THE ORCHID WORLD. 



33 



liave to carefully avoid an over dry and an 

 over wet atmosphere. The great thing to 

 avoid IS a wet and cold atmosphere, for this 

 IS most harmful to all classes of plants. 



Watering must still be done with dis- 

 crimmation, for at this season it is much 

 easier to wet the compost than to get it dry 

 again, and no plant should have water applied 

 to the roots unless it is dry. If the proper 

 balance of atmospheric moisture is main- 

 tained no harm will occur to plants being 

 kept on the dry side, even for a day or two, 

 for they are capable of taking a certain 

 amount of moisture from the atmosphere. 



Ventilation. Perhaps at no season of the 

 year is it more essential to watch the ventila- 

 tion of the houses than in this very trying 

 month. Air must be admitted on all favour- 

 able occasions. Fresh air gives health and 

 strength to plants, but as they are naturally 

 delicate and tender after the winter confine- 

 ment it must be admitted with discretion. 

 Draughts of cold air must, in all cases, be 

 avoided ; in all properly constructed Orchid 

 houses it should be possible to admit air 

 without causing a draught. 



Stoking requires particular care at this 

 season. A fair amount of heat in the pipes 

 at night time will still be necessary, but 

 during bright sunny days this must be con- 

 siderably lessened or the temperature will rise 

 to an abnormal degree, which may do some 

 harm, and to reduce it some thought and 

 judgment will be required. Excessive fluc- 

 tuations in temperature are often the means 

 of much damage being done ; they should, 

 as far as possible, be avoided. 



Shading durinsr this month will come into 

 general use, but it should not be used exces- 

 sivel}', as the plants should be gradually 

 inured to withstand the light. It should also 

 be borne in mind that the foliage and bulbs 

 are tender and easily scorched. 



The busy season of repotting is now upon 

 us, and this work must be pushed on when- 

 ever possible. I do not advocate re-potting of 

 any plants during a spell of cold weather, 

 especially if there is any danger of the tem- 

 peratures not being maintained up to the 

 normal figures, as I believe much harm will 

 accrue ; rather postpone the work until 



the weather takes a favourable turn. The 

 constitution of plants must be studied if 

 success is to be maintained, and the culti- 

 vator's aim should be to grow each plant 

 individually. 



Epidendrums. The long stemmed species 

 of Epidendrum, such as Wallisii, radicans, 

 and O'Brienianum are becoming active and 

 pushing new roots ; the present time is a 

 favourable one for re-potting or dividing any 

 plants that require it. They are best grown 

 in the intermediate house, using well drained 

 pots and the same compost as for Cattleyas. 

 As radicans and O'Brienianum are of a 

 rambling habit and emit roots from the whole 

 length of their scandent stems some means 

 must be used to support them in an upright 

 position ; this is best done by tying them to 

 rather stout stakes made of hard wood. 



Catasetums, Cycnoches, and Mormodes. 

 1 hese peculiar and rather difficult plants to 

 deal with will also show signs of activity. 

 Having had a long dry rest in an intermediate 

 house they will now commence to push new 

 growths and large fleshy roots, and should be 

 re-potted at once. Shake the plants out each 

 \'ear, using new material consisting of a very 

 light mixture of one-half osmunda fibre, the 

 other half sphagnum moss, well chopped and 

 pulled to pieces ; the drainage must be 

 ample. After potting, the plants should be 

 removed to their growing quarters in the 

 warmest house, giving only sufficient water 

 to keep the compost ali\e until the roots get 

 hold of the new material, otherwise the new 

 growths may damp off. If a rather moist 

 position in the warm house is selected for 

 them very little water will be required for 

 some time. 



Thunias should be re-potted annually ; the 

 work should be done as soon as the new- 

 growth proceeds from the base of the old 

 pseudo-bulb. The compost I recommend for 

 them consists of one-half peat and one-half 

 loam from which all the fine particles have 

 been taken, mixed with some sphagnum moss 

 and dried cow manure. The pots must be 

 well drained, as when in full growth they 

 require a liberal supply of water ; it is not 

 advisable to pot too firmly as the roots are 

 not capable of pushing through any hard 



