November 14.J 
THE COTTAGE GARDENER. 
101 
yellow. One feature more—Mr. C. never keeps bis good 
things to himself. 
HOTHOUSE DEPARTMENT. 
EXOTIC ORCHIDACEiE. 
orchids that thiuve best on blocks ( Continued from 
page 65). 
Scuticari a Steelii (Mr. Steel’s); Demerara.—Sepals 
and petals pale buff', richly spotted and streaked with 
reddish brown; lip white, with rose-coloured stripes 
lengthwise. This is a fine plant when in bloom. The 
flowers are large—nearly three inches in diameter, and 
are produced on short stems, generally in pairs, close to 
the block. The leaves are round, like a thick rush, and 
hang down to a great length—often as much as from 
three to four feet. They are long-lived. We have leaves 
quite fresh at four years old. A very interesting plant. 
42s. 
Culture. —This is one of the plants we wrote about in 
The Cottage Gardener sometime back as requiring 
peculiar treatment, and we beg our readers to refer to 
that accouut. In this place we shall only remark that 
it thrives well on a block, but better still if the two 
methods of growing in a basket and on a log are com¬ 
bined. A square basket that will just hold the block 
should have the block, with the plant fastened to it, 
firmly fixed in it, and be hung up to the roof vertically; 
that is, the basket should be hung sideways, which will 
allow the leaves of the plant to droop without obstruc¬ 
tion. 
Sophronitts cernita (drooping S.); Rio Janeiro.— 
This is a very neat, pretty plant, with reddish sepals and 
petals ; the lip has a dash of yellow in the centre. 21s. 
S. grandiflora (large flowered S.); Organ Moun¬ 
tains.—This is a splendid gem even among orchids ; the 
whole flower is of a beautiful orange-scarlet, and very 
large in proportion to the plant. Each flower is often 
larger than the whole plant. We can hardly say too 
much in its praise. 63s. A considerable quantity was 
imported about two years ago by J. Hadwin, Esq., of 
Liverpool. Being a merchant in that town, and having 
connexions in Brazil, he requested a captain of one of 
his vessels to procure him some orchids. The captain, 
to please his friend, engaged a number of blacks, and 
went with his party to the top of the Organ Mountains. 
He saw this Soplironitis growing on the tops of the 
highest trees; but all his offers and persuasions were in 
vain to induce his attendants to mount the trees and 
bring down the air plants that he coveted for his friend. 
The fear of snakes and other noxious auimals was too 
much for his sable attendants’ slender courage to sur¬ 
mount. There was nothing for it, in order to accom¬ 
plish his wishes, but to fell a tree on which these coveted 
gems were growing. To work, with a right good will, 
the natives went, and soon cut through the stem of the 
tree; but, alas! the trees were so interlaced with 
creepers that it would not fall. Still determined to 
accomplish his object, he set his assistants to work to 
cut down another tree ; but he could not obtain his ob¬ 
ject till five or six were cut through, and then at last 
they came down with a tremendous crash, and he was 
enabled to bring home a great number of branches 
covered with this beautiful S. grandiflora, and several 
other species, such as S. pterocarpa, S. violacea, and 
some other genera of less value. We have now a plant 
of S. grandiflora in flower that was one the persevering 
captain brought home with him. This anecdote will 
give our readers some idea of the trouble and expense 
incurred in procuring orchids from their native localities, 
which expense, combined with their slow increase, and 
the cost of cultivating them in our stoves, are the 
reasons why they are so expensive when compared with 
other plants. 
S. violacea (violet-coloured S.); Organ Mountains.— 
This species, though not so showy as the last, is worth 
cultivating on account of its pretty violet-coloured 
flowers. 21s. 
S. tterocarpa (wing-podded S.); Organ Mountains.— 
Sepals and petals pink, lip of the same colour, with a 
dash of white in the centre. A free-growing desirable 
species, with larger leaves than any other species. 21s. 
Culture. —This family of small orchids being from the 
tops of trees on mountains of considerable elevation in 
South America, do not remiire a high temperature. The , 
Mexican house, therefore, is the most suitable for them, j 
They grow best on small blocks of cork with the bark 
on, without any moss; require syringing twice a-day 
when growing, and at that time a moist atmosphere; 
but as soon as the pseudo-bulbs are fully grown, syring¬ 
ing once a month will be sufficient, and a drier atmosphere 
in the house will be advantageous for them. With this 
treatment, which gives a season of growth and a season 
of rest, these pretty plants will grow and flower well. 
Vanilla planifolia (smooth-leaved V.) ; West In¬ 
dies.—Yellowish white. 21s. The fine scent named 
vanilla is obtained fretn the seed pods of this plant. It 
produces its flowers from the axils of the leaves on short 
stems. There are often as many as seven or eight 
flowers on a stem, and these are succeeded, if properly 
fertilized, by as many pods, six or seven inches long. 
In their native country this office is performed by 
insects; but in our stoves artificial means must be used 
to effect it. There is a projection, something like a lid, 
over the stigma; this must be removed, and the pollen 
masses laid upon the stigma, and then the pods will 
shortly appear. If this is not done the blossoms will 
all drop off, and no seed pods will be produced. Per¬ 
haps some of our readers may wish to inquire which is 
the stigma and what is the pollen? We will try to 
describe them. In tire centre of nearly all orchids there 
is a fleshy column, the top of which is called the 
stigma. Over this, hung generally by a joint, is one or 
more masses of a sticky, wax-like substance; this is the 
pollen, which, when touched, especially in the genus 
Catasetum, springs off; and if it falls upon the stigma, 
impregnation takes place, and the seed vessels are pro¬ 
duced. In the case of the Vanilla, this cannot take 
place unless the lid-like covering of the stigma is re¬ 
moved and the pollen applied by the hand; at least 
that is the case in our stoves. 
There are two more species of Vanilla, namely, V. 
aromatica and V. bicolor ; but they are not much different 
in habit and bloom from the above-mentioned. 
Culture.-^ To grow the Vanilla to perfection, and all the 
species require the same culture, it ought to be potted in 
a mixture of pieces of turfy peat, chopped moss, and 
broken potsherds, in equal parts. The pot containing 
the plant should be placed against a wall, and the plant 
fastened to it witli a nail and shred of cloth. It will 
soon attach itself to the wall by the roots it puts forth 
all up the stem; and will only require the ends of each I 
directing, so as to prevent them crowding each other. | 
We had once a plant under our care that had the 
advantage of a bark-bed to root into; the roots ran 
among the bark surprisingly ; and, in consequence, the ’ 
shoots progressed in proportion, entirely covering the 
back wall of a house nearly 40 feet- long. As soon as 
they reached the top, some of the shoots were trained 
down the rafters, where they flowered and fruited freely 
after being set. At Syon-house, the seat of the Duke 
of Northumberland, this plant is trained over the back 
wall, which it entirely covers with its fine large fleshy 
laurel-like leaves, and there it fruits plentifully. Our 
readers must not suppose, however, that the fruit is 
the only attraction; the flowers themselves are large 
