204 THE FLORIST AND 



of the stem are laid down and covered with a little earth, except the leaves. 

 If the weather is rainy the cuttings strike immediately ; if dry they must 

 be watered till they do strike. In 15 or 20 days the roots begin to form, 

 and at the same time lateral branches appear, which must be carefully re- 

 moved from time to time, or the roots will not grow to the proper size. 



These directions are simple and easy enough to follow ; so that we see no 

 reason why, as M. Decaisne remarks, the plant should not be perfectly 

 suited to field cultivation. The crop would hardly be more troublesome 

 than a crop of Turnips. — Gard. Chron. 



ORCHIDS. 



Orchidaceous plants, whether regarded for the beauty of their colors, the 

 singularity of their organization, the grotesque forms which they assume, 

 or the delicious fragrance of their blossoms, must be admitted to be among 

 the most extraordinary vegetable productions of the globe. It is somewhat 

 singular, that notwithstanding the abundance in which they are found, par- 

 ticularly in the tropics, they should have escaped the observation of collect- 

 ors so long, and equally so, that of those few which were brought into Eu- 

 rope, so few of them were preserved for any length of time. 



In the early editions of the Hortus Kewensis, only fifteen species are 

 recognized, and up to the beginning of the present century, only fifty-one 

 species of exotic Orchideae are enumerated in our best plant catalogues. 

 Nor was it till within the last ten or fifteen years, that the great influx of 

 Orchidese has taken place, and that chiefly owing to a few spirited individu- 

 als, who, struck with their extraordinary habits and beauty, made them their 

 study, and encouraged their introduction. Amongst the most conspicuous 

 of these is the Duke of Devonshire, who has been most liberal in his en- 

 couragement, not only by sending out collectors to discover new sorts, but 

 also by patronizing the cultivation of them at home, on a very extensive 

 scale. 



Every year is adding to the number of new species imported, and also to 

 the number of admirers of this grotesque group of plants, so that it has 

 now become as fashionable to possess a collection of Orchidese as it was at 

 the beginning of this century to possess one of heaths. 



The geographical distribution of Orchideous plants is not so very equally 

 divided as that of some other natural orders. For in Europe, and other 

 temperate regions of the globe, they are less abundantly found, and toward 



