﻿THE ORCHID REVIEW. 



[January, 1904. 



CALENDAR OF OPERATIONS FOR JANUARY. 



By John Mackay, The ( len Ilighl I „1 1 

 With the advent of a New Year commences another cycle of hopes and 

 aspirations for the more or less ardent Orchid grower, and as without 

 hope one would make little or no progress, without effort our hopes and 

 anticipations would, so to speak, be doomed to disappointment, therefore it 

 is necessary to know how and when to make an effort, and direct our 

 capabilities into the right quarter. The monthly Calendar of Operations is 

 given with this object in view, that those having less experience in the 

 practice of Orchid growing may glean something from those more fortunate, 

 and at the same time it enables us to record our own experiences, so that 

 even those who may have had a greater and longer experience in Orchid 

 cultivation may find something which may add to their already extended 

 mine of information. We will take it for granted that we all know some- 

 thing of our subject, and therefore dispense with otherwise necessary 

 explanations of terms used in our profession. To understand each other it 

 will be better perhaps to describe the various departments in a general 

 collection of Orchids, so that when referred to in future issues, under their 

 proper headings, we shall be understood, and also that anyone having the 

 slightest pretension to be an Orchid amateur may know what he can grow 

 with the accommodation at his disposal. 



It will be proper at this season to take the Cool department first, in 

 which are grown such well-known kinds as Odontoglossum crispum, 

 O. Pescatorei, O. Rossii, Disas, Masdevallias, and a great many others. 

 The houses for these should be so built that an abundance of air can be 

 given, both top and bottom. The temperature of this department should 

 vary from 50 to 6o°, taking the former for the central figure during the 

 winter months, say from the end of October to the beginning of April, when,, 

 during most of the time, it is necessary to use fire-heat. For the remainder 

 of the year the latter figure will be more the central point, and all efforts 

 should tend to keep the temperature below or somewhat near that point, by 

 judicious damping, airing, and shading ; and, oftentimes, by these means, in 

 the hottest weather, the internal temperature can be kept considerably below 

 that of the outside. 



We now take the other extreme, namely, the East Indian department, 

 and here it is not so much a difficulty of keeping it cool, but warm enough, 

 and consequently fire-heat plays a great part almost the whole year round. 

 The temperature now should be : — Night 6o°, or a trifle above, according to 

 outside conditions ; and day 65 , and more if induced by sun-heat. 



Between the two extremes we have the Cattleya house and Intermediate 

 department. The first describes itself by the name, and is so called because 



