﻿THE ORCHID REVIEW. 



[July, 1904. 



I have tried it in various ways, such as placing a number of rough oak 

 stakes in the pots, and disposing the stems as regularly as possible among 

 them, tying the strongest and leaving them to take hold where they can, 

 wiring to cork blocks and to pieces of tree-fern stems, and all have been 

 satisfactory when once the stems have taken hold. But in no case must 

 much compost be given, for the roots cannot take to it, and it lies as a wet 

 mass about them, to their detriment. An old-fashioned and bad plan of 

 growing this Orchid was wiring sods of peat to cork or wood blocks, and 

 fastening the plants to it. The peat was always silting out and making a 

 litter about the house, and was quite unsuited to the requirements of the 



The upkeep of a proper atmosphere is very important in the case of D. 

 Falconeri. It likes ample heat and exceptionally free supplies of moisture 

 when the weather is bright during the growing season, but when it is dull 

 no good comes from unduly forcing the heat. The moisture is necessary as 

 much for the sake of keeping thrips in check as for hastening the growth, 

 and if these insects are in a house at all they are sure to find out this superb 

 plant. From the time the flowers fade until the little growths are com- 

 plete, this quickened growing atmosphere must be maintained, when less 

 heat and moisture, combined with sunlight, will ensure a thorough ripening. 



In winter a cool, restful temperature with only sufficient root moisture 

 to prevent shrivelling is required, this in its turn being followed in spring 

 by a gradually increasing heat, but only slight atmospheric moisture, until 

 the flowers can be distinctly seen. In appearance the flowers are not unlike 

 those of D. Wardianum, being pure white in ground colour, all the seg- 

 ments tipped with amethyst, and the lip blotched with deep orange and 

 purple.— H.R.R., in Journal of Horticulture. 



CALENDAR OF OPERATIONS FOR JULY. 



By John Mackay, The Gardens, Highbury, Birmingham. 

 The general arrangement and treatment recommended for the month of 

 May should still be continued, hence it will be unnecessary to repeat the 

 details here. There may, of course, be instances where a slight departure 

 from the general rule is advisable ; but this is a matter that must be left to 

 the intelligence of the cultivator, who alone is in a position to judge of 

 its desirability. To draw a hard and fast line, and follow it year by 

 year, regardless of all changes— climatic and otherwise— is not what I 

 should consider good practice. Theory is very good in its way, but it must 

 go hand-in-hand with practice in order to secure the best results. Every one 

 is liable to have failures with some of his plants before the road to success 

 is found out ; and failures are most efficient instructors. They incite us to 



