a12 THE ORCHID REVIEW. (APRIL, 1923. 
CULTURAL: BNOTES: 
By J. COLLIER, Gardener to SIR JEREMIAH COLMAN, Bart., Gatton Park, Reigate. 
LL Cultivators of Orchids will derive a considerable amount of 
pleasure and interest during the present month by looking through 
their collections and noting how quickly a number of different species and 
hybrids have responded to the influence of the increased light and sun-heat. 
A great many of the plants have commenced to grow, new roots are 
pushing rapidly through the soil, and fresh flower spikes appear every day. 
The growing season of the majority of the plants has begun, and the 
conditions essential for their development must be given attention. 
Miltonias are among the numerous plants that are now growing freely and 
pushing forth flower spikes from their partly developed pseudo-bulbs; at 
this stage every precaution must be taken against thrip insects, which if not 
kept in check will attack the tender flower buds, causing them to become 
deformed. The foliage should be syringed on bright days, which will not 
only keep down thrips, but will also be beneficial to the growth of the 
plants. The syringing should be done sufficiently early in the day for the 
foliage to become dry before night arrives. The house should receive 
frequent mild fumigations with a reliable vapourising Compound. Where 
the flower spikes are not too far developed the plants may be dipped over- 
head once every two weeks, in a weak solution of quassia extract, at the 
rate of half a pint of the quassia to two gallons of rain water, after dipping, 
lay the plants on their sides to drain, in such a position as to prevent the 
solution coming into contact with the roots. 
CALANTHES.—The deciduous Calanthes, Veitchii, vestita, Harrisii, and 
others of this section, will need potting when the new growths are a few 
inches high, and are about to emit fresh roots from their bases. Previous 
to repotting, turn the plants out of their pots and remove all the old rooting 
materials, and shorten the roots, leaving just sufficient length to hold the 
pseudo-bulb firm in the soil. Thoroughly cleanse the plants of scale insects. 
In all these operations take care not to injure the young shoots. Remove 
the back pseudo-bulbs, leaving those of the previous year. As regards 
repotting, the usual practice is to plant the largest size pseudo-bulbs singly 
into five or six inch pots, but if house room is limited, five or six moderate 
sized bulbs, or three or four of the large ones, may be potted in seven inch 
pots. Perfect drainage is essential, the pots should be about half filled 
with clean crocks, covered with a thin layer of fresh turfy-loam, or rough 
sphagnum moss: a suitable compost consists of good fibrous-loam broken 
up rather roughly and the earthy particles shaken out, some chopped 
Osmunda fibre, a little dried cow dung crushed small, some bone meal, and 
add sufficient crushed crocks to render the whole porous. These materials 
