58 



THE ORCHID WORLD. 



[December, 1913. 



where they remain, hidden from view, until 

 no small amount of damage has been done to 

 the vitality of the plant. When the bulb has 

 almost completed its growth the outside skin 

 assumes a dry and whitish appearance, and 

 can be easily remo\'ed without damaging" the 

 plant. Any insects that have taken shelter 

 beneath this skin can thus be easily discovered 

 and removed. Another favourite hiding-place 

 is the apex of the bulb, just where the old 

 flower spike and sheath have been removed. 

 At this point many injurious insects can often 

 be found, and soon destroyed by means of a 

 stiff brush or sponge which has previously 

 been dipped in a suitable insecticide. 



Cymbidiums are often attacked by insects, 

 especially the under part of their long leaves. 

 All plants should be periodically examined, 

 and in this way kept free from injurious pests. 

 The real amount of damage done by one 

 small insect may be very little, but when 

 hundreds, and sometimes thousands, of them 

 attack the same plant then it must be 

 considerable. 



Cypripediums are probably the least liable 

 to insect pests, and consequently are very 

 suitable for amateurs, who require plants 

 which flower during the winter months when 

 bloom is highly appreciated. Occasionally 

 thrip will attack the centre part of the new 

 growth and sometimes spoil the flower-bud, 

 but it is soon noticed and easily washed off 

 with suitable insecticide. The plant shown 

 in our illustration is one of the easiest grown 

 and best flowering hybrids. Known as Cypri- 

 pedium Leeanum, and resulting from a cross 

 between insigne and Spicerianum, it produces 

 an abundance of long, lasting flowers every 

 autumn. Only ordinary greenhouse treat- 

 ment is necessary, a temperature of about 

 50 degrees being quite suitable, while the 

 compost should consist of fibrous loam, with a 

 little rough peat and sphagnum moss. No 

 resting or drying off is required, the plant 

 continuing to grow almost the whole year 

 through. This, then, is one of the reasons 

 why Cypripediums are such favourites with 

 amateurs. 



A plant similar to the one figured may be 

 described as a noble specimen, but there is no 



reason why, if amateurs otherwise desire, it 

 may not be divided into a dozen or more 

 separate plants. Some growers pride them- 

 selves in obtaining immense specimens, while 

 others take equal delight in producing large 

 numbers of smaller ones. Soon after the 

 plant has finished flowering is a suitable time 

 to repot the specimen, or to divide it into as 

 many pieces as may be thought necessary. 

 The only apparent damage will be the loss of 

 a few leaves, but this will be more than 

 compensated by the extra new growths which 

 make their appearance a few weeks after the 

 operation. Although these plants require to 

 be kept damp throughout the year, amateurs 

 must always remember that they are not bog 

 plants, and therefore a sour, saturated soil is 

 injurious. 



There are very few Orchids that are 

 benefited by the application of manure in any 

 form. All the food they require is fully 

 supplied in the compost advised for the 

 various kinds, and any manure, in either a dry 

 or wet state, is highly injurious. Sometimes 

 the plant makes additional growth for a few 

 weeks, but the after effect is usually disease 

 and rapid death. The only exceptions are a 

 few of the terrestrial growing kinds, including 

 Cymbidiums and Cypripediums. When these 

 plants have assumed large proportions, and 

 the pots are full of roots, so much so that the 

 food supply of the compost is exhausted, then 

 a weak solution of manure water may be 

 given about once a month. This, however, is 

 only of temporary assistance to the plant, and 

 no really healthy growth will be made until 

 the plant can be repotted into fresh compost, 

 where the roots can obtain a further supply of 

 natural food. Manure for Orchids is like a 

 whip to a tired horse, it only induces further 

 energy for a very short period, the subsequent 

 effect being greater weakness instead of 

 increased strength. The practice of sprinkling 

 manure water on the ground and staging was 

 once a common one, but, thanks to a better 

 knowledge of the plants' requirements, this 

 has fallen into disuse. It is hardly possible 

 to imagine anything more distasteful to a 

 visitor than an Orchid house smelling strongly 

 of manure. 



