenopsis are subject to a 

 disease known as "Spot," which, if not cut out and powdered with 

 lime or charcoal dust, will quickly spread. This " Spot" is caused by 

 bad ventilation, and when the growth is too "sappy," or from an 

 excess of moisture during the dull days of winter. The foliage of 

 Miltonia vexillaria is also subject to spotting, but only when it is 

 grown in too cold a temperature, kept too wet, or when insufficient air 

 is given during winter. The same may be said of Vanda cserulea, 

 which is a plant that must be grown in a light, airy, and moderately 

 warm atmosphere during the winter, or the leaves will become badly 

 spotted. In fact all Orchids have some ailments, more or less severe 

 if their treatment is wrong, and the safest plan is to well ascertain their 

 requirements and see that these are obtained as nearly as possible. 



WATERING AND RESTING ORCHIDS. 

 This must be regulated by their season of growth. For instance, 

 a Dendrobium just starting into growth in early spring will require 

 only very little water, just enough to prevent the compost from 

 becoming dust dry, or in other words, enough to support the old bulbs 

 with nourishment. When the growth gets a few inches high it will 

 begin to make roots on its own account, and it is then that water may 

 be gradually increased. Encourage this growth, after three or four 



