March 20.] 
THE COTTAGE GARDENER. 
385 
i 
I 
issue a neat little boiler—to suit various sized pipes—to 
suit such little structures as I have indicated, and at a 
fair remunerating price, will have orders not in tens but 
hundreds. Without such be done, amateurs must take 
the matter in their own hands, or resort to the old 
smoke flues. Flues are far from being despicable con¬ 
veniences. In some respects, in small houses, where a 
higher temperature is wanted at one end, than another, 
they answer better than hot water. When neatly built, 
they are no eyesore in a house. To insure draught the 
flue should be at least a third deeper than it is wide, and 
the mouth of the flue should be eighteen inches above 
the bottom of the furnace. A well-known first-rate 
neighbouring gardener has several of these small houses, 
heated by the smallest flues I ever witnessed. I cannot 
be positive now, but so far as I recollect, the inside of 
the flues were not above four or five inches wide, con¬ 
sisting of one or two bricks set on edges, resting on a 
tile. The floor is covered with paving-tiles. The 
flue is first covered with a thin tile or slate, and 
over that is placed the paving-tile on a level with 
the rest of the floor; a small space being left on each 
side of the lilliputian flue, and, Mr. S. says, nothing 
could answer better. I was in the houses on a very cold 
day, and they were very comfortable. They were cleaned 
merely onee a year ; the lowness of the furnace, and the 
narrowness of the flue, gave a rapid draught. If for 
our small parlour greenhouses we cannot obtain hot 
water at a reasonable rate—should fail in getting a good 
sized kail-pot, cast with a couple flanges—we mean to 
visit Mr. S again, and have a small narrow under-floor 
flue. Mind, we do not recommend such under-ground 
heating where much heat is required. As a .criterion, in 
addition to what I have previously mentioned, I may 
state that, for greenhouses, one foot of four-inch pipe 
will bo necessary for every forty cubic feet of air, makiug 
allowance less or more, according to the surface of glass, 
or the presence of opaque walls; or, in other words, 
taking the square foot of glass, it would require a foot of 
four-inch pipe for every six feet of glass ; or a foot of a 
common flue above the ground for about ten or eleven 
feet of glass. R. Fish. 
! 
(To be continued.) 
HOTHOUSE DEPARTMENT. 
EXOTIC ORCPIIDACEiE. 
plants that thrive well in pots —Continued from 
page 358. 
Dendrochiluji filiforme (Thread-like D.); India.— 
A small genus of not very showy plants. The species 
named is, however, worth cultivating. The flowers are 
small, and of a greenish yellow, produced on very long 
thready stems, on which the flowers arc placed very close. | 
When in bloom they seem almost to hang in the air, 
and are exceedingly graceful and pretty. 
Culture .—They require the same treatment as the 
Dendrobes; namely, a season of growth, a season of 
bloom, and a season of rest. The same compost of 
sphagnum, broken potsherds, and charcoal also suits 
them. During growth a moist atmosphere, plenty of 
water at the root, with occasional syringings, is neces¬ 
sary. The heat should be from 75° to 90° by day, and 
(55° by night. The moisture must bo withholden when 
the growth is completed, and the temperature lowered to 
(H>° by day and 55° by night. 
Epideniirum. —We have again come to one of the 
large families of orchids. The species of this genus are 
chiefly natives of the hot moist districts of South Ame¬ 
rica. Great numbers are found in Demerara, others in 
Brazil, some in the woods of Mexico, and others in the 
cooler regions of Guatemala, some in the West India 
isles, and a very few in India. As the name imports 
(Epi, upon; dendron, a tree) they are chiefly found grow¬ 
ing on trees, and especially where the trees overhang a 
river or lake, the vapour arising from which feeds their 
roots and encourages them to grow and flower. This 
largo genus, unfortunately, does not contain, in propor¬ 
tion to its number, such a stock of handsome plants and 
flowers as are found amongst the large tribes of /E rides, 
Cattleyas, Coelogynes, Dendrobes, I aelias, Lycastes, Mil- 
touias, Oncids, Saccolabiums, Stanhopeas, and Vandas. 
So few, indeed, are the fine species of Epidendrum, that 
a friend in Manchester, whenever he had a box of 
orchids from the Western Hemisphere, always complains 
of, as he terms them, the preponderance of “ villainous 
Epidendrums.” Yet, notwithstanding this sweeping 
denunciation, there are a considerable number of species 
of the genus that are really beautiful, and generally they 
have the advantage of being exceedingly and deliciously 
fragrant. 
E. alatum (Winged E.); Mexico.—Sepals and petals 
dull yellow; petals and lip striped with purple. The 
flowers are of a medium size, and are produced on tall 
strong branching spikes. It is a pretty fragrant species. 
3 Ls. fid. 
E. aloifolium (Aloe-leaved E.); Guatemala.—Sepals 
and petals greenish yellow, changing to a rich brown ; 
the lip is large, winged, and pure white. This is a pen¬ 
dant species, and will grow on a log or in a basket; but 
the finest specimen we ever saw was exhibited last year 
by Mr. Mylam, gardener to S. Rucker, Esq., and it was 
growing in a pot. Each shoot, or pseudo-bulb, was tied 
to and supported by a stout stick, which showed off the 
large flowers to great advantage. 31s. fid. 
E. aurant[accm (Orange-coloured E.); Guatemala.— 
Sepals and petals bright orange; lip the same colour, 
with a few stripes of crimson intermingled. This plant 
is found in Guatemala in exposed situations. Mr. Skin¬ 
ner, who resided for many years in that country, and 
during his stay collected orchids in great numbers, says, 
speaking of this plant, “ Same habitat (native place) as 
Oncidium leueochilum; always found together, only that 
this plant seeks exposure, and therefore is subject to 
greater extremes of heat and cold; the finest masses, 
however, are always found on the steep brows of rocky 
barrancos.” This is a pretty species, but the flowers do 
not expand properly. Mr. Brockleliurst, of the Fence. 
Macclesfield, had once a plant of it that, in addition to 
the fine colour, had the property of fully expanding its 
blossoms. 21s. 
E. bicornutum (Two-horned E.); Trinidad.—Sepals 
and petals pure white; lip the same colour, with the 
addition of a few crimson dots. The flowers are large 
and fragrant. Some cultivators are of opinion that this 
plant, when in bloom, rivals the far-famed Phalamopsis 
in beauty. Be that as it may, it is by no means so 
easily cultivated. It is a difficult task to say which is 
the best mode to grow it; perhaps two combined would 
answer. First, put it on a block, and when the new 
pseudo-bulbs are half formed, place the block on the top 
of a pot filled with the usual compost of peat and 
sphagnum, but in a very rough condition, packing the 
rough pieces round the block, but not quite covering 
it. In this way we have seen a plant grow tolerably 
well. 42s. 
E. calochilum (Beautiful-lipped E.); Guatemala.— 
Sepals and petals pale yellow, tinged with purple; lip 
crimson, veined with a bordering of yellow. A very 
showy, easily grown species. 42s. 
E. cinnabaiunum (Vermilion-coloured E.) ; Pernam¬ 
buco.—Flowers crimson-scarlet, veined with brown. It 
is a tall growing plant, and the flowers are produced 
near the top of the stems in the corymb form. It is a 
a free grower; and as the stems, with care, may be bent 
downwards, the flower can then bo brought into a posi 
tion to be better seen, 21s. 
