THE ORCHID REVIEW. 109 
the proper treatment for themselves, and to their credit be it said they often 
succeed, though not invariably, and some refuse to purchase a new plant 
which they know nothing about, because of the uncertainty of how to treat 
it. Frequently the plant itself affords a clue, as in the recent case of 
Eulophiella. It cannot be said that growers suffered froma lack of informa- 
tion about this plant, but rather from a superabundance of it, such as it was, 
though unfortunately it was of little practical use. On examining the im- 
ported pieces, however, with Mr. Watson, we discovered the remains of 
tree-fern fibre, and knowing the locality to be Madagascar, it was agreed 
that the treatment applied to Phaius tuberculosus was likely to be suitable. 
The plants were accordingly put in baskets and suspended over a tank of 
water in a hot house, and with the most successful results. Others, however, 
were less fortunate, and I should say because the treatment they gave was 
different from that in which it grows in a wild state. 
I think I have now shown that a knowledge of the conditions under 
which Orchids grow in a wild state is of great practical importance to the 
cultivator, and that an intelligent application of them has transferred many 
of them from the list of intractables to those which may be cultivated 
successfully from year to year, and I am fully convinced that there is not an 
Orchid in existence which could not be cultivated successfully if these con- 
ditions were imitated so far as their essentials are concerned. The difficulty 
is that some of these conditions can hardly be reproduced artificially, but a 
recognition of the principle will save the cultivator many troubles when once 
he has made up his mind to succeed, and will doubtless remove many other 
beautiful Orchids from the list of intractables in the future. 
OBITUARY. 
WE regret to hear by mail, just as we go to press, of the death of Mr. 
Ricardo Pfau, of San José, Costa Rica, on March 14th. His illness was an 
affection of the throat, and his last days were ones of great suffering. Mr. 
Pfau will be known to most of our readers as a grower and importer of Orchids, 
and we may recall the interesting article by him on the “ Fertilisation of 
Orchids in the Tropics,’ given at page 295 of our second volume. Mr. 
Pfau was in England some few months ago, and promised some further 
observations on Costa Rican Orchids, a promise which, unless he’ has left 
Some notes on the subject, cannot now be redeemed. Mr. Pfau has been a 
Constant reader of the Review, and one of his last requests was that the 
inevitable termination of his illness should be communicated to us. 
—-—_ 4 
