178 
THE COTTAGE GARDENER. 
December 18. I 
1st. As to the Sand. —For everything connected with 
Heath-culture, none is equal to the pure silver-sand 
used about London, obtained chiefly from Kent and 
Leighton, and Heath and Reach in Bedfordshire. The 
whiter and more sparkling its little crystals are, the 
better it is. The next best is pit-sand of a reddish or 
yellowish character, rather sharp to the feel, and free from 
iron and other impurities; the most of which can be 
separated from the sand by repeated washings in a tub, 
or pail, until the water comes off as clear, or nearly 
so, as when put on. The next best is obtained after 
heavy rains by the sides of roads, and by the sides of 
fresh-water rivers, both of which must be washed in the 
same manner as pit-sand. The disadvantage of these 
two latter sands is, that the individual parts are apt to 
be too large, and thus permit the air to penetrate too 
easily to the base of the cutting; but this can be re¬ 
medied by pounding the sand when dry with a hammer, 
or with a pestle in a mortar. Let not any one be 
deterred in doing all this;—but little time is lost, and 
these little attentions will not afterwards be regretted. 
2ndly. In choosing glasses have nothing to do with the 
flat, broad, bonnet-headed shape, but insist on those with 
a conical form, terminating at a knob at the point for 
holding by. The reasons are, that in the flat glasses the 
moisture condensed on the flat roof was apt to fall upon, 
and injure by the damp thus given, your most prized 
cuttings, and therefore, for many tender things, the man, 
who by means of carefully wiping dry the inside of 
his glasses every morning, and thus preventing the drip, 
was, all other things being equal, the most successful 
propagator. In the conical glasses, the moisture con¬ 
densed against the sides trickled down them into the 
sand and soil from whence they came, and thus, not only 
was the cloth-wiping system almost entirely dispensed 
with, but attention to repeated waterings was reduced to 
its minimum. Latelg, the superiority of such glasses 
has been discovered by some of our contemporaries. I 
forget, now, how many years ago it is since I publicly 
mentioned that fact, but I was by no means the first to 
use them. Some sixteen years ago, I was asking my 
late friend, Mr. Brown, of the Bedford Nursery, Hamp- 
stead-road (a man whose equal was seldom to be found 
for the vast stores of knowledge with which his mind was 
enriched), liow he thought such glasses would answer, 
and, contrary to my expectation, he seemed very care¬ 
less about it, but by and by, taking me into his propa¬ 
gating house, and telling me to keep my eyes open, sure 
enough, among scores of propagating glasses, there 
were a couple of dozen of conical ones, which he told me 
he had had for some time, being made to his plan and 
order, by a large glass house. In their praises, for saving 
labour and saving from injury, he was most eloquent. 
I obtained the first conical ones I used through his in¬ 
strumentality, and, as yet, I am not aware that they had 
previously been used by any one before himself. As 
they can be obtained equally cheap, and as for every 
propagating purpose they are superior to the flat-headed 
fraternity, I shall consider the writing of this article 
useless, if our friends in purchasing should either choose 
or be content with the latter, instead of the former. I 
find from these preliminaries I could not now satisfac¬ 
torily enter upon the making and treatment of cuttings 
to-day, but will conclude with a few remarks, 
3rdlv. On the Soil necessarg for Propagating and Grow¬ 
ing Heaths. —This would have been quite unnecessary 
if we gardeners had managed to be consistent enough to 
term such soil heath- mould, and not, as is frequently done, 
bog, or^eut-soil. The latter term is generally used in 
this work, and also in the Cottage Gardeners Dictionary, 
merely because it is so sanctioned by custom. Heath-soil 
and peat-soil, as used by gardeners, may therefore be 
deemed synonymous, though the burner of bog-peat 
would consider them very different. This latter sub¬ 
stance is obtained from vegetable matter, decomposing 
under water, and, therefore, full of astringency. Our 
materials, whether dubbed peat, by conventionalism, or 
heath-soil, correctly, is that mixture of decaying rock, 
and decomposing vegetable matter, found on high 
grounds where no water rests, such as where our native 
Heaths flourish: this is generally sweet, instead of 
astringent. After removing the rough surface, it is best 
when not dug deeper than from two to four inches; 
though the more decomposed layers are the best for 
propagating, and the fresher and more fibry are the 
best for large shifts. If of medium good quality, it may 
be used fresh from the hill, as well as when it is care¬ 
fully aired for years. In most matters the long pre¬ 
paring and frequent turnings in the year of all composts 
is getting to a discount. For propagating, this heath- 
soil should have nearly an equal portion of sand. 
R. Fish. 
HOTHOUSE DEPARTMENT. 
EXOTIC ORCHIDACEiE. 
plants that thrive well in pots [Continuedfrom 
page 150). 
Warrea bidentata (Twice-toothed W.); Caraccas.— 
Sepals and petals white ; lip, purple, edged with white. 
The flowers are produced on tall spikes, springing from 
the base of the pseudo-bulbs. A very fine species. 
31s. 6d. 
W. cyanea (Blue-lipped W.); Columbia.—Sepals and 
petals white ; lip, a most dense blue ; there is no flower 
in the whole range of the vegetable kingdom that exhi¬ 
bits so dense and deep a blue as the lip of this charm¬ 
ing flower. 42s. 
W. Lindeniana (Linden’s W.); New Grenada and 
Peru.—Sepals and petals cream-coloured; lip, reddish 
crimson, round in front and hollowed in the centre. 
Flowers numerous, produced on stems two feet high. A 
handsome new species, flowered, for the first time in 
this country, at Messrs. Henderson’s, of Pine Apple 
Place ; a desirable species. 63s. 
W. tricolor (Three-coloured W.); Brazil.—Sepals and 
petals delicate clear white; the lip white, with a line of 
yellow round a purple spot in the centre; hence its spe¬ 
cific name, three-coloured. A handsome plant, produc¬ 
ing its flowers in winter. 21s. 
Culture. —The genus Warrea was formerly included 
in Maxillaria, but is now very properly separated from 
that incongruous genus; at least it was so before it was 
divided. Warreas are what are denominated terrestrial 
(growing on the ground) orchids, though they are some¬ 
times found growing in the low clefts of trees and cre¬ 
vices of rocks in the vegetable soil, formed by decaying 
leaves and dead twigs of trees. The roots are long and 
fleshy, as thick as a goose-quill, running through the 
light open vegetable soil, and penetrating into the strong 
loam. In such situations they grow surprisingly strong, 
forming pseudo-bulbs from six inches to nine inches 
long. Such, at least, are the bulbs that are imported 
into this country, and with due attention, and using 
such means as nature has provided for them in then- 
native wilds, we may grow them quite as well, if not 
superior. Tho soil, or compost, we use, is composed 
of strong turfy loam, fibrous peat, and half-decayed 
leaves, in equal parts, adding a small portion of very 
much decayed dung, and a small mixture of boiled j 
bones, broken into pieces about the size of a hen’s egg, 
or less ; mix these all together at the time of potting. 
Season for Potting. —If the resting season, of which j 
we shall write by and by, has been judiciously managed, 
the season of potting will take place in February. Place 
the compost in some place to be warmed previously to 
using it; have ready, also, a sufficient quantity of broken 
