566 
JOURNAL OF HORTICULTURE AND COTTAGE GARDENER. 
[ December 25, 1884. 
old notes taken in formei’ years, articles on subjects wliicli they 
may not be well up in, and a reference to a good calendar of 
garden work, will very much help them out of their first doubts 
and difficulties. They mus first make themselves acquainted 
with the requirements of the establishment. With some a large 
supply of fruit and vegetables are the chief objects, while 
others “ go in” largely for p’ant-growing and cut flowers; others 
make a speciality of hardy plants, florist flowers, or Roses, &c. 
Whatever a master or mistress takes a special interest in, the 
gardener ought to give such his first and personal attention 
and in all other matters try to anticipate their wants. 
Some gentlemen, and ladies too, I am sorry to say, are too 
much occupied with other things to take much interest in their 
garden. The young gardener who finds himself under such a 
master must be very particular how he conducts himself. If his 
heart is not in his work he is apt to become lax in the perform¬ 
ance of his duties. To the uninterested employer this may not 
be found out for some little time; but, depend upon it, one evil 
leads to another, and ere long things begin to go wrong in more 
than one quarter, and very often with such gentlemen litt'e con¬ 
sideration is given to the faithless servant. 
Another thing, I think a gardener ought to study to be a man 
of few words, and avoid pouncing upon his master every time he 
makes his appearance in the garden, about this, that, and the 
other little thing. Rather let him exercise his own discretion, 
and go quietly about any little improvements to which no outlay 
is attached. ^ If an employer is not inc ined to give a gardener 
everything just as he would like it, let him avoid any hasty 
words, for they are sure to be repented of. There are many 
things that are hard to be borne in silence, but it would be better 
so than that a heated temper let loose an ungovernable tongue. 
Many employers have peculiar ways, which they have a perfect 
right to, and servants should not be too hasty to judge or oppose 
them. Nor should they, without vmry careful consideration, 
resign a charge without some substantial reason. Many impul¬ 
sive young men throw away chances they would be glad of in 
after life. 
When once settled in a new place let our young gardener at 
once look up matters that have been neglected, and, as time will 
permit, make everything as tidy as possible, both outdoors and 
in.^ As opportunity occurs afterwards, such improvements as he 
thinks ought to be made may be suggested to his master. He 
should so arrange all routine work, such as watering plants, ven¬ 
tilating, firing, serving the kitchen, Ac., so that each man 
may attend to^ such work, without fail, at regular hours. Culti¬ 
vate punctuality in all things, and see that men under you do 
the same. Assist and encourage young men to improve them¬ 
selves by giving^ them such papers as come into your hands ; 
also see that their rooms are made as comfortable as possible, 
and that they do not waste too much of their earnings at unpro¬ 
fitable or dangerous amusements, such as card-playing, or other 
games of chance, which generally lead to frequenting public- 
houses and intemperance—a habit through which old men as 
well as young are continually coming to grief. 
Endeavour to live in harmony with your fellow servants. 
-Give especial care to the cook’s wants, for her good graces 
are much to be desired. “ Sow thick, thin quick, and keep friends 
with the cook ’’ is the advice of the late Mr. R. Fish. Occasionally 
visit your neighbour gardeners, encourage them to return the 
compliment, and so conduct yourself as to command their re¬ 
spect. Be ready at all times to join in any good work, be it the 
management of a flower show, or advising a labourer how to 
profitably cultivate his garden plot. 
But I have said enough, perhaps too much, although many 
more matters of importance might be referred to with advan- 
tage. ^ It is just possible that I may have omitted some of the 
most important. Let me state, in conclusion, that I do not set 
myself up as a model servant; on the contrary, many points 
touched upon are matters in which I have myself made mistakes 
to my material disadvantage; and they are addressed, not to 
men in high positions, but to those who are like myself—A 
Working Gardener. 
ORCHIDS. 
£A paper rea 1 by Mr. 1 ). Birfc before the Caterham Hortieultural Society, 
December 12th.] 
It would perhaps be not unfitting to begin the discussion of our 
subject by giving an answer to the question, “ What is an Orchid ? ” 
by showing, that is to say, in what respects Orchids differ from other 
plants. Their chief peculiarity consists by no means in the beauty of 
their flowers—for many of these flowers would scarcely be thought 
beautiful—but that which marks off the Orchids from general plant 
life is the curious structure and wonderful contrivance which their 
flowers exhibit and which they possess for the accomplishment of a 
special purpose, which I will explain presently. It is one of these 
speeial points of flower structure which has given rise to the terra 
“ Orchid,” but as I think we can best turn our attention to the flowers 
of these interesting plants after we have considered one or two other 
aspects of our subject. 
A common idea about these plants is that they all grow in very 
hot countries, and that they all need very hot quarters when brought 
under cultivation. The fact i^, that though the forests of the ton id 
regions, and particularly the South American forests, are very rich in 
Orchids, yet some of those which bear the finest and most interesting 
flowers are found in climates almost temperate. Orchids, indeed, are 
found in nearly all parts of the world except the very coldest and 
most arid, and of the 3000 species which have been described, thirty- 
eight are found amongst the wild flowers of Great Britain. 
Orchids have two very distinct modes of growth. A large num¬ 
ber (the tropical kinds, more especially) grow on the boughs of trees. 
They appear in no way to injure their big friends who thus hold 
them aloft, shade them from the fierce sun, and “ rock them in their 
arms so wild.” Hence Orchids are not classed with parasitic plants 
(such, for instance, as Mistletoe), which feed on the juices of the trees 
they occupy, but are termed epiphytes, which means a plant growing 
upon a plant. These epiphytes, or tree Orchids, form one of the two 
divisions of the Orchid family. 
The other division consists of the terrestrial Orchids, as those are 
called which grow down upon the ground. 
I will take two or three examples of these groups, first calling 
attention to the Cattleya. Tnis is one of a large section comprising 
many sorts differing less in the character of their growth and the 
shape of their flowers than in the colouring of the latter, which is 
very various in the different species. Though the mode in which it 
is grown—viz., on the top of a clay pot, Avith a little peat under it, is 
found to be the best artificial mode of cultivation, it doubtless greAv 
with far greater Augour high up on its native tree in some Brazilian 
forest Avhence it was brought. You must imagine it so growing ; in 
hot sunshine by day modified by the overhanging leafage, at night 
blown by the cool night Avinds from the Atlantic, and anon during 
its growing season drenched by the doAvnpour of a tropical thunder¬ 
storm. The base of each leaf (that upon Avhich it groAvs) is much 
more than a mere leafstalk. It is, in fact, a reservoir of moisture 
upon Avhich the leaf subsists during the long season of drought to 
Avhich the plant is exposed. But for this reserve of moisture the 
plant would die in the hot rainless part of the year, which continues 
for some months. Due allowance has to be made for this when the 
plant comes under cultivation, and hence when Cattleyas go to rest 
after completing their growth for the year Ave give them scarcely any 
Avater. Under this treatment these pseudo-bulbs or reserAmirs fre¬ 
quently show signs of shrivelling by partial loss of their contents, but 
Avhen the growing season comes round again, and water is again 
given in more abundance, the bulbs get plump again. 
We Avill next take the Odontoglossum, also found on the American 
Continent, and representative of the class of earth Orchids Avhich are 
found in great variety in Central America. The particular species I 
haam selected is named 0. Alexandra, because it Avas introduced to 
England about the time that our future Queen Consort first came to 
our shores as the Prince of Wales's bride This Orchid, though it is 
nathm of Bogota, and, therefore, as near the equator as many of the 
Cattleyas, is found only at high altitudes, and experiences conse¬ 
quently a much cooler climate than the Brazilian Cattleyas. Travellers 
describe it as growing in an almost perpetual mist, the result of which 
is that it endures very subdued sunlight, a large amount of air 
moisture, and, as might be exp'cted, is found surrounded with mosses 
and lichens and other moisture-loAung growths. 
The third example is a Uendrobium, of Avhich there is a multitude 
of varieties. It is an epiphyte. You must imagine this variety, 
which comes from India, growing in some dense jungle amidst 
luxuriant vegetation, its long growths not turning upwards, as these 
are trained, but hanging down possibly over a stream of water from 
some overarching branch. These plump growths are called pseudo¬ 
bulbs, and serve the same purpose as the corresponding portion of a 
Cattleya—that is, as a reserve of moisture]for the plant’s sustenance 
during the long rainless season. As in the case of the Cattleya, each 
leaf has its own reservoir. Each pseudo-bulb of the Dendrobium carries 
many leaves ranged symmetrically down it. From these bulbs, after the 
leaves have fallen, charming clusters of flowers emerge. The terrible 
and the beautiful in nature are often very close to one another, and it 
may Avell happen to the traA'eller, as he turns away from the scene of 
floral beauty, to encounter the gaze of a tiger watching him Avith not 
less interest than that with Avhich he has been gazing on the Dendro- 
biums. Well for his chances of escape if the tiger has not yet com¬ 
pleted the digestion of his last victim. 
Our fourth plant is a Cypripedium or Lady’s Slipper, so called 
from the slipper-shaped pouch at the base of the flower. This section 
