1G4 
THE COTTAGE GAEDENEK. 
Dkcejibeb 4. 
injurious to any plant, but more especially to Orchids 
growing or cultivated in a cool house, and those 
sudden changes are generally in consequence of a bad 
system of giving air, always excepting excessive cold, 
induced by having no means at work of repelling cold 
by internal heat, or, as gardeners say, by letting frost 
get into the house for want of attention in keeping up 
sufficient heat by flues, or hot-water pipes. 
Winter Eesx. —Then, again, as even those Orchids 
that will bear a low temperature should not bo excited 
to grow in short days, the growth should be obtained in 
the long days of summer, and the rest during the dark, 
short days of winter. There are two distinct seasons in 
Orchid-culture; one, a season of growth; and the other, 
a season of rest. Whoever attempts to keep bis Orchids 
at an even temperature throughout the year will, it may 
be, obtain large plants; but the tissue will be tliin and 
tender, and full of ascending sap, which scarcely ever 
produces flowers. A cessation of growth for a con¬ 
siderable period is equally necessary to induce or give 
the power to an Orchid to produce fine flowers abun¬ 
dantly, as it is necessary to a Vine, or a Peach-tree, to 
produce blossoms and fruit. 
Air in Sumjier. —A third important point of culture 
in the class of Orchids I am writing about, is to give 
plenty of air during summer, even when the plants are 
growing. This air is, of course, necessary to keep down 
the temperature in summer, just tlie same as if the 
house contained Camellias, or Indian Azaleas, or any 
other tribe of plants from temperate climes. The same 
precaution, however, is necessary in summer as I have 
mentioned as necessary in winter; that is, no Orchids 
should be placed opposite to the openings where the 
cooling air enters the house. 
Watering. —During the season of growth these 
Orchids should have a due supply of water, both at the 
roots and over the foliage, but by no means in excess, 
especially such as grow in pots. The best time, in 
spring and summer, to apply water is in the after 
part of the day. In April and May the time would 
be from three to five o’clock; the first hour when the 
sun does not shine clear, the second, when it is, or 
has been, bright or clear during the day. The syringe 
should have the holes so fine, that when the water 
is forced through it it will fall like gentle rain on 
the plants. The water should never be forced through 
or upon the plants like a heavy shower driven by a 
strong wind. The watering at the root, also, should be 
given through a small pipe, and very gently, care being 
taken that the peat or other material in which the 
plant is growing is thoroughly wet, and allowed to 
become nearly dry before tiie watering is repeated. 
Eain, or river water, should, if possible, be always 
used, either in syringing over the leaves, or given at 
the roots. Plants growing in baskets will require 
taking down and diiqiiug in water till the compost is 
wetted through. Tliey should be allowed to drain well 
before being suspended again over any plants that may 
stand under them. 'The water should always be of the 
same, or very nearly the same, temperature as the air of 
the house. If there is no tank in the house, it is very 
easy to warm the water previous to using it, by adding a 
sufficient quantity of hot-water to raise the quantity 
that is needful for use at any one time to the jiropcr 
heat. 
I 
( 
Potting. —The time for this important operation is | 
in spring. Orchids, however, grown in a low tempo- { 
rature, do not require re-potting every year. Frequently, 
they will thrive well in the same pot, basket, or on the 
same block, for two or even three years. If they are 
doing well, let well alone. I have known plants thrive ; 
well and flower abundantly without doing anything to ] 
them, excepting watering for the longest period above- i 
mentioned; but when they do require a renewal, per , 
form the operation just wdien new growth of the shoots 
and roots are making their appearance, which generally 
happens when the natural increased temperature of tlie 
air out-of-doors takes place. If close attention is paid 
to keep the plants dry and cool during the winter no 
premature growth will occur. Then the natural season 
of growth will have taken place, and the plants will be 
observed making eftbrts to grow, and then they ought 
to be potted ; those in baskets have new large ones, if 
necessary, made for them, and those on decaying blocks 
have fresh ones made ready for them. 
Soil. —The best materials for potting are rough, very 
fibrous peat, well mixed with broken pots and small 
pieces of charcoal. There are some species that require 
a different compost. That compost I will describe when 
I give the list. 
Daskets.— The best baskets are those made of the 
branches or small stems of the common Maple, though 
hazel-rods make e.xcellent baskets. Any kind of wire 
I consider a bad material to make baskets with for 
Orchids. The oxides of either iron, copper, or brass is 
injurious to the roots of Orchids, either in a high or low 
temperature. Almost any kind of what are called bard- 
w’oods, such as Oak, Elder, Ash, Crab, Hornbeam, Elm, 
or Acacia, make excellent blocks. Mr. Edwin Wheeler, 
who has purchased this nursery, has been an amateur suc¬ 
cessful grower of Orchids for many years in a low tem¬ 
perature. He uses chiefly blocks of Oak, and instead of 
suspending the blocks, he places each block in a pot 
filled with crocks. These keep the block upright, the 
plant standing above crocks on the top of the block. In 
the growing season he keeps these crocks moist, w’hich 
moisture rising up, keeps the plants supplied with 
atmospheric moisture. 
There is here now in flower a fine specimen of the 
new and rare Cattleya maxima, from the mountain 
of Quindos. It has rose-coloured sepals and petals, and 
a large labellum of a white ground colour, striped 
broadly with purple-crimson, and a broad, yellow stripe 
down the centre of the top. This fine species is grow¬ 
ing on a block set amongst crocks in a pot. I admire 
this mode of growing Orchids that require blocks. It 
seems to be a half-way house between growing on a 
block and in a pot, combining the good points of each 
mode of culture. 
Shading. —Though the plants to be mentioned in 
my forthcoming list are well adapted to thrive under a 
much cooler treatment than is usually supposed neces¬ 
sary for the tribe, yet even they will not do without 
shade from the hot sun of summer; hence, it is necessary 
to shade them in such weather. I have, in the course 
of upwards of twenty years’experience, come to the con¬ 
clusion that there is nothing equal to a roller and fine 
canvass for a shade for any kind of plant like Orchids. 
The great objection to any permanent shade, such as 
thick green glass, whitewash, or other shade that can¬ 
not be removed at any time, arises from that very 
fact of its permanency. It is a shade in dark, dull 
days, as well as bright, sunshiny ones. It shades the 
plants when they do not need shade, and is certainly 
then detrimental; whereas, a shade of canvass fixed to 
a roller can be rolled up or let down whenever shade is 
required, or not, according to the state of the weather. 
When the expense of new canvass, when required, is 
not a matter of moment, the covering up the glass in 
frosty weather is exceedingly useful as an adjunct to the 
artificial heat necessary to keej) out the frost. The 
great objection, or rather evil, of a moderately-heated 
house in frosty weather, is the condensation of the 
moisture on the inner side of the glass, where it accu¬ 
mulates and falls down in drops on the plants. Now, an 
outer covering prevents this, because the glass is kept 
nearly as warm as the air inside, and, consequently, 
there is no condensation. Whoever can afford it, let 
