ORCHIS. 



220 



ORIGANUM. 



them into a heap, covered with a 

 (lamp mat, where they remain for 

 sevei-al days ; after which he plants 

 them in baskets, or ties them on 

 moss supported by a forked stick, 

 as above described. 



Orchideous House. — A ' hot- 

 house intended for growing tropical 

 Orchideous Epiphytes, and fur- 

 nished with contrivances for keeping 

 the interior moist. The roof is 

 generally glazed with ground or 

 green glass, to diminish the light, 

 as the Orchideous Epiphytes, in 

 their native forests, always grow in 

 the shade. 



O'rchis. — Orcliidacece. — Most of 

 the species of the genus O'rchis are 

 natives of Europe, and a great 

 number of them are found wild in 

 Britain. With respect to culture, 

 they may be divided into two 

 classes : those which grow natu- 

 rally in peat or heath-mould, such 

 as 0. macidata, 0. morio, 0. 

 mdscula, &c. ; and those which grow 

 in dry chalky soils, such as 0. simia, 

 0. militdris, 0. fitsca, 0. tepliros- 

 anthos, and 0. icstiddta. In general, 

 little can be done in the way of pro- 

 pagating Orchises, excepting by 

 seed ; but they may be taken up in 

 their native localities when in 

 flower, with a ball of earth about 

 three inches square to each, and 

 being planted in suitable soil in an 

 open situation in the garden, they 

 will live and flower for several 

 years. Seeds, if collected when 

 ripe, and sown immediately, will 

 come up freely ; and if the soil and 

 situation be suitable, they will 

 flower freely tiie second or the 

 third year. The same observations 

 ! will apply to O'phrys, Hermlnium, 

 \ A'cei'cis, Goodyera, Platanthera, 

 j Gymnadenia, and several other 

 genera formerly included in the 

 genus O'rchis. Most of the British 

 Orchises grow well in pots, and they 



may be forced as easily as the 

 common Hyacinth. The kinds of 

 Orchis which bear flowers resem- 

 bling insects, are now included in 

 the genus O'phrts. 



Order. — The necessity of order 

 is strongly evinced in a flower- 

 garden, as the plants in it lose 

 half their beauty unless they are 

 placed according to some regular 

 plan or order of arrangement : 

 thus they may be either in masses 

 of one colour, or of one kind ; or 

 they may be arranged according to 

 size, or according to some botanical 

 system, at pleasure. But whatever 

 modeof arrangement may be adopted, 

 it will be found that not only the 

 interest excited by the garden, but 

 its beauty Avill be greatly increased 

 by some regular order being followed 

 throughout. 



In a botanical point of view, the 

 word Order signifies a number of 

 genera, which coincide in several 

 important particulars. As, for ex- 

 ample, according to the Natural 

 System, the order Crucifera^ includes 

 all the plants that have the petals 

 of heir flowers disposed so as to 

 resemble a Greek cross and, accor- 

 ding to the Linnsean system, the 

 order Trigynia includes all the 

 plants the flowers of which have 

 three styles, &c. 



Ori'ganum. — Lahiatce. — Marjo- 

 ram. — 0. vidgare, the common 

 Marjoram, is plentiful on chalky 

 soils in various parts of England ; 

 and it may be planted in patches in 

 gardens or shrubberies where bees 

 are kept, for the fragrance of the 

 flowers, and the delight -which the 

 bees appear to have in them. The 

 sweet Marjoram, 0. Majorana, a 

 native of Portugal, is cultivated in 

 England as a pot-herb ; and for 

 the Hop Marjoram, or Dittany of 

 { Crete, 0. Dictdnums, see Dittany 

 1 OP Crete. 



