140 



THE ORCHID WORLD. 



[March, igi6. 



may be applied with equal truth to Orchid 

 culture, for it is the practised eye of the 

 cultivator that decides just when a plant 

 requires a fresh supply of food. 



Almost all Orchids are shade-loving plants. 

 Their habit of dwelling on trees or on the 

 ground below is a guide to the way we should 

 treat them when under artificial conditions. 

 During the summer season, when growth is 

 being vigorously made, the foliage of the 

 forest protects them from the burning rays of 

 the sun, while the fall of the leaf in autumn 

 allows the diminished power of the sun to 

 ripen up the bulbs and prepare them for their 

 winter rest. Thus it will be seen how much 

 depends on the correct application of artificial 

 shading. It must always be in accordance 

 with the requirements of the plants beneath. 

 Where the cultivation of Orchids from various 

 climates is attempted in one small house 

 considerable difficulties and disappointments 

 are sure to arise, hence one cannot too strongly 

 urge the commencing amateur to decide upon 

 the maintenance of some definite climate and 

 then to select plants suitable to it ; by this 

 means will success be best achieved. Odonto- 

 glossums are well-known examples requiring 

 a cool, moist and shady atmosphere ; 

 Cattleyas may be selected for a warmer and 

 lighter house ; Mexican Laslias require 

 considerable light, as well as ventilation, only 

 a slight shade during the middle part of the 

 summer days being necessary ; and there are 

 a few genera which can only be cultivated 

 successfully m high temperatures with an 

 abundance of atmospheric moisture. 



Notwithstanding this wide diversity of 

 essential conditions, the majority of Orchids, 

 when placed in a suitable atmosphere, are far 

 easier to grow than many other plants ; in 

 fact, a little practical assistance obtained 

 through a kind friend will enable any amateur 

 to achieve the most unexpected pleasure and 

 success, and his greenhouses will ever after- 

 wards be the envy of his neighbours and a 

 never failing interest to one and all concerned. 



Old Bulbs. 



An essential point in the cultivation of old 

 plants is that too many bulbs may sometimes 



act as a hindrance to the development of the 

 new bulb. By carefujly shaking a plant out 

 of the compost it will generally be noticed 

 that the live roots are attached to the newer 

 portion of the rhizome ; therefore, the older 

 portion of the plant, usually without any roots 

 whatever, must of necessity be sustained at 

 the expense of the new bulb. This can easily 

 be proved by selecting a suitable plant and 

 running a knife through the rhizome at a point 

 about three or four bulbs back from the 

 newest growth ; all the bulbs further back 

 from this cutting will soon commence to 

 shrivel, thus proving that they formerly 

 derived their food supply through this source. 

 By carrying out this treatment all the energy 

 of the root system is directed to the newest 

 portion, and improved results are readily 

 obtained. Although these remarks refer prin- 

 cipally to imported Cattleyas and similar 

 kinds, they will be found equally applicable 

 to garden-raised hybrids that have been in 

 cultivation for at least five years. These back 

 portions, instead of being a likely hindrance 

 to the development of the plant, may be 

 turned to profitable account if preserved until 

 they commence active growth on their own 

 account, which in the majority of cases they 

 will do, when they may be placed in separate 

 pots. 



While the majority of the warmth-loving 

 Epiphytic Orchids make their growth or form 

 the new bulb during the summer months, 

 many of the cool-growing section, such as 

 Odontoglossums, commence activity in the 

 autumn months and continue through the 

 winter. But in practically all cases this period 

 of activity is followed by one of rest, during 

 which the amount of heat and water should 

 be lessened. In this matter many untrained 

 amateurs frequently bring about trouble by 

 being too severe, and unnecessarily lowering 

 the vitality of the plant. The main point to 

 remember is that the plant, when at rest, 

 requires just sufficient water to prevent it from 

 visibly shrivelling", and, at the same time, a 

 slightly lower temperature. 



Rain-water is by far the best to use, and it 

 should be stored inside the house so that it 

 may be kept about the same temperature. 

 Manure in whatever form should be avoided ; 



