orchids and decay

[Fairorchids]

At a New England show, I met an AOS judge, who described an experiment conducted locally. They took 36 Cattleyas (all same clone), and divided them into 3 groups of 12. In late spring they were taken outdoors, and:

1. The first 12 got a spike with one dead mouse.
2. The next 12 got a spike with two dead mice.
3. The last 12 got a spike with three dead mice.

At the end of the season, the mice had disintegrated. The conclusion was, that two mice were about right for best growth.