THE COTTAGE GARDENER. 
February 26. 
334 
more room before the end of the season, and they could 
either be potted or again transplanted. The great thing 
would be, by less air, a moistish atmosphere, and shade 
from very bright sunshine, to secure rapid growth 
during the first three or four months after planting, and 
then to give more air, and full exposure to light, without 
the glass. The harder the wood was thus rendered, the 
less danger would there be of mildew during the winter. 
With plenty of air, and a small hot-water pipe, there 
need be no danger at all. Large useful plants may thus 
be procured more quickly, and at a tithe of the labour 
of those brought forward in pots. The bother in water¬ 
ing is reduced to a minimum. Once the ground is well 
soaked, it will not want the water-pail for a time, and 
any one may be sent to do it, provided he gives plenty. 
I forgot to mention that there must be holes in the sides 
of the pit, to allow any extra moisture freely to escape. 
In very hot weather, evaporation may be lessened by 
covering the surface of the soil with moss. By moving 
or transplanting such plants once or twice a year, there 
will never be any difficulty, either in potting them, or 
transferring them to beds out of doors. 
In the first case, good large flowering plants could be 
more quickly procured. In the second case, the plants 
would require to be returned to the pit before the frosts 
of autumn. I already, in fancy, see vineries and orchard 
houses, with raised peat borders inside, for preserving 
heaths during the winter, intended for flower-garden 
summer display. If any of our friends have a few 
plants they wish to rattle on with as little trouble as 
possible, and have a single-light box unappropriated, 
they cannot do better than follow this mode indicated. 
The plants will thrive as well as under the one-shift 
system of potting, and entail less care and nicety. I am 
doubtful if under either modes the plants w T ill be as 
continuous as in the progressive mode of shifting and 
potting first referred to; at least, under my few trials in 
planting out and then repotting, and much practice in 
giving large shifts, I have come to the conclusion that 
extra rapidity in forwarding to maturity is accom¬ 
panied with a more early decay. This, I think, woidd 
be prevented in the case of those grown for flower- 
garden purposes, by the frequent movings they would 
receive; but time and practice alone could make us 
certain. 
Watering. —In connection with this subject, I may 
mention that the frequent cause of failure in the case 
of young plants would be avoided; extra dryness, 
and stagnant moisture, being alike their ruin in arti¬ 
ficial circumstances. The natural locality and circum¬ 
stances of the plant, as described by common travellers, 
furnish no true data of themselves. I recollect a case 
in point,—some nice plants were burned to death by a 
July sun. Their owner got convinced that watering 
was next to useless in such weather, for had not Mr. A., 
just returned from the Gape, told him that in the dry 
season all vegetation seemed to dry up and languish; 
but no sooner did a rattling thunder shower come, than 
every bush and brake was green, if not blooming. Now, 
in the first place, the heaths were not subjected to such 
a burning heat, for they are found chiefly not in the 
plains near the Cape, but on hill and mountain sides 
somewhat in the interior. There, no doubt at times, 
they feel thirsty enough; but, secondly, their roots are 
not confined to a red pot for the sun to beat upon; 
there is, in all probability, some surface covering to 
blunt the force ot its rays, the roots may range where 
they list, they are kept cool, even by the evapo¬ 
ration of moisture from the surface; and as long 
as the sun keeps on the process, the mountain, from its 
inward recesses, will yield a supply so long as there is 
any left to yield. Some might imagine, that because in 
the interior we approach nearer the equator, that there¬ 
fore it must be excessively hot, even on lofty hills ; but 
the statements of intelligent men tell us that it is not 
so ; nay, that even on the confines of the colony, and in 
what is termed British Caffraria and Caffraria Proper, 
lofty hills are covered with green herbage to their sum¬ 
mits ; a fact which furnishes us with a reason why a 
race, whose property consists in their cattle, slioidd be 
loathe to leave them, and also why others should be so 
anxious with slender claims to seize them. R. Fish. 
PROPAGATION OF EXOTIC ORCHIDACE/E. 
(Continued from page 307.J 
Brassja. —A large genus, which grows quickly, and 
soon makes fine plants; consequently, soon affords good 
pieces for increase. Cut off in spring, from a large 
plant, a leading pseudo-bulb, with two or three back 
bulbs attached; pot these in the right compost, and 
place them in a warm part of the orchid-house; shade 
more than common till they begin to grow, then water, 
and treat them like the rest. 
Broughtonta.— All the plants of this genus are of 
slow growth. The only way to increase them, is either 
to break up a large plant into several divisions, or to 
take off two or three back bulbs, place them upon naked 
blocks, and keep them rather dry, till the dormant buds 
break, which they are very tardy to do. Afterwards 
give a free supply of water from the syringe till the 
growth is perfected. 
Burlingtonia. —Increase this in the same way as 
Broughtonia. It is, however, more free to grow. 
C alanthe. —A terrestrial genus to which there have 
been very lately some fine additions, and more are ex¬ 
pected shortly. They are readily increased by division. 
The only care required is to give less water to the 
divisions than to established plants. Two or three 
years ago we had a nice plant of C. masuca, and as we 
grow for sale, it was desirable to increase it as much as 
possible. The only plant we possessed pushed forth in 
April a strong young shoot, and in due time sent forth 
roots also ; as soon as these had reached three or four 
inches in length, the shoot was cut off close to the old 
pseudo-bulb, and was immediately potted in the compost 
suitable for the genus. A gentle watering was given it, 
and certainly rather to our surprise, but to our great 
satisfaction, it continued to grow, and before the summer 
was over made a very respectable plant. At the same 
time the old plant did not die, but sent out another shoot, 
which also established itself during the summer. Since 
that we have never wanted for G. masuca. Whether 
such plants as C. vestita, and those new species we 
have alluded to, can be propagated similarly, requires 
time to prove. We have no doubt they may. 
Camarotis. —These beautiful plants branch so freely, 
that there is no difficulty in increasing them to any 
extent. They will bear cutting as easily as a geranium. 
Large specimens may soon be made by cutting the 
shoots into lengths, attaching them to a tall block of 
wood covered with moss, into which they will strike root 
freely, and grow quickly, so as to completely hide the 
block. In this way Mr. Bassett formed his splendid 
specimen exhibited at Chiswick, in 1850. See description 
in The Cottage Gardener for that year. 
Catasetum. —A large genus of singular plants with 
tall pseudo-bulbs. To increase them, take off’ the back 
one made the previous year; place them upon naked 
blocks, and when they shoot, syringe them gently every 
morning. The time to take them off' is when the plants 
begin to grow and require potting. 
Cattleya. —One of the largest and handsomest genera 
in the whole tribe. Every grower is anxious to know how 
to increase these beautiful, and, in many instances, ex¬ 
pensive plants. For many scarce ones, such as C. 
Acklandia, G. bulbosa, C. maxima, G. marginata, and G. 
