88 THE ORCHID REVIEW. 
grower during the last two seasons. Some doubted their suitability for use 
on the Odontoglossum house, as they were afraid the protection from the 
sun’s rays would not be sufficient, but I can safely say from experience that 
no fear need be entertained of getting the leaves scorched. All blinds, of 
whatever description, should be raised from the roof glass six or eight inches, 
and this for several reasons. In the first place, if made of ordinary material, 
that lays flat on the glass, no air can gain admittance through the laps, and 
in very hot weather the glass is heated to such a degree that scorching of 
the leaves occurs, even though the plants are shaded. With the lath roller 
blinds, or others, when raised from the glass, there is always a layer of air 
between the glass and the blinds, which acts to a certain extent as a non- 
conductor of heat downwards, the which, in connection with the cool- 
growing Orchids, is a very great consideration. Where practicable, blinds 
of a suitable size should be made for the ends of the different houses, for 
use in preference to “stippling,’’ as they are, in my opinion, much more 
beneficial than when a permanent shade is put on. Permanent shading of 
all descriptions cannot be too strongly condemned; also the practice of 
pulling the blinds down in the morning and leaving them down until the 
evening, no matter what the weather may be. Shading is for the purpose 
of breaking the power of the sun’s rays, and not to darken the house inside, 
though, of course, there are some plants, such as the Ancetochilus, for 
instance, which must have somewhat dense shade, or they will not grow, 
but the few plants to which deep shade is an essential can easily be 
accommodated without throwing the whole house into a state of gloom. 
It is the practice amongst growers to top-dress or repot plants of 
Miltonia vexillaria at or about the end of August, but in the neighbourhood 
of London it has been found more favourable to their well-being when the 
respective operations are performed in March or late in the preceding 
month, according to climatic conditions. If the plants were done last 
summer, and have prospered since, well and good, but where they were not 
as treated they should be done now as soon as possible, otherwise the 
flower-spikes will soon be showing, and if left until that happens harm might 
result. Few Orchids give a better return for the care bestowed on them 
than this, and, therefore, it is advisable to know how to get the best 
results. Repotting should only be done when the plants have overgrown 
their receptacles, or have from some cause or other become too small for the 
quantity of material around them. In either case the plants should be 
carefully taken out, and have as much of the decayed material and dead 
roots removed as possible without risk of injuring the living roots. 
Pots of just and only sufficient size should be used, filling these quite three 
parts with clean drainage, which, however, will probably have to be worked 
in around the plant after it has been determined how much space the ball 
