May 16.] THE COTTAGE 
place; and in the end of September, if sheltered and 
warm, and the soil light. In both cases the seed should 
he sown thin, and the plants be defended from severe 
frost by evergreen boughs stuck in among them, but re¬ 
moved in fine weather. These plants may be lifted in 
pieces, and transferred to where they are intended to 
flower in April. Another method, quite as good, but re¬ 
quiring the assistauco of a glass light or two, is, in the 
month of March, to remove the surface soil to the depth 
of a couple of inches when it is nice and dry. On the 
hard bottom, place two inches of rotten dung and leaf- 
mould ; return upon the top of it the surface soil again, 
with the addition of a little light sandy matter, such as 
you may command. Draw this out in rows nine inches 
apart, in which sow the annual seeds rather thickly; 
cover up with the glass, give air freely when the plants 
are up, and they will lift in patches nicely in April and 
May, and never feel the removal. To succeed those ob¬ 
tained by either of these means, a second sowing should 
be made in the middle or end of May, in a rather shady 
place; but if a similar plan be iollowed, there will 
always be the necessity of shading the plants after¬ 
wards, which at such a - 'season, especially out of doors, 
j is a great eye-sore. It is best, therefore, to sow in large 
pots, and have the pots set on a hard bottom, so that 
; tliey shall scarcely feel the removal. Discontented with 
! every method, however, which I bad heard of lor keep¬ 
ing up a succession of hloom until the end of the season 
; by annuals, I hit, some years ago, upon a very simple 
expedient, by which those even sown in the autumn, and 
especially those sown in the spring, were made to con¬ 
tinue blooming all the season; an expedient that will 
just suit those who do not grudge the time, and feel a 
pleasure in always fingering and doing something to 
; their plants; and that is, just picking off the seed ves- 
I sels as fast as they appear. The great object for which 
the plant is aiming being the perfection of its seeds, the 
j preventing of that will lead them still farther to strive 
for it, by producing fresh flowers, in which they will still 
1 farther be encouraged by surface dressings and weak 
, manure waterings. By this simple means, the annual 
character, especially under protection in winter, may be 
completely lost. I once saw a mignionette plant many 
I years old. 
Planting. —The patches should nearly be as far from 
each other as the height to which the plant grows, or 
the length its shoots generally extend; and even then, 
when a fine mass is expected, the plants should bo well 
thinned, as there is no comparison between plants hav¬ 
ing plenty of room and those left to struggle on in the 
patch in which they were first sown or planted. Almost 
all the hardy annuals may yet be sown for autumn deco¬ 
ration, and the thinning of them properly when up will 
I enhance their beauty. 
Staking and Tying. —Few of them will bear this when 
applied in the usual way. Unless carefully done, they 
1 look ungainly, weedy-like bundles. If well thinned, the 
shorter growing ones will be stiff atid sturdy, that neither 
wind nor rains will hurt them ; a few twigs stuck among 
them will render them more secure. For the taller 
growing ones, twigs larger in size, resembling small 
bushy pea-sticks, answer best. In a short time the twigs 
are never seen, but the shoots having grown through 
and become entangled in them, they preserve their na¬ 
tural defined character and outline, and yet are held so 
firm that it would require something like a hurricane to 
sweep them into bundles. R. Fish. 
HOTHOUSE DEPARTMENT. 
EXOTIC ORCPllDACEAh 
We bad the pleasure, a little time ago, of seeing the 
superb collection of orchids belonging to S. Rucker, Esq., 
GARDENER, Of j 
of Wandsworth. Under the judicious care and per- j 
severing industry of that gentleman’s gardener, Mr. 
Mylam, the plants were in the highest health. The veriest 
learner in orchid culture would at once have perceived 
that liberality in purchasing plants, and providing proper 
houses, and all other necessary means combined with 
skill and prompt application of all the points of culture, | 
have caused the usual result—complete success. Four 
houses are devoted to orchids. The largest, a span- 
roofed one, is filled principally with Aerides, Saccola- 
biums, Vandas, Dendrobiums, and other Indian spe¬ 
cies requiring the highest temperature. This house is 
on the same plan as we have recommended, that is, 
with solid brick walls and a glass roof. This house is 
more shaded than usual, the shades being kept down 
nearly all the day, and almost every day. In it the 
plants grow most luxuriantly. We observed that rare 
plant the Vanda Low'd thriving beautifully in a basket 
filled with sphagnum; also the noble plant of Vanda 
Batemannii shewing a fine strong spRe of its truly ele- ! 
gant flowers. Another house was filled chiefly with j 
large Oncidiums, Cattleyas, Brassias, and other large | 
growing plants of similar habit. Over the back walk j 
was hung up a row of large Stanhopeas, and a large 
plant of Acineta Ilumboldtii finely in flower. This house 
is kept a few degrees of heat lower than the Indian house. 
The third house is devoted to such orchids as require 
the lowest degree of temperature. In it the natives of i 
Guatamala, Peru, and Mexico have a habitation suitable 
for them; the heat maintained being still lower than 
that of either of the other houses. Lastly, a house re¬ 
cently erected is for the purpose of placing the plants in 
when in flower. This is a handsome span-roofed bouse, j 
with spacious walks, a wide platform in the centre, and 
broad shelves on each side; the paths running down 
between the platform and the shelves. The plants as 
they come into flower in the other houses are brought 
into this, kept well shaded, and rather cooler. By these 
means, lasting much longer in bloom. The luxuriant 
health of all the plants, and the number in flower, as 
the list below will prove, shew that Mr. Mylam s system 
of cultivating these interesting plants is the right one. 
And we may venture to say, that all our instructions 
given in The Cottage Gardener correspond with his 
practice. We may remark, also, that all cultivators of 
large collections, who succeed well in growing them, 
follow nearly the same method, as far as their means 
will allow. Hn addition to the example of success we 
are now describing, we may mention Mr. Bassett, gar¬ 
dener to R. S. Holford, Esq., of Weston Birt; Mr. Wil- 
liams, gardener to C. Warner, Esq., of Hoddesden ; Mr. 
Paxton, gardener to the Duke ot Devonshire; Mrs. Law¬ 
rence, of Ealing Park; Mr. Rae, gardener to J. Blandy, 
Esq., of Reading; Mr. Pass, gardener to T. Broekle- 
hurst, Esq., of Macclesfield; Mr. Dean, gardener to 
J. Bateman, Esq., of Knypersly; and Mr. White, gar¬ 
dener to A. Kenrick, Esq., of Birmingham. These we 
may designate the great growers ot private collections. 
Then the public gardens and nursery establishments in 
this country, and also on the Continent, all follow the 
same plan of cultivating orchids in houses of different 
temperatures, to suit plants from different countries and 
elevations. We mention this galaxy of examples to 
prove to our amateur friends the necessity ot imitating, 
as much as possible, their practice in this particular 
point; but as they can not be reasonably expected to 
have so many houses for the purpose, they must try to 
place their plants in such positions in their house as 
will in some measure give them different temperatures. 
To return to Mr. Mylam’s plants ; the following fine 
species were in flower when we called there ;— 
Acineta Humboldtii, having several spikes. 
Anscllia Africana; two spikes, large and fine. The 
largest plant bad just gone out of flower, 
