plants, and subject their lives and their health to great 

 risks in order to do so, deserve our hearty thanks, for 

 through their energy the stock of many Orchids that 

 have been rare for years has been so greatly increased 

 as to have given cultivators generally a chance of pro- 

 curing plants at a reasonable rate. Many of the most 

 beautiful kinds, which were at one time only within 

 reach of the rich at exorbitant prices, can at the present 

 day be obtained for a few shillings. Now, moreover, it 

 has been found that some of the most beautiful species 

 can be cultivated in cool houses, so that their culture is 

 not only less troublesome but also less expensive. Many 

 of these plants are small-growing, and do not take up 

 much space, so that by having even a small house a con- 

 siderable number of them may be cultivated in a way to 

 produce freely their very handsome flowers, which con- 

 tinue in bloom so much longer than those of most other 

 plants. 



We have introduced views of some Orchid Houses 

 engraved from photographs, in order to show the efiiect 

 produced by intermixing Ferns, Palms, &c., among 

 Orchid flowers. It will be seen how graceful the foliage 

 appears, and its introduction is undoubtedly a vast im- 

 provement in the arrangement of an Orchid House. 

 Of course the setting out of the plants can be varied 

 daily, or as frequently as may be desired, so that a new 

 picture of beauty may in this way be continually pro- 

 duced. With the object of preserving the Orchid 

 blossoms as long as possible in a fresh and presentable 

 condition, it is wise to have a portion of each House 

 separated by a partition, and allotted to plants in bloom ; 



