ORC 



.[ 663 ] 



ORC 



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* compost. Frequently the 

 long roots of Stanhopeas, that push 

 strongly, and run along the surface of 

 the compost, send forth fibres, not into 

 the compost, but, strange to say, up- 

 wards into the congenial air, gathering, 

 as it were, aerial food to support and 

 feed the plant they belong to. This 

 proves satisfactorily enough that deep 

 baskets are 110 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 Slanhopea insignia 

 and its varieties, S. tigrina and its va- 

 rieties, and all that have, like these, 

 short and few-flowered racemes. Such 

 lands as S. oculata, Wardii, and quad- 

 ricornis, 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, Avide 

 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 in- 

 side 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 speaking, 

 either on the surface or very near it ; 

 besides, a large proportionate surface is 

 exposed to the benefit Of air and mois- 

 ture, 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 hi 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 de- 

 composed 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 conclu- 

 sion that baskets made of wooden rods 

 are the best for this purpose. We men- 

 tioned 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 thickness of a 

 man's middle finger. With this size, 

 the smallest baskets are made. These 

 are seven inches wide, and three 

 rods deep. In this size, small Stan- 

 hopeas, and small plants of Aerides^ 

 Saccolabiums, Vandas, Gongoras, &c. 

 are grown. For larger plants, larger 

 baskets are made, and thicker rods 

 used. The largest we ever had oc- 

 casion to make was for a fine plant 

 of Acrides odorata. 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 at each end, 

 as nearit as possible without splitting. 



