04 
THE COTTAGE GARDENER. 
November 1. 
HOTHOUSE DEPARTMENT. 
EXOTIC ORCHIDACEdE. 
At page 30 we endeavoured to describe the best 
kind of houses in which to cultivate orchids, so far 
as the walls, aspect, and glazing. It now remains to 
describe the mode of heating, the shelves, and the 
stages. 
Heating. —As these plants require during the sea¬ 
sons of growth a larger amount of moisture than most 
other plants, the mode of heating must be so con¬ 
trived as to yield that moisture with the least expense 
of labour, and the greatest certainty. Now, the plan 
to adopt in order to effect this is to heat the houses 
with hot water pipes, laid in tanks. The ivater in 
these tanks should be deep enough to cover the pipes 
about an inch with water. The tanks need not be 
more than ten inches wide, inside measure. The 
diameter of the pipes should be inches. At some 
convenient place there ought to be a tap to let off 
the water out of the tanks. This ought to be done 
frequently, in order to obtain a sweet moisture. If 
the water be allowed to remain in the tanks for a 
length of time it becomes foul, and then when heated 
sends forth a disagreeable smell, which is very un¬ 
healthy both to the plants and those persons who 
may either visit the houses to inspect the plants, or 
have to work amongst them. In winter, when the 
plants are, or ought to be, mostly at rest, they require 
a drier atmosphere. In order to induce this, the 
tanks ought to be emptied during the winter months 
from the middle of October to tbe middle of February. 
Should the plants appear to shrivel too much, the 
pipes may be occasionally syringed early in the 
mornings of fine days. The number of pipes and 
tanks required depends, of course, upon the size of 
the houses. The large house at Messrs. Henderson’s, 
of Pine-Applc-place, has four tanks in it; the width 
of the house is eighteen feet. Two of those tanks are 
open, that is, have no cover, and are placed under a 
platform formed with large thick slates, spaces being 
left between each to allow the moisture to ascend 
amongst the plants. Tbe other tanks have covers to 
them, with holes to let out the moisture. These holes 
have brass lids to fit them, so that the moisture can 
be confined as circumstances require. Now, this an¬ 
swers tbe purpose well during the months of spring, 
but we have too much moisture during winter, so 
that the plants grow more than they flower. Sup¬ 
posing, then, a house eighteen feet wide requires four 
tanks; a house fourteen feet will require three; nine 
feet, two; and less than that only one. The return 
pipes may run under the tanks to the boiler, or if 
the tanks are placed so near the floor that the return 
pipes cannot bo placed under, they may be arranged 
to run on one side. Tho best kind of boiler wc know 
is one formed of several round pipes, connected at 
each end by a square one. From this square pipe 
the hot water rises into tbe tanks, and tho return pipes 
bring the water back to it to be reheated. Mr. Taylor, 
the hothouse builder, at Kensall New Town, is in 
the habit of putting up these boilers, and they answer 
admirably. 
Shelves. —In any convenient part of the house 
where a shelf can bo put so near the glass as to allow 
plants in pots to be placed upon it, it is desirable to 
have them. We have always found small plants, in 
pots, that have made a good start to do well in such a 
situation. The plants, however, should not be too 
near the glass. The extremity of the leaves should 
be at least nine inches from it. Tho shelves, also, 
should not be placed where the water that overflows 
or runs through the pots will drop upon any plants, 
nothing being more injurious to the young growth of 
orchids than a frequent dripping of water upon them. 
Stages. —The arrangement of these in a proper 
manner is a matter of considerable importance. This 
arrangement will depend upon the width of the house. 
If the house is wide enough to allow a walk all round 
it, and a walk in the centre, there will be two stages. 
The centre walk should be elevated as high as possi¬ 
ble, to allow head room for the manager and visitors 
to walk comfortably. This elevated walk is of con¬ 
siderable use, affording a good opportunity to watch 
the progress and state of the plants, and to observe 
when they require watering, repotting, and cleaning 
from insects. An example of tins arrangement may 
be seen in the orchid house at Kew. 
Shelves of the Stage. —Every shelf ought to be 
a shallow cistern to hold water. Blue slate is the 
best material to form each shelf on the stage. The 
upright slate forming the sides of each ought to be 
elevated at least two inches, and made water-tight. 
These cistern-shelves may either be filled with small 
pebbly gravel, all the sand or other binding material 
being washed out of it, to prevent it setting hard, or 
they may be left empty, and shallow pots turned up¬ 
side down, just high enough to allow the plants to 
stand clear of the water; for it is intended that these 
cistern shelves should be during summer kept full of 
water. These shelves of the stage must be as near 
tbe glass as the size of the plant will allow. Several 
advantages to the health of the orchides accrue from 
this arrangement. The most important is a constant 
supply of moisture to the air, at a time when the heat 
of summer renders tbe application of heat to the 
tanks unadvisable. The giving of air, too, at this 
season, soon carries off any moisture that may be 
given to tbe internal air, by syringing the plants, 
walls, and walks early in the morning, and it is not 
desirable to syringe the plants in the middle of the 
day. The dry air rushing in at the places where air 
is given soon sucks up all tho moisture from such 
sources, but the cisterns supply in a great measure tbe 
deficiency so occurring, and thus prevent the lan¬ 
guishing which would take place without them. 
Another advantage is the prevention of the attacks 
of insects, such as cockroaches, woodlice, and slugs; 
these destructives cannot travel through water; they 
do not like to wet their feet or bodies, and as the 
plants stand, as it were, upon a number of little 
islands, they are protected both day and night from 
these devouring enemies. Care, however, must be 
taken that tbe citadel itself does not harbour them. 
The cockroach and woodlouse often secrete them¬ 
selves during the day amongst the rough pieces of 
turf and broken pots used as drainage. If there is 
any suspicion that these enemies are in those secret 
places, they must be diligently sought for, first by 
visiting the houses with a bull's-eye lantern by night, 
and catching them at their depredations. Pursue 
them with all your diligence. Should tho tender roots, 
or flower shoots, still appear to be eaten occasionally, 
take the severe measure of turning the plants out of 
the pots, and search for the vermin amongst the peat 
and potsherds. When they arc once entirely got rid 
of, take care to place the plants so that their leaves 
do not come in contact with any thing that will form 
a bridge for tbe insects to travel on, and find an ac¬ 
cess to the plants without having to cross through the 
water, which they will never do. 
Hanging up the Plants on Logs or in Baskets.— 
Large-headed nails, or hooks, may be driven into the 
