THE COTTAGE GARDENER AND COUNTRY GENTLEMAN, October 2, 1860. 
5 
should be put up for them. Experience has proved that a span- 
roofed house is the best form. Now, as these plants mostly 
grow on trees in their native country, there they enjoy a large 
amount of light. Hence we should study to give them as much 
light as we possibly can in our, comparatively speaking, dark 
climate. The span-roof does so, as everybody knows, much more 
than a mere lean-to ; and in order that every part of the house 
may have an equal share of light at all hours of the day, the 
position of the house should be placed to run from east to west. 
The morning sun will then send its beams on the east side at 
noon, when its strong power might be injurious, the rays will be 
slanting on the plants ; and the afternoon sun will enlighten the 
western side to the latest hour. 
Tliis house should have a division—one part to be devoted to 
East Indian species, and the other to such as are from the more 
temperate climes of the western hemisphere. Generally speaking, 
this latter house should be 10° or 15° cooler than the first. When 
the Indian species are in bloom, the flowering season may be 
prolonged by bringing them into the cooler house. 
Heating. —When orchideous plants are making their annual 
growth they require the greatest amount of heat. To economise 
fuel, then, the season of growth should be during the last month 
in spring and the summer. The best mode of heating and most 
easy to manage, is by hot-water pipes, with a tank on the top of 
the ascending pipe. This mode of heating suits Orchids the best of 
any, it can be so easily regulated. Apply it then in sufficient 
power to give the most heat when the plants are growing. Some 
may object that the season of growth does not come uniformly 
to all species of Orchids. True ; but that propensity to grow in 
autumn or winter may, by judicious and persevering care, be 
altered and changed just as easy as forcing Roses at Christmas, 
or Grapes in May ; and, as is well known, when once the habits 
of a plant are once changed, that change becomes every season 
more fixed on the plant, till at last its season of growth is com¬ 
pletely altered, and remains so as long as the cultivator pleases. 
These facts are well known to the forcing-gardener, and hence the 
plant-grower may by the same means set all his plants their 
season of growth, and compel them, as it were, to continue to 
keep that season year by year; only let him have power over his 
means of heating, which he may have by a boiler and liot-water 
pipes, and plenty of them. I observed above, that the pipes 
should have a tank upon them ; that tank should be, during the 
growing season, kept full of water. The pipe when warm heats 
the water, and causes a gentle moisture to rise amongst the plants, 
which is highly beneficial to them, especially to those growing on 
blocks or such as root from the stems in the air. The degree 
of heat Orchids require is by some growers set too high, and by 
others too low. I have found, from the experience of a quarter 
of a century, that the following table, drawn up for my use, and 
corrected to the state it appears below, is amply sufficient for 
them:— 
EAST INDIAN HOUSE. 
SOUTH AMERICAN HOUSE. 
Day. Night. 
Summer . 75° to 90° ... 70° 
Winter . . 65°. 60° 
Day. Night. 
Summer. . 60° to 65°... 60° 
Winter . . 55° .50° 
These are average heats, inasmuch as on very hot days the 
heat will be a few degrees higher, and in very cold weather it 
may be a few' degrees lower without any injury to the plants. 
T. Apeleby. 
(To be continued.') 
HINTS ON PLANTING VEGETABLES IN A 
WET AUTUMN. 
A WET autumn after a cold, rainy, and sunless summer, is at 
all times unfavourable to the kitchen gardener as well as to all 
other classes. The ground having never been warmed as in 
former years, is now soddened with wet, and presents that un- 
genial character so much at variance with the wellbeing of vege¬ 
tation ; and only the coarsest weeds and plants, whose native 
country is one colder than this, can be expected to thrive in 
anything like an ordinary way. 
I am not aware of any of our vegetables originating in a 
country where the summers are not absolutely warmer than those 
of England : hence we may readily understand the slow progress 
many of our most useful vegetables have this year made. It is 
needless to say, our winters are milder than they are generally 
on the Continent; but the frequent changes we undergo are 
very trying to herbaceous vegetation, as was too plainly visible 
last winter. 
Amongst the classes which suffer least from a cool, moist 
summer Peas stand pre-eminent—in fact, in warm, dry places 
they suffer more, and do really less service in what we call a fine 
season than they do in a cold, wet, and ungenial one. Beans, 
however, like more sun and dry weather; and most of the 
Cabbage tribe like warmth as well as moisture. Lettuces, per¬ 
haps, endure cold if accompanied, as it was this season, with rain; 
but they like warmth and moisture better. We fear there has 
been great difficulty in getting a supply of plants in a season like 
this when every place is swarming with slugs, and the greatest 
care and watchfulness were required to save the young plants ; 
but as many of these crops will now require planting, a few words 
on the plan most likely to secure success may not be out of place. 
It is well known that the preceding crop has much to do with 
the state of the ground for present planting. Turnips, Cabbages, 
Cauliflowers, and similar crops leave broods of slugs behind them 
which are fatal to Lettuce and other small and succulent herbage : 
consequently it is not prudent to follow this course without the 
ground having previously lain some time in a state of fallow, or 
been well dressed with lime, or something equally obnoxious, to 
the enemies we have to contend with. But it is right here to 
say that ground that has been dug and prepared a month or sir 
weeks beforehand is in a better state to sow seeds or plant de¬ 
licate plants on than what is fresh dug and prepared. Seeds 
especially germinate quicker and better on such ground than they 
do on the freshly-stirred groun$. However much the latter may 
improve those plants that are established, and in growing state, 
the well-sweetened condition of the surface renders it more 
suitable to the wants of delicate seedlings; and although, by 
lying the time alluded to, it may appear hardened on the sur¬ 
face, it is only becoming more like the general condition of 
the ground where all seeds are sown in a natural way. It is in 
like manner in a better condition to receive the small plants 
entered by a dibber; for the surface and the few inches wanted 
to plant upon being mellow and sweet are more congenial to the 
young rootlets than when raw and fresh turned up. It is, there¬ 
fore, advisable to plant on such ground in seasons like the pre¬ 
sent, when wet, cold, and a host of enemies beset the young crop 
and make its welfare a matter of much uncertainty; for, besides 
the soil being in a better condition, it is likely the slugs and 
other insects that were in it at the time it was dug may have 
been driven out for want of food, or destroyed by the dressing 
given at the time; besides which, a smooth, rather hardened 
surface presents little harbour for these pests. So that in all 
cases where the state of the ground will admit it without too 
much kneading, it would be better to smooth the ground such 
plants are planted on, in order to destroy the shelter these de¬ 
structive enemies to vegetation avail themselves of; for they 
cannot endure the frost of winter or sun of summer without 
some protection, and some suitable opportunity must be taken 
to stir the ground again when the plants are so far advanced as 
to be out of danger of the marauders. 
In sowing or planting in the autumn months, care must be 
taken to do so on dry days and when the ground is as dry as 
there is a chance to get it. Much, of course, depends on the 
character of the soil; but all soils are worse from being trodden on 
in rainy weather, although the most loose ones are quickly ready 
whenever it becomes fair. In the present season, when we have 
suffered so much from rain and cold, many crops have remained 
nearly stationary for weeks; while others present the uneven 
gapped appearance, proving the injuries they received. It is to 
guard against these that it is here advised to plant or sow' the 
crop on stale rather than fresh-tilled ground. And if there still 
be some loss, rest assured that it would have been many times worse 
had it been on ground of a contrary description.—J. Robson. 
Lirge Peach.—A gentleman in this neighbourhood 
(Mr. Boulton, of the Laurels) gathered on August 3rd a Noblesse 
Peach, which measured 11 3-16ths inches in circumference, the 
weight, being Ug; ozs. It was grown in-doors on a moderately 
small but very healthy tree planted three years ago. This Peach 
had the delicate colours which the true Noblesse has when 
properly "matured, and was the largest of its sort I hare seen. 
Some few years ago I had the Bellegarde brought on very steady 
in a second Peach-house within a half ounce of this Noblesse, and, 
perhaps, some of your correspondents may favour us with an 
account of a still finer fruit.—J. Stevens, Malvern Hall, Solihull. 
