AN^CTOCHILUS AND OTHER VARIEGATED ORCHIDS. 73 



to being kept too close. The case in which they are grown 

 should always have a little air, by tilting the glass about one 

 or two inches ; this will benefit them very much, and make 

 them more vigorous, for when too much confined in the case or 

 bell-glass, they grow up spindly and damp off in the stem ; 

 the latter, being fleshy, requires more substance and hardi- 

 hood. I have seen Anccctochili grown in bottom heat, which 

 I find to be injurious : they succeed in it for a time, but not 

 long ; they grow too fast, and become so weak as often to die 

 altogether. Some few plants which I had in bottom heat I 

 removed to a cooler house without it, and under cooler treat- 

 ment they impro^-^d very rapidly. 



The finest collection I ever saw belonged to the late J. A. Tur- 

 ner, Esq., of Manchester, and was under the care of Mr. Toll, his 

 gardener ; the plants were grown under bell-glasses in th^ stove, 

 but no bottom heat was applied. Mr. Turner purchased a plant 

 of each kind from me some years ago ; they had been grown and 

 propagated, and he had large pots full of them, many plants of 

 a kind being placed together. This shows how well they may 

 be grown without bottom heat. I have also seen them doing 

 well in other places without bottom heat, in short, they may 

 be grown without having an Orchid house at all, any common 

 stove will do, or even a well-heated pit. I have frequently 

 sold collections to gentlemen who have no other Orchids, but 

 who have bought these for the express purpose of growing them 

 for the decoration of the dinner-table, on which they have a 

 beautiful appearance by artificial light. As the taste for table 

 decoration is increasing, plants such as these will doubtless 

 be much sought after for that purpose ; and the subjecting 

 of them to exposure for a few hours in a warm room will do 

 them little harm, provided they have glasses over them with a 

 ventilator at the top to let out moisture, so as to keep the 

 leaves dry. As they are generally grown in small pots, they 



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