37° 



THE ORCHID REVIEW. 



CALENDAR OF OPERATIONS FOR DECEMBER. 



By JOHN Mackay, The Gardens, Highbury, Birmingham. 

 The temperatures in the various departments should now be as follow : — 

 Cool House.— Day, 50 to 6o° ; night, 45 to 50 . 

 Intermediate House.— Day, 55 to 65 ; night, 50 to 55 . 

 East Indian House.— Day, 6o° to 70 ; night, 55° to 6o°. 

 Ventilation should be admitted as freely on all occasions as the outside 

 conditions permit, particularly in the Cool departments. Watering need 

 not be carried out so regularly as heretofore, and in all cases it should be 

 done sparingly, to prevent plants from being in too moist a condition 

 should dull foggy weather be prevalent. Damping down will only be 

 required when the floors, stages, &c, appear dry, and must not be done 

 heavily; of course, the greater the amount of fire heat necessary the 

 greater also will be the amount of moisture required for evaporating 

 purposes. The plants themselves also will require more attention with 

 regard to watering, as the materials will dry much more quickly. Hitherto 

 fogs have not been very prevalent, but we may now expect a visitation at 

 any time, especially near large manufacturing towns where smoke and 

 noxious fumes are prevalent during the colder months. Whatever the 

 treatment given during one of these visitations, one cannot wholly avoid 

 the loss of bloom and, in many cases, buds and foliage as well. All 

 ventilators should be kept closed and the house rendered as airtight as 

 possible; the atmosphere and the plants should also be kept on the 

 dry side. 



The Dendrobiums should now be quite matured and hardened. Many 

 of the early flowering species and hybrids, such as D. aureum, D. 

 moniliforme, D. X Cassiope, D. X endocharis, and D. X burfordiense 

 will have their flower buds well advanced. Where desirable to keep up a 

 succession of bloom, those in a forward stage may now be placed in slightly 

 warmer quarters. The plants should be looked over occasionally, selecting 

 the more forward ones, thus ensuring a continuous display for several 

 weeks. Do not place them at once into a high temperature, for often 

 growth is produced instead of flowers at this stage, besides the risk 

 incurred of ruining the plants as well, which would be most unsatisfactory. 

 A position in the Intermediate house will suit them admirably for the 

 present. The majority of the plants should, however, be kept back well 

 into the new year, when better flowers and healthier plants will result. 



The winter-flowering Cattleyas are a welcome addition where they can 

 be relied on, for bloom of any description is acceptable during winter, and 

 add an agreeable change to the somewhat monotonous appearance of the 

 Orchid house at this dull season. The premier position must be given to 



