GLAZING ORCHID HOUSES. 89 



under glass, the use of blinds in summer is quite necessary 

 to successful cultivation. It is possible, however, to carry 

 shading to excess ; all such excesses must, however, be stu- 

 diously avoided. The best shading material is canvas. There 

 should be blinds on each side, with a strong lath at the 

 top to nail the canvas to, and a roller at the bottom. The 

 canvas must be nailed to the roller, but care should be taken 

 in doing this that the awning will roll up regularly from 

 bottom to top. I never allow the canvas to be down except 

 when the sun is powerful, for I find that too much shade is 

 injurious to most kinds of Orchids. The awning will also be 

 useful in the winter season for covering the house during a 

 frosty night, being a great protection to those plants that are 

 near the glass. It is advisable to have a covering on the top 

 of the house for the protection of the canvas when rolled up, 

 in order to keep it from wet. 



GLAZING ORCHID HOUSES. 



[HE laps in the houses already referred to are very 

 close ; the squares of glass in the roof are two feet 

 six inches long by nine inches in breadth ; those in 

 the upright sashes at the sides are fourteen inches long by 

 nine inches wide. Twenty- one oz. English glass is best, not 

 being easily broken. I remember seeing an Orchid house 

 much injured after a hail storm, a large portion of its valuable 

 contents being nearly spoiled. The glass used in this instance 

 was only sixteen oz., whereas, if it had been twenty-one oz., 

 it would most likely have withstood the storm. I therefore 

 recommend twenty-one oz. glass, or even a heavier kind, as 



