May, 1913.] THE ORCHID REVIEW. 14 
ORCHID-CULTURE IN ENGLAND AND AUSTRALIA. 
I sPENT six months of last year in England, during avhich time I 
attended the International as well as other Flower Shows, and perhaps a 
few observations from one who is trying with more or less success’ to grow 
Orchids in Australia may be interesting to your readers. 
Iam quite sure from what I have seen that England, nobuirhesadtne 
its want of sunlight, is an ideal country for growing Orchids under artificial 
‘conditions ; the soft moist air, mild temperatures, and absence of scorching 
sun, such as we have here, give English growers advantages which few 
others possess. No doubt English gardeners. in all departments of 
horticulture are extremely skilful, but I think the much maligned English 
climate has a great deal to do with the magnificent results attained. I can 
only say that the high cultivation andthe splendid quality of the Orchids 
shown at the International has exceeded anything we could ever hope to 
attain to in this part of Australia. I have never seen Cattleyas shown here 
that would compare with them, and the same remark applies to most other 
varieties. 
Here in Sydney our shirts is too cold and eee to. grow the 
majority of the more hardy Orchids in the shade- or bush-house as they do 
in Queensland, and yet it is hot enough to make their cultivation under 
glass somewhat difficult. Glass. houses here in the summer are apt to 
become too hot altogether unless heavily shaded, and we have considerable 
difficulty on account of the dryness of our atmosphere in keeping the 
humidity necessary in the houses with a sufficiency of ventilation. We are 
largely dependent on English gardening publications, including the 
valuable Orchid Review, for hints as to how the various kinds shall be grown, 
‘but such information in our climate is often most misleading, and finally we 
have to gain our local experience. 
Cattleyas and Leliocattleyas I am growing under much more shade 
than is recommended in England. The glass has a good coat, of paint and 
the lath blinds are let down during the hottest part of the day, but in the 
‘Winter season we give them more light. The plants are sprayed over once 
or twice a day during the growing season, according to the weather and 
atmospheric conditions. Owing to the scarcity of labour in this country all 
the watering has to be done in this way. Under these conditions I am 
getting fair results, but nothing approaching the English standard of 
Culture. . 
Dendrobium nobile and its hybrids we keep in a well-veritilated but 
lightly-shaded house during the growing season, but as soon as the plants 
have made their growth in the autumn we put them in a shade- or bush- 
house with a few sheets of glass over them to keep off excessive rain. They 
