52 ORCHIDS: HOW TO GROW THEM SUCCESSFULLY. 



leaves have appeared, as much as possible until the bulb is formed, 

 never allowing the plant to get thoroughly dry. I do not mean by 

 this that it should at any period be kept constantly saturated. After 

 the bulb is quite matured, water must again be gradually withheld, 

 and it will then become so hardened that during the winter months 

 water can probably be withheld for a long period, without shrivelling 

 from the dryness of the atmosphere or the amount of fire heat required. 

 This applies also to such plants Coelogynes, Cattleyas, Lselias, 

 Anguloas, Catasetums, Morrnodes, Epideiidrums, Lycastes, Chysis, 

 Trichopilias, and Thunias. 



The following, viz. : Oncidiums, Odontoglossums, Vandas, Aerides, 

 Saccolabiums, Phalsenopsis, Miltonias, Masdevallias, Cymbidiums, 

 Angrsecums, Adas, and Cypripediums, will require more water at the 

 roots all through the winter months, but those which are dormant 

 should be kept comparatively dry, only watering when the surface of 

 the compost assumes a white appearance and is slightly crisp to the 

 touch. It will be as well for amateurs to adopt the following rules in 

 watering : Never give a plant a little water because it is not dry 

 enough to water thoroughly. If there should be any doubt as to the 

 plant being sufficiently dry to require watering let it remain until the 

 following day, when, should it be in a suspended pan or basket, let it 

 be taken down and dipped in water, or, if in a pot, give it a good 

 drenching with the watering can, bearing in mind that the Orchids in 

 the smaller pots require more frequent waterings than those in the 

 larger ones always watering the compost, not the foliage. These 

 remarks apply in a sense to watering in winter as well as summer, but 

 during the winter months I do not exactly mean that a plant which 

 is resting should be absolutely saturated by letting it soak in water, as 

 it would be a long time before it was again dry. If it is a plant 

 resting, simply give the surface of the compost a good watering with a 

 watering can, and much will run off, but enough will soak in the 

 compost to revive the plant, and that is sufficient. Make it a practice, 

 should any water lodge in the young growths of such species as 

 Cattleyas, Laelias, and Dendrobiums, to dry it out by means of a 

 camel's hair brush. With Orchids of the same character as Odonto- 

 glossums and Oncidiums, this precaution is unnecessary during the 

 summer months. 



Eesting is merely a term employed, which denotes that the plant 

 has finished its season's growth, and henceforth lapses into a dormant 

 state until the proper season arrives for renewed activity; plants which 

 are at rest require but little water. 



DESIRABLE POSITIONS FOR THE PLANTS. 



In our glasshouses we cannot closely imitate the conditions under 

 which the plants grow in their native habitats; still it is decidedly 



