PRODUCTIVE FAMILY GARDENING. 
357 
guarding against stagnant water near the 
roots. 
Neriums like to be cool at the root, with 
the head freely exposed to the light. They 
may be easily induced to flower for a length 
of time, by giving them a rich soil, and much 
water and heat. 
Nymjrfueas ("Water lilies). — Keep the water 
clean and sweet about them ; the water rather 
above than under the temperature of the house. 
Palms. — Syringe well, and water copiously 
at the root ; sometimes with liquid manure. 
Thunbergias. — Prune freely to produce 
laterals, and syringe often ; they are all very 
liable to the attacks of red spider. Propagate 
those which do not seed freely, by cuttings in 
sand in bottom heat. 
Vincas will be flowering freely; a succession 
should be kept up by cutting back some of the 
old plants, and allowing them to break again. 
THE ORCHID HOUSE. 
Temperature. — The warm house for the 
Indian species, 85 to 90 degrees by day, to 
75 degrees by night ; the cool, or Mexican 
house, 75 to 80 degrees by day, to 65 degrees 
by night. 
Ventilation. — Air should be admitted pretty 
freely among such plants as are resting in the 
Mexican house. Greater caution must be 
observed in the Indian house, as many of the 
plants are still growing. 
Watering. — Be careful in watering plants at 
rest, those in a growing state may be liberally 
supplied, and the syringe should be always 
in use. The water should always be a few 
degrees hotter than the house to allow for the 
loss of heat in the course of its fine dispersion 
by the syringe. 
Insects. — Be continually on the alert. A 
new enemy may now be expected in force — 
the earwig. 
Potting. — Continue, wherever necessary, 
changing such as do not appear to thrive on 
blocks to baskets or pots, and so on with the 
rest, as may appear most proper. There is 
much to be learnt in this way. 
Shading must be continued over the grow- 
ing plants, but may be partially dispensed 
with over such as are at rest, using it only 
during the hottest portions of the day. 
Soils. — Continue to collect all likely mate- 
rials; especially singular or appropriate knobs 
and slabs of wood, for these seem better 
adapted for many plants, and not so offensive 
to the eye as the baskets in common use. 
Imported Plants should be gradually 
brought forward as before directed. The 
masses of pseudo bulbs should not be disturbed 
too much at first, unless very much decayed ; 
any dust or mould from them should be 
strewed over the plant again as more likely to 
suit it than fresh soil. 
Aerides, Saccolabiwns, and Vandas, should 
be rested as they complete their growth, but 
should be kept in the warm house. 
Cymbidiums should be kept cool and rather 
dry after their growth, until wanted to flower, 
when they generally start without difficulty. 
Cattleyas. — Grow away, taking great care 
the young roots are not destroyed by the 
various insects which feed on them. 
Dendrobiums. — Eemove such as D. nobile 
and its allies to the cool house, and keep them 
rather dry for some time. Those producing 
spikes of flowers, should be continued in the 
warm house, with only a small allowance of 
warm water while at rest. 
Oncidiums. — Continue to remove these to 
the cool house as they form their growths, and 
restrict the supply of water. 
Stanhopeas. — Such as have only lately 
flowered should be encouraged to strong 
growth while the heat and light is powerful ; 
afterwards they should rest until they show 
their flowers. 
PRODUCTIVE FAMILY GARDENING. 
The great secret of getting rich is to make 
the most of what we have, and whether this 
applies to money, to time, or to land, it is the 
same. You may almost tell what a man is by 
the appearance of his garden. Does he make 
the most of his ground ? then there is some 
hope he is prudent. Does he make the most 
of his labour ? he will rarely want. We do 
not mean that such men are never unfortunate, 
that they have not their troubles and trials 
like other men; but under every kind of 
visitation such men are better prepared, and 
therefore suffer less than careless reckless 
persons. In a garden no rod of ground should 
be ever idle. If a man who is naturally lazy has 
not kept his ground well cropped, he may have 
his excuses about laying fallow, ridging it in 
winter to mellow the soil, or leaving it rough 
that the frost may get into it ; but there is no 
occasion for all this, — the soil need on no 
occasion to be at rest ; change of work is 
a holiday to man, and change of crop is all 
that any ground needs ; for no two crops 
require the same kind of feeding, and conse- 
quently, by changing from one which requires 
high feeding of one kind to another that re- 
quires no feeding, or feeding of another sort, 
the ground continues at work without being 
exhausted. If ground has been used for car- 
rots, parsnips, or beet-root, it may be imme- 
diately cropped with lettuces, or some crop 
which has no tap roots. Turnips, also, and 
