COOL ORCHID HOUSES. 27 



COOL ORCHID HOUSES. 



A FEW words concerning these may be of service to those who- 

 are about to begin to grow cool Orchids, and have no special 

 convenience for doing so. In the first place, no very elaborate 

 or expensive structure is required, and no costly heating appa- 

 ratus is requisite beyond the amount of hot-water pipe neces- 

 sary to exclude frost from a common greenhouse ; there will, 

 therefore, be a saving in fuel and labour, compared with the 

 expenses attending the culture of Orchids which can only be 

 grown successfully in a close humid stove. For the culture 

 of Odontoglots, Masdevallias, Disas, &c., I would recommend 

 a small span-roofed or lean-to house ; either will do, though a 

 span-roofed one is, perhaps, the more convenient of the two, 

 if a suitable site can be obtained. If a span-roofed house is 

 decided upon, do not build it too large, say, 12 feet wide and 

 8 feet high. This will be quite large enough to commence 

 with, and will be more likely to give satisfaction than would a 

 larger structure ; the side walls should be 9 inches thick, 

 and about 5 feet or 5 feet 6 inches above the ground level,, 

 leaving spaces for ventilation, as shown in one of the annexed 

 sections, which is a representation of the cool Orchid house 

 at Ferniehurst. Top ventilation should also be amply 

 provided for by a longitudinal flap (as shown in the illustra- 

 tions), which can easily be raised from the inside. The venti- 

 lators in the side walls may be closed by means of wooden 

 slides outside. A house of this description of the simplest- 

 construction, heated efficiently, as shown, by a flow and return 

 4-inch pipe on each side, may be erected at very little cost. It 

 can be constructed of any length ; one from 60 feet to 70 feet 

 would be large enough for a good-sized collection, and this 

 length might very advantageously be divided in the middle. 



