THE COTTAGE GARDENER. 
December 6. 
frost cannot visit it—under tlie stage will answer well 
enough. There the leaves will soon drop, hut never 
mind ; though, if a few small ones remained on the 
points of the shoots, just to keep the sap in motion, it 
would he as well; yet, if you manage to keep the 
stems alive, it is a matter of no great consequence, 
as from them plenty of young shoots will break in 
March or April; and if there are few or no leaves on 
them during the remainder of the winter, you will 
not he troubled with nightmare about the red spider, 
as the stems will be too tough food for them. In the 
end of March, or the beginning of April, take off 
rather more short stubby shoots than you will want 
for plants, as some may fail; cut them across below 
a joint, insert them in cutting-pots half filled^with 
drainage, the other half with light sandy soil,'with 
the exception of half an inch at the top, which is to 
consist of sand alone. II you have notliing but your 
window, or a greenhouse, the cuttings should be 
placed under a bell-glass ; or, if inserted in a small 
pot, and that again placed at the bottom of a larger 
one, and a square of glass placed over its mouth, it 
will answer admirably. This is to prevent the juices 
of the cutting being evaporated; and, farther to effect 
this, shading must be resorted to in bright weather. 
The number and size of the leaves to be retained 
must depend upon the means you possess of pre¬ 
venting the transpiration of the juices of the cut¬ 
tings. Some day we may devote a chapter to propa¬ 
gating from cuttings. They may thus be struck in a 
window or greenhouse; but if you have such a thing 
as a cucumber-box at work, why that is the very 
place for them; and if there you can give them a 
shady warm corner, and the bell-glass, or the square 
of glass in addition, you will be surprised to find 
how soon your cuttings will be changed into rooted 
plants. 
If you have nothing but the greenhouse and a 
rude cold pit, shift the plants, first into three-inch 
pots, and then successively into six and twelve-inch 
pots, setting them as soon as possible in the pit, as 
there you may keep them close for a time, to encou¬ 
rage rooting after each shifting. But if you can com¬ 
mand a little bottom heat, such as the side of a 
cucumber box, shift at once into six-inch pots, and 
then again into twelves. In either case, set them 
out of doors by the middle or end of June, either 
upon coal-ashes, or plunging the pot in a border, 
with a tile at the bottom of the pots, to prevent 
worms entering, and to prevent the roots going out; 
shade in sunshine, when first turned out; stop every 
shoot, to make the plants stubby and bushy, until 
the middle of July; water with weak manure liquid 
and clear water alternately; frequently, after a rainy 
day, syringe the whole of the foliage well with a 
weak, clear solution of soot and water; provide them 
with a temporary shelter, by means of mats or 
waterproofed calico, by the middle of September, to 
guard against heavy rains, storms, and frosts, and 
set them in the house by the end of October, or 
rather, if convenient, by the middle of the month, 
and the blaze of scarlet in November will well repay 
all your efforts. Many, with a keen relish for floral 
lovliness, cannot afford to get costly plants, and this 
is just one of the things for them, as the cost will 
almost entirely consist in their time and labour. 
Eor getting nice little plants for the window, it will 
be time enough to strike the cuttings in June. Three 
tilings in growing these must be attended to. Sy¬ 
ringe the foliage frequently, water liberally, and 
prevent frost ever touching the foliage. Equal por¬ 
tions of loan and peat will suit them well; a little 
dung added to the last shifting will be advantageous. 
The beautiful blue S. patens makes a fine pot 
plant in summer and autumn. The red (fulgens), 
which is now (November 20) as splendid out of doors 
as it has been all the season, makes a fine show in a 
pot when treated in every respect as the splemiens; 
only, when done flowering, the stems may be cut 
down, or the pot placed in a shed, as it is much 
hardier than the splendens. But one of the finest 
of the tribe, for the conservatory, is the scarlet Salvia 
gesnereejiora, which generally comes into bloom in 
February. Large plants may be grown the same as 
we have recommended for splendens. It possesses 
the advantage of flowering later, but the disadvan¬ 
tage of requiring more time, and, therefore, more 
space in the conservatory during the winter. 
R. Fish. 
HOTHOUSE DEPARTMENT. 
EXOTIC ORCHIDACEiE. 
Blocks. —Having in preceding numbers described 
fully two methods of growing orchids—first in pots, 
and secondly in baskets—it only remains, to com¬ 
plete what we proposed to observe under this head, 
to describe the mode in which they are cultivated on 
blocks, or logs of wood, always excepting the terres¬ 
trial species (those that grow in the earth); on 
which, however, we hope to write shortly. 
The shape and size of the block may be left safely 
to the fancy of the amateur. The grand point to 
attend to is in having a kind of wood that does not 
readily decay. We have already mentioned the wood 
of the acacia, commonly so called; the proper name 
being Robinia pseudo-acacia. This is to be preferred 
on account of its lasting qualities. Oak and ash are 
the next best. We have used also the wood of the 
elder, which answers very well. All resinous woods 
ought to be avoided. Mr. Lyons, in his work on 
Orchidaceae, recommends a block which he has 
named the “ Oniscaymintic ”— oniscus, a wood-louse; 
mynticus, to prevent. This is, to amateurs, a very 
useful kind of block, especially for the small growing, 
and more curious than beautiful, species. It may 
bo briefly described as the branch of a tree, about 
30 inches high, with short branches left on it about 
six or eight inches long. This branch is to be fitted 
tightly into a stand, with a thick bottom to steady it, 
made of pottery ware; the centre being raised to 
receive the branch. The stand is made like the 
feeder, or saucer, of a garden-pot: the centre being 
raised, leaves a hollow all round it. This hollow is 
to hold water, which prevents w r ood-lice reaching the 
plants on the branch. From this preventive action, 
or power, Mr. Lyons gave to the whole the name 
“ Onyscaymyntic stand,” which may be Englished, 
the “ wood-lice excluding stand.” Any grower of 
orchids, that has a considerable number of the 
smaller growing species, would find this stand a 
ready receptacle for them, and much more commo¬ 
dious than a large number of small blocks hung up 
to the roof. For larger growing kinds, there are two 
ways of hanging up the logs : one is to nail a piece 
of copper wire to one end; then form a loop, and 
that will conveniently enough receive a hook, or nail, 
to suspend the block. The plant may bo fastened 
to the log with tin tacks and metallic wire, in the 
manner we have already described. The other 
method is, to fasten the piece of copper wire at each 
end to the log. The wire should be long enough 
