May 14, 1835. ] 
JOURNAL OF HORTICULTURE AND COTTAGE GARDENER. 
893 
in growing the greater part of onr handsomest Orchids, provided the one 
who took them in hand had a real liking for them, and a determination to 
use his own eyes and. his best judgment for their benefit. In such a case 
success follows invariably, for Orchids, like the domestic animals, soon find 
out when there is one who is fond of them about them, and they seem to 
be happy and to thrive and establish an understanding with such a 
guardian, indicating to him their wants in many important matters as 
plainly as though they could speak. 
It is this kind of understanding that should be aimed at, as it goes a 
great way towards securing success, as well as giving pleasure to the 
pursuit; and it is the existence or the want of this kind of relation between 
the plants and their master which makes all the difference between a good 
grower and a bad one—between a healthy collection and a shabby one. Be 
sure that without someone takes an unfeigned and steady interest in the 
plants they will not thrive, but if one can be found to be watchful over 
their interests, and apply what knowledge he can get by what he sees or 
reads of in other collections, a good measure of success is sure ; and hence 
some of our smaller amateurs, by their diligence and real liking for their 
plants, often grow things to perfection which have puzzled more scientific 
men. In growing a general collection of Orchids, however, many stubborn 
subjects will be met with, but as the bad doers of the past have given way, 
those of the present will follow, no doubt, in the case of all who steadily 
persevere. Every point in Orchid culture is of importance, one neglected 
item often causing failure in some direction or other. Let us glance at a 
few of the most important matters, beginning with 
THE ORCHID HOUSE. 
In this particular we certainly have the advantage over those of former 
years, in that we now have compact, well-ventilated, and comfortably 
heated structures; but these changes were not made until the Orchid 
growers themselves took to designing their own houses or advising with the 
builders about them ; and from that time a new era in Orchid culture com¬ 
menced. The running lights, which were so fond of slipping down in the 
night, were done away with ; the swinging sashes on a level with the plants 
on the side stages were doomed ; those neat little sliding traps at the base 
of the house, and those convenient top ventilators, substituted, and many 
other sanitary matters arranged, which anyone may see to perfection in 
that fine new Cattleya house, and those other recently built structures 
belonging to William Lee, Esq., at Downside, Leatherhead, where one of 
our largest, best, and best-housed collections will be found, many of the 
convenient arrangement in those houses being of Mr. Lee’s own designing. 
At Baron Schroder’s, too, at The Dell, Egham, some of the best of our modern 
improvements, combining usefulness and ornament, will be found ; and as 
the plants contained in the houses are of the best and rarest, a visit to them 
is a great pleasure to any Orchid grower. 
In former times it used to be considered imperative to build the Orchid 
houses running east and west, and many adhere to that plan still; many also 
consider that a lean-to or three-quarter-span facing north is the best for 
Odontoglossums and cold-house plants. Eor my part, I cannot say that 
houses of any other aspect are not as good as these, provided they be pro¬ 
perly arranged in other respects. A north house is certainly very cool, and 
good for cold-house plants, and particularly Masdevallias in summer, but, 
from the very conflicting evidence I have gathered in different parts of the 
country, I should say that anyone having houses which they wish to devote 
to Orchids need not be deterred by their facing this way or facing that, or in 
building new ones, to greatly inconvenience themselves to make their 
houses run in any particular direction. 
Tolerably low span-roofed houses are the best to build for most Orchids, 
and in building them no two should be placed together side by side, but 
each should be built apart, in order to allow of the bottom ventilation being 
effected by traps opening into the 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 importance 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 observation I can say that 
I believe there is a good foundation for the statement. 
WATERING ORCHIDS. 
The watering of Orchids is a matter on which much depends. It is now 
pretty generally understood that all evergreen Orchids, either terrestrial 
or epiphytal, require plenty of water when growing freely, and less when not 
growing ; that those which lose their leaves, such as some Dendrobes, in¬ 
variably require a period of rest, during which water is entirely withheld 
and a lower temperature given; and that Odontoglossums, Masdevallias, 
and the other cold-house things, want water summer and winter; but I find 
the resting or drying-off system is often overdone, and plants injured 
accordingly, and that in some collections the plants would be much better 
if watered all the year round than dried as they are to such an extent that 
they cannot recover in the growing season what they lose in the so-called 
resting period. 
My own opinion is that any drying-off which causes shrivelling is wrong, 
and that Cattleyas, Laslias, and similar plants, if properly potted, do best 
kept moist, even when not actively growing, but care must be taken to see 
that they are not in bad peat. As a rule, it would be much better for the 
plants we often see in small collections if they had one-half the quantity of 
potting material about them and twice the quantity of water they get given 
them. Syringing a house of Orchids should never be done, and the syringes 
should be only used for moistening the staging and back walls, or doing any 
other work on which it can be certainly employed without harm. When 
used on the plants the operator cannot tell what he is doing, and in the 
hands of a thoughtless person the syringe is the most mischievous instru¬ 
ment ever introduced. There can be no rule for its use among Orchids as a 
means for distributing water, and certainly no benefit that can be set against 
the loss of young growths and decayed flower-spikes which must follow an 
indiscriminate use of it. 
ON POTTING ORCHIDS. 
And now it will be well to notice a few matters connected with the 
potting and materials used. For growing the epiphytal Orchids, in the 
early days of Orchid culture blocks or logs of wood were largely used, 
with, in many cases, wire baskets for the more spreading kinds. These 
baskets were first made of iron wire, but this being found to be objectionable 
on account of its rusting, copper wire was substituted. Soon it got found 
out that Orchid roots and young growths did not like metallic substances, 
and slate was employed to make baskets of different shapes, which were 
fitted with wire suspenders. Later on the designs were very varied and 
fanciful, baskets being made of scollop shells, cocoa-nut husks, rods of 
hazel, oak, and maple, all of which were found objectionable for some 
reason or other. 
During all this time the ordinary flower-pot was making way, disguised 
to meet the case by having holes and slits to accommodate the air roots. 
This fashion of flower-pot at length became extensively used, but as it was 
alleged against it that it harboured insects, it had to give way to the plain 
common garden pot, which is now doing such great service. But I am sure 
that we have allowed the common flower-pot to encroach too far, and that 
while we beat our predecessors with Odontoglossums, Masdevallias, and 
many other things which do perfectly well in pots, we have certainly lost 
ground with Saccolabiums, Aerides, and plants of that nature ; so much so, 
that they are but poorly represented in many otherwise good collections. 
My own opinion is that it is solely through potting them instead of basket¬ 
ing them, and that in pots the chances are against them on many points. 
Their large fleshy roots do not get the air in pots that they do in baskets, 
and when potting they are generally placed on the stage too far from the 
glass, and retain the water given them longer than these plants like. 
Against these arguments it is said, with much truth, that it is impossible 
to suspend everything, and that when baskets are used they are dangerous 
to the plant when decaying. To this it may be answered, that if it is for 
the benefit of the plant some means of raising it to a fair distance from the 
glass should be found, and that if the Saccolabiums and Aerides have done 
well in baskets, which would have done badly in pots, the trouble of 
removing the old basket and replacing it with a new one ought not to be 
considered. The Orchid specimens at Mrs. Lawrence’s, that with twenty 
spikes at Mr. Blandy’s, and all the others in those days were in baskets, and 
I do not think their equals will ever be found in pots. 
The Orchid baskets, too, are so much improved in the present day that 
all objection to them has been removed, and I venture to predict a great 
future for them. Those made by Mr. J. E. Bonny of Downs Park Road, 
Hackney, are well finished, and the superior teak of which they are made 
will cause them to last for years. Those of Mr. \Vm. Gordon of Twicken¬ 
ham, too, are excellent, being made of teak and well put together ; and I 
should like those who are not satisfied with their Saccolabiums, Aerides, 
and smaller Vandas to try them in baskets, using plenty of crocks and 
charcoal where obtainable, and only a little sphagnum moss. 
In growing this class of plants, if the growers would but take the hint 
from the Dendrobes, which grow with them in their native habitats, and 
make the growing time of the Saccolabium to correspond with theirs, they 
would give their plants less heat and water in winter and more in spring 
and summer, and a better condition would come upon them. The excessive 
heat which is often given to Saccolabiums and Aerides, and given, too, in 
winter, and while they are so far away from what little light there is, stunts 
them, prevents their flowering, and makes it hard work for them even to 
live. 
MATERIALS FOR POTTING. 
Now as to materials for potting. Good living sphagnum for Saccola¬ 
biums, Aerides, Vandas, Phalmnopsis, Angrrecums, and others of like 
growth, and the fibre of peat composed of Fern roots alone for Cattleyas and 
Laslias, have always been considered the best. Unfortunately, much of the 
peat of late years has been of Grass and Heath root, which is liable to rapid 
decay, and consequently to cause injury to the plants. Various materials, 
such as cocoa-nut fibre, have been advanced to supersede peat, but none has 
proved acceptable. I therefore recommend all who wish their plants well 
to keep to the sphagnum moss and the best peat they can get, using the less 
of the latter when it is not good, and to leave experiments to others. There 
are always plenty ready to try new things, and curiously enough it is never 
the learner who carries the experiments to a serious conclusion, but the 
well-tried old hand, who, having done all that is good and reasonable, goes 
in for a new idea on a large scale. 
lean call to mind several unaccountable instances of this kind, in one of 
which I remember a clever grower in the north, who had for years grown 
his plants to perfection, suddenly became possessed with the idea that 
chopped sphagnum, and what appeared to me to be road-grit, was the proper 
thing for all Orchids, and forthwith he proceeded to put them in it. In another 
case I found that a previously well-grown collection had been potted in 
sphagnum moss and what I was told was prepared cocoa-nut fibre. How 
effectual the preparation was in getting the plants ready to depart this life 
I need not say. 
£ Above all things a steady perseverance in what others have found to be 
