AXn THEIR MANAGEMENT. 15 



Insect and other Pests. 

 and should he not have taken means to prevent them from 

 reaching the growing plants. This ma}' be effectuall)- 

 done by placing the plant upon an inxerted flower-pot 

 and standing this in a saucer with water all round. 

 This also will ser\-e to protect the plants from Cock- 

 roaches and Woodlice. 



" Spot " in Orchids is a disfiguring disease, doubtless of 

 fungoid origin, and certain conditions of the house tend to 

 promote it. In winter it is oftener met with than at other 

 times, and especialh- when there is a great deal of moisture 

 accompanied b}- a stagnant atmosphere. The remedy 

 therefore is obvious. 



STRUCTURE AND OTHER 

 PECULIARITIES. 



Before entering upon the description of those members 

 of the Orchid famil}' which have been selected for special 

 consideration as garden plants, it will be well to gi\-e a 

 slight sketch of the Order, and to glance at those points 

 of structure b\- which it is distinguished. There is pro- 

 babh' no Order in the whole Vegetable Kingdom the limits 

 of which are more clearl}' defined ; and there is certainl)' 

 none which, ^\•ithin those limits, exhibits more \ariet)- than 

 the one now before us in the colour, shape, or odour of 

 its blossoms. It is in the structure of the flowers, too, 

 that we find the features that speciall)- characterise the 

 Order. 



It is not proposed to go into a botanical disquisition 

 upon the structure of an Orchidaceous flower ; but there 

 are one or two terms connected ^\■ith it that are of con- 

 stant occurrence, and may therefore be fitly explained here. 

 In an ordinary regular flower, such as the Buttercup, we 

 have, besides the stamens and pistils, two outer rows — one 

 of petals, forming the corolla, and one of sepals, forming 

 the calyx. In dicotyledonous plants, the calyx, speaking 

 generally, is green, and the corolla coloured, so that they 

 are easily distinguishable ; but in such monocotyledons as 

 the Hyacinth or the Tulip, the petals and sepals are 

 almost or quite indistinguishable, and the whole flower goes 

 by the name of a perianth, the three outer segments being. 



