26 



OBCHIPS. 



Orchids at present in Cultivation. 



The following short and plain description of all the 

 best orchidaceous plants I have seen will, it is hoped, 

 prove sendceable to those who may be inclined to com- 

 mence the cultivation of this increasingly- attractive class 

 of plants, as well as to others who may have commenced 

 but have not completed their collections. A general ac- 

 coimt is given of the distinctive featm^es of each genus, 

 which is followed by a more particular description of each 

 species, together with an account of the mode of treatment, 

 which, after considerable experience, has been found best 

 adapted to each individual plant. 



ACINETA. 



This is a curious genus of plants. There are several 

 species, but only two that I have seen are worth grow- 

 ing. They produce their flowers from the bottom of the 

 basket. Both species are evergreen, with short bulbs, and 

 leaves about a foot high; they are of easy culture, and are 

 best grown in baskets with moss and peat. They require 

 a liberal supply of water at the roots during their period of 

 growth, afterwards less will suffice ; they will do in either 

 house suspended from the roof. They are propagated by 

 dividing the plant. 



A. Barkerii. — A curious Orchid from Mexico, producing 

 from the bottom of the basket its spikes of yellow flowers, 

 each about a foot in length, which if kept dry will last a 

 long time in perfection. It blooms during the summer. 



