232 



THE ORCHID WORLD. 



[July, TgT2. 



this family as they pass out of flower should 

 be kept on the dry side. By this I do not 

 mean that drastic treatment one often sees 

 put into practice of shnvelHng the plant, and 

 thereby undermining" the constitution, which 

 more often than not ends in the loss of the 

 subject so treated. As soon as the plants 

 are seen to be pushing forth new roots they 

 may have fresh rooting material should they 

 require it. This family has become so exten- 

 sive that, at this season of the year, there are 

 always some that require attention, and 

 should the compost show signs of decay it is 

 always advisable to give them new material. 

 The different species and hybrids of this 

 gorgeous family are m various stages of 

 growth, some in flower, some in sheath, and 

 some just commencing to grow, therefore 

 discretion must be used, and the different 

 plants, or rather species, should be treated 

 individually. 



Cattleya Warscewiczii (gigas) will flower 

 during this month and next. As soon as the 

 flowers are over the plants should be placed 

 in cooler and more airy quarters until they 

 commence to make new roots, when they 

 should be repotted if necessary. The plants 

 if kept on the dry side and only given suffi- 

 cient water to keep them plump get nicely 

 established before the winter months, and 

 rarely fail to give an excellent crop of flowers 

 the following season. The general routine 

 of treatment is adaptable to the whole of this 

 family, with the single exception that some 

 require a warmer position than others, which 

 the cultivator will soon observe for himself. 

 Should any plant not succeed as you would 

 wish, try it in fresh positions until it does. 

 Difficulty in growing plants is all summed up 

 in the words — want of knowledge. 



Cypripediums of the following species : C. 

 Rothschildianum, C. Curtisii, S. Stonei, S. 

 callosum, C. Lawrenceanum, and their varie- 

 ties and hybrids, will have finished flowering 

 for the season. It is now advisable to 

 examine each plant to ascertain if additional 

 rooting space is needed, remembering that 

 they must not be allowed to remain in a pot- 

 bound and half-starved condition. They 

 should be potted in the same way as recom- 



mended for the winter-flowering section, 

 using the same compost, with the exception 

 that the loam is discarded in the tessellated 

 leaved section. Plants of the C. niveum 

 section having passed out of flower may also 

 receive any necessary repotting. Care must 

 be taken in turning the plants out of the pots 

 that the roots are not broken ; in most cases 

 it is advisable to break the pots they are 

 growing in, and pick each piece away care- 

 fully, removing the crocks in the same way. 

 All decayed and loose compost should be 

 carefully remo\'ed before the plant is placed 

 in its new pot, which should be well drained 

 and large enough to hold it comfortably. 

 These plants succeed in a compost of the 

 following nature : one half best fibrous loam 

 from which all the fine particles have been 

 taken, the other half made up of equal parts 

 peat, osmunda fibre, and sphagnum moss. 

 The plants should be grown in the warmest 

 house, close to the roof glass, and must be 

 watered with care until they get re-estab- 

 lished. Plants of the Se'.enepedium section, 

 as they pass out of flower, may also have 

 attention, using the same compost as for the 

 green-leaved Cypripediums. The whole of 

 this section succeed in the intermediate 

 house ; they must not be potted too firmly or 

 exposed to the direct rays of the sun. 



Laelia anceps. In the Cattleya or Mexican 

 house, plants of L. anceps, its numerous 

 varieties, and hybrids, are now growing and 

 rooting freely, and towards the end of the 

 month many L. anceps will be developing 

 flower-spikes with the new growths. Now is 

 the time to afford these plants copious 

 supplies of water at the root and in the 

 atmosphere. Remove the roof shadings early 

 in the afternoon, damp well between the pots 

 and under the staging, and spray the plants 

 overhead with clean tepid water. Maintain 

 a warm, moist atmosphere during the even- 

 ing, and the last thing at night open the 

 bottom ventilators. If the weather permits 

 the top ventilators may also be slightly 

 opened. Early in the morning the ventilators 

 should be closed, and the house thoroughly 

 damped down. As the temperature rises air 

 should be admitted by the top and bottom 



