588 



soon as the bulbs are about half grown. Alter potting, and until 

 the roots have got hold of the soil, water sparingly and place the 

 plants under some sort of cover that will prevent the heavy rain 

 from falling on them and lodging in the centre of the young shoots 

 otherwise they are very apt to rot off. As growth progresses in- 

 crease the amount of water, and as soon as the young shoots begin 

 to fill out and show the form of the parent pseudo-bulb they may 

 be exposed to all the rain and supplied with liquid manure once a 

 week until the bulbs are fully grown when the amount of water 

 should be diminished as there is much moisture in the pseudo-bulbs, 

 and too much water will cause them to rot. At this stage the flower 

 scapes will be pushing up and the 'leaves turning yellow, and by 

 the time the flowers are past there will also be no leases left on the 

 plants. At this period they should be placed in some dry place 

 and not receive a drop of water until they commence growing 

 again of their own accord when repotting must be done and the 

 same process gone over again as already described. The com- 

 mencement of growth and season for repotting is about February 

 or March, and by growing different species plants are in flower from 

 the end of September up to the end of January. Calanthe vestita, 

 and the var. Calanthe vestita oculata, and C. rosea from Burma, 

 which are the best of the species, are the first to come in flower. 

 C. Rubens from Lankawi, and C. Regnierii from Siam, come in 

 later. There are in addition to these many beautiful hybrids the 

 result of crossing C. Rosea with C. Vestita, of which C. Veitchii is 

 the best known here and a beautiful plant. We are this season 

 growing several new ones which I have not yet seen but which are 

 showing for flower. I may here sav that the best time to report or 

 transplant almost any orchid is when new roots are just seen be- 

 ginning to push out, and before these have attached themselves to 

 the object or material in or on which they are growing. If done 

 at this stage and the new substance to which they are attached, or 

 the soil in which they are potted, as the case may be, is suitable, 

 and other conditions favourable, a strong healthy young growth and 

 subsequcntlv abundant flower is the result. Position, that is to say 

 the proper amount of exposure to sunlight, when one can ascertain 

 what that is ; is of greater importance than the material used for 

 potting or the kind of wood on which the plants are fastened. 

 Some kinds require all the sun that can be given them and refuse 

 to flower under any other conditions. Renantheras, all the species, 

 also Vanda teres, and Vanda Hookeri are example of these direct 

 sun loving orchids, but in the majoritv of cases, partial shade is 

 what is requisite. 



C. CURTIS. 



LOCAL FRUIT PRESERVES 



" HALYVA " or " MANISAN. " 



There are a good many fruits growing in the Peninsula which 

 are well worth preserving, but beyond the Pineapple very little is 



