104 
ORCHIDACEOUS HOUSE. 
to grow, so that, whether they flower or not, 
they may have the best part of one season to 
perfect their foliage in : this is the most 
likely means of inducing them to flower next 
year. 
Begonias. — Many of the Begonias, if potted 
now, and grown freely, will flower beautifully 
towards the end of summer, and during the 
autumn. 
Gloriosa superba. — The roots of this sin- 
gular plant should be potted, and set in a 
slight bottom heat in the stove ; they require 
a moderately rich light loamy soil, and plenty 
of heat and moisture. 
Stapelias, and other stove succulents, such 
as the Cacti, should be potted, and grown in a 
close pit, or in a warm and moist part of 
the stove for a few weeks, when their growth 
must be ripened in a drier cooler place, ready 
to flower next season, which they will do on 
the strong shoots made during the summer, if 
they are well matured. 
Clerodendrons should be removed to the 
forcing-house or stove, (having been kept cool 
and comparatively dry all the winter,) in 
order to get cuttings, from which young 
plants, to bloom in the summer of next year, 
may be raised ; these young plants are to be 
grown freely through the summer, kept cool 
in winter, cut down in spring, and again libe- 
rally treated in the stove : they then flower 
magnificently. Old plants may be cut down 
now and potted, and placed in a favourable 
position for growing, and they will bloom 
towards autumn. 
ORCHIDACEOUS HOUSE. 
From March to September, or even Octo- 
ber, may be regarded as the general growing 
season for this family of plants, during which 
time, some, at least, will be in active progress. 
The plants which have been in a dormant 
state all through the winter ought, indeed, to 
be excited to grow soon, or the very best part 
of the year will be lost to them : those which 
commence growing later, up to the period 
named above, are such as have been put to 
rest at later periods during the winter and 
spring. Late and weakly plants should not be 
excited just yet. 
Potting. — The proper season for potting 
and shitting these plants is when they are 
about commencing their growth ; and, as 
many will now be in that state, the renewing 
of the pots, soil, blocks, baskets, &c, in or on 
which they may have been growing, will have 
to be attended to. The manner of potting 
was explained at p. 58, together with some of 
the other contrivances adopted for growing 
these plants. 
Temperature, <yc. — A mean temperature of 
from 65 to 70 degrees of applied heat, falling 
5 or more degrees at night, and rising 8 or 
10 degrees by sun heat, will be suitable for 
the plants when one house only is employed ; 
and in this case, as before observed, the grow- 
ing plants should be kept at the warmest, and 
the dormant ones at the coolest end. Where 
there are two houses made use of, the warmest 
one — allotted to the Indian species — may 
range from 70 to 75 degrees, and somewhat 
higher by sun- heat ; and from 60 to 65 de- 
grees at night. The coolest one, which will 
also serve as a resting house, may range from 
6 to 8, or even 10 degrees lower, both night and 
day. The growing plants require to have a 
strong degree of moisture maintained in con- 
junction with the increased heat, so that, in 
fact, the atmosphere may be charged with warm 
impalpable vapour ; for this purpose, every 
available, evaporating surface must be brought 
into requisition, and the plants too, (especially 
those on blocks or in baskets,) as well as the 
floors, walls, and pipes, may be syringed 
freely and frequently, provided the water is 
not roughly dashed over the former, but passed 
through a fine syringe, so as to resemble light 
vapour or dew. But very little ventilation 
will be required yet ; nor, unless the weather 
is remarkably hot, need the shading of the 
house be commenced. 
Watering. — The growing plants require to 
be liberally watered, but it should always be 
used in a tepid state. The resting plants, of 
course, are neither to be watered nor sj'ringed. 
Imported Plants. — This is an excellent 
season to receive plants which have been im- 
ported, as they may be induced to grow a 
little during the summer, and so become esta- 
blished. When imported plants are first re- 
ceived they usualty look dry, and nearly dead, 
but if well preserved they will recover by 
proper treatment. They are not to be potted, 
and at once subjected to a hot moist heat, but 
laid out in the house in any convenient place, 
where the atmosphere is not very moist : old 
basket lids are excellent things to lay them 
on, as they are easily removed ; in this state 
they slowly imbibe moisture and become ex- 
cited, and as soon as indications of growth are 
perceived they may be potted, but still guard- 
edly treated till they get into a vigorous 
condition. 
Sobralia. — These may be potted, and 
treated so as to make them grow freely ; and 
they will flower in September and October. 
Catasetum, Cycnoches, and allied plants, 
which have been rested, will probably be 
showing signs of growth, and may be potted, 
and get more water, which must not however 
be suffered to lodge about the young shoots 
just breaking forth. 
Phalcenopsk amabilis. — This Indian species 
requires a strong moist heat ; it may be pro- 
