490 



DOMESTIC NOTICES. 



years since, and have had for answer more ridi- 

 cule than reason. 



They are true, however, and cannot be contro- 

 verted. Yours respectfully, B, F. Cutter. Pel- 

 ham, N. H., Feb. 5, 1849. 



Orchideous Plants. — Wc have shown in our 

 former letter that a majority of the Epiphytal 

 species inhabit the branches of trees, and succeed 

 best when attached to logs or billets of wood 

 when subjected to artificial treatment; others, on 

 the contrary, seem to do best in pots, and others 

 siill, are peculiarly well adapted for basket cul- 

 ture. 



If grown in pots, the following is the soil recom- 

 mended in the Horticultural Magazine, (1847:) 

 For the Ep3'phytal species in general, turfy peat 

 in small lumps, mixed with broken pieces of flower 

 pots, or of charcoal; some persons employ a mix- 

 ture of turfy and old rotton W'ood.' Others use 

 sphagnum moss, cut rather small, and suffered 

 partially to decay. All these are suitable to the 

 plants; and it is not material whicli is preferred. 

 Indeed, this is a matter on which we find no una- 

 nimity among cultivators. Mr. Paxton says, — 

 '• In a word, I recommend sphagnimi, mixed with 

 potsherds, in preference to anything I have hitherto 

 seen used for the growth of orchidacasa." Mr. 

 Appleby, a gardener of note, says the soil he 

 used was one-third turfy peat, roughly broken in 

 pieces of diiferent sizes, (the largest about the 

 size of hen's eggs;) one-third chopped pieces of 

 poplar or willow wood, about the size of garden 

 beans; and one-third chopped sphagnum, (swamp 

 moss,) well mixed together. We find another 

 letter of his, quoted in Mr. Lyons' work on orchi- 

 daca3a, published in 1845, where he says he used 

 the under stratum of sphagnum, which has be- 

 come almost peat. These, he says, make a light 

 open compost, which appears admirably to suit 

 the plants, as they root in it freely, and thrive to 

 my satisfaction. Any of these we would suppose 

 to be a good compost ; but sphagnum is so reten- 

 tive of moisture that it will be diOicult to preserve 

 the roots in winter. 



What we have recently used, and would recom- 

 mend to your readers, was the top sod, (or turf,) 

 of elevated hillocks, frequently met with iu peat 

 bogs, matted together with the roots of heath, 

 whortleberry, and various plants, cut about two 

 inches deep, sometimes more or less, but always 

 avoiding the under stratum, and every part desti- 

 tute of fibre, mixed with a little charcoal. Our 

 plants did better in this than in any material we 

 saw used. The turf, cut thin, will be alwaj's light 

 and open for the roots to run in ; and having so 

 much fibre, it requires less drainage than sphag- 

 num. If cut in dry weather, in the summer or 

 autumn, and kept in a dry shed, it will be ready 

 for use at any time. 



Previous to potting, it is best that the plants 

 should not receive water for a few days. Pro- 

 bably the most important point to be attended to, 



in this operation, is, that the pots should be well 

 drained. To accomplish this effectually, the pot.s 

 must be fiUed two-thirds with potsherds, or char- 

 coal ; or it may be accomplished by inverting a 

 smaller flower pot inside, and tilling it round with 

 charcoal, or broken crocks. (When inverting a 

 pot for this purpose, it is necessary tiiat either a 

 bit of broken crock be put under one side, to keep 

 tiie aperture open, or a piece broke off" the pot, to 

 accomplish the same effect.) Charcoal is perhaps 

 preferable. 



A perfect system of drainage is absolutely ne- 

 ; ccssary; for, although all the species thrive best 

 I in great moisture, at certain periods of the year, 

 still they will not succeed if water is allowed to 

 become stagnant about their roots. It must, 

 therefore, have a free passage to run through the 

 pots. In potting, the plant may be placed about 

 three inches above the rim of the pot, on the sur- 

 face of the material on which it is to grow, setting 

 its roots between the lumps of peat, and making 

 the i)lant fast with pegs, to prevent its falling oi- 

 being disturbed. As soon as the plant makes its 

 roots, they take firm hold of the peat, and will 

 quickly fix themselves. Among those best adapted 

 for basket culture, are Stanhopeas and Acinetas , 

 which direct their stems almost perpendicularl)" 

 downwards, (like the tubers of the arrowroot,) 

 instead of upwards; also those with pendant 

 flower stems, as Gongoras and Acroperas, and 

 others of naturally drooping habits, as some Eri- 

 cas, and many Dendrobiums. Baskets for this 

 purpose are either made of wire or oak branches, 

 about four inches deep. They should first be lined 

 with flakes of hypnum, or some similar moss. 

 The turf already recommended is then broken in 

 convenient sizes, and with a little charcoal made 

 sufficiently high to raise the plants above the rim. 

 Mr. Appleby, already alluded to, says, in his 

 fourth letter, he raises the Stanhopeas considerably 

 above the rim of the baskets. This, we believe, 

 a bad method for general adoption ; for when the 

 plants are placed on a large' mass of compost, 

 the flower stems, which protrude perpendicularly 

 downwards, as before stated, are liable to damp 

 off; and the flowers of those that make their way 

 good are so small, and the stem, (owing to the 

 depth of compost it has to pass through,) is so 

 short that its beauty is greatly impaired. Be- 

 sides, many species of this genus naturally pro- 

 duce much shorter stems than others; and if Mr. 

 Appleby's system be adopted, these will perish 

 ere they can reach the light. Consequently, the 

 anxious cultivator may be for many successive sea- 

 sons disappointed of seeing what he would expect 

 to be a fine and showy species, or a new and rare 

 variety. 



Wc find some growers recommending Stan- 

 hopeas to be grown in pots; but this is a practice 

 that cannot be too strongly condemned. We have 

 more than once, when repotting Stanhopeas, found 

 their flower stems coiled round the pot, till they 

 became at length exhausted, and perished unseen. 



