158 
ralize on their treatment is a matter of some difficulty, for what 
is suitable for one kind is quite unsuitable for another. There is 
one point, however, in which they all agree, and that is in requir - 
ing plenty of water when growing freely, and little or none when 
they are resting. As in the case of bulbous and tuberous rooted 
plants much can be done towards inducing rest at will by with- 
holding water at the proper time, and by this means often 
forcing the plant to flower. Dendrobiums, especially the Bur- 
mese and Indian species, require a long period of drought to 
flower freely. Under natural conditions they do not get a drop 
of water for four or five months, except what they receive in the 
form of dew, and it is during this period that most of them flower. 
During the growing season they receive abundance of moisture, 
and these conditions it is necessary to imitate as nearly as pos- 
sible when under cultivation. Those from Borneo, Java, Suma- 
tra, Philippines and the Malayan Peninsula do not, as a rule, 
experience such a long drought, and many kinds from these 
regions can hardly be said to have any decided resting season, 
consequently they should never be reduced to such a state of 
extreme dryness. Only a comparatively limited number of 
Orchids can bt grown successfully in this climate, and even 
these, with a few exceptions, are better grown in England than 
here. Our choice is naturally limited to such kinds as will stand 
a high temperatre largely charged with moisture and with very 
little variation all the year through ; consequently only a few 
of the South American species, and scarcely any of the Asiatic 
ones from mountain ranges, are quite satisfactory. The won- 
drous range of forms and colour, together with the long period 
during which the greater number of the flowers last is, however, 
sufficient inducement for any one having a garden to try their 
hand at Orchids. Among those with good showy flowers, I have 
found to succeed best in Penang, are Vanda Sanderiana, Vanda 
tricolor, Renanthera Lowii, Cypripedium Lowii, Dendrobiurn 
Dearii, D. superbum, D. thyrsifiorum, D. densiflorum, D. Da.1- 
housianum, D. Veitchii, D. Pierardii, D. Farmerii, Coelogyr.e 
asperata, C. pandurata, C. Cumingii, Peristeria elata, Oncidium 
ampliatum, Cattleya gigas, Saccolabium guttatum, S. giganteurn, 
Aerides virens, Calanthe Veitchii, C. vestita and C. veratrifolia. 
This list might easily be extended to a hundred or more specie 
that do satisfactorily, but for the beginner this is a sufficiently 
extensive selection. 
Orchids may be grown either in pots, baskets, or on blocks of 
wood. As a matter of convenience we grow the greater number 
in pots made specially for the purpose with greater facilities for 
the escape of the water than in the ordinary pot, but baskets or 
blocks of partially charred wood do equally well, and for some 
kinds are even better. The advantages of pots are that they are 
more durable, and it is easier to see the condition they are in as 
regards moisture quicker than can be done in baskets w 7 hen hung 
above the level of the eye. Whether grown in pots or baskets 
great attention must be paid to drainage. The pots should be 
