206 THE ORCHID REVIEW. (JULY, 1913- 
prefer the latter for the majority of Orchids, and shallow teak-wood baskets 
for Phalznopsis and small-growing epiphytes. One main point is to secure 
perfect drainage—a point some are apt to overlook, but the fact is, the 
more water a plant requires the more perfect drainage should be given, 
‘otherwise the compost soon becomes stagnant and sour. Over-potting 
should at all times be avoided, and the rooting material employed should 
be worked in amongst the roots, pressing it firmly about them, for, as I 
have already remarked, loosely-potted Orchids never thrive well, and loose 
compost retains too much water. Experience teaches me that it is not the 
quantity of water afforded the plant which influences it for good or ill, but 
the amount actually absorbed and retained by the compost, and that the 
healthiest Orchids are those that require water most often; hence the 
compost should be firm, and ona well-drained bottom. 
Another matter in connection with the cultivation of Orchids, and one 
in which some growers, beginners especially, are liable to make mistakes is 
the treatment during the resting period. This term “rest” is, I fear, often 
misunderstood. It does not imply a periodical shrivelling of the plant by 
withholding water and lowering the temperature, but more of what I may 
term a compromise as regards temperature and atmospheric condition. 
The resting period of most Orchids takes place more or less during the 
winter, a time of year when the temperature is lower and evaporation is not 
so rapid, and it is then that the plants require less atmospheric moisture 
and water at the roots. It is principally on this point that a considerable 
amount of knowledge and experience is required to adapt the varying 
conditions so as to meet the needs of the different plants. For example, 
the distichous-leaved section require more frequent watering during their 
inactive period than any pseudobulbous kinds, Vandas, Phalenopsis, and 
similar kinds requiring sufficient moisture in the rooting material to keep 
the foliage plump and firm. 
Orchids which are over-dried during winter will often lose many of their 
leaves when the sap begins to circulate freely in the spring. On the other 
hand, too much moisture when:the roots are inactive leads to damping; 
spot, and other attendant evils. The impression existing in the minds of 
some growers that a severe drying of Cattleyas, Lzlias, Dendrobiums, and 
other pseudobulbous kinds is necessary to induce them to flower is a great 
mistake. Those Orchids that require keeping dry at the root during their 
season of rest benefit to an extent dependent on the conditions under which 
they have been grown. If cultivated on common-sense principles, with as 
much light and air as they require, the leaves and pseudobulbs are solid 
and stout in texture, especially those which are evergreen, the plants are, 
materially, better able to bear a lengthened period of drought without 
‘shrivelling to the extent which proves injurious to the foliage. While there 
