f 
up throughout the dull months of winter by having a sufficient number of plants and 
starting them successively into blossom. 
These Calanthes are very accommodating, since they will thrive well in baskets 
suspended from the roof, as well as in pots suspended by wire in the same way 
as the baskets; they will also thrive in pots standing on the tables, where room 
is not an object. If grown in baskets, they will require more water in their growing 
season. We prefer them grown in this manner where there is room, as they look 
so pleasing with their spikes hanging gracefully from the roof. Where hundreds of 
spikes have to be produced, as for instance is the case with Mr. C. Penny, of 
Sandringham Gardens, for decorating the Prince of Wales’ table, the effect produced is 
charming, and even for filling large vases they form a most elegant adornment. 
They are of easy cultivation when they get the treatment they require. Like 
all other deciduous and bulbous plants their blooming season follows that of the 
completion of the growth of the bulbs, and their growing season commences when they 
have finished blooming, after which they will soon begin to throw up their young 
growths. When this is observed, let them be fresh potted. We have found it best 
to do this every year, as they lose all their old roots annually. We shake the 
soil away and cut off all the roots, and repot them, when, as soon as they begin 
to grow, they will send out their new roots into fresh soil. The material we use for 
potting is good rough fibrous loam and leaf mould, with a little rotten manure, 
mixing them well together, and giving good drainage with a layer of rough peat and 
moss on the top of it. In potting, fill the pot up with the soil and place the 
bulb on the top, just making it firm; it will soon root and support itself. If 
planted in baskets, it is necessary to place some rough fibrous peat round the sides 
and at the bottom to keep the soil from washing out; fill the basket up with the 
same kind of compost as that recommended for the pots, with drainage at the 
bottom ; place the bulbs upright in the basket, about three in number, on the top 
of the soil, and finish by giving a little water. After the plants get into growth 
and are making roots freely, they should always be kept moist until they have 
finished their growth, when a_ less copious supply will suffice ; and after they have 
bloomed they may be kept dry for a time until they are ready for potting. When 
the plants are in vigorous growth a little manure water may, with advantage, be 
applied to their roots once or twice a week, but it must be well diluted before 
being used, as, if given too strong, it might destroy the roots. oe 
We find the East India house to suit these Calanthes best, or they will nth 
well in a house where stove plants are grown. They are propagated by separating: 
the pseudobulbs at the time they are potted, and as they generally _ wae 
growths from one bulb the increase- is comparatively rapid. Like other orchidaceous- 
plants, they must be kept free from insects. 
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