THE ORCHID WORLD. 
[January, 1913. 
Another matter in connection with the 
cultivation of these Orchids, and one in which 
some growers are Hable to make mistakes, is 
the treatment durnig the resting period. This 
term " rest " is, I fear, often misunderstood. 
It does not imply a periodical shrivelling of 
the plant by withholding water and lowering 
the temperature, but more of what I may term 
a compromise between temperature and 
atmospheric condition. 
The resting period of these Orchids takes 
place more or less during the winter, a time of 
year when the temperature is lower and 
evaporation is not so rapid, and it is then lhat 
the plants require less atmospheric moisture 
and water at the roots. It is principally on 
this point that a considerable amount of 
knowledge and experience is required to 
adapt the varying conditions so as to meet 
the needs of the different plants. For 
example, the distichous leaved section require 
more frequent watering during their inactive 
period than any pseudo-bulbous kinds. 
Vandas, Phalipnopses, and similar kinds 
require just sufficient moisture in the rooting 
material to keep the foliage plump and firm. 
Plants of this section which are overdried 
during winter will often lose many of their 
leaves when the sap begins to circulate freely 
in the spring. On the other hand, too much 
moisture when the roots are inactive leads to 
damping, spot, and other attendant evils. 
The impression existing m the minds of some 
growers that a severe drying of Cattleyas, 
Laelias, Dendrobiums, and other pseudo- 
bulbous kinds is necessary to induce them to 
flower is a great mistake. 
Those Orchids that require keeping dry at 
the root during their season of rest benefit to 
an extent dependent on the conditions under 
which tliey have been grown. If the leaves 
and pseudo-bulbs are solid and stout in 
texture, especially those which are evergreen, 
the plants are, materially, better able to bear 
a lengthened period of drought without 
shrivelling to the extent which proves 
injurious to the foliage. 
These, then, are my reasons for coming to 
the conclusion that in the culture of epiphytic 
Orchids heat, air, light and moisture are the 
essentials of satisfactory cultivation. To each 
subject I have endeavoured to express some 
of my convictions as to how they can best be 
made use of in order to induce a satisfactory 
condition of growth under unnatural con- 
ditions. Nature cannot be improved upon, 
and our efforts must, therefore, be limited to 
an endeavour to imitate her ways. To what 
extent we succeed, or have succeeded up to 
the present, you all know. Any measure of 
success we have attained should only 
stimulate further endeavours. 
There are, no doubt, some plants that all 
but refuse to conform to the artificial con- 
ditions inseparable from cultivation, but it 
cannot be said generally that these are tender 
or unmanageable. On the contrary, it has 
been proved that when properly cared for 
they continue to thrive and keep up a healthy 
existence, sure evidence that observation and 
attention on the part of the cultivator have 
been well applied. We have all experienced 
the peculiar satisfaction of attaining a desired 
object when success or failure has been 
hanging m the balance. 
It requires, however, no great amount of 
observation to see that these epiphytes, which 
will often bear a great amount of bad treat- 
ment before being killed outright, musr have 
their nature studied and be given treatment 
suitable to their requirements before they are 
capable of being grown to the healthy and 
vigorous condition so much desired. Plants 
that suffer from either neglect or mismanage- 
ment must obviously be long in recovery, 
although death may probably be their 
untimely end. 
Phal.'Enopsis intermedia Portei. — At 
the Meeting of the Royal Horticultural 
Society, December 17th, igi2, a Lindley 
Medal was awarded to Mr. A. Dye, gardener 
to the Right Hon. Lord Rothschild, Tring 
Park, for a magnificent plant of this species 
which had been grown at Tring Park for 
more than 30 years. It produced three large- 
branched spikes, with 185 flowers. The 
largest spike had 13 branches with 84 flowers, 
the next largest 7 branches with 61 flowers, 
and the smallest 5 branches with 40 flowers. 
