ape eiasee 
THE GARDENERS’ 
CHRONICLE. 
[Dec. 2, 
838 
at least a bushel of seed is saved, which pays for the 
dibbling ; for you must allow at least 1s. for broad- 
cast sowing and harrowing, which leaves the cost of 
dibbling at 7s., the price of a bushel of seed at the 
average of 56s. per quarter. There is no prospect of 
any invention to shorten the labour of dividing roots 
and transplanting them, whereas machines have been 
invented, and will gradually be perfected and simpli- 
fied, by which seed may be dibbled as easily as it is 
now drilled. Instead, therefore, of attempting what 
appears impracticable on a large scale, and expen- 
sive on a small, we had better direct our attention 
to the more practical operation of dibbling the seed, 
of which we have many examples, the cost of which 
is known, and the advantages established by long 
experience. We would recommend fewer seeds to be 
deposited in each dibble-hole, and these to be more 
distant, so as to admit of the operation of the hoe. On 
loose soils the tread of the dibblers and of the depo- 
sitors of the seed has an excellent effect ; four or five 
inches is not too deep to deposit the seed in such soils; 
it will then find moisture, the first roots will take 
a firm hold, and the frost will not affect the young 
plants, or throw them out of the ground, as is the case 
when the roots have little depth. It is only on heavy 
clays, which will not bear treading when wet, that 
dibbling does not answer; but when these are well 
drained they change their natute,so 4s to become mel- 
low and almost light ina few years after draining, 
subsoil-ploughing, and ample manuring; changing into 
a real garden soil, and showing all the fertility of 
garden-mould—M. 
Such were the opinions of our late lamented friend, 
Mr. Rham, upon the curious subject of Wheat-split- 
ting. The dibbling machine to which he referred 
was a most ingenious contrivance of his own, which 
he believed he had at last brought to perfection, and 
which Messrs. Ransome the celebrated machine 
makers were to have executed for him.’ And nothing 
can be more just than his opinions, if Mr. Archdale 
Palmer’s practice, as well as his principles, is to be 
observed.; 
But while we are disposed to regard the latter with 
favour, we consider the former wholly inadmissible. 
The principle of Wheat-splitting is full of promise, but 
the plan adopted by Mr. Palmer is too complicated 
for practice ; and therefore we see no advantage in 
repeating his experiments in his way. The true 
mode of proceeding is that pointed out by a corre- 
spondent, No. IV., at p. 735, who suggests one sowing 
and one splitting ; a little seed being wasted, in order 
to save the excessive amount of labour incurred by 
Mr. Palmer. Now as this is a gardening question— 
for the operations required are those of a gardener, 
and not a farmer, we may be permitted to offer an 
opinion upon it. That opinion is, that the plan may 
possibly succeed upon land that is not too stiff; but, 
to what extent, it is impossible to say without further 
data. We entertain no doubt about the possibility 
of country people making fair wages by splitting and 
planting the Wheat at 4d. per 1000 ; that is to say, 
after they have acquired dexterity in such work ; for 
at first they would be awkward and would waste a 
great deal of time. And if this is so, the cost of plant- 
ing will be at least one-half less than sowing, provided 
the Wheat can be placed profitably so far apart as 
18 inches. 
The distance at which Wheat can be most profitably 
lanted is not, we believe, at all determined. Such 
experiments as have come to our knowledge were 
made in gardens, or otherwise in an unsatisfactory 
way. Experiments in several different places are 
required to settle that point, and we would advise 
their being tried on quarter acres of fair Wheat land, 
thus :-— 
No.l,at . “ 6 inches apart. 
No. 2, at . . . . ” 
MOSS ab oe a PS 
ERA tesa >a RL ey AB Sy cay 
PEAR as chnras S401 Esc op SBiderksy keh. of 
Mr Sees ee SID create 
An acre and a half on a few farms would determine 
that part of the question, and the expense of the 
experiment would be inconsiderable. Nor would 
it at all matter whether the Wheat were dibbled 
or split for the purpose of such an experiment. Then, 
when the most profitable distance at which to set 
Wheat, on fair Wheat land, was determined experi- 
mentally, it would be time enough to resume the 
question of Wheat-splitting. . 
Where, however, experimentalists are desirous of 
putting the plan of Wheat-splitting at once to the 
proof, we strongly advise them to place the operation 
under the superintendence of an active young gardener 
who is acquainted with the method of planting seed- 
lings in the Scotch Nurseries, who can do such work 
himself, and can teach others the readiest way of per- 
forming it. Those who have never seen it done would 
never believe the rapidity with which a skilful work- 
man will get through so apparently tedious an operation, 
We certainly think the experiment worth a fair 
trial on a small scale, because if nothing is saved by it 
otherwise, we must at least remember that it would 
be an immense advantage to find a large means of 
employing the. poor, especially the least. able-bodied 
part of the population, without any additional burthen 
upon the farmer. 
ON tur CULTURE or TROPICAL ORCHIDACEA. 
(From the “ Orchidacez of Mexico and Guatemala.”) 
By Jamzus Bateman, Esa., F.R.S, 
Or Orchis-culture the ancients were entirely ignorant, 
nor does it appear to have made any progress among the 
moderns until the commencement of the present century. 
A few species had, it is true, been established at Kew, and 
in the collection of the Messrs. Loddiges at a somewhat 
earlier period; but these may be said to have succeeded 
rather in defiance than in consequence of the barbarous 
treatment they received. If, however, the gardener 
was in the dark as to the management of the tribe, the 
botanist was as much at fault as to their numbers and 
importance, for even Professor Lindley—the first to 
entertain enlarged views upon the subject—in an early 
edition of his ‘* Natural System,” estimates the probable 
extent of the tribe at only two thousand, a number that is 
exceeded, at the present time, by those actually cultivated 
in the bothouses of England alone ! 
But, before we enter upon the details of the prevailing 
modes of culture, it may not be uninteresting to make 
brief mention of the parties who, by their zeal and skill, 
have successively contributed to bring Orchis-growing to 
its present palmy state; and first on the list must stand 
the well-known firm of C. Loddiges and Sons. A collec- 
tion appears to have existed in this establishment for 
more than half a’ century, which in the last ten years has 
increased so rapidly that it now includes more than one 
thousand eight hundred species. Mr. Cattley, of Barnet, 
whose memory is embalmed in the splendid genus that 
bears his name, appears to have been the first successful 
private grower, and had the merit of introducing many 
excellent plants.! The Horticultural Society had also, 
from the first establishment of their garden at Chiswick, 
spared no pains to discoyer the secret of Epiphyte culture, 
and their experiments enabled Professor Lindley to com- 
pile his memorable paper ‘‘ Upon the Cultivation of Epi- 
phytes of the Orchis Tribe,” which was read May 18, 
1830, and from which the science of Orchis-culture may 
be said to date.? Contemporary with Mr. Cattley, and 
no doubt prompted by his success, other collectors soon 
appeared, of whom the most remarkable were the late 
Mrs. Arnold Harrison, and her brother Mr. Richard 
Harrison, the Rev. J. T. Huntley, and the late Lord Fitz- 
william. Mr, R, Harrison’s collection was, for man 
years, ‘‘ the leader,’’ and was visited accordingly not by 
Lpiphyte lovers only, but by botanists and men of science 
from all parts of the world. Aigburgth, in fact, became 
a sort of Mecca, to which the faithful Orchis-grower made 
his annual pilgrimage, and never without finding himself 
abundantly rewarded by the sight of its then unrivalled 
treasures. What are called “fine specimens” were here 
seen for the first time, and many were the years of patient 
scare and skill that had been requisite to produce them. 
Next in order, and second to none of his predecessors in 
enthusiasm, came the writer of this article, who, impatient 
of the tardy rate at which new species crossed the seas, 
determined to expedite matters by despatching a botanical 
collector to seek them in their native haunts. This 
service was undertaken by Mr. Colley, who sailed for 
Demerara in the winter of 1833, and although his success 
fell short of expectation, it yet was sufficient to encourage 
other parties to embark in similar adventures, From this 
period the importation of Orchidacee has steadily in- 
creased, and although we now reckon the species by 
thonsands, an inexhaustible fund of novelty seems to be in 
store for us, and collections have multiplied almost as 
rapidly as the plants. Those of Mr. Barker and Mr. 
Williams, in the neighbourhood of Birmingham, became 
celebrated about the year 1834, and the former gentleman, 
by sending out Mr. Ross to Mexico, added greatly to the 
number of species in cultivation. The collection of the 
Rey. John Clowes next came into notice, as did shortly 
afterwards that of the Duke of Devonshire, at Chats- 
worth, which was incalculably enriched by the mission of 
Mr. Gibson to India in 1836. But the annus mirabilis 
of Orchis-importatum was 1837. In addition to the 
spoils brought by Mr. Gibson from the Nipalese-hills, and 
which reached Chatsworth in this year, Mr. Skinner 
poured into our stoves the richest treasures of the bar- 
rancas of Guatemala; Mr. Cumming sent a profusion of 
the choicest Air-plants from the Philippine Islands ; Mr. 
Shomburgk contributed some exquisite species from the 
interior of Guiana; and M. Deschamps, a Frenchman, 
arrived with his vessel from Vera Cruz, entirely laden 
with Mexican Orchidacew. In the whole, not less, pro- 
bably,;than 300 species were seen in England for the first 
time in this memorable year. 
» Besides the collections aiready noticed, many others 
deserve to be enumerated, which, although more recent 
than some we have named, are not less rich in species, 
especially those of Mr. Rucker, the Duke of Northumber- 
land, Baron Dimsdale, Mr. Norman, Mr. Alleard, Mr. 
Cox, and Mrs. Lawrence, all in the neighbourhood of 
London ; Mr. Brocklehurst, at Macclesfield ; Mr. Hors- 
fall and Mr. Moss,; at Liverpool; and Mr. Wanklyn and 
} Mr. Cattley’s collection was disposed of to Mr, Knight, of the 
Exotic Nursery, about the year 1932, 
2 This paper is published in the “ Horticultural Transactions,’? 
2d Series, Part I.: except that it advocates a temperature unne- 
cessarily high, it contains no views that subsequent experienee 
has not amply confirmed. 
® Of these, all except the collection at Wentworth have disap- 
peared. At the death of Mrs. Arnold Harrison, that Jady’s col- 
lection passed, like Mr. Cattley’s, into the hands of Mr. Knight ; 
Huntley’s was removed to Chatsworth in 1835, and Mr. R. 
Harrison’s dispersed by the hammer last year. 
Mr. Bow, at Manchester. There are also good collec- 
tions at Enville (Lord Stamford) ;Arley (Lord Mount- 
norris); at Carclew (Sir Charles Lemon); Penllargare 
(Mr. Llewelyn) ; Bicton (Lady Rolle), &c. &c.; in fact, 
an Epiphyte-house is already considered an almost indis- 
pensable adjunct to a place of any consideration. 
Although many of the collections above enumerated are 
nearly on a par as respects the number of species they 
contain, there isa wide difference in the modes of culture 
employed, and in the degree of success attained ; and 
therefore a tour among those of greatest note would be 0! 
more service to the young Orchis-grower than any code of 
instructions that might be laid down for his guidance. 
The collections which may be studied with the greatest 
advantage are those of the Duke of Devonshire, at Chats- 
worth ; the Messrs. Loddiges, at Hackney; the Rev- 
John Clowes, of Broughton-hall, near Manchester ; and 
Mr. Rucker, of West-hill, Wandsworth. The two first 
are on an immense scale, and are dispersed through 
several houses, which differ in their temperature and 
general arrangements, according to the particular section 
of the tribe that they are intended to accommodate. At 
Chatsworth, the largest Epiphyte-house is maintained at 
a moderate temperature, and contains a large number of 
Nipalese and South American species; while a smaller 
house, in which a much higher degree of heat prevails, is 
devoted to plants from such sultry localities as Sierra Leone, 
the Mauritius, and the East IndiaIsles. At the establish- 
ment of the Messrs. Loddiges, a house immensely long, 
and hot and damp almost to suffocation, contains their 
principal collection of Orchidaces, a smaller house and 
lower temperature being reserved for the remainder. In 
the great house are some magnificent specimens, and thé 
general aspect of the plants is vigorous and healthy ; but 
the system tends to produce exhaustion, and the number 
of plants seen in flower is smaller in proportion than at 
Chatsworth.* 
The collections of Mr. Clowes and Mr.{ Rucker are 
admirably grown, and the houses in which they are dis- 
posed seem so well adapted to serve as models, that, with 
the permission of the owners, a ground-plan of each ry 
given in a subsequent page. [We have Mr, Bateman’s 
kind permission to transfer these plans to our own columns, 
and one of them follows this excellent paper.] Mr 
Rucker’s® plants are the most vigorous; but the house 
of Mr. Clowes is the most enjoyable, and displays 
Orchidacee to greater advantage than any other that we 
have hitherto seen. The plans will explain themselves. 
And now as respects the leading points in cultivation 
pposing the plants established in a suitable house— 
which is an indispensable preliminary—the following rules 
will be found to contain all that is most essential for their 
successful management. 
1st. The plants can scarcely have too much light or too 
little sun. 
Light prevents mildew, strengthens the fibre, and 
checks the disposition to throw up a succession of weakly 
shoots,which are quite incompatible with the production of 
flowers. The sun, on the contrary, scorches and turns the 
leaves yellow, especially when it first begins to shine powe!” 
fully upon plants that have just left their winter quarters: 
In order to secure as much light as possible, many species 
should be suspended in the air from rafters or chains, 
some being placed on blocks of wood (Cork-wood is the 
best), or fragments of Cocoa-nut husks, and others i 
baskets of wire or wicker-work filled with moss and broke? 
peat, or in pots with pierced sides. The latter ane 
perfectly for plants (¢.g., the Saccolabiums), which are © 
slow growth, and thrust their roots into the air. Baskets 
answer best for Stanhopeas and the like. To prevent inju' 
from the rays of the sun, shading is of course necessary; Me 
this should be so arranged as to be easily removed, a8 
ought not to be continued for more than 10 or 12 how's 
on the very longest summer’s day. Exotic climbing plat 
introduced sparingly are advantageous, and have a 922 
effect. 
2d. Take care of the roots. h 
On the health of the roots everything depends. oe 
winter is with them the most critical season, for if sufferer 
to grow too dry they shrivel up and perish ; if too We 
they rot. Much, of course, depends upon the mode ee 
which the plants are potted, and which should be such ai 
to admit of their readily parting with all superfluous 
moisture; and to secure this nothing is better thaD U 
plentiful admixture of broken potsherds. aie 
is now 80 generally practised in good collections, thatit } 
needless to insist upon its importance. Rapidly-growing 
plants, such as the different species of Phaius, Gone 
Peristeria, Stanhopea, &c., require to be broken up 2? 
entirely repotted every second or third year ; 00 
hand, there are some <Air-plants, &c. that may remiam 
undisturbed for five or ten years together. 
3d. Beware of noxious insects. 
Orchidacese are more particularly exposed te 
attacks of the following insects :—woodlice, 
cockroaches, the thrip, a minute woolly white s¢ ‘tel 
a diminutive species of snail; the two last being poe ee 
the most pernicious. Woodlice are easily kept a Sain 
by placing the plants on saucers, or within troughs 
with water, especially if the valuable ai 
d of a few toads be 
to 80°, I find that all the plants 
better at the cool end of this long A 
js less moisture and a lower temperature. 
High-potting / 
