Aug., 1892 . 
THE CULTIVATION OF ORCHIDS. 
179 
that all plants are beautiful, but orchids are superlatively so, 
and not by any means so difficult to grow as some people 
imagine. The old idea of excessive heat is still adhered to 
by many, although we rarely find orchids enjoying vigorous 
health in such places, while in the comparatively few places 
where orchids are cultivated in a cool moist atmosphere, they 
may be found enjoying the most luxuriant health. This is a 
very important fact, for every orchid grower knows that 
healthy imported plants are far better to deal with than such 
debilitated specimens as have been ruined by bad cultivation 
in a high and dry atmosphere. I contend that it matters but 
little what the natural temperature of their native habitat 
may be ; if they succeed well with us here in a much cooler 
one, so much the better. It is a great mistake to use fire heat 
-when it is not required. In the first place it is unnatural, even 
when modified as much as possible by moisture. Secondly, it 
is a source of trouble, annoyance, and expense, both to the 
gardener and his employer, and I am well satisfied that a 
great number of beautiful orchids will succeed perfectly well 
without any fire heat at all during an ordinary summer ; in 
fact, I do not use fire heat from the middle of May until the 
middle of October, and the orchids grow, I may say, like weeds 
with me—even last year they were without fire during part of 
May, the whole of June, July, and part of August (and I 
think you will remember it was rather a cold summer). Again, 
during the winter months fire may be reduced to a minimum, 
by carefully using covering material for the houses, such as 
mats. My houses were covered with mats during the winter 
of 1891, i.e., the whole of December, January, February, and 
part of March—they were covered all over with the exception 
of about two feet at the top to let in a little light; they do not 
want much light during the winter months, as most of them 
are resting; but on the other hand, when they are growing, 
you cannot give them too much light, but you must not allow 
them to be scorched by the sun. Another great requisite m 
the culture of orchids, more especially the cool section, is 
full and free ventilation, not only during the day time, but 
also through the night, of course taking precautions against 
cold draughts by tacking coarse tiffany or perforated zinc 
over the openings—this also prevents cats, snails, and slugs 
entering. If ventilation is beneficial during the day time, 
why not during the night? We are frequently told that 
orchids require houses to themselves, but really a greater or 
more absurd fallacy could not be taught; one would almost 
be led to infer from this that orchids were exclusive and 
occupied some particular portions of the globe to the utter 
