8 
THE ORCHID WORLD. 
[October, 1912. 
Mr. D. Cameron (on the right) superintending the cutting of Osmunda fibre for Messrs. Sander & Sons, 
in their own lands, State of New York, U.S.A. 
OSMUNDA FIBRE, 
OSMUNDA fibre has almost entirely 
taken the place of peat. This is not 
surprising, for the great difliculty 
experienced in obtaining the latter material 
in really good fibrous condition has always 
been a genuine cause of complaint among 
Orchid growers. 
With Osmunda fibre there is but little 
waste, not one-tenth part of that found in the 
usual peat, however good it may be. The 
fibre is of longer lasting quality, and when 
used for Cattleyas and their hybrids results 
beyond all expectation have been achieved. 
Little wonder then that its use has become 
so universal. 
Various atmospheres and cultural methods 
will demand some slight difference in its 
usage. Some growers use it in its imported 
state, others obtain better results by the 
addition of sphagnum moss, while not a few 
have reaped considerable success by using a 
large proportion of it in their special compost. 
Some amateurs completely fill the pots with 
Osmunda ; others fill one-third of the pot with 
crocks, yet each maintains that his method 
produces the finest results. The fact is that 
m Osmunda we have a material eminently 
suitable for all growers and all methods. The 
one thing needed is that every grower must 
work out his own success by experimenting 
with the material in accordance with the class 
of Orchid and the atmosphere with which he 
has to contend. 
In Osmunda, as in all fibres, no matter what 
they are, several grades will be discovered, 
and this in no way detrimental to its welfare, 
but, in fact, advantageous, for the finest may 
be selected for tender seedlings and the 
