212 THE ORCHID REVIEW. 
small cost, but on the other hand some of them may never recover, whilst 
others may also turn out inferior varieties. 
I have on several occasions pointed out the great advisability of keeping 
the plants absolutely free from injurious insect pests, and the simplicity 
with which, nowadays, this may be accomplished. Yet one may often 
notice the ravages of one or the other when viewing the collections of 
beginners, and this I observe is mainly due to an incomplete knowledge of 
the pests themselves, and of the signs which undoubtedly betray their 
whereabouts. In fact, yellow thrip and red spider are so minute that they 
are almost unobservable to the naked eye, and therefore the whitened, 
withered and dried up leaves and new breaks is frequently attributed to 
some wrong or unknown cause. Should the new breaks appear to come 
away unkindly, and show any signs of colour or mark other than a healthy 
green, an examination will most likely reveal the yellow thrip right down 
in the very heart. Nothing will disturb these creatures like a dust of 
tobacco powder. These thrips are also very fond of the tender flower buds, 
to which the same remarks apply. Should the fully-matured foliage become 
whitened on the under surface, black thrip or red spider are almost sure to 
be there. The former may be detected by a number of small black spots, 
which are the eggs of the insect in various stages. The presence of red 
spider is not so easily detected, and one must look very closely, when a 
number of tiny red specks will be seen, which are the insects themselves. 
In both cases, sponging off with soapy water occasionally will effect a 
cure. Aphis, both green and yellow, are, of course, large enough to be seen, 
and should never be allowed to remain upon the plant. The recent hot, 
dry weather has been favourable to the increase of the above named pests, 
and if present at all I would advise an immediate fumigation with 
XL All Insecticide, which with the help of a little tobacco powder in 
difficult places, as the axis of the leaves of Cypripediums—which turn 
quite rusty brown if thrip exist—will speedily have the desired effect. 
Cockroaches must also be kept down, and for this, Chase’s Beetle Poison 
is an excellent and simple remedy. 
All re-potting which it is intended to perform this season should be 
accomplished as far as possible during the present month, for if left until 
late in the season, the days begin to shorten, and there is but little time left 
for plants so disturbed to get well rooted again before the winter is upon 
them. Several species here and there will doubtless yet receive attention 
in this respect, probably a few Lelia purpurata, L. crispa, L. tenebrosa, 
L. Dayana and L. pumila. The last two are uow breaking away very 
freely, and, if re-potted soon, recover at this period, because when they do 
make a start growth is very rapid, new roots being formed in abundance, 
and the flowers appearing about November, There are also a few of the 
