224 
THE COTTAGE GARDENER. 
[January 24. 
HOTHOUSE DEPARTMENT. 
EXOTIC ORCHIDACE.E. 
Giving Air. —If the air, in houses filled with 
plants, is confined for a length of time, the atmo¬ 
sphere becomes vitiated, or foul, and is not fit lor 
the plants to breathe in. Hence every plant-house 
ought to be furnished with the means by which 
fresh air may be admitted. This principle applies 
to the orchid-house, though, perhaps, not to the 
same extent as to other houses of plants. The 
reason, perhaps, is, that most orchids grow naturally 
in close moist shady places, where the air—especially 
during the rainy season—is filled with miasma (pu¬ 
trid exhalations), and so they are constitutionally 
able to live and thrive longer without fresh air than 
other tribes of plants. Yet, though they will do 
longer without a change of air than most other 
plants, they will not live and thrive altogether with¬ 
out such change. It is certain, that orchids from 
the hot, damp jungles of India require less air than 
those from Guatemala, and other parts of America; 
therefore, more air may be given to tbe Mexican 
house than to the Indian one. Besides, the giving 
of air is necessary frequently to both houses, when 
the sun shines, to reduce the temperature of the in 
ternal atmosphere to the proper degree of heat, so 
that the plants may not have their growth drawn 
out, arid, consequently, weakened, and thereby ren¬ 
dered unable to produce their beautiful flowers in 
perfection. Having, as we think, made good our re¬ 
mark, that fresh air is necessary for the orchid- 
house, both to sweeten the atmosphere, and to re¬ 
duce the heat when it is too high, we may now 
inquire the best mode of accomplishing that object. 
The methods of giving air to hothouses, green¬ 
houses, and conservatories, are almost as various as 
the houses themselves. Some have the front sashes 
to slide across each other, others have them hung 
in the centre—the bottom pushing outwards, and the 
top inwards. Some are hung at the top, and when 
air is given are pushed outwards with an iron long 
flat plate, ivith holes in it to drop on to an iron pin, 
so as to give more or less air; a fourth set have 
them to open outwards like a door; and, lastly, 
some are made to slide downwards. To let the 
heated air 1 out of the roof, the upper lights are hung 
with weights to slide downwards. This is the most 
general mode; sometimes, however, openings are- 
made in the back wall, and wooden shutters are 
fixed in, hung upon a pivot, to open when neces- 
sary. A very ingenious mode of opening the front 
windows has been adopted in the houses at the 
Royal Gardens-at Frogmore, by which the whole 
range in one house is opened at once. This is done 
by a long iron rod, reaching the whole length of the 
house. To this rod is attached a short one to every 
window; [a winch, turned with a handle at the end, 
moves the rod backwards and forwards, and each 
motion opens and shuts each window, or light, when 
required. A somewhat similar mode may be seen 
at Messrs. Henderson’s, of Pine-apple Place. 
All these plans, however, are comparatively use¬ 
less for giving air to the orchid house. Let us glance 
at the form of the house we have recommended :—It 
is a house with brick walls, and a glass roof. We 
were happy to find the houses at R. S. Holford’s, Esq., 
(mentioned in the 07th number, page 200, of The 
Cottage Gardener) were all of this form. The 
method we recommend to give air by, is with wooden 
shutters, let into the wall at intervals of 4 feet 
between each, on each side of the house. The wooden 
shutters, or doors, should be 2£ feet long by 15 
inches broad. A frame of wood ought be fitted into 
the opening in the wall, to hang the shutters on. 
These should swing on the centre with two iron 
pins, so that when open they will be horizontal, and 
let the air into the house plentifully. When less air is 
required, every other aperture need only be opened, 
or the shutters may be propped only half open. 
When they are opened, the fresh air will rush in, and 
meeting with the pipes in its progress, will be par¬ 
tially heated and softened before it comes in contact 
with the plants—a point worth attending to. For 
nine months in the year this way of giving air to the 
Indian house will be found all that is wanted. 
During the three hot months of summer, it will be 
necessary to give some air at the highest part of the 
roof. We mentioned this when writing about, and 
describing, the houses suitable for orchids. 'I he 
ridge of the house should be made flat, about 0 
inches broad, and parts of it made moveable to lift 
up with an iron rod, whenever the heat of the inter¬ 
nal air exceeds the proper degree. This is the guide 
on all occasions, and at all seasons. When the heat 
is too much, give air. 
It will be found, that the Mexican house requires 
more frequently* to have air given to it than the 
other, because'the plants in it do not require so 
much heat. We frequently give air to this house, 
even at this time of the year; for if the sun shines 
even now, the thermometer will rise rapidly ; and to 
keep it down air will be necessary. If air is not 
given, the heat will soon be too much for the plants, 
and will have the effect of exciting them to grow 
before the right season. The shoots will then be 
weak, and very likely to perish. To know, at all 
times, when to give air, have a copy of the table of 
heat for the orchid house, given at page 108 of this 
volume, copied, and hung up in a convenient place, 
to refer to. 
Notices of Plants that Require Peculiar 
Treatment: Ancectochilus setaceus (Bristly auaecto- 
chilus), A.var. pictus (Painted bristly A.).—These 
two plants are so extremely.beautiful, that we judge 
a particular notice of them, and their culture (which 
is rather difficult), will be acceptable to all our 
readers that are orchid growers. They are found 
growing on the ground in shady places, in the Island 
of Ceylon. A gentleman called at Pine-apple-place 
last summer, and informed us that be bad a con¬ 
siderable estate in that island, and that the amec- 
tocliilus grew under the hedges quite common there. 
The natives admire it much, and give it the regal 
name of “ The King of the Woods,” and well it 
deserves the title, for it is, indeed, a gem of the 
vegetable world of the first water; but yet the leaves 
are the only part that attract our admiration. The 
flowers, though various, are not at all beautiful. 
Such of our readers as have been favoured with a 
sight of this plant will agree with us, that the leaves 
are the most beautiful of all the leaves in the world. 
The ground colour is of a dark velvety-green, tinged 
with a metallic lustre, curiously inlaid, as it were, 
with streaks of golden net-work. If examined with 
a moderate microscope, when the sun is shining, this 
golden net-work is really glorious, having the ap¬ 
pearance of the richest rubies. But no description 
can do justice to the beauty of the leaves of this 
plant. The variety named pictus, or painted— 
brought home, we believe, by Mr. Gibson from the 
Khorea hills, India—has a broad stripe of yellow 
down the centre of each leaf, in addition to the 
