The Culture of Greenhouse Orchids 



I have heard an enthusiastic advocate declare that 

 if siifScient depth of chopped moss be provided, 

 they never rise above it, so attractive is the leaf- 

 mould to their appetite. He exaggerated, but it 

 is true that the roots are much more inclined to 

 keep within the pot — and this is clearly an 

 advantage if they draw sustenance from the mould ; 

 even if they do not, it is a convenience. For 

 straggling roots get broken, dry up, fall a prey to 

 slugs if there be any about. On this last point I 

 had evidence a day or two ago. A monstrous slug 

 found its way to my Odontoglots somehow. Had 

 they been potted as formerly, it was big enough to 

 do much mischief But before I caught a glimpse 

 of its slimy track, at midnight, it had passed from 

 plant to plant over half a shelf, seeking what it 

 could devour — and found scarcely a bite, for all 

 the roots were covered up. Another curious fact 

 asserted is that roots do not cling to the earthen- 

 ware inside, and so do not get broken in repotting 

 — an enormous advantage. Personal experience 

 inclines me to believe that they do not cling so 

 often or so strongly. 



We return to our cool orchids. The leaf-mould 

 treatment is quite as effective with them as with 

 warm species ; and all that has been said above 

 applies, except the rule for watering. Odontoglots — 



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