ORCHIDS 



617 



ORCHIS 



thickness of a man's middle finger. With this size, the 

 smallest baskets are made. These are 7 inches wide, 

 and three rods deep. In this size, small Stanho'peas, 

 and small plants of Ae' rides, Saccola'biums, Va'ndas, 

 Gongo'ros, &c., are grown. For larger plants, larger 

 baskets are made, and thicker rods used. The largest 

 we ever had occasion to make was for a fine plant of 

 Ae' rides odora'ta. This plant is 4 feet high, and 2$ feet 

 through. The rods used for it are nearly as thick as a 

 moderate-sized man's wrist. The basket is 2 feet square, 

 which is the shape we prefer, as being the most simple 

 and easiest made. When the rods are sawn into lengths, 

 the ends are pared smooth with a knife ; then small 

 holes are bored through each, one at each end, as near 

 it as possible without splitting. The instrument used to 

 bore the holes with is a very small steel rod, about 

 6 inches long, with a wooden handle ; it is filed to a 

 point at the end intended to bore the hole with. We 

 find it convenient to have two or three, for a reason we 

 shall state presently. After a certain number of rods 

 are cut and smoothened, they are taken to a place 

 where there is a small, clear, red fire ; the sharp end of 

 one of the borers is put into it about i inch. As soon 

 as that is red hot, the other is put in, the heated one 

 drawn and thrust into the rod very near the end, and 

 held there as long as it continues to burn its way without 

 much pressure. If too much force is used, the wood 

 will be apt to split. As soon, therefore, as the instrument 

 ceases to burn its way through, it is replaced in the fire. 

 The other by this time will be red also ; this is then 

 taken out of the fire, and applied to the hole. This 

 operation is thus performed with each bore alternately 

 till the hole is made through the rod. The description 

 of this operation takes up considerably more time than 

 the operation itself. It is quickly and easily done, as 

 any of our readers may prove on trial. After as many 

 rods are bored as may be wanted at one time, the next 

 thing is to put them together. The articles necessary 

 for this are some copper wire and a few flat-headed 

 copper nails. Each basket will require four lengths of 

 wire, the length of each to be in proportion to the size 

 of the basket they are intended for. They should be 

 long enough to meet at least 8 inches above the top of 

 the smaller-sized baskets, and from a foot to 18 inches 

 above the larger ones. At the end of each piece of wire 

 make a loop so large that it will not draw through the 

 holes ; then lay the first two rods, and upon them, for 

 the smallest basket, lay three others ; nail these three 

 to the two outside rods, thus forming a sort of raft, to 

 use a nautical term for want of a better ; turn this over, 

 and underneath it put two other rods, to form the other 

 two sides of the basket ; then draw the four pieces of 

 wire through the holes at each corner, the looped end 

 being underneath. Continue to lay a pair of rods alter- 

 nately, drawing the wire through each till the basket 

 is of the required depth. The smallest size, three rods 

 deep ; the two next, four deep, and so on. When that 

 is done, make four small pointed pegs, and drive them 

 into each hole at the four corners. This will fasten the 

 rods in their places, and prevent them from ever starting 

 upwards ; then draw the wires together at the top, 

 twisting each pair over each other, and fasten them with 

 a piece of fine wire. Your basket is now complete and 

 ready for use. 



Logs. None are so good as the wood of the Acacia, 

 commonly so called, but which really is the Robi'nia 

 Pseu'd-aca'cia. Its wood is firm, and does not soon 

 decay. The next best is the oak, and teak is equally or 

 more durable. In all cases we strongly recommend the 

 removal of the bark ; our objection to retaining it being, 

 that it only serves as a hiding-place for wood-lice, small 

 snails, and various destructive insects, besides retaining 

 in winter too great a quantity of moisture. The wood 

 should be procured a year before it is used, and then the 

 bark will come off very easily. We except cork wood, 

 which we think very good when it can be procured 

 readily for this purpose ; and the bark of cork suits the 

 orchids well, and, unlike the others, does not rot so 

 soon, and, consequently, has not the objection to its 

 use of being a receptacle for vermin. The best wood for 

 baskets is the rough-barked, common maple. The 

 branches of this tree make the handsomest baskets ; but 

 as it is not so plentiful as the hazel, the latter is the sort 

 we recommend. Some object to baskets of this descrip- 

 tion on account of their soon perishing. This we con- 

 sider no objection at all, but rather an advantage ; for 



as soon as the basket is decayed the plant has grown so 

 large that it requires a new one, and the rotten sticks 

 of which the old basket is made are more easily broken 

 and removed than sounder ones. 



ORCHIDA'NTHA. (From orchis, and anthos, a flower ; 

 the flowers resemble those of an Orchis. Nat. ord. 

 ScitaminaceaB.) 



Dwarf stove perennial herb. Divisions in spring. 

 Fibrous loam, peat, or leaf-mould, some nodules of 

 charcoal and sand. 



O. bornee'nsis (Bornean). i-ij. Sepals yellowish, 

 purplish ; petals blackish-violet. Borneo. 1886. 



ORCffl'DIUM AMERICA'NTJM, 0. A'RCTICTJM, and 

 0. BOREA'LE. See CALYPSO BOREALIS. 



O'RCHIS. (From orchis, testiculate ; referring to the 

 two oblong, bulb-like tubers of many of the species. 

 Nat. ord. Orchids [Orchidaceae]. Linn. zo-Gynandria, 

 i-Monandria.) 



Chiefly an European genus of ground-orchids. Seeds, 

 as in Ophrys, when obtainable ; division of the clumps of 

 tuberous roots, though they do not relish transplanting 

 well ; it should be done when the plants are in a dormant 

 state or just commencing to grow. The British species 

 are chiefly found on chalky hills, and in pastures where 

 calcareous matter abounds. The exotic kinds like an 

 addition of fibrous peat. The tender ones, in fact all, 

 when cultivated, should be treated as alpines ; those 

 found in rich pastures require a moister situation. 

 0. acumina'ta (pointed- flowered). See O. TRIDENTATA. 

 anato'lica (Anatolian). Asia Minor, &c. 

 ,, bifo'lia (two-leaved). See HABENARIA BIFOLIA. 

 cilia'ris (eye-lashed). See HABENARIA CILIARIS. 

 ,, cine'rea (grey). See O. MILITARIS. 

 comperia'na (Comperian). Taurus. 

 corio'phora (bug-bearing), i. Brown. June. Swit- 

 zerland. 1825. " Bug Orchis." 

 ensifo'lia (sword-leaved). See O. LAXIFLORA. 

 ,, folio'sa (leafy-spiked), i. Purple. May. Madeira. 

 fra'grans (fragrant). See O. CORIOPHORA. 

 ,, fu'sca (dusky). See O. PURPUREA. 

 ,, fusce'scens (drying-brown) See HABENARIA HER- 



BIOLA. 

 globo'sa (round-sorted). |. Purple. June. Austria. 



1792. 



Halle'ri (Haller's). See O. GLOBOSA. 

 hirci'na (goat's). 1-2. Dull green, white, purple. 



June. Europe (England). " Lizard Orchis." 

 roma'na( Roman). Lip rosy-purple. Rome. 1871. 

 ibe'rica (Iberian). White. June. Caucasus. 1819. 

 incarna' ta (flesh-coloured), i. Flesh-coloured. June. 



Europe (Britain). 



la'ctea (milky). See O. TRIDENTATA. 

 Lago'tis (hare's-ear). See O. LATIFOLIA LAGOTIS. 

 latifo'lia (broad-leaved), i. Pink. June. Britain. 



" Marsh Orchis." 



Barto'ni (Barton's). Ireland. 1880. 

 ,, Lago'tis (hare's-ear). Purple. Piedmont. 1869. 

 laxiflo'ra (loose-flowered). J. Purple. June. 



Europe. 1820. 

 longibractea' ta (long-brae ted), il. Purple. May. 



Sicily. 1818. 

 longico'rnu (long-horned). J. Purple. May. Bar- 



bary. 1815. 



longicru'ris (long-shanked) . Pale purple. May. Medi- 

 terranean region. 

 ma' era (lean). See O. SIMIA. 

 macula'ta (spotted). i. Flesh. June. Britain, 



" Spotted Orchis." 

 maja'lis (May). See O. LATIFOLIA. 

 ma'scula (male-early) . i. Purple. May. Britain. 

 a'lba (white). White. Europe (Britain). 

 milita'ris (military), i. Purple. May. Switzerland 



(England). 1825. 



ve'ra (true). Purple. May. Switzerland. 1825. 

 ,, monophyila (one-leaved), i. Pale purple with darker 



spots. Burma. 1898. 



, Mo'rio (buffoon). J. Purple. May. Britain. 

 , NicodSmi (Nicodemus's). See O. MORIO. 

 , pa' liens (pale). Light yellow. May. Europe. 1825. 

 , palma'ta (hand). See O. LATIFOLIA. 

 , papiliona' cea (butterfly), ij. Purple. April. Rome. 



1788. 



pauciflo'ra (few-flowered). Yellow ; lip sometimes 

 spotted. Italy. 



