There is no doubt that the Comparettias require great care to keep them in 
perfect health, mdeed, nearly all this class of Orchids require special attention. We 
have found the Cattleya house the most suitable place to grow them in. They 
should have a position where they can get plenty of light, and hence should be 
suspended from the roof near the glass, but though a little sun will not. harm them, 
they must also be shaded from the burning sun during summer. Baskets or pans 
will be the best receptacles in which to cultivate them; and the potting material we 
use is sphagnum moss and fibrous peat, with good drainage, taking care not to place 
too much of this material about the roots. A few lumps of charcoal, mixed with the 
moss and peat, will attract the roots to adhere to them, and thus cause them to grow 
more freely. The materials used about the roots must always be kept fresh. and 
sweet, as they dislike stagnant soil about them, and in fact will not endure it. 
They will also thrive on blocks with live sphagnum moss. They require to be 
kept moist during their growing period, and even in_ their resting season they 
should not be allowed to get dry, for if they commence to shrivel they will soon 
pine away, having no thick fleshy bulbs to draw upon for their support. 
These plants do not like to be disturbed or cut about. They require all the 
care that can be bestowed upon them, and when a place has been found which 
suits-them it is wise to let them remain in it. If they will not thrive in one 
part of the house try them in another, but never give up in despair. If one 
plant fails, try another healthy plant in a different aspect of the house, for they 
will frequently succeed in one part and fail in another; if that particular house 
should not suit them remove them to one of a different aspect and temperature. It is 
most astonishing to see how various plants will thrive under a different treatment 
and in different positions as to light. There is much yet to be learned by an 
intelligent study of these points. 
