340 THE ORCHID REVIEW. 
this is a horizontal lattice-work stage. The inner sides of the two remain- 
ing houses are devoted to tall plants, most of which stand on the ground 
level on a bed of small clinkers, but here a number of brackets are attached 
to the partition for some of the smaller plants to stand on. The tanks 
only extend into one of these two houses in the corner, for convenience of 
dipping the water out, but the opening along the middle, aided by the cooler 
temperature of the houses on the north side, will enable the inmates to 
enjoy a share of the moisture-laden air from the tanks. Very few plants 
are suspended from the roof at present. 
Some alterations have also been effected in the private houses behind. 
The potting shed has been thrown into the adjoining pit, and is now used 
as the Warm pit, while the two on the east side are united into one long 
Intermediate pit, with the Cool pit on the north. A new glass-roofed potting 
shed has been erected on the east of the Intermediate pit, and the passage 
connecting this with the pits and the Orchid houses has been entirely 
covered with glass. The latter will be a great boon in rough and cold 
weather, but it seems to emphasize the unfortunate loss of the lobby at the 
east end of the block, for visitors now have to step into the open air in 
passing from the Intermediate to the Cool house, an arrangement not likely 
to benefit the plants when the cold east winds come. 
The additional space provided has, we believe, allowed nearly all the 
Orchids, with the exception of a few special things, to be brought together, 
and the Dendrobium pit alone is now unconnected with the other houses. 
It is believed that these arrangements will prove of great benefit to the 
‘collection. It is generally admitted that Orchids, with few exceptions, 
succeed best in houses of moderate size, and the command of four different 
‘climates ” instead of two, should give increased facilities to the cultivator. 
These points, however, must be left for the future to decide. All one can 
see at present is that the collection looks well in its new quarters, and that 
there is a very good display of autumn-flowering species. 
ORCHIDS AT THE BIRMINGHAM BOTANIC GARDEN. 
AmonG the numerous interesting plants which the veteran Curator of the 
Birmingham Botanical Gardens, Mr. W. B. Latham, has under his charge 
is a good representative collection of Orchids, which we have recently had 
the pleasure of inspecting. They are grown in several houses, some of 
them partly devoted to other plants, a method which we have frequently 
seen carried out with great success. 
