28 



OKCHIDS. 



During this time I keep the temperature, by day, from 70° 

 to 75°. It may be allowed to rise to 80° and 85°, oiieven 

 higher will not do any harm, provided the house is shaded 

 from the rays of the sun. The night temperature should 

 range from 65° to 70° in March and April, and after- 

 wards it may rise five degrees higher. 



I grow the Aerides in baskets made of wood, but they 

 may be grown in pots, — a mode of culture successfully 

 followed in the fine collections of these plants belonging 

 to J. H. Schroder, Esq. of Stratford. Sphagnum moss 

 and broken potsherds have proved the best materials 

 for filling the baskets. They require frequent watering 

 at the roots in the growing season ; indeed they should 

 never be allowed to become dry, not even during their 

 season of rest, as they are liable to shrivel and lose 

 their bottom leaves. The Aerides require but little re- 

 pose, and the moss should always be kept damp ; but 

 during the dull months of winter no w^ater should be 

 allowed to lodge on the leaves or heart of the plant, as 

 it w^ould be very apt to rot them. The plants should be 

 suspended from the roof, but not very near the glass, lest 

 they should be aff'ected by the cold ; and they should be 

 kept perfectly free from insects, especially the difi'erent 

 kinds of scale. There is a small kind which is apt to 

 infest them, and which, if allow^ed to get ahead, will make 

 the plants look yellow and unhealthy. It may be kept 

 under by constantly w^ashing with rain-water and a sponge. 

 These plants are propagated by cutting them into pieces, 

 with roots attached to each piece. Some kinds, how^ever, 

 are shy in throwing up young shoots, and this makes these 

 sorts very scarce. The Ae. odoratum tribe are the most 

 easy to increase, and Ae, cnspum sends out roots more 

 freely than some others. If the plants ever get into an 

 unhealthy condition, the best way is to cut them to pieces 



