ORCHID HOUSES. 33 



Orcliid growers object to side sashes, and generally recommend 

 brickwork up to the spring of the roof : but that is not, in my 

 opinion, the best plan ; on the contrary, I would advise any 

 one about to build an Orchid house to have upright sashes on 

 both sides and at each end. From experience I have found 

 that Orchids do best with abundance of light, which is the only 

 way to get good strong ripe pseudobulbs fit for flowering. 

 Small houses are best. In different parts of the country there 

 exist large houses, but in no instance have I seen plants grow- 

 ing well in them ; such houses take a great fire to keep them 

 at the proper night temperature, and after all, they seem ill 

 adapted to the wants of the plants. I would advise all large 

 Orchid houses to be pulled down or turned to other purposes, 

 and their places to be occupied by small ones ; the expense of 

 the operation would soon be saved in the reduction that would 

 take place in the cost of pipe and fuel. I have used single roofs 

 for twenty-seven years, and have always found them to answer 

 well, but of late the double-roofed houses have come into use 

 with many Orchid growers ; but in no one instance has any 

 improvement in the health of the plants been visible to me, 

 indeed the contrary rather ; and unless I can see that they 

 are a decided improvement I shall advise all young growers 

 to keep to the single roof. I never have believed in the 

 double-roofed house, and there must be a real improvement 

 before I recommend what is not likely to surpass the single 

 roof. It appears strange to me to see growers of these valu- 

 able plants jump at such novelties before they have been 

 well tried on a small scale by some one who understands the 

 treatment of this race of plants. 



Since the above remarks upon double - roofed houses 

 appeared in the third edition of this work, many of the 

 strongest advocates of the system have taken off the extra 

 roofs, and reverted to the old plan, having found by experi- 



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