MaRCcH, 1915-] THE ORCHID REVIEW. ne 
Undoubtedly a great deal of the grower’s time will be occupied at this 
season in such necessary work as watering, damping down, shading, &c., 
but it is advisable to spare as much as possible in preparing a good store of 
the various substances used for potting, so that later on there will be no 
vexatious postponements of the work. Sphagnum moss should be carefully 
_ picked clear from leaves and rubbish, and afterwards washed thoroughly in 
luke-warm water, so that slugs and their eggs may be got rid of. This, of 
course, takes considerable time to do, but certainly not more than the 
constant hunting among the plants for these pests that are rarely ever 
caught until some valuable flower spikes have been destroyed. Plenty of 
osmunda fibre and A 1 fibre should be cleaned, cut up, and freed from as 
much dust as possible. If very dry, damp it lightly with a fine sprayer, 
and stow it away ready for use. 
CALANTHES.—The deciduous Calanthes, Thunias, Cyrtopodiums, &c., 
will soon be ready for repotting, and the principal soil needed for them is 
good fibrous yellow loam, which should be got in, and, if possible, laid in a 
suitable place to dry, nol too close to the hot-water pipes or boilers, but 
somewhere where it can gradually get just warm before being made use of, 
otherwise, if employed in a cold, damp state, some of the growths just 
starting may receive a check. When sufficiently warm the loam should be 
carefully picked over, selecting only the best fibrous pieces, and doing away 
with all the finest particles. Fresh cow-dung, which forms an excellent 
manure for Calanthes, should be collected and exposed to the sun till it is 
fairly dry, when it may be rubbed through a fine sieve and spread out 
thinly, keeping it turned over occasionally until quite dry. 
East INDIAN HOUSE.—Plants of Vanda teres and V. Hookeriana, with 
the hybrids Miss Joaquim and Marguerite Maron, will soon commence to 
grow afresh. Those plants that for several months past have been resting 
in a cooler division under comparatively dry conditions should now be 
removed to this house. — It is advisable to arrange them at one end of the 
house, where they may receive uninterrupted sunlight, and only shading 
them during the hottest days of summer, or whenever scorching of the top- 
most leaves is feared. From the present time syringe the plants overhead 
at least once a day, and in bright weather two or three times, and keep 
their surroundings moist at all times. If the growths are strong enough 
they should, under these conditions, produce large spikes aud highly- 
coloured flowers. 
IPsEA spEcIosA.—While writing about growing these terete-leaved 
Vandas in comparatively full sunshine, I am reminded of the rare Ipsea 
speciosa, a terrestrial Orchid which is a native of Ceylon, and possesses 
tuberous roots. It isa plant easy to grow, and is well worthy of cultivation. 
The flower spikes are about one foot long, and each bears several fairly 
