26o THE ORCHID REVIEW. 



" There are several varieties of Phaius very easy to cultivate, and one 

 occasionally meets with vigorous plants, but in this instance such difficult 

 growing subjects as P. Humblotii and P. tuberculosus [simulans] have 

 been used for hybridising, and the progeny grew very slowly until all were 

 placed in leaf-mould. I hope to send you shortly a hybrid Cattleya rooting 

 in a similar way. All our Cattleya and Laelia hybrids— of which we have 

 eighteen houses in St. Albans, England, and Bruges, Belgium— are now 

 grown in leaf-mould, and are the admiration of all who see them." 



Mr. W. N. Craig also gives some of his experiences with leaf- mould 

 (p. 514), as follows: — 



" We have been experimenting with leaf-mould for over a year now, and 

 while some subjects do not take kindly to it, others seem to like it. Some 

 Cattleya Mossiae received in Belgian leaf-mould do much better in our fern 

 fibre ; but we have seen other Cattleyas and Lselias grown in a mixture of 

 leaves, fern root, and moss, and they root nicely in it. Odontoglossums do 

 quite well in it, but, on the other hand, Miltonia vexillaria does not seem 

 to like it at all. Ccelogynes do all right in it, and some of our best 

 Dendrobium Wardianum are grown in it. Cypripedium insigne and 

 C. insigne Sander* tried in it do not seem to be a success. 



" We do not even now, after a year or more's trial, feel prepared to 

 pass a definite opinion on this system, but shall continue to experiment 

 with it. 



" In speaking of leaf-mould, let it be understood that it is not fully 

 rotted leaves that we use, but those a year old, which are partially decayed; 

 oak and beech are the best. If we go to the woods in early fall, before the 

 leaves come from the trees, we can pick up a layer of partially decayed 

 leaves which are soft and spongy in texture. These are in a proper 

 condition to use. 



" In Belgium a fine white sand is found mixed with the leaves, which 

 tends to keep them porous. We do not use fine leaf-mould for any plants, 

 but always mix an equal proportion of chopped sphagnum with it,, 

 and sometimes a little fern root or charcoal. 



" For liquid manure we use cow or sheep manure, and give these in 

 strong or weak doses to practically all well-rooted subjects in the growing 

 season. We frequently syringe the surface of the pots of Cattleyas and 

 Lselias with bone-dust water, and believe the Cookson formula to be an 

 excellent fertiliser, not only for Cattleyas and Lselias but for many other 

 Orchids. A top dressing of horn shavings and sphagnum moss soaked in 

 water first to make them pasty, is excellent and safe, but we would go slow 

 about surfacing plants with sphagnum and bone dust, or sphagnum and 

 Clay's fertiliser." 



