effected, instead of being so hot and damp that the plants 

 can only be seen with as much peril as if one had to visit 

 them in an Indian jungle, is as mild and delightful as that 

 of Madeira. As to luxuriance of growth, never have they 

 been seen in their native w^oods in such perfect beauty, 

 therefore, affords me no little satisfaction to be enabled, by 

 the permission of the Duke of Devonshire, to publish the 

 following account of the management of Orchidaceae at 

 Chatsworth, drawn up by Mr. Paxton himself. 



" The following treatment is not only applicable to the 

 growth of Stanhopeas, and others of like habit, but an ad- 

 vantage in the growth of any species of Orchidaceae (the 

 terrestrial, and those that grow in moss excepted). 



" Over the drainage hole of the pot to be used, is inverted 

 one of a smaller size, generally covering about half the bot- 

 tom of the pot ; over this is carefully thrown a quantity of 

 broken pots, sufficient to fill the former to within one-third 

 of the top. A sufficient quantity of fibrous, moderately 



S^ndy peat, is next selected and placed on the top of the 

 drainage, being first broken into various forms and sizes, but 

 hone of them les^ than a walnut ; in placing these, care is 

 taken to dispose of each, so as to leave a passage for the 

 escape of water ; this is more effectually secured by putting 

 in, as the process of potting goes on, a few pieces of broken 

 pots, say between every layer, more or less, according to the 

 size of the plant ; indeed, I find it an excellent plan to con- 

 tinue a connection of broken pots all the way up the centre, 

 to the bottom of the pseudo-bulbs. After the peat becomes 

 level with the pot, the successive external layers are made 

 fast by means of small pegs, varying from four to six inches 

 long, these pegs run through the layers of peat, and thus 



secure the whole firmly together. At eight inches above the 



line the plant is placed on the top ; the roots are carefully 

 laid out and covered up to the place of the bulbs very care- 

 fully with smaller pieces of peat and potsherds, continuing 

 to fasten the peat as before described, until the whole is 

 finished, when it .will be a foot or fifteen inches from the top 

 of the pot; — small plants are not potted so high. At each 

 shifting the plant is raised a little higher. When I com- 

 mence potting a small plant it is not raised more than three 

 or four inches at first, but as it grows larger it is progres- 



