174 
THE COTTAGE GARDENER AND COU NTRY GENTLEMAN, December 25, 1860. 
and when all is nicely soaked in replace the dry soil on the 
surface. It will not matter so much with the Tines, as the roots 
are allowed to get outside; hut in their case, too, the soil should 
he moistened a fortnight before you expect the buds to begin to 
swell—say in the month of March, and if water at from 80° to 
90° is used it will help to set the roots going. The covering the 
border of such a house inside is a matter of little moment, as the 
frost must be severe indeed to hurt the roots there. You would 
see what Mr. Fish said about placing heaps of dung inside 
houses ; but that would hardly be applicable to your case unless 
for a short time in March and April, and not at all in winter, 
as, if any heat to speak of were given off, the buds would be 
excited too early. In your circumstances, without fire heat, the 
longer you can keep your trees from breaking their buds the 
better will they do. The trees on the outside of your border 
will keep the frost out, will nourish the roots, and help to 
attract and keep them near the surface; otherwise protecting 
the roots of such late houses is of minor importance, though we 
think it is always advisable to keep out severe frost when 
practicable.] 
PLANTING POTATOES. 
In The Cottage Gardener of December 11th, page 149, 
you state that a market-gardener whom you know never plants 
Potatoes in the open ground until the first week in April, and 
then only the very earliest kinds. 
Will you inform me whether those varieties will keep for 
winter use, and, if so, oblige me with a list of them?—G eo. L. 
[The early varieties will not keep. The market-gardener sells 
all his early Potatoes as fast as he can send them to market, and 
supplies the largest ducal establishments in England and Scot¬ 
land with the best late Potatoes that can he had in any part of 
the three kingdoms, by means of the money he receives for his 
early frames and Walnut-leaved varieties, and one other early 
sort which we do not know. It is a system, and he would sell 
all his Potatoes in June it he could get rid of them, and trust to 
the markets for a supply for tho rest of the year. The earlier 
he can sell them the more money he makes of them, and that 
money procures the best Potatoes in the market till Potatoes 
come again without the risk of a bad one out of a bushel or a 
sack.] 
STOVE ORCHIDS. 
(Continuedfrom 'page 144.) 
SUMMER TREATMENT. 
In describing the summer treatment of these beautiful plants 
there will necessarily occur some slight repetitions of operations 
already alluded to. I allude more particularly to the modes 
of potting, basketing, and blocking, and also to watering and 
syringing (for full directions on these important points see 
former instructions). I consider the summer months in the 
Orchid-house to be April, May, June, July, and August, and 
I think it will be most useful if I give the heads of the operations 
for each month separately. 
April. —The days will now be of nearly equal length with the 
nights. The sun will frequently be powerful during the middle 
of the day. When that is the case shading should be resorted 
to. The blinds should be let down by ten o’clock in the fore¬ 
noon on the eastern side (if the house is a span-roofed one), 
drawn up at noon, and let down on the western side till three 
o’clock. Syringe the plants lightly, especially those on blocks, 
every fine morning. Keep the air of the house moist, and 
increase the heat from 5° to 10° more than last month, especially 
during bright sunshine. Finish potting all plants that are 
growing. Stanhopeas and other species that flower downwards 
through the soil should not be potted or put in new baskets till 
the bloom is over, for fear of injuring the flower-stems. To en¬ 
courage the flowering of such plants let them be steeped in tepid 
water once or twice during the month. 
Some Denhrobiums will now be in bloom, remove such into a 
cooler house to prolong their bloom. 
May.— Attend to shading as directed for last month. Give 
an hour’s longer shade at each end of the day. Continue to 
repot all the plants not done last month. This is the month for 
repotting the plants growing in the cooler house—such, for 
instance, as Cattleyas, Oncidiums, Lalias, and Epidendrums. 
The drooping-flowering varieties as they go out of bloom should 
be put into fresh baskets and fresh soil. Should it not be 
thought advisable to repot or rebasket any plants, such should 
have the pots clean-washed and the top part of the old compost 
removed without injuring the roots, then put on a surfacing of 
fresh compost, and give an ample watering. 
The quantity of water given to the plants may be increased 
during this month. The Indian species—such as A£rides, 
Vandas, and their allies, should have abundance of water now to 
encourage growth in both roots and shoots. The temperature- 
during this month should reach the highest point. 
Use the syringe freely morning and evening, avoiding the 
flowers as much as possible. During this month slugs and 
cockroaches will be numerous; see to their destruction most 
diligently. Visit the house with a candle or bull’s-eye lantern 
after dark, and kill all those enemies you can find. 
Observe the flowers as they open, and remove them either 
into a cooler house, or to the cooler and most airy part of the 
house where there is but one devoted to these plants. 
June.— South American plants during this month will he 
growing rapidly, Catesetums and Cyrtopodiums especially- 
Such should be regularly watered, increasing the quantity as the 
shoots advance in size—taking care, however, that no water 
lodges in the hollow r s formed by the young leaves. I have used 
beneficially to Cyrtopodiums a weak liquid manure just at the 
period when they were growing most freely. This enriched 
water caused the plants to make very strong pseudo-bulbs, 
which flowered freely the following year. Shade during this 
month most particularly, for the leaves being young they are 
more liable to be scorched. Air should be given freely, but let 
it pass over the warm pipes in entering the house. 
Cattleyas and Lalias should be grouped together, for they 
never require so much moisture as the Indian species. All 
Orchids, however, should be allowed to become dry once in the 
tw'enty-four hours. Should any plants have made their full 
growth towards the end of the month, give them less water to- 
induce a gradual going to rest. 
July. —When weeds appear let them be plucked up whilst 
young. If allowed to attain any size the roots when drawn up will 
bring away portions of the compost. Amongst the peat there 
will often appear young Heaths. These are not ugly and may 
be left to grow to a certain extent. When they droop the soil is 
dry ; hence they serve as hydrometers, and are, as such, useful 
to show when the soil requires water. I have thought, also, 
they take up noxious matters that otherwise would injure the 
delicate young roots of the Orchids. Continue the same 
attentions as directed for June. The days will now be long, 
and often dry and sultry. During such weather the floors, 
walls, stages, &c., should be kept flooded with water during the 
day, and the syringe should be used for all growing plants, 
morning and evening. Let the plants in baskets be dipped in the 
cistern twice a-week, and watered freely on intervening days.. 
The growths of most kinds will be progressing rapidly, and 
should be encouraged to the utmost, more especially such species 
as are found under the names of AErides, Vanda, Saccolabium, 
Angrsecum, Renanthera, and Phalamopsis. 
As recommended for May, all blooming plants should be 
placed in a cooler and drier atmosphere to keep the flowers 
longer in perfection. Let the shading continue to receive 
attention, but use it only when the sun shines, either in this 
month or any other. Let attention be given to all plants that 
have fully made their year’s growth, give such but little water- 
and very slight springing, and that only in the morning. Remove- 
such into a cooler and drier house. Let the grower bear con¬ 
stantly in mind that all Orchids with pseudo-bulbs require a 
decided rest for several months, and let him try to put his 
Orchids into that state during the dark days of winter. On 
the contrary, Orchids that have simple ordinary stems with, 
evergreen leaves should be kept just slowly growing all the 
winter. 
August. —This, like July, is often a warm month. Hence 
the shading should be continued on bright, sunny days, but it 
may be removed by four o’clock in the afternoon. Keep up a 
supply of moisture to plants that are growing, both in the air 
and at the roots. In this month the beautiful Cattleya labiata 
is in great beauty of bloom. Re careful not to wet these splendid 
flowers. The texture of the floral leaves is so delicate that every 
drop of water leaves a disfiguring mark behind it. In this 
month such species as flower when at rest should be removed 
into a more temperate place, have plenty of air, and scarcely any 
