188 
THE COTTAGE GARDENER. 
can scarcely over-water them then. W hen we ic- 
memher that in their native countries there prevails 
a wet season—that is, when it rains almost day and 
ni<dit for a couple of months—and that during this 
w ,°t season they recover from the effects of the hot 
dry one, and make the pseudo-bulbs that flower so 
beautifully, this will sufficiently warrant us to imitate 
such a season, by using, during the latter part of 
their growth, a superabundance of water. By such 
liberal treatment, we obtain a strong fine growth, 
which will, if properly rested, reward us with their 
magnificent bloom and delicious fragrance lor all 
our pains. We remember a case in point. 
Several years ago, we had a Dendrobiumfinibriatum, 
a large plant, growing in a shallow pot, in a mixture 
of peat and broken pots. It stood upon a platform 
near to the glass. In the month of April it began 
to grow freely, sending up about twenty young 
shoots. The water was given to it at first in small 
quantities; but when the shoots attained a foot in 
height, the quantity was increased. Every morning 
it was, in addition to the water given at the roots, 
deluged with water overhead from the syringe. It 
continued to grow freely and strongly, and, with this 
liberal supply of moisture, the shoots eventually 
reached between three and four feet in length. About 
the middle of July, the quantity ot water was gra¬ 
dually reduced, and by the middle of August it was 
entirely withheld. The plant was placed still nearer 
the glass, and more air given. The consequence was, 
a consolidation of substance, and an appearance of 
ripeness in the long stout pseudo-bulbs; tire lower 
leaves began to turn yellow and drop off, and the 
plant was at rest. In the April following it began to 
grow again, and at the same time to show flower- 
spikes on every one of the pseudo-bulbs, previously 
formed, that were so strong. Eventually, it flowered 
iu the month of June, and produced more than two 
thousand of its beautifully fringed, yellow, crimson- 
spotted flowers. It was exhibited at Manchester, 
and obtained the highest prize. We entirely attri¬ 
bute this success to the free application of water 
during the season of growth. If every other good 
point of culture had been given to it, but the water¬ 
ing either neglected or but partially administered, the 
result would have been poor growths and few flowers. 
We must, for the present, leave this interesting sub¬ 
ject of watering, with this remark, that at all seasons 
of the year the water used must be of nearly the 
same temperature as the air of the house. This is 
a very essential poiut, which we need uot insist 
upon—its common-sense application must be evident 
to every one. 
Routine Work for January. —If our instructions 
under this head, for the last month, have been at¬ 
tended to, everything will be ready to commence 
potting. Examine the plants, and observe if any 
buds are beginning to swell at the bottom of the 
last-made pseudo-bulb. All that have the buds in 
that state may be potted forthwith. At page 20 of 
this volume, a full and particular account of the 
best method of potting is given. To that page we 
refer our readers. The instructions may be summed 
up here iu a few words. Use shallow, wide pots, 
half, and, for some plants, two-thirds, filled with 
drainage. We often use, lor large pots, a small oue 
inverted over the hole at the bottom, instead of a 
lavge potsherd. We think this answers better, es¬ 
pecially if cockroaches are in the house. 'Ihesc 
vermin cannot enter so easily into a pot so drained. 
Round this small pot fill up with rather large pieces 
of broken ones; place the smallest pieces over the 
[January 3. 
top of the small inverted pot. This will bo found 
an effectual way of draining an orchid. Use the 
light fibrous peat, and let the plant stand upon a 
small hillock in the middle. Water .—As it often 
happens that more artificial heat is given this 
month, on account of the frosty weather, the plants 
will require more water to their roots than in the 
last month, more especially such as are growing. 
Air .—If such a thing should occur as a mild sunny 
day, take advantage of it, and give, for two or three 
hours, a little fresh air. It will greatly assist the 
young growing plants, as well as sweeten the internal 
atmosphere of the house. Syringing. — Hants on 
blocks will be beginning to make new roots and 
fresh growths, and should bo more frequently sy¬ 
ringed. Syringe also the walls, paths, and pipes 
occasionally, to give moisture to the air ol the house, 
more particularly towards the end ol the month. It 
you have any shallow cisterns, such as are described 
at page (Si of this present volume, they may now 
have a thin stratum of water poured into them to 
evaporate into the air. We shall refer to another 
successful mode of moistening the internal atmos¬ 
phere by-and-by. 
FLORISTS’ FLOWERS. 
Now winter has come in good earnest, the greatest 
care must be taken to prevent frost from injuring 
our pots. Auriculas and Polyanthuses must he kept 
as dry as possible without flagging. We, at the 
request of a correspondent, give, this week, a list of 
twelve of what we consider the very best kinds of 
auriculas. Remember the Ranunculus heel; let it be 
turned over this month and levelled, ready for plant¬ 
ing about the second week in February. The tulips, 
also, will require protection, not only from frost, but 
also from heavy rains, or heavy falls of snow. Dahlia 
roots must be looked to, to see that they are all right. 
If any are decidedly decaying, or actually rotten, 
they must be removed from amongst the rest, or they 
may infect the whole lot. 
TWELVE FJRST-RATE AURICULAS IN FOUR CLASSES. 
Green-edged. 
]iooth's Freedom, 5s. 
Leigh’s Col. Taylor, 12s. 
Page’s Champion, 6s. 
White-edged. 
Ashton’s Bonny Lass, 5s. 
Campbell’s Robert Burns, 5s. 
Liglitbody’s Fair Maid, 12s. 6d. 
Grey-edged. 
Chectham’s Lancashire Hero,20s. 
Fletcher’s Ne Plus Ultra, "s. Od. 
Page’s Waterloo, 3s. 6d. 
Selfs. 
Headley’s Royal Purple, 7- 6d. 
Kaye’s Jupiter, /*• 
Nctherwood’s Othello, 2s. 6d. 
T. Appleby. 
THE KITCHEN-GARDEN. 
Routine Work. —The commencement of a new 
year reminds us of the near approach of a busy 
season for the cultivators of the soil. Manuring 
vacant spaces of ground, trenching, digging, ridging, 
banking, forking, and scarifying the soil at every 
opportunity, should now be well attended to, in order 
to establish a healthy openness for receiving the 
seeds and plants in early spring. These operations, 
besides being a good preparation for the succeeding 
crops, render the soil free from weeds and vermin, 
and in a pulverized condition for the growth of the 
crops which are to follow. 
Cauliflower Plants, —if the weather be severe, 
should be slightly protected, but not covered so 
closely as to induce them to grow and become drawn; 
for plants thus weakened, when the season arrives 
for transplanting them, generally button, or form 
small heads unseasonably. On the other hand, 
plants which have been managed as we direct will 
