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the new compost. Set the basket then on 

 the floor, and, with the syringe held pretty 

 close to the peat, give it a good watering, 

 forcing the water out of the syringe pretty 

 strongly : this will be found to make the 

 compost firm, so that future waterings 

 will not wash it off the basket on to the 

 floor, or plants underneath. One thing 

 we would especially guard our readers 

 against, and that is, having the baskets 

 made deep. Some may have an idea that 

 if the plants have a large lot of stuff to 

 grow in they will thrive better, and pro- 

 duce more flowers ; but this is a mistaken 

 notion. The roots of orchids of this class 

 run on the surface, or, at least, very 

 closely beneath it ; in truth, if the air is 

 properly surcharged with moisture, the 

 roots will prefer running out of the com- 

 post. Frequently the long roots of Stan- 

 ho'peas, that push strongly, and run 

 along the surface of the compost, send 

 forth fibres, not into the compost, but, 

 strange to say, upwards into the conge- 

 nial air, gathering, as it were, aerial food 

 to support and feed the plant they belong 

 to. This proves satisfactorily enough 

 that deep baskets are no advantage even 

 to the growth of the plant, but to the 

 flower-stems of some kinds of Stanhopeas 

 they are certainly injurious. We say some 

 kinds, such as Stanho'pea insi'gnis and its 

 varieties, 8. tiyri'na and its varieties, and 

 all that have, like these, short and few- 

 flowered racemes. Such kinds as 8. ocu- 

 /a7d, Wa'rdii, and quadrico'rnis, which 

 have long flower-stems, may find their 

 way through a deep basket, but would do 

 so easier and safer through a shallow one. 

 Pots. The kind we use and prefer 

 may be described as a shallow, wide pot, 

 the proportions of which are as two, 

 three, and five ; that is, two inches wide 

 at the bottom, three inches deep, and 

 five inches wide at the top, all inside 

 measure. Larger pots to be in the same 

 proportions. Small ones need only have 

 one hole at the bottom ; but it should be 

 larger than those generally made. For 

 the two-inch-wide pots at the bottom, the 

 hole ought to be three quarters of an 

 inch in diameter, the great object being 

 to allow the escape of water quickly. 

 Larger pots must have three holes, each 

 of the same diameter. Hard-burnt ones 

 must be avoided for these plants, as well 

 as for any other. The reason why we 

 prefer these wide, shallow pots is, that 

 the roots of orchids are, generally speak- 

 38 



ing, either on the surface or very near it; 

 besides, a large proportionate surface is 

 exposed to the benefit of air and moisture, 

 both of which are beneficial to the roots 

 of an epiphyte. Terrestrial orchids, 

 whose roots descend deeper, will be 

 better in the ordinary-shaped pot. 



Baskets. Various materials and forms 

 have been used in this necessary article. 

 The first probably was made of common, 

 iron wire, painted green, and the form 

 round, deep, and with a flat bottom. This 

 material is almost entirely disused, for, 

 although the paint for a time prevented 

 them from rusting, the great moisture 

 and heat soon decomposed the paint, 

 and then the wire became oxydized, or 

 rusty, and is then very injurious to the 

 roots, as well as being unsightly. Those 

 made with copper wire are much better, 

 lasting longer, and are not so injurious 

 to the plants. The only objection we 

 know of is the expense. Where that is 

 no consideration, we should have no great 

 objection to their adoption. Baskets have 

 also been made of earthenware ; but, if 

 there was no other objection, their great 

 weight would be sufficient to set them 

 aside as bad. We have tried all these, 

 and have come to the conclusion that 

 baskets made of wooden rods are the 

 best for this purpose. We mentioned 

 before, that the most ornamental are 

 made of the corrugated or rough-barked 

 maple rods ; but, as these are not always 

 to be met with, hazel rods may be used, 

 and make excellent baskets. The way 

 we make them is simple enough. First, 

 the rods are sawn into proper lengths. 

 The smallest we use are about the thick- 

 ness of a man's middle finger. With 

 this size, the smallest baskets are made. 

 These are seven inches wide, and thre-.- 

 rods deep. In this size, small Stan- 

 ho'peas, and small plants of Ae'rides. 

 Saccola'biums, Vn'nda*, Gongo'ras,&c.,a.e 

 grown. For larger plants, larger baskets 

 are made, and thicker rods used. Th< 

 largest we ever had occasion to make wa 

 for a fine plant of Ae'rides odom'ta. This 

 plant is four feet high, and two and a 

 half feet through. The rods used for it 

 are nearly as thick as a moderate-sized 

 man's wrist. The basket is two 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 

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