OEC 



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at the bottom of tlie pot ; then place 

 some rather smaller pieces of the same, 

 and over these the smallest ones. 

 Altogether the pot ought to be three 

 parts filled with this drainage. This 

 point is of the utmost importance, for 

 if the plants are not superlatively well- 

 drained they will not thrive long or 

 satisfactorily. Over this drainage place 

 a thin layer of charcoal, and then a 

 layer of the turfy peat, mixing with it 

 some broken pots and charcoal. Intro- 

 duce the plant now, and spread the 

 roots, if many, all over the surface of 

 the compost, working it amongst them, 

 gradually filling it in till the pot is full, 

 and keeping the body of the plant \vell 

 up ; raise the compost up about two or 

 three inches above the level of the edge 

 of the pot in proportion to its width. 

 A small pot need not have the plant 

 above one incli raised, a middling plant 

 two inches, and for the largest sized 

 plant three inches will be sufficient. 

 The whole of the plant, psuedo-bulbs 

 and all, excepting the roots, ought to 

 stand clear up above the compost. It 

 will be loose and ready to tumble over 

 if of such kinds as Cattleyas or Dendro- 

 biums; to prevent which, thrust into the 

 compost some stout sticks, and tie 

 each psuedo-bulb to each stick firmly. 

 These will secure the plant, and give it 

 a neat, tidy appearance. 



Orchids in Baskets. A considerable 

 number of species require baskets, be- 

 cause the flower-stems are pendant, 

 and, consequently, naturally require a 

 position to allow the flowers to grow 

 down. In fact, some send the flower- 

 sterns perpendicularly down through 

 the soil or compost. Now, if these 

 are grown in pots, the flower-stems run 

 down into the soil, and there perish. 

 It is true they have been grown in 

 pots on a hillock built up six inches or 

 a foot above the rim of the pot, and 

 then part of the flower- stems manage 

 to find their way to the outside of the 

 little mound j but a considerable num- 

 ber descend straight downwards, and 

 soon rot for want of air and light. By 

 growing them in baskets this evil is 

 prevented, and every raceme (bunch) 

 of flowers arrives at perfection. 



The baskets should bu of u biiie suit- 



able for small plants small ones re- 

 quiring only small baskets, middling 

 ones the middle-sized, and large ones 

 in proportion. The way to basket the 

 plants is this : Have the peat or com- 

 post prepared exactly as for potting 

 above-mentioned ; cover the bottom of 

 the basket with a thin layer of moss 

 green would do, though we prefer white, 

 or sphagnum. This moss is to prevent 

 the peat from dropping through the 

 openings between the rods forming the 

 bottom. Then place a portion of peat 

 upon the moss. In the next place, 

 prepare the plant by taking it out of 

 the old basket or pot, or perhaps on" 

 from a log. Do this as carefully as 

 possible without injuring the living 

 roots. If the old peat, in which it 

 has been growing, perhaps, for years, 

 is very hard, and the living roots are 

 so firmly attached to it that they cannot 

 be detached without breaking them, 

 take the plant and put it into the 

 cistern, and let it remain there till the 

 peat is thoroughly soaked. Take it 

 out, and set it in some convenient 

 place to drain off the water. If this is 

 done a full week before you intend to 

 re- basket the plant, it will be all the 

 easier to do ; the object being to soften 

 the peat so as to be able to pick away, 

 with a small-pointed stick, as much of 

 the old peat as possible. Examine, also, 

 the pseudo-bulbs and leaves, and clean 

 them thoroughly from dirt and insects. 

 Prune away all dead roots, and then 

 the plant will be ready to be put in its 

 new habitation. Place it in the middle 

 of the basket, and fill in all round it 

 with the new compost. Set the basket 

 then on the floor, and, with the syringe 

 held pretty close to the peat, give it a 

 good watering, forcing the water out of 

 the syringe pretty strongly : this will 

 be found to make the compost firm, 

 so that future waterings will not wash 

 it off the basket on to the floor, or 

 plants underneath. One thing we 

 would especially guard our readers 

 against, and that is, having the baskets 

 made deep. Some may have an idea 

 that if the plants have a large lot of 

 stuff to grow in they will thrive better 

 and produce more flowers, but this is 

 u mistaken notion. The roots of orchids 



