32 oechid-grom'er's manual. 



be careful not to give too much water at first ; but when the plants 

 begin to make fresh roots they may have a more plentiful supply. 



The best material to be used for basketing the East Indian kinds, 

 such as Aerides, Vanda, Phalaenopsis, SaccolaUum, and similar growing 

 kinds, is sphagnum moss and broken potsherds. The basket should be 

 suited to the size of the plant; it should not be too large, for it will not 

 last more than a few years if made of wood, by which time, probably, 

 the plant will require shifting into a larger one. There should first be 

 placed a layer of moss at the bottom of the bcsket, then a few potsherds, 

 and then the whole should be filled up with moss and potsherds mixed. 

 Take the plants carefully out of the old basket, without breaking the 

 roots, remove all the old moss, place the plant on the new material, 

 about level with the top of the basket, fix a stick in the centre, to keep 

 it firm, cover the roots neatly with a layer of moss, and finish off by 

 giving a gentle watering. 



Those plants that require billets of wood to grow upon should have 

 live moss attached to the blocks, if by experience they are found to 

 require it. Some species, however, do better on bare blocks, but they 

 need more frequent waterings, as they are then almost entirely dependent 

 on what is obtained from the atmosphere. The plants must be fastened 

 firmly on the blocks, by means of copper or galvanised iron nails, which 

 are to be driven into the block, and then, with copper wire, the plants 

 must be firmly secured to the surface of the wood. As soon as they 

 make fresh roots they will cling to the block, and the wire may be 

 taken away. 



POTTINQ TERRESTRIAL ORCHIDS. 



THESE require a stronger compost than the epiphytal kinds, but do 

 not need so much drainage. They should be potted just when 

 they begin to grow, after the resting season. The compost we prefer to 

 use for many of them is turfy loam chopped into pieces about the size of 

 a walnut, leaf mould or peat, and a little rotten cow manure, all being 

 mixed thoroughly together ; but again there are many kinds which 

 require the soil to be composed of loam and limestone, and indeed, will 

 not grow without it, and this has been the cause of failure with many of 



