THE ORCHID REVIEW. 315 
manner. A boon indeed is he who can be relied upon to clean a valuable 
Orchid with the necessary care and skill, for then a deal of worry and vexation 
is spared. Here are a few of the results which occur with heavy-handed 
and careless cleaners:—Cracked or broken leaves—a permanent disfigure- 
ment. Dormant eyes bruised or damaged, ending in ultimate decay. The 
centre leaf of a new growth pulled out, or it may be the new growth itself 
missing altogether. Or a plant which has recently been repotted with great 
care, so as to leave it in perfect growing order, often rendered loose and 
unstable in its pot. Such things are extremely annoying, and persons 
entrusted with such important work should remember that a new batch of 
Orchids cannot, like florist’s flowers, be raised the following year, by sowing 
a packet of seeds, or by the insertion of cuttings. 
But, notwithstanding these drawbacks, cleaning must be done, and as 
soon as the various infesting parasites are plainly visible. The plants, 
moreover, should be cleaned at intervals, even when no living creature 
may be seen upon them, for many of the larger kinds are thus prevented 
from breeding; and insect life in some form or another is often present, but 
only visible upon close examination, not to mention the dust and dirt which 
collects and chokes up the pores. An instance of this has recently come 
under my notice. On looking over a collection, some plants of Lelia anceps 
were noticed looking rather uncomfortable, the leaves showing a sickly 
yellow hue, and the cause was apparent on a peep through the magnifying 
glass. On the under surface of the leaves were quantities of red spider, 
apparently quite prosperous. Here are two good insecticides fer cleaning 
purposes :—For scale and mealy bug, which coilect round the hard pseudo- 
bulbs, and in the axils of the leaves of Cattleyas and Lzelias in particular, 
Murray’s Electric Insecticide is a good one. To one part of the compound 
add five parts of water, and with a small brush rub over the infested parts, 
not rinsing it off again. For the sponging of the leaves, and for general 
cleaning work, scrubbing the paint, glass, etc., “ Killmright ” is an excellent 
soapy mixture. Half a pint is sufficient for three to four gallons of water. 
Richardson’s ‘‘ XL All” insecticide metes out death to thrips, and seems, 
so far as I have tried it, to bear out all that is claimed forit. The vapouriser, 
too, is such a neat little invention, and with such plain printed instructions 
it is impossible to go wrong. 
The roller blinds should be taken down when dry and stored away for the 
winter, as they speedily wear out if exposed to the winter weather, though 
:¢ the trellis-work be taken away, so that the blinds rest upon the glass, 
they are exceedingly useful as a winter covering for protection against cold. 
Garden mats may be laid on the glass, and kept securely in their place if 
the blinds be rolled down over them. All permanent shading should now 
be entirely removed, and everything possible done to secure for the plants 
the maximum amount of light. 
