158 
THE ORCHID WORLD. 
[April, 191 3. 
the Rev. F. D. Horner, a well-known auricula 
specialist. Mr. Bolton's interest in Orchids 
was by no means weakened in consequence of 
these early failures ; in fact, it became 
gradually stronger, and about the year 1 893 he 
dispatched Mr. Kromer to Brazil in search 
of Cattleya labiata and Oncidiums, and Mr. 
Jensen to Colombia for various species only 
to be found in that country. Ever since then 
the collection has steadily increased, and has 
been carried on practically as that of an 
amateur's, although various sales have been 
held for the disposal of surplus stock which 
accumulates largely owmg to good cultivation. 
Odonlioda Boltonii. 
No less than 32 greenhouses of various sizes 
and forms have been constructed, the principal 
ones being about 60 feet long and arranged 
on either side of extensive corridors. Every 
house is well supplied with rain-water tanks, 
and on a level with the staging smaller tanks 
are provided in order that the water may be 
kept at the same temperature as the plants, 
and to facilitate the dipping of the numerous 
plants which are grown in pans suspended 
from the roof. Lath roller blinds are chiefly 
used for shading. 
The heating apparatus needed for this 
extensive range of glass is naturally on a large 
scale, and is interesting for the reason that it 
greatly differs from that usually employed. 
Several large steam boilers, of the horizontal 
type used for factories, have been erected, 
not in the usual manner, but upside down, and 
this for the following reason : the internal fire- 
box and flue of this type of boiler does not 
run through the exact centre, but is placed 
near the lower portion in order that there may 
be ample room for the storage of the steam. 
But when these boilers are used for heating 
greenhouses, and, therefore, are entirely full 
of water, it was found that the large amount 
of water over the fire-box and flue took too 
long to heat, so the boilers were simply turned 
over, the fire bars reversed, and the main 
hot-water supply fixed to what was formerly 
the base of the boiler, the heated water then 
quickly found its way into the houses. It is 
interesting to note that one of these boilers 
has now completed 46 years of work, the first 
35 of which were spent for the production of 
steam, and the last 1 1 years as a greenhouse 
heater. 
Many of the hot-water pipes are six and 
eight inches in diameter, and were those 
originally used by the engineers in con- 
structing the Manchester Ship Canal. Of 
course, one of these large pipes on each side 
of the Odontoglossum houses is quite sufficient. 
In a large conservatory adjoining the 
residence several plants of Cymbidium insigne 
and eburneum are planted in the rock-work, 
where they grow satisfactorily. A spacious 
seedling house contains a vast number of 
young Cypripediums, and various plants with 
seed pods, including Govenia Gardneri, 
Zygopetalum Wendlandii, and a species of 
Spathoglottis, all of which have been crossed 
with Cymbidium insigne. 
The Miltonia house is gay with vexillaria 
and Bleuana, all in perfect health, and without 
a spot on the foliage. This house is kept at a 
regular temperature of 58-65 degrees, and the 
staging is covered with ashes kept constantly 
moist. There is no doubt that the cause of 
spotted leaves is not an excess of moisture. 
