WESTERN HEMISPHERE. 
0 
supply of moisture, and through it therefore are easily managed. 
About the middle or end of the month it will be well to look 
over the collection, and repot or basket such as may require the 
change. Those which grow and produce roots freely succeed in 
a mixture of turfy peat and white water moss, thoroughly mixed, 
but not broken fine, while others, more tardy in either respect, or 
of delicate aspect, are benefited by the addition of a third part of 
rotten wood. Charcoal, broken into pieces proportionate to the 
size of the specimens, is also to be recommended, either as drainage, 
or mixed with the body of the soil. The escape of superfluous 
water from the roots of the plants is a matter of the first con¬ 
sequence, and must always be amply provided for. The common 
practice is to fill two thirds of the depth of the pot with broken 
sherds, covering them with moss or the most fibrous portion of 
the peat, building the greater part of the soil required by the 
plant in a conical manner above the rim of the pot, and this is 
necessary where pots are used; but we have found it preferable to 
employ wide pans, which obviate the necessity of such a weight 
of drainage, and allow the roots more room for lateral extension. 
Plants grown in baskets which are suspended are certain to be 
effectively drained, and therefore nothing need be said on that 
head ; but those on billets of wood will require some protection 
at times to guard them from the opposite extreme. This is easily 
done by enveloping their roots with a thin layer of moss, to be 
removed when they are resting, and frequently examined, lest it 
encourage the accumulation of insects. 
The spring management may be summed up in a few words. 
A gradually increasing supply of both heat and moisture are its 
leading features : from the minimum of 50° in February it should 
be cautiously advanced to the maximum of 75° in June, propor¬ 
tioning the supply of moisture in a corresponding manner from 
a gentle watering of the soil twice a week, or less, to a liberal 
allowance every day to each pot, syringing or dipping the blocks 
and baskets every morning, and the escape of steam sufficient to 
fill the house for three or four hours every evening. 
In April will commence the principal display of flowers, when, 
for the sake of preserving their beauty, such plants as are blos¬ 
soming may be removed to a cooler and drier situation, the 
greenhouse or sitting-room may receive them while the flowers 
