280 THE ORCHID REVIEW. 
in quantities from the base. The plants must still be kept well watered by 
dipping when dry, and syringed on all bright days, during this and the 
succeeding month. Epidendrum Wallisii, Endresii, and the hybrids derived 
from the above two, are growing freely in a shady position at the cool end 
of the Cattleya house, a plentiful supply of water being enjoyed by them all. 
The useful and easily-grown Sophronitis grandiflora occupies a similar 
position in this house, along with its varieties, rosea and coccinea, also 
S. cernua and violacea. The former three are grown in pans in the ordinary 
Orchid mixture, and are now making new growths, from which shortly the 
brilliant-coloured flower-buds will emerge. A fairly moist condition at the 
root is as near what they require as it is possible to state, the quantity of 
water supplied varying according to the state of the roots. S. cernua, owing 
to its peculiar mode of growing, is best accommodated on a circular block, 
apple or pear-tree wood being about the best to use for this purpose ; fixed 
on this, and suspended with the others, success is assured, providing it be 
dipped frequently enough to prevent shrivelling. S. violacea is not sucha 
tractable subject ; imported plants are often received growing on the bare 
bark of a tree, which, to my mind, points to the fact that material about its 
roots is undesirable; therefore, to obviate this, a block or a raft made with thin 
teak-wood rods should be employed for it to grow on, taking care, as stated 
above in reference to S. cernua, to provide it with sufficient moisture by 
frequent dipping. Too much direct moisture is, however, not good for it 
when the growths are undeveloped, as they are apt to damp off. 
Phalenopsis amabilis (grandiflora), Aphrodite, Schilleriana, Stuartiana, 
Sanderiana, also P. x leucorrhoda, and its variety casta, make more 
apparent progress during this month than during any of the twelve, and 
as the appearance as well as the life of the plants depend on the leaf 
production, every care and known device should be resorted to that will 
give the leaves a chance of becoming thoroughly matured. The air of 
the house should be changed as frequently as possible, consistent with 
keeping the temperature right and the atmosphere humid, and the shading 
should only be employed when absolutely necessary to break the strength 
of the sun’s rays, so that the newly made leaves may acquire that solidity 
of texture necessary to enable them to resist the changes and fluctuations 
of light and heat during our long dull winter. Where the moss has grown 
long and rank it is preferable to pull it off, rather than let it remain to 
hold a large quantity of water round the collar of the plant, as this is the 
chief cause of failure in connection with this genus. When a large amount 
of moss has accumulated it is apt to mislead one as to the state of the 
whole, the tips becoming dry if not continually saturated, whilst the moss 
is still full of moisture. Dead and decaying moss is as bad, and any plants 
having the moss in this state should have it removed and its place supplied 
