200 
THE COTTAGE GARDENER. 
minutes, either in the path or on an empty pot, to 
drain off the superfluous water, and then hang them 
up in their places. 
Stanhopeas , Gongoras, and Acinetas, during the 
growing season, will require this operation once a 
week. Such as grow in sphagnum—namely, Aerides, 
Saccolabiums, and Vandas —will not require it so 
often. Once a fortnight will be sufficient for these, 
because the moss holds the water longer than the 
rough peat. These plants also require dipping at in¬ 
tervals, when comparatively at rest. Once a month 
will be sufficient while they are in this state. 
Wo have, we trust, given our readers sufficient 
instruction how and when to water orchids. Our 
next subject will be nearly as important—namely, 
moistening the air of the orchid house. We find we 
have inadvertently placed the watering part of this 
section before the moistening of the air, and we are 
glad it has happened so, as, at this season of the year, 
it is of less consequence. 
We have a little room left, and shall fill up with 
some account of a visit we recently made to Weston 
■Burt, the seat of R. S. Holford, Esq., to whom Mr. 
Bassett is gardener. We were fortunate enough to 
call there when that rare orchideous plant, Epiden- 
drum rhizophorum, had just opened a head of its fine 
flowers. This beautiful species has flowered in very 
few collections as yet We think Mr. Bassett has 
hit upon the right way of cultivating it. It was 
growing in his coolest house, the heat of which at 
this time of the year never exceeds 55°. As it be¬ 
longs to the tall, slender-growing section of Epiden- 
drums, this plant was cultivated in a basket, and the 
shoots twined round several times on the surface. 
In that way, and with cool treatment, the plant had 
grown very strongly; and, at last, lias produced at 
least seven heads of its beautiful flowers. The spe¬ 
cies which it most resembles, is Epulendrum cinna- 
barrinum, but the sepals and petals are of a much 
brighter scarlet. The lip is of a pale yellow, edged 
with red, and divided into three lobes, each of which 
is deeply serrated at the edge. The umbels of 
flowers consist each of about twenty of these fine 
flowers. They stand on long footstalks, elevated 
above the leaves. It is, altogether, a very fine, desi¬ 
rable species; one of the very few out of the large 
tribes of Epidendrums worth growing. Mr. Bassett 
has under his care a very large collection, which he 
cultivates with the greatest success. There are no 
less than four houses devoted to these most interest¬ 
ing plants. Each house has a different temperature, 
according to the wants of the different tribes. This, 
we consider, is the grand secret of the health and 
luxuriance of the collection. We noted the follow¬ 
ing, as being in flower at the time of our visit, 
December 21. 
Barkeria iindleyana, very rare and beautiful; B. skinneri. Brassia 
caudata. Dendrobium heterocarpum, scented like violets. Cypri- 
pedium insigne ; C. venustum. Epidcndrum rhizophorum ; E. 
vittellinum. Gongora maculata. Loelia anceps ; L. barkeriana ; 
L. autumnalis, four varieties ; L. acuminata; L. furl'uracea. Lycaste 
skinneri, four varieties ; L. cruenta; L. macrophylla. Onc'idium 
baueri; O. cavendishii; O. insleayi ; O. purpuratum, very rare. 
Odontoglossum bictonensc; O. puichellum, sweet scented.’ Stan- 
hopea eburnea. Trichocentron fuscum. Vanda miniata, or, Sacco- 
labium miniatum, new, rare, and pretty. 
FLORISTS’ FLOWERS. 
Since our last week’s number, we have had some 
severe weather; we trust our amateur and cottage 
friends have effectually protected their favourite 
flowers. At this time of the year, and during such 
weather, there are very few operations to be done. 
The compost yard may be looked after, the heaps of 
[January 10. 
different soils turned over, and such as you may be 
deficient in procured. The places to look for soils of 
the best quality, pure and sweet, are in the wilds of 
nature, where the spade and the plough have never 
been used; these may be truly named virgin soils. 
Upland pastures, that have not been ploughed for 
time immemorial, will afford the best loam. For peat, 
the wide-spreading dry moor, where the heather-bell 
grows wild, is the best place; if it is naturally mixed 
with sand, so much the better. For leaf-mould, or 
decayed leaves, the material is to be found wherever 
trees grow : the method of preparing leaves to form 
leat-mould has been described in former numbers. 
These three materials form the staple of composts 
for florists’ flowers. Rotten dung is necessary also for 
some purposes ; this ought to be at least three years 
old, and frequently turned over to sweeten. 
T. Appleby. 
THE KITCHEN-GARDEN. 
Some of the operations recommended in previous 
calendars, to be carried into practice at this season, 
owing to the state of weather, must be left until a 
more favourable opportunity occurs. A little fore¬ 
sight, however, will always furnish suitable operations 
for all seasons, let the weather be what it may. 
Labels, during severe weather, should be provided, 
planed to a smooth face, and painted, in readiness 
for the seed-sowing and planting season; so that, 
when it arrives, nothing more will be required but a 
little white lead rubbed on the surface, to be written 
on. At Bicton, our practice is to place by every 
kind of seeds and plants committed to the earth at 
any seasons, a label, on which is written its name in 
full, the date of sowing or planting, and the initials 
of the party from whom it was obtained, &c. Such 
particulars are interesting and useful, as they furnish 
us with the information—whether the seeds are good, 
how long they are germinating, how long each va¬ 
riety takes to come to perfection—and whether or not 
true to the variety they were represented to be. 
Memorandums are made of the foregoing matters, 
and any other particulars considered worthy of notice, 
all furnishing the most useful information for suc¬ 
ceeding years. A garden, by the assistance of such 
particulars, may, at all seasons, be fully cropped in 
succession by the most esteemed kinds of vegetables, 
&c. The gardener, knowing the exact time it takes 
to bring to perfection every cultivated variety, pro¬ 
vides, beforehand, suitable seeds or plants, for imme¬ 
diate cropping in succession. Our labels are made 
from rough faggot-sticks, from one to three inches in 
diameter, and, as much as possible, of crooked or 
elbow-shaped pieces. They are cut from one foot 
three inches to three feet in length, to suit to either 
short or tall-growing vegetation. A face is chopped 
at their summit, and then this face planed smooth ; 
they are next pointed at the base, and then painted, 
the stake lead-colour, and the face of it white. Hazel, 
oak, ash, common laurel, or, indeed, any kind of suit¬ 
able-sized wood that may come to hand, is used for 
this purpose; but hazel and common laurel we find 
the best woods to write on with a lead-pencil, as they 
are close-grained, and rather soft. Stakes or labels, 
provided this way, will last for several seasons, if, as 
soon as any crop is off', the labels are collected, and 
placed by in store. In rough weather, the face is to 
be again planed and painted : a piece of glass will 
do very well to clear off smoothly the original writing, 
if a small carpenter’s plane is not at hand. Smaller 
labels should also be provided, for seed pans and 
