304 THE ORCHID REVIEW. [OcrorER, 1909. 
replaced with fresh wool each time it gets damp. A light spraying over 
with insecticide will keep the foliage free from thrip and spider, and also act 
as a preventative against slugs. Phalaenopsis like a sunny position during 
the winter months, and a stove temperature at all times to keep them in 
perfect health. 
SEEDLINGS of all sorts should be kept moving as fast as possible. Do 
not let them become pot-bound at any time until they are of flowering 
size. As fast as they require it give them a shift into a slightly larger pot, 
but do not overpotthem. A pot large enough to work a little fresh material 
all round will keep them growing and in a healthy condition. The pots 
must be kept clean, as well as all their surroundings. Scrub all wood-work 
and staging whenever re-staging is being done. Rubbish should not be 
allowed to lie about in the houses, as it forms a harbour for woodlice, &c. 
All empty pots should be cleared out that are not wanted for staging 
purposes, and not stored away under the stages. A nice light house, span- 
roofed if possible, and not too lofty, is best for seedlings. As the seedlings 
get to flowering size they should be removed to a temperature of about 5° 
lower, to give them a chance of throwing as good a flower as possible. 
Stage them as near the glass as possible with safety. Where lath roller 
blinds are used they will be found very useful during the winter months if 
they are rolled out every night, as they will help to maintain an equal 
temperature, and anything staged near the glass is not so likely to feel a 
drop in the outside temperature as where these are not used. Russian mats 
will be found very useful if they are stretched over the roof at night. They 
can easily be made fast with ropes thrown over the roof. 
DamPiING Down.—A little judgment must be used when damping during 
the next few months. The outside conditions must be taken into con- 
sideration, especially where the houses are not very well heated. Where the 
grower has good boilers and well heated houses he is pretty safe to use 
plenty of moisture at almost any time, but where they are underheated—and 
the majority of houses are, so far as my experience of them goes—one is 
pretty well ruled by outside conditions. If the houses do not dry quickly no 
hard and fast line should be followed, but damp them as often as they dry. 
Where blinds are used they will be found a great help in frosty weather. 
We use ours every night, as on a mild night one needs very little fire with 
them run out, and in a snowstorm they are as good as a blanket. Tem- 
peratures should read about as follows in the mornings: Cool house 55°; 
Intermediate house 60°, Cattleya house 65°, Stove or Warm house 70°. 
Allow a rise of 10° by sun heat, and 5° at midday, if fire heat has to be 
used all day. Always endeavour to keep the temperatures as even as 4 
possible, not have 10 or 15 degrees difference from day to day, as plants 
will not do well in an uneven temperature. 
