ORCHIDS 



614 



ORCHIDS 



slugs. These destructives cannot travel through water ; 

 and as the plant stands, as it were, upon a number 

 of little islands, they are protected both day and night 

 from these devouring enemies. Care, however, must be 

 taken that the citadel itself does not harbour them. 

 The cockroach and woodlouse often secrete themselves 

 during the day amongst the rough pieces of turf and 

 broken pots used as drainage. If there is any suspicion 

 that these enemies are in these secret places, they must 

 be diligently sought for, by visiting the houses with a 

 bull's-eye lantern by night, and catching them at their 

 depredations. Pursue them with all your diligence. 

 Should the tender roots, or flower-shoots, still appear to 

 be eaten occasionally, take the severe measure of turning 

 the plants out of the pots, and search for the vermin 

 amongst the peat and potsherds, and when they are 

 once entirely got rid of, take care to place the plants so 

 that their leaves do not come in contact with anything 

 that will form a bridge for the insects to travel on. 



Hanging up Plants on Logs or in Baskets. Large- 

 headed nails, or hooks, may be driven Into the rafters, 

 or strong iron rods, well painted, may be suspended 

 along the roof over the walks, and strong iron hooks, 

 shaped like the letter S, placed at proper distances to 

 hang up the various kinds of plants that require such 

 situations. We recommend the situation for these to 

 be over the walks, to prevent the water, when applied 

 upon the plants, falling on the stages or shelves. 



Where these plants are numerous, it is advisable to 

 devote a part of the house to them. Underneath would 

 be a convenient situation for a cistern to contain the 

 rain water that falls upon the roof the best of all water 

 for watering purposes. 



Cistern. This is almost indispensable. The one in 

 the orchid-house at Messrs. Henderson's is formed with 

 slate i inch thick. The great use is the heating the water 

 for syringing and watering purposes. Another use, and 

 an important one too, is for dipping the blocks with 

 the plants on them ; also to dip the Stanho'peas, Gon~ 

 go'ras, and other plants in baskets. When those plants 

 begin to grow in the spring they require a good steeping, 

 and the cistern offers a proper place for that purpose. 

 Two or three hours will not be too much to steep them. 

 The peat during the time of rest becomes dry and hard, 

 and requires this wetting to soften it, especially if the 

 plants are to be shifted into new baskets. 



As orchids require frequent syringing, sometimes twice 

 or thrice a day, we have made use of pots garden-pots, 

 in fact, without holes. These are placed round the 

 house, near the hot-water pipes, at a small distance, 

 about 6 or 9 feet apart. Our readers that are in the 

 habit of syringing will immediately perceive the great 

 saving of time and labour by having these pots so handy. 

 Instead of having the water to carry in garden watering- 

 pans, these pots, being kept constantly full of warm 

 water, are always ready. 



Syringing in Winter. During the dark days of winter 

 the operation of syringing requires considerable judg- 

 ment. A large number of orchids will be at rest, re- 

 quiring but little water, especially those in pots. Others, 

 on logs, must be syringed on such mornings as the sun 

 is likely to shine. There are, however, a few plants, 

 even in pots, that are much benefited by the free use of 

 the syringe at all seasons of the year. Huntle'ya vio- 

 la'cea and H. Melea'gris are two plants much improved 

 by this mode of treatment ; and the reason they are 

 so improved is evident enough, when we consider the 

 situation in which they grow naturally. Dr. Schom- 

 burgh found them growing on moist rocks, near to a cata- 

 ract, on a river (Essequibo, we believe) in British 

 Guiana. 



All the warm house orchids that have no pseudo-bulbs 

 require more syringing in winter than those that have 

 such reservoirs of vegetable life to sustain them. The 

 generic or family names of such as we mean are : Ae'rides, 

 Angra'cum,Phalceno'psis, Renanthe'ra, Saccola'bium, Sar- 

 ca'nthus, and Va'nda. All these have a simple stem, 

 clothed with leaves. If exposed to a high, dry heat, the 

 leaves and stems will shrivel much more than is bene- 

 ficial to their health ; therefore, whenever a shrivelling 

 is perceived, let them have a gentle syringing, thoroughly 

 wetting the whole plant. This will revive them, and 

 keep them fresh and healthy. 



Syringing in Spring and Summer. It is during these 

 two growing seasons that the syringe is most beneficial, 

 and then they should be deluged almost with showers 



from the syringe, taking the precaution to allow them to 

 become dry once a day. They are sure to become dry 

 enough during the night. Let the water from the 

 syringe be milk-warm rain water, and let it fall gently 

 upon the plants, thus imitating natural showers of rain 

 as much as possible. We have found the plants much 

 refreshed in summer by a gentle syringing, when it was 

 actually raining out of doors. In truth, if such a thing 

 could be managed, we should be glad to expose them, 

 during the gentle, warm showers of April, to the rain 

 that falls from the clouds. We are quite sure it would 

 do them good. It is, however, the plants on logs that 

 benefit most by the use of the syringe, both in winter 

 and summer. Of course, they require the most when 

 they are making fresh roots and growths ; but even 

 when at rest they must be syringed occasionally, to 

 prevent the roots and pseudo-bulbs from shrinking too 

 much. In that state, the finest-rosed syringe must be 

 used, to prevent so much water falling upon the plants 

 (if any) below. 



During the seasons when the syringe is used most 

 freely, should any of the plants have perfected their 

 growth, and consequently require less water, place such 

 in a corner of the house by themselves, and syringe 

 them less frequently. Towards the end of summer the 

 whole of the plants ought to be perfecting their growths, 

 excepting the Indian ones above mentioned and the 

 Hunlle'yas. These grow, more or less, all the year, but 

 others must have an entire rest ; therefore, cease 

 syringing so much as soon as you think there is a fullness 

 and ripeness about the pseudo-bulbs, showing that they 

 have made the growth for the year. If you continue 

 syringing as much as ever, there is danger of starting 

 them again into growing prematurely, and then you 

 will have weak, puny shoots, and injure both the flower- 

 ing and growth for the ensuing season. It is impossible 

 to give any particular time when to cease syringing, or 

 watering at the root with a garden-pot ; experience and 

 observation must guide the cultivator. In general, we 

 may say the quantity of water, whether applied with 

 the garden-pot or syringe, ought to be considerably 

 lessened towards the end of summer that is, about the 

 end of August. The pseudo-bulbs ought to be then 

 fully formed ; and, whenever that is the case, they 

 require much less water. By the middle of October 

 the water ought to be entirely withheld, excepting just 

 enough to prevent the plants from shrivelling. 



Shading. We use a kind of canvas called " bunting." 

 It is thin and open in the mesh, yet just close enough to 

 prevent the rays of the sun striking through the glass, 

 and injuring the flowers and leaves. We shall try to 

 describe how it is applied. First, a pole about 2 inches 

 in diameter, of the length of the house, or rather longer, 

 is made of deal, and quite round. At one end a kind 

 of wheel is fixed, of larger diameter than the pole (about 

 one- third). On each side of this wheel a round board 

 is nailed, projecting beyond it about 3 inches. These 

 boards are about j of an inch thick, and are bevelled off 

 from the inside. When this is done, it forms a groove. 

 This is intended to receive the cord, it being nailed to the 

 wheel. The canvas is then nailed to the long pole, it 

 having first been sewn together of the size of the house. 

 The pole, with the canvas attached to it, is then laid 

 upon the house, a flat piece of wood 2$ inches wide, and 

 i inch thick, is nailed to the highest point of the house, 

 and the canvas is tightly stretched and nailed to the 

 flat piece of wood, using some narrow woollen lists, 

 stretched along it previously to driving in the tacks. 

 This prevents, in a great measure, the canvas from 

 tearing off with the winds. Then, taking hold of the cord 

 now wrapped round the wheel, and pulling at it, the 

 wheel turns round, and, of course, the pole also ; the 

 canvas wraps round it, and, at last, is rolled up at the 

 top ; the cord is then fastened to a long kind of button, 

 and there remains till shade is required. The cord is 

 then unfolded, and the pole let gradually down to the 

 bottom, where some pieces of wood stop it from going 

 off the house, or tearing away the canvas from tin- 

 top. It may be made to last longer, by having weather- 

 boards fixed on the top of the house to receive the canvas 

 when rolled up under it, thus sheltering it from the rain, 

 which is the great cause of its decay. Care must be 

 taken, when it is rolled up, that it is perfectly dry. 

 During the dark, short days of winter, when the sun has 

 not power to injure the plants, the blind may be stored 

 away in some dry shed or room till the days lengthen, 



