SHADING OF ORCHID HOUSES. 67 



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

 shading to excess, and all such excesses must be studiously 

 avoided. The best shading material is a thin canvas or net- 

 ting. 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. We never allow the canvas to be down 

 except when the sun is powerful, for we 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 cap or 

 covering or coping on the ridge of the house for the protection 

 of the canvas when rolled up, in order to keep it from wet. 



The following remarks on this subject have appeared in the 

 Orchid Album as a note under Plate 30, and it may be useful 

 to our readers to reproduce them here : — • 



" This is a siibject of the greatest importance in Orchid culture, and one 

 that is often overlooked until it is too late, the mischief being done. What 

 is required is a strong durable material that will wear well, and, where 

 rollers are used, stand the strain upon them. It must also be understood 

 that shading does not consist of merely daubing upon the glass some opaque 

 material, such as paint, summer cloud, whitening, or the like, which though 

 all very well as palliatives in positions where rollers cannot be used, such 

 as at the ends and sides of a house, are greatly to be deprecated as a shading 

 for the roof ; for this reason, that in our English climate we are so sub- 

 ject to sudden changes of the weather, that were such a permanent shading 

 to be used, we should frequently, especially during dull weather, have our 

 plants in comparative darkness when they should be getting all the light pos- 

 sible. This cannot fail to lead to bad results and to produce a sickly growth. 

 " Some growers have used thick canvas ; indeed we have done so ourselves 

 many years ago, but by experience we have found out the ill effects of it, 

 for when we employed this kind of shading we found the plants under its 

 influence became weak and sickly, producing small puny flower-spikes. A 

 lighter shading was then employed and the difference was marvellous ; the 

 plants assumed quite a different aspect. It was at this time that we were 

 exhibiting at Chiswick the fine specimens of East Indian Orchids — Aerides, 



