12 TiMEHRI. 



weather so that a moist atmosphere may be produced by 

 evaporation. The great advantage also of growing 

 plants underneath can easily be understood when it is 

 considered that every leaf is continually at work distilling 

 vapour which rises to help feed the orchids. 



If such a colle6lion is interesting, how much more so 

 is that of the orchid house. We have seen already that 

 some species cannot be grown at all without such protec- 

 tion, while others thrive much better if brought inside. 

 However careful we may be to keep off the wind there 

 will be always alternations of deluge and almost arid 

 dryness* These extremes are always undesirable even 

 when not fatal, and various methods have been adopted 

 to prevent their effe6ls. The simplest is the latticed 

 arbour covered with climbing plants, inside which the 

 orchids, having been mounted on boards or placed in 

 baskets, are hung. This has one very great disadvan- 

 tage ; it is almost impossible to keep the covering at all 

 uniform. The creepers become more and more dense 

 and require continual and skilful trimming to prevent 

 their shutting out the light. Then, they harbour cock- 

 roaches and other vermin which often play sad havoc 

 with the tender aerial roots. Some climbers again have 

 their foliage too broad ; others grow so fast as to require 

 continual attention, while the slow growers take a long 

 time before they afford sufficient prote6lion. Taken 

 altogether therefore the arbour is beset with difficulties, 

 and we must choose another sort of house. 



A very simple and cheap stru6lure is the shed covered 

 with cocoanut leaves. This is an improvement on the 

 first, and if boarded up at the sides answers fairly well, 

 although it is also open to the objeflion of harbouring 



