THE ORGHIDOAREVIEW. 
VoObe Tt NOVEMBER, toot. [No. 107. 
DIES ORCHIDIANI. 
THE appointment of a Commission to examine the system of growing 
Orchids in leaf-mould is an important event in the Orchid world, and 
the report appears in the ‘*May” number of the Journal de la Société 
d’ Horticulture de France (pp. 446-449). On account of the importance of 
the question, Messrs. Duval et fils, who have adopted the system, 
requested the Society to appoint a Commission to visit their establish- 
ment and report. The Commission was appointed as follows :—M. 
Galpin, President, and Messrs. Belin, Cardoso, Doin, Driger, Gautier, 
Graire, Georges Mantin, Opoix, Henri Vacherot, and L. Cappe, 
Secretary. The questions submitted were :—Is the new method advan- 
tageous ? Should it be recommended ? What are the advantages which 
result from it ? The Commission visited Messrs. Duval’s establishment 
on May 8th, and their report was presented to the Society on May 
23rd. The following is a summary :— 
The compost used is not ordinary leaf-mould, obtained by collecting 
large quantities of leaves in heaps and allowing them to decay, but is 
a sort of humus collected from the upper part of the soil of the forest, 
which is found mixed with dead leaves and decaying twigs. This soil 
should not be collected indiscriminately ; the cultivator should make 
a selection of those portions that are light, soft to the touch, and a 
little sandy, if possible. The plants are potted like ordinary palms 
or Dracenas. Pots are chosen sufficiently large to accommodate the 
plants for several years without being disturbed; that is, to allow 
sufficient room for the new growths to develop without getting over the 
rim of the pot. A crock is placed over the hole in the pot, and the 
plant is then held so that the crown is level with the rim, while the 
compost is pressed lightly in, the pot being tapped sharply several 
