April 99, 1 89. ] 



JODBNAIi OF HOBTIOULTUBE AND COTTAGE GABDENEB. 



SM 



tained ; bnt that can be lemedied by having a lid made to Gt 

 closely, with a tiap door to admit a watering-pot, and in enm- 

 mer, when water is most required, the tank may be entirely 

 nncovered. 



Another desideratam for Tineiiee in which Orchids or plants 

 are required to be grown, is such a construction of the front 

 hghts ae will permit of the Vines being kept cool during their 

 period of rest, and of a temperature suitable for the Orchids at 

 that season being maintained. The moveable front lights, de- 

 scribed in " Sacders on the Vine," answer perfectly, and by 

 such a contrivance the Vines are not needlessly excited Ly too 

 much heat, nor the Orchids deprived of the heat necessary to 

 cause a free circulation of air, and to disFipa'e damp, the great 

 evil in all cool houses in winter in our dull, mciet climate. 



Any house corresponding to the above desciipUon will grow 

 Orchids well, and such are warm greenhouses and conserva- 

 tories that have the rafters clothed with climling plants, by 

 which the force of the sun's rays is broken, or, if there are no 

 climbers, from ilarch to September a thin bhading material 

 must be employed ; bnt when there are climbers there is this 

 drawback — that the Orchids have not the benefit of the same 

 amount of sun light and sun heat in winter as is afforded 

 them in vineries. Another evil is, that the Orchids are so 

 overshadowed and crowded by other plants ihat they have no 

 chance to succeed, and, indeed, they require more room than 

 any other plants, and should never be crowded eg as to be 

 deprived of light from any d;rection. 



As regards temperature, lhat will be dependant on the heat 

 given to the Vines, or to the inmates of the greenhouse or con- 

 servatory. The house most tuitable for Orchid culture is one 

 started eatly in the year — in January or February — for in it 

 the temperature will for nine months out of the twelve be that 

 of a stove, and it is such houses lhat 1 would recommend for 

 Orchid culture, as a greater cumber of species may be grown 

 in them than in vineries or greenhouses assisted by Are heat 

 in cold and dull periods only. If the Vices are started in 

 January fhe tempera'.ure fur the first fortnight should be from 

 40' to 4.5° at night, increasing it to 50° by the end of the third ^ 

 week, and d.5° by iho end of the fifih week, and this should be 

 the night temperature until the Vines are in leaf, when it 

 should be from 55° to CC, and at that point it should be kept 

 until the Vines are coming into fiower, when it should range 

 from 60° to 65° at tight, whic-h will be the temperature re- 

 quired until the Grapes are rife. I* the Vines are started 

 in January ihis will be the case at the end of Jane, or if in 

 February, in the middle or end of July, and after that no fire 

 heat will be required, except in damp, dull periods to dry up 

 damp and pretent the temperature from fjlUng too low in 

 summer and in autumn. In Angus* the temperature should 

 be 60°, in September 5.5°, in October and November 50°, and in 

 December it should not fall below 45°. I am here alluding to 

 Orchids requiring a warm temperature, it being presumed that 

 the Vines can bo placed in a cooler medium than that of the 

 vinery by a contrivance tuch as I have already referred to. If, 

 on the other hand, there are no means for keeping the Vines 

 cool, a temperature of from 50° to 55° will be sufncient in 

 September, 50° in October, 45° in November, and in December 

 45° should not be exceeded from fire heat, and the thermometer 

 should net be lower than 40°, whilst in January and Febraary 

 40° should be the maximum from fire heat at night, and not 

 more than 45° by day from fire heat, when it is nccesaarj' to 

 dry np damp, and it should be accompanied with free ventila- 

 tion. The latter remarks apply to vineries started in March, 

 and which at no time have any artificial heat, except a little at 

 the commencement, and in cold periods and in winter to keep 

 out frost. 



Upon all the temperatures named, 5° of increase should be 

 allowed on dull, cold, and frosty days, 10° or 1-5° when the 

 weather is mild and yet cloudy, but having occasional clear 

 intervale, and on fine clear days the temperature may be 20° or 

 25° above that of the night, free ventilation being afforded — 

 indeed, a high day and comparatively low night temperatnre 

 are essential in the culture of Orchids. 



With respect to moisture, it vrill be such as the Vines require. 

 It is usual to keep up a moist atmosphere for Vines by sprink- 

 ling them with water twice or thrice a-day, always having re- 

 gard to the weather, as in cold weather there is less evapora- 

 tion, and on that account less sprinkling will be required ; for 

 instance, when the weather is mild and dull, and but little fire 

 heat is required, sprinkling once a-day will be sufficient, and 

 that should be in the morning or early in the afternoon, whilst 

 when the weather is bright but cold, twice cr thrice a-day will 



not be too often to sprinkle the Vines, as well as the path?, 

 floors, and walls. Sprinkling is as necessary then as daring 

 milder weather, on account of the greater artificial heat — in- 

 deed, the atmosphere should be kept moist, and the Vines 

 sprinkled with water two or three times a-day until they are 

 in leaf. Even then I do not fail to syringe them twice a-day, 

 morning and evening, and to keep the paths wet by fre- 

 quent syringings until the Grapes change colour for ripeninc, 

 and even then I keep a considerable amount of moisture in 

 the atmosphere for a fortnight or three weeks by sprinkling 

 the floors and walls, taking care not to wet the Grapes, for fear 

 of disfiguring their bloom ; but after that no waterings with 

 the syringe are practised, except it be a light bedewing of thp 

 Orchids occasionally, as without that, the growths of some not 

 being matured, the pseudo-bulbs are liable to shrivel. Now 

 this moisture will seem excessive to some who do not practise 

 the syringing of Vines, but who depend upon frequent sprink- 

 lings of the paths, ic, and the evaporation troughs, for the 

 atmospheric moisture. I have not, however, observed any bad 

 effects resulting from the syringing, either to the Vines or 

 Orchils, and therefore write according to my experience. 

 Syringing will not in anywise injure the fruit or foliage of the 

 Vine if the house have air early, and the water used be rain or 

 soft water, and of the same temperature as that of the house 

 at the time. Some, however, instead of syringing, drown not 

 only the Vines but the Orchids beneath them, and to Orchids 

 much watering, and especially at the beginning of their growth, 

 is positively injurious — in fact, they should be very carefully 

 watered until they are growing freely and have formed fresh 

 roots, then water freely, but avoid making the compost like a 

 sponge by too frequent and heavy waterings. It will be suffi- 

 cient if the compost be kept moist, commencing by watering 

 sparingly, increasing the quantity with the growth, and reduc- 

 ing it by degrees when the growth is advancing to maturity ; 

 when that is complete, as it will be, if ever, when the Grapes 

 are ripe, give no more water than is necessary to keep the 

 pseudo-bulbs from shrivelling. In winter a dry atmosphere 

 mu«t be maintained. 



With regard to air, it shculd he aftorJed in greater or less 

 quantity day and night when the plants are growing, bnt in 

 less quantity by night than even in dull days ; on bright dsys 

 the plants can hardly have too much. Allowing for a little at 

 night, more should ba given when the temperature in winter 

 reaches 55°, the night temperature being 45°. and always before 

 the day temperature exceeds the night by 1.5° ; but it is better 

 to give a little air when the increase is 10°, giving more in pro- 

 portion to the increase of temperature, and reducing the amount 

 of air before there is a reduction from 15' higher than the 

 miuimum night temperature. It is better to close the house 

 early, and with a good heat from solar influence, than to allow 

 the temperature to become too low before reducing the venti- 

 lation, and have, consequently, to put on more artificial heat 

 to secure the proper night temperature. 



The evaporation troughs, if there are any, may be filled with 

 water when the Vines are started, and when the growths are 

 somewhatadvanced the troughs should be kept full of 1 lb. guano 

 to twenty gallons of water, allowing them to become dry when 

 the Grapes are colouring. — G. Abbey. 



OUR CONSEKV.VTORY. 



" I AM sure of one thing, Kate ; as far as Camellia-growing ia 

 concerned, our conservatory is a failure," said Aunt Margaret 

 one cold dull day in January, when she had been through the 

 hou;e in the vain hope of finding a few flowers to grace her 

 dLning-table. 



■ I do not think the growth is so much at fault. Aunt," said 

 Kate, •' we can have that almost in perfection. We can grow 

 the plants, set the buds, even coax them to the size of large 

 nuts, all reedy for opening as it were, but they are powerless to 

 go on. Njt for us will they expand into beauty ; they drop off 

 just when we think there is a possibility they wiU open and 

 give some little return for the trouble bestowed ; it is not one 

 or tTo plants that do so, but a habit they have all acquired." 



'■ Oh, yes," said Cousin Walter, " the blooming part is the 

 dithoulty — the freemasons' secret, known only to the members ; 

 you do not suppose they tell yon everything." 



" It is very grievous, however," eaid Cousin Herbert, " to 

 think you have upwards of thirty Camellias big and httle, and yet 

 are not able to cut a few blooms in January, nothing even shovf- 

 »ng colour save a York-and-Lancaster, which is not worth much 



