64 



REPORT ON THE 



Tolerably low, span -roofed bouses are tbe best to build for 

 most Orcbids, and in building tbem, no two sbould be placed 

 togetber side by side, but eacb sbould be built apart, in order to 

 allow of the bottom ventilation being effected by traps opening 

 into tbe outer air. In some cases, where this has been neglected, 

 chambers from end to end, with openings at intervals, and other 

 intricate contrivances, have been resorted to, but all to no 

 purpose, as the houses have gone back to the style of those of 

 very many years ago, and are practically unventilated, as we 

 now understand the word. It is to the even balancing of the 

 ventilation, by means of the bottom ventilators opening into the 

 outer air, and the top ones at the highest point of the house, 

 that we, in a great measure, may attribute our much better 

 culture of odontoglossums, masdevallias, cattleyas, &c, than 

 the Orchid growers of former years displayed. Next in import- 

 ance after the ventilation, comes 



The Staging. 



This, by common consent, seems to be best when an open 

 woodwork staging is raised over a close one, containing either 

 water or shingle, which is kept moist. Some, indeed, grow 

 moss on this close staging, and ferns underneath them ; but 

 although such arrangement is perhaps beneficial whilst the 

 ferns keep clean, they are so liable to thrips and other insects 

 that they are better kept out of the Orchid houses, in my 

 opinion. The open woodwork staging is certainly very good 

 above the close and moisture- supplying one, and great need of 

 it might be seen formerly in the presence of large numbers 

 of inverted flower-pots for raising the plants. 



As a further means of giving moisture and storing rain-water, 

 which alone should be used, wherever it can be obtained, for 

 watering Orchids, too much space cannot be devoted to open 

 rain-water tanks under the stages. Plants watered with rain- 

 water alone have a great advantage over those watered with 

 water from any other source, and Mr. Bateman records his 

 opinion that they are not attacked by those small snails which 

 are so troublesome where they abound. From my own observa- 

 tion I can say that I believe there is a good foundation for the 

 statement. 



