*1.1 the orchid review. 
November, 192 
should be looked upon as an ordinary plant and treated as an ordinary plant 
growing in a pot in a greenhouse, to be watered when dry and never watered 
when wet. Phrases such as “ putting plants in their resting quarters,” and 
“ more water will be now required,” are confusing to the beginner. What 
resting quarters can a man put his plants in who has only one house, antf 
what resting quarters are wanted anyway ? More water will be required at 
any season when the plant is dry, and it is pretty obvious that water will- 
have to be applied more frequently when the days are long and warm than 
when they are short and cold. So far then we have no mystery. ** Sufficient 
water only should be given to keep the plants from shrivelling ” is excellent 
advice for the beginner, who nearly always makes the mistake of over- 
watering. This is excellent advice in the summer and excellent advice in 
the winter. The “ growing ” and “ resting ” periods are outside the control 
of the cultivator, so why worry about them ? With some exceptions the 
Orchid is an ever-green, and literally speaking there is no resting period or 
drying period for these. All Orchids follow the natural law of responding 
to the seasons, and the cultivator can do little in forcing or retarding them,, 
nor should it be attempted too much if the health of the plant is valued. 
The wonder plants of the world are the Epiphytes, the tropical tree- 
dwellers, and in becoming tree dwellers they adapted themselves to their 
chosen abode by providing themselves with means of resistance to the 
changes and rigours they have to endure, and now expect to come. Keeping 
them constantly wet is what they or their ancesters were not brought up to, 
and to keep them “ tuned up ” they must be allowed to dry out at the 
roots at frequent intervals, and at all seasons. I am writing purposely 
broadly and include all evergreen pseudo-bulbous Orchids, for I cannot 
quickly remember an exception. And this treatment should be carried on 
spring and summer, autumn and winter. What treatment ? Water when 
dry or dryish. Immediately we begin to examine these tree dwellers we 
come to two of the most important sections of all the Orchids, namely 
Cattleyas and Odontoglossums; and these, because of their great beauty 
and amenable characters, were early seized upon by Orchid hybridisers for 
their Work, and have become the progenitors of the two most important 
hybrid groups. Less worthy in themselves, but with one or more desirable 
characteristics, allied genera have been linked on to these two, and though 
we still speak of the “ Cattleya ” house and the “ Odontoglossum ” house, 
the contents of these houses mean much more than the names convey. We 
have here two sections that contain endless kinds of Orchids, but this does 
not mean endless kinds of treatment: all the Cattleyas, all the Laelias, and 
all their relations by marriage require identical treatment, and particularly 
enjoy the “ tuning up ” process already mentioned by being allowed to- 
become dry or dryish at the roots before being given water. In the 
