52 orghid-grower's manual. 



SHADING OP ORCHID HOUSES. 



EVERY Orchid house requires to be shaded, although we are often 

 told the practice is wrong ; but as some plants would soon be de- 

 stroyedif the burning rays of the sun were allowed to shineupon them when 

 grown under glass, the use of blinds in summer is quite necessary to 

 successful cultivation. It is possible, however, to carry shading to excess, 

 and all such excesses must be studiously avoided. The best shading 

 material is a thin canvas or netting. There should be blinds on each 

 side, with a strong lath at the top to nail the canvas to, and a roller at 

 the bottom. The canvas must be nailed to the roller, but care should be 

 taken in doing this that the awning will roll up regularly from bottom to 

 top. We never allow the canvas to be down except when the sun is 

 powerful, for we find that too much shade is injurious to most kinds 

 of Orchids. The awning will also be useful in the winter season for 

 covering the house during a frosty night, being a great protection to 

 those plants that are near the glass. It is advisable to have a cap or 

 covering or coping on the ridge of the house for the protection of the 

 canvas when rolled up, in order to keep it from wet. 



The following remarks on this subject have appeared in the 

 Orchid Album as a note under Plate SO, and it may be useful to our 

 readers to reproduce them here : — ■ 



" This is a subject of the greatest importance in Orchid culture, and one 

 that is often overlooked until it is too late, the mischief being done. What is 

 required is a strono; dtirable material that will wear well, and where rollers are 

 used, stand the strain upon them. It must also be understood that shading 

 does not consist of merely daubing upon the glass some opaque material, such 

 as paint, summer cloud, whitening, or the like, which though all very well as 

 palliatives in positions where rollers cannot be used, such as at the ends and 

 sides of a house, are greatly to be deprecated as a shading for the roof ; for this 

 reason, that in our English climate we are so subject to sudden changes of the 

 weather, that were such a permanent shading to be used, we should frequently, 

 especially during dull weather, have our plants in comparative darkness when 

 they should be getting all the light possible; This cannot fail to lead to bad 

 results and to produce a sickly growth. 



" Some growers have used thick canvas ; indeed we have done so ourselves 

 many years ago, but by experience we have found out the ill effects of it, for 

 when we employed this kind of shading we found the plants under its influence 

 became weak and sickly, producing small puny flower spikes. A lighter 

 shading was then employed, and the difference -was marvellous ; the plants 

 assumed quite a different aspect. It was at this time that we were exhibiting 

 at Chiswick the fine specimens of East Indian Orchids — Aerides, Saccolahiums, 



