he old bulbs in the
centre of the plant. It is, therefore, better to remove old pseudo-bulbs
behind the last three or four leading ones, and, if it is desired to
retain all leading portions of a large mass in one pot or pan to form a
specimen, they should be potted together, when it will be found that,
given reasonable treatment, they will make better specimens than if left
in a mass. In the case of varieties that need to be propagated, the
pieces removed should be placed in comparatively small Orchid pans or
baskets, properly labelled, and in due time useful and often valuable
specimens may be secured from material which would only have been
detrimental to the parent plant. The same kind of treatment will be
found equally beneficial in the case of garden hybrids which have been
cultivated long enough to have a number of back bulbs. In such cases the
plants frequently degenerate after the first two or three years, until
they produce inferior flowers, but the removal of the back pseudo-bulbs
results in giving the flowering growths the full benefit of the root
action, and consequently the plants again produce flowers of good
quality.

Potting time is a very convenient season to give special attention to
the removal of useless leaves and pseudo-bulbs, as the plants can be
readily handled when they are out of the pots.

All useless parts removed should be taken out of the house and burnt. It
is a common practice to throw the leaves under the stage. No rubbish of
this, or any other kind, should be allowed in the Orchid house, as it
forms a harbour for insects and is, in other respects, objectionable.

CHAPTER VII

PROPAGATION BY DIVISION

It used to be thought a very delicate operation to divide an Orchid, or
to remove any portion of it for the purpose of obtaining another
specimen, and, when the operation was carried out, it was thought to be
at the risk of the plant and its offset.

In the case of badly grown plants, or where the houses are unsuitable
for growing Orchids successfully, there may still be considerable risk
in the process; but under ordinary conditions, and where the plants have
proper accommodation, there is no risk whatever; it may be said that
plants are never in better health than when they are divided at
reasonable intervals. If we consider the case of _Cypripedium insigne
Sanderae_, some of the white Cattleyas, and many other Orchids which were
imported only as single specimens originally