ORCHIDS 



369 



and sides. Another useful style of bamboo pot for orchids is afford- 

 ed by a longitudinal section of the joint, with the corners rounded 

 off; thin copper wire should be strung through the margins to hold 

 the plant and potting material in position, a layer of coir fibre or 

 beaten coconut husk being placed between the material and the 

 wires. For epiphytes, a potting mixture consisting of old bark, 



GIANT ORCHID. Graiimiiitopliylliiiii spcciosnm. 



broken crocks or pieces of porous brick and some sphagnum moss 

 is essential. Peat is usually an excellent ingredient in mixtures for 

 orchids, but is not procurable in Ceylon. Sphagnum moss is diffi- 

 cult to obtain, being only found in a limited area on Horton Plains 

 in Ceylon. Bracken roots are a useful component in orchid 

 mixtures, and being common up-country, is easily obtained. Coir 

 ribre, which should be well-leached, is a most serviceable material 



