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THE ORCHID WORLD. 
[January, IQI3. 
the leaves, so ill-built, will, in all probability, 
become spotted. 
I will not suggest that any of the pre- 
viously mentioned Orchids will bear full 
exposure to light, but the cultivator's aim 
should be to control it in keeping with the 
plants' requirements. Shading should be 
employed to break or diffuse the light rather 
than actually obstruct the sunshine itself. 
This is not a difficult matter with movable 
blinds, easily rolled up or down on light 
rollers, and made of suitable material. Fixed 
shading of any description is not good in 
practice, for it shuts out the light so m.uch 
needed by the plants during the m.orning and 
evening and many of the sunless days which 
we have in summer. 
Concerning this matter of light for Orchids, 
the more I see of their cultivation, so much 
the more confident do I feel of the injury that 
can be done to them by overshading. I have 
always observed that all Orchids which flower 
while the plants are in full growth do so in 
a much more satisfactory manner when under 
the influence of a good light, especially is this 
noticeable with those of the Cattleya family. 
Whenever I meet with plants in a more 
robust condition than usual I nearly always 
find that more light has reached them than 
many growers would consider needful. 
Instances of this kind are often noticed where 
such plants are usually in the hands of those 
who, although good general plantsmen, pro- 
fess to know little or nothing about Orchids. 
Hence has arisen that off-hand assertion, " all 
Orchids are easy of cultivation." 
Another great requisite in the cultivation 
of epiphytic Orchids is a full and free venti- 
lation, not only during the daytime, but also 
by night, whenever it can be managed with- 
out creating a draught. With Orchids in 
their natural conditions of growth air is ever 
present in quantity, for these plants not only 
grow on high rocks and branches of trees, 
but, in many cases, on trees which are isolated 
and exposed to a constant current of air. 
Vanda coerulea may be mentioned as an 
example from the latter conditions. 
Therefore, under cultivation, these Orchids, 
whose natural position is in the open, must 
have plenty of air ; in fact, it is absolutely 
necessary, for if there be any shortage in the 
supply of this very important element the 
plants cannot possibly acquire solidity in 
their various parts, a condition so essential to 
healthy existence. Judicious use, therefore, 
of the ventilators of the house is always 
important at all seasons of the year. Growth 
made out of season is often attributable to 
insufficient air on past occasions. 
To give an abundance of air when the sun 
shines and to admit it only by a chink on 
dull days and by night are, to my mind, 
equally absurd. This close-shutting system, 
especially at night with a view to keeping up 
a desired temperature, produces on these 
Orchids an amount of mischief difficult to 
calculate. I never could see the reason why 
ventilators, if so beneficial during the day- 
time, should not be equally so during the 
night. Fresh air all night, with reasonable 
temperatures, must be more conducive to 
health and vigour than anything approaching 
a stuffy atmosphere. This cooler and more 
airy treatment at night is, I believe, more 
practised in present day culture than 
hitherto, but I am still of the opinion that it 
is not yet sufficiently appreciated. Whenever 
the outside temperature is not below 40 
degrees and the low level ventilators are left 
open at night, the fresh, moist air is con- 
stantly streaming in, and not nearly the 
amount of damping down is needed to keep 
the air soft and genial. 
Respecting the maintaining of suitable 
night and day temperatures, lhere is little 
doubt that these, speaking generally, are 
often kept too high. All Orchids require 
more or less heat, but many would be far 
better under cooler atmospheric conditions 
than are at present allowed. .So sensitive are 
these plants to atmospheric influence, that no 
matter how well they are treated in other 
ways they cannot long continue in a satis- 
factory condition of cultivation unless a 
proper atmosphere is maintained about them. 
Perhaps it would not be correct to say " that 
which is pleasant to the senses is right for 
these plants," but, at the same time, one can 
usually tell, on entering a house, whether the 
