358 THE ORCHID REVIEW. [DEcEMBER, 1908. 
CALENDAR OF OPERATIONS FOR DECEMBER. 
By W. J. Morcan, Rann Lea Gardens, Rainhill, Lancs. 
CyprIPEDIUMS.—Most of the C. Fairrieanum section will be past or nearly 
past flowering, and as soon as possible after blooming the plants should all 
be examined, and those that require potting should be done at once. Any 
varieties that require dividing should also be attended to when all the old 
material has been shaken away. It is much better to divide when potting, 
for then one can see how to do it without cutting through the roots, as is 
too often the case when the knife is just pushed down through the rhizome 
when the plants are in the pots. Even if the greatest care is used some of 
the roots are sure to get cut or injured, and in dividing a plant every root is 
valuable. Again, too often the growth will get its leaves partly cut through, 
and these leaves will soon go yellow, and the division will be lost. When 
the plants are broken up the strong growths should be potted up to make 
specimens, andthe weaker and flowered growths potted into small pots for 
propagating purposes. A flowered growth is the most valuable for 
propagating, as generally they will break three or four times, whereas a new 
shoot will complete its growth before breaking. 
In potting the plants also care should be taken not to break the roots. 
These should be spread out gradually, working in lumpy pieces of peat and 
loam between them. Do not in any case just fill up the pot with compost 
and then ram all the roots to the bottom. Careless potting is the cause of 
half the troubles of Orchid growing, anda well potted plant will never look 
back. When a plant looks sickly the fault can generally be found in the 
potting. We find that Cypripediums are better potted like ordinary plants, 
that is about half an inch below the rim of the pot, and not mounded up. 
We also find that, unlike many Orchids, they require plenty of pot room, 
and much better flowers are obtained from plants with plenty of material to 
feed on than pot-bound plants, and thrip will not be nearly so likely to 
make its appearance on strong healthy leaves as on those that are stunted. 
For potting the C. Fairrieanum section we use a mixture of quite three parts 
of good yellow loam, one part lumpy peat and leaves, and plenty of crushed 
crocks. The compost must be kept open. Shake all dust out through a 
quarter inch sieve, and if the material is dry damp it, so that it will just 
bind when potting. As loam varies so much in quality, it will be found to 
be most economical to obtain the best fibrous quality. It is not necessary to 
buy it specially prepared. A good potting loam, we find, suits quite well, 
for the fine material that is sifted out can be used for other potting. 
Plants that have been newly potted should be given a temperature of 5° 
to 10° warmer than is required for growing established plants, then they 
will quickly re-establish themselves. Syringe them two or three times daily 
