THE ORCHID REVIEW. 124 
to recover, and frequently die; and even at the present season some little 
care is needed to first give them a start in growth. Gradually accustom 
them to heat, light, and moisture, for if this is done too rapidly, the foliage 
may drop off and the pseudobulbs decay. As soon as newly-imported 
plants are received, remove all decaying matter, and place them on the 
stage in an upright position in a somewhat cool, shady, and moist house. 
Gradually inure them to water by slightly moistening the roots to com- 
mence with, and as plumpness and colour are seen to be returning, it is safe 
to increase the supply. New growth and new roots will then soon appear, 
and the imported plants may then be potted, or placed in baskets or pans, 
and treated as established plants. When repotting, take the advantage to 
form well-shaped plants, as frequently imported plants are spreading and 
ill-formed. This can be done by separating the mass and re-forming it 
again more compactly. It is also a great mistake to leave a mass of old 
roots on them. I have seen some disastrous results from this. Lelia 
albida and L. anceps, for instance, arrive sometimes in enormous clumps, 
and to preserve them intact it is sometimes attempted to grow them exactly 
as received, but so treated they rarely do well. Experience has shown me 
that it is best to separate the clump piece by piece, cut away the old roots, 
and afterwards re-form the mass, so that the base of the pseudobulbs rests 
upon the compost, into which the roots quickly enter, and a vigourous 
healthy specimen is the result. 
Odontoglossum coronarium is anything but an easy Orchid to flower. 
It seems to require what may be called “rough treatment” to gain this 
end ; and anyone accustomed, as most good plantsmen are, to treat plants 
liberally and carefully, may well be excused for failing to bloom it. Ours is 
a large plant and is showing a spike, the first for many years. Whether 
this spike is due to the following treatment is a matter which I am not pre- 
pared to say, although it seems to us that such is the case, for though to all 
appearances strong enough to flower in previous years, it has immediately 
commenced to grow again from the last-made:pseudobulb, and continued to 
grow throughout the winter months. Last autumn, however, we were 
advised to pinch out the new breaks as they pushed forth from the newly- 
formed pseudobulb. This was done, but the plant persisted in growing, 
and other dormant eyes pushed forth about the middle of December, which 
were also removed. Water was also withheld throughout the winter to 
such an extent that a very considerable shrivelling of the pseudobulbs 
occurred. After the second set of growths were taken out, the plant finally 
decided to flower, and about the end of January one out of a possible four 
spikes began to show itself, not from the base of the last, but from one of 
those of the previous year. This spike is showing twenty flower buds, and 
will probably expand its blossoms some time during this month. It seems 
scarcely possible that any plant should require such mutilation and drought 
