THE ORCHID REVIEW. 151 
CALENDAR OF OPERATIONS FOR MAY. 
By H. A. BURBERRY, Highbury, Moor Green, Birmingham. | 
PLANTs in all departments are now making new growth, and no time should 
be lost in giving them every encouragement to grow briskly. To assist in | 
bringing this about the Summer temperatures should now be pretty strictly 
adhered to. The figures which we shall endeavour to maintain as nearly as 
possible, when the outside conditions are genial and summer-like, are given 
below, but should a spell of cold inclement weather prevail, we would rather 
have a few degrees lower than use an excessive amount of fire heat. 
Coot House.—By day as low as possible, night 55° to 60°, morning 55° 
to 58°. 
INTERMEDIATE, CATTLEYA, and MExIcAN HovuseEs.—By day 70° to 80°, 
night 65° to 70°, morning 60° to 65°. 
East InpIAN and DENDROBIUM HousEs.—By day 75° to go°, night 75°, 
morning 70° to 75° 
‘Cleaning, repotting, top-dressing, and smartening up the plants gener- 
ally, will be the work of the month, which will therefore be a very busy one. 
Having accomplished this work and placed the plants in their summer 
quarters they will then be able to grow their best uninterruptedly. Every 
effort should be made to perform this necessary work at the proper time. 
The system of taking the structures in rotation is good for some purposes ; 
such as washing and cleaning the dirty pots, the wood-work, glass. &c. But 
repotting should not proceed upon this system, regardless of the various 
‘requirements of the plants, and their various seasons of growth, or the result 
would be disastrous. What, for instance, would be the result, if we went 
through the Intermediate house in May and repotted every plant? Such 
a house would contain a great number of totally different species, all delight- 
ing in the same temperature and atmospheric conditions, but not all in the 
same stage of growth. There would doubtless be Cattleya Trianz, for 
which May would be a good time, but for Lelia crispa, August would be 
more correct. Then, again, Miltonia cuneata could be repotted with perfect 
safety, but what would happen if M. vexillaria was disturbed until after it 
had flowered, about June or July ? 
The repotting, or supplying new fresh material to the roots of Orchids is 
a work of great importance, and must necessarily be performed at intervals 
‘Tanging from one to two and sometimes three years, in order that the plants 
“tay keep in a continued healthy and vigorous condition. But there is yet 
another very important work, namely, keeping them scrupulously clean 
from insect pests. If the grower should find himself so pressed at this time 
of year—a by no means uncommon occurrence—and know that either the 
cleaning or the potting must wait, I would advise him to attend to the 
former, and leave the latter, doing it, however, as near the proper time as 
possible, For what can be worse than to have plants of, say Cattleya or 
