4 COOL ORCHID GROWING. 



Salt, Esq. ; a plant of Oncidium macranthum produced a long 

 flexuous branched spike bearing seventy-seven noble flowers. 

 The house in which this plant is grown, along with half-a- 

 dozen other plants of the same species, is kept very cool, the 

 atmosphere is very moist, and the temperature not unfre- 

 quently descends as low as 38, though as nearly as possible 

 the mean winter temperature is 45, that is 50 for the maxi- 

 mum and 40 for the minimum range. 



Cool Orchid growing was long ago practised on the con- 

 tinent, for we find that in 1852 M. Franois Josst, gardener to 

 Count Thun Hohenstein, at Tetschen, in Bohemia, grew several 

 Orchids out of doors in a sheltered position. We will, how- 

 ever, let him relate his own mode of procedure : 



In 1852 I observed that some of the species did not flower well ; 

 and it then occurred to me to place them in the open air in the 

 early part of July. The plants which I put" out were Brasavola 

 glauca, Cymbidium marginatum, Cypripedium insigne, Dendrobium 

 Pringianurn, D. speciosum, and Lycaste Skinneri. They grew per- 

 fectly, although in the morning the temperature was sometimes as 

 low as 5 Eeaumur (43 Fahr.) . In the daytime the heat in the 

 shade was often as high as 30 Eeaumur (99^ Fahr.). Tetschen is 

 subject to frequent changes of temperature; it is surrounded by 

 mountains, and is in a valley along which the Elbe flows after receiving 

 all the waters of Bohemia. I took the plants in at the end of August. 

 After a short time flower-buds made their appearance, and a little 

 while afterwards flowers followed in perfection. This good result 

 led me to try the same experiment again on a larger scale ; and I 

 have since repeated it every year, until I am now in the habit of 

 putting seventy-five species or varieties out into the air for three 

 'months in the year, viz., June, July, and August. What I do is 

 this : I select a half-shady place, where I put some trunks of trees 

 (Oaks), on which I place my baskets of Orchids. Between the 

 trunks I plant Ferns, some Philodendron pertusum, Tradescantia 

 zebrina and viridis, and Cissus marmorea, so as to produce a pretty 

 effect. In order to protect the plants against the scorching rays 

 of the sun and very heavy rains, I cover the spot with canvas, but 



