aie THE ORCHID REVIEW. [January, 1906. 
the moisture, but as air should be admitted here on all possible occasions, 
there is not much danger from excess of moisture in this house. The thing 
to avoid here is stagnation rather than too much moisture. The inmates. 
of this house love a moist, buoyant and cool atmosphere, and when the 
Odontoglossums are not throwing up spikes they will be more or less in 
active growth, and will grow more during the next three or four months. 
than at any time during the year. Air should be admitted to all the houses, 
both night and day, by the bottom ventilators, when the weather is at all 
favourable, taking care to avoid cold currents when windy by closing them 
on the windward side. On specially fine days, when the wind is in the 
south or west, the Cattleya and Intermediate houses will benefit by having 
a little top ventilation as well—if only for an hour. 
WaATERING.—Water with great care all plants, and especially those 
with pseudobulbs that are dormant, but avoid anything approaching 
shrivelling. 
Portinc.—January is one of the coldest months of the year, and 
although the days are perceptably drawing out we are still in the resting 
period for Orchids, and where the collection is of small dimensions, of 
where the labour is well able to cope with the work at all seasons, I should 
say that any potting which could be done this month might be much better 
left over until next, and this remark applies with added force to those who, 
like myself, have to cultivate their plants within the fog-zone of large 
towns. A fact also not to be overlooked when the period for repotting 
arrives is the forward or backward condition of plants in different collec- 
tions. For instance, plants grown on the Surrey hills, exposed as they are 
to clean air and clear light all the winter, are in the spring at least three 
weeks in advance of plants grown at Streatham, although only a matter of 
something like twenty miles distant. This month is of a most changeable 
character, and the fog, which threw despondency over us town growers in 
December, may swoop down upon us again any time during the first three 
parts of the month, and plants well anchored in their pots have more power 
of resisting this scourge than if disturbed by potting. In any case, they 
will lose nothing by waiting a few weeks, where it is desirous of pushing 
along the potting, however, some beginning can be made this month, the 
locality, the state of the weather and the condition of the plants all 
being consulted. 
OponToGLossuMs.—The majority of the cool Odontoglossums flower in 
spring, and are in a right condition to be repotted in August and September, 
but any that were in flower at that season, or missed being repotted for 
other reasons, can be taken in hand this month or next. The best time to 
repot plants of O. crispum and its natural hybrids, O. x Andersonianum, 
O. X Denisonz, O. x Adriane, and O. x Coradinei; also O. Pescatorei, 
