THE COTTAGE GARDENER AND COUNTRY GENTLEMAN, November 13, 1860. 
91 
explaining the method he has discovered to preserve Vines from 
the o'idium bj vaccination :— 
“ ‘ I had the honour, three months since, to receive a visit 
from several members of the Agricultural Society of the depart¬ 
ment of the Gironde, who wished to ascertain from me my 
method of vaccinating the Vine. At this moment the sap of the 
Vine is beginning to cease. I have chosen this period to explain 
the result of the incisions in which I had placed one or two seeds 
of the diseased Grape. I vaccinated ten Vine-stocks within a 
period of a month; the four which were vaccinated at the com¬ 
mencement of the malady produced remarkable results, and I 
wish to explain these resuits to the members of the Agricultural 
Society who honoured me with a visit. The following are the 
results :—The four stocks first vaccinated completely cured the 
Grapes which they bore, and a clammy matter was formed in 
the interior of the incisions ; the others subsequently vaccinated 
have produced less successful results, a small quantity only of 
clammy matter having been produced, which leads me to believe 
that the vaccination should be performed as soon as the disease 
appears. One stock which was not vaccinated lost every one of 
its Grapes. Another stock did not produce any clammy matter 
in the incision, and a portion of the Grapes rotted. — De 
Golberg.’ ” 
STOVE OECHIDS. 
(Continued from page 61.) 
Utensils. —I have described the kind of pots that in general 
I used for Orchids, but sometimes I found it necessary to pro¬ 
cure wide, shallow pans for such plants as Miltonia spectabilis 
and some others. In deep pots I found the leaves and pseudo¬ 
bulbs turned yellow, especially if too much exposed to the sun. 
I also found pots with holes at the sides very useful for many of 
the Indian Orchids—such, for instance, as the iE rides, Sacco- 
labiums and Vandas. 
Syringe. —Read’s or Warner’s, either of these is good. There 
should be three roses—one with very fine holes, one with medium 
sized, and one with wider holes. The first is useful to form a 
gentle shower—like dew, the second for general use, and the 
coarse one to force a heavy shower on the soils in baskets, and 
to wash off insects, previously lying the plants on one side. All 
these the amateur will find highly useful. 
Watering-pots. —A large one to carry water and a small one 
with a long spout for watering plants at a distance. 
Lastly, a convenient polting-bench of a good size, with a narrow 
board at the back and ends, placed in a warmed shod or pot- 
ting-room, handy to the Orchid-house, and if possible with a 
door opening into the house, so that the plants when removed to 
be potted will not be exposed to a sudden change of temperature, 
will complete the list of necessary apparatus for the Orchid- 
grower. 
Soils. —The soils necessary to grow Orchids with consist of 
turfy peat, fibry loam, sphagnum moss, leaf mould, cowdung 
pressed in cakes, charcoal, silver sand, and for drainage a large 
supply of crocks—that is, broken pots in at least three sizes. 
Turfy Peat. —The best of all comes from the neighbourhood 
of Exeter, but very good may be obtained in various parts of 
the kingdom. It must be sought for where dwarf shrubs, grass 
and Ferns grow on it—the roots of these form the most useful 
part of it. It should be carted home and laid on a heap. When 
the potting season approaches a sufficient quantity for present 
use should be brought into the potting-shed; and when nearly 
dry should be chopped into pieces, and then the pieces pulled 
asunder with the hand. After that, pass it through a fine sieve 
to take out the finer particles; and what remains in the sieve is 
the part to be used for the Orchids. The finer parts may be 
used for young Azaleas or Heaths, or to mix with loam and 
sand for any young plants. 
Fibry Loam will be needed for terrestrial Orchids. It will only 
require to be chopped into small pieces and used in that state. 
The surface of an old pasture taken off an inch or two thick 
forms the very best loam for this purpose. Like the peat, it 
should be brought into the shed to become dry and aired some 
time previous to being used. 
Sphagnum Moss. —This is found in wet, boggy marshes, in some 
places very abundantly. It is collected with a long-toothed rake 
in dry weather, and laid up in a dry shed till wanted. In order 
to make it work easily and mix readily with the peat, it should be 
chopped pretty fine with a sharp, small hatchet, taking the dust 
out of it through a fine sieve : it is then ready for use. 
Leaf Mould —This, as is well known, is formed with the leaves 
that fall in the autumn. It forms a large part of the compost for 
terrestrial species, such as Bletias, Ancectoehiluses, Cypripediums, 
&c., and should not be too much decayed. Oak and Beech yield 
the best leaves for this purpose. 
Cowdung .—I prefer this article best when it is collected par¬ 
tially dried out of the cow-pasture. It should be laid on a floor 
rather thin, and patted down with the back of a spade, and he 
long enough to become dry, and then be gathered up and put 
in a dry place till wanted. 
Charcoal is a very useful ingredient to mix with the peat, 
loam, and moss, and also to lie upon the crocks used for drainage. 
It should be broken into pieces the size of a hen’s egg or walnut, 
and be kept dry till required for use. A small quantity of silver 
sand should also be procured, it is used for some species. 
Drainage .—For this purpose there is noticing better than 
broken garden pots. On breaking, separate them into three 
sizes, the largest to cover the hole at the bottom of the pot, and 
a thin layer upon them ; then a second size, rather less, to lay 
upon the larger size; the third size should be not much larger 
than horse Beans. The greater part of a collection of Orchids 
grown in pots requires to be well drained—so much so, that the 
pot should be half filled with it. Stagnant water will certainly 
destroy the roots : therefore the cultivator must pay particular 
attention to this important point. 
Culture. —The grower of these interesting and singularly 
beautiful plants having put up the house for them properly 
heated, the shading and arranging parts of the interior com¬ 
pleted, utensils and soils in order, and a fair collection of plants 
procured, will then commence cultural operations, the most 
important of which is 
Potting-. —The best season for potting will generally be in the 
early months of the year. The rule to know when a plant should 
be potted is whenever the buds at the base of the pseudo-bulbs 
begin to grow;—then the plant should be potted. Now, if too 
much heat has been given diming the autumn, these buds may 
be prematurely started ; but if the resting season has been pro¬ 
perly managed, and moderate heat given during that season, no 
growth will take place till the turn of the year. Such being the 
case, then at the proper time remove such plants as have begun 
to grow into the potting-shed. Take a plant in hand, turn it 
out of the pot very carefully, taking great care not to break or 
bruise the roots. Very likely some roots will be found adhering 
to the sides of the pots so closely that they will not leave them 
without breaking. In such a case I used to thrust a thin-bladed 
knife, such as painters use to work their colours on the palette, 
down between the roots so fixed and the pots. With care and 
dexterity this may be done without injuring the roots. I have 
met with some bad cases where the roots were numerous and too 
fir ml y fixed to the pots to be got off with the knife. In such 
instances I have broken the pot very gently, removing as much 
of it as I could, and leaving the rest with the roots fastened to 
the pieces as I found them. Having by these means got the 
plant clear of the pot, then shake off all the old compost and 
examine the roots—all that are dead cut clean away to the living 
parts. Then, whilst the plant is in hand, look out for and clean 
away all insects, such as brown and white scale, black thrips, 
&c. If the white scale (the worst of all) abounds, wash the 
plant with strong soap water or Gishurst Compound, and 
cleanse the leaves also of any dirt or dust that may be on them. 
This washing being done, lay the plant down—the leaves will be 
drying whilst the pot for it is prepared. Let it be of a size in 
proportion to the size of the plant. Orchids, however, require 
larger pots than most other plants, because they have mostly 
larger and longer roots. The fresh pot should be quite clean 
inside and out. Begin to drain it by laying a large piece of 
broken pot over the hole or holes (for large pots should have 
three holes), prop this crock up with a small piece on one side, 
place other large pieces upon this central one, then the next size, 
and, lastly, the small-Bized potsherds. Upon them place a thin 
layer of pieces of charcoal, and then put in sufficient of the right 
kind of compost to raise the plant a little above the rim of the 
pot. Small plants may be raised one inch, middling-sized two 
inches, and large ones from three to four inches. Each plant 
should stand as if on a little hillock in the centre of the pot. 
Make the compost firm, wmrking it in amongst the roots. Then, 
if the plant does not stand firm of itself, thrust in some sticks 
and tie the pseudo-bulbs to them in a neat and tidy manner; set 
the plant down on the floor, and take the syringe with the coarsest 
rose on it, fill it with milkwarm water, and, holding it very near 
