29S 
THE COTTAGE GARDENER. AND COUNTRY GENTLEMAN, August 14, 1860. 
them that such plants grow in their native wilds on branches of 
trees. I was in company only this week with a traveller who 
had been in Demerara, and, speaking of Orchids, he told me that 
when a colony of white ants attack a tree they gnaw away the 
lower purt of the bark, which of course kills the tree, and on 
that dead tree the Orchids immediately appear, and soon clothe 
it with their foliage and blossom. He had seen many instances 
of this remarkable fact when pushing through the uncultivated 
forests of that part of the world. This fact is confirmed by the 
state in which Orchids arrive in this country that have been 
collected by botanists, and sent home. 
The branches the Orchids are attached to are always in a dead, 
dried-up state, showing that the Orchids are not true parasites 
like our Mistletoe, which live and thrive in the tree, but true 
epiphytes, which grow on the tree, drawing their nourishment 
from the moist air and the dead leaves and twigs collected to¬ 
gether in the forks of the branches : hence the ingenious culti¬ 
vator places his Orchids, or at least such as have been proved to 
thrive best that way, upon blocks of dead wood. 
Various kinds of wood have been tried for this purpose—such, 
for instance, as the hardy Acacia ( JRolinia pseudo-acacia), Cork 
branches cut into suitable lengths, Oak branches also, and large 
branches or stems of the common Elder tree. I have placed the 
various kinds in rotation according to what my experience as a 
grower of Orchids for thirty years has proved their merits. 
Excepting the Cork branches, I prefer the blocks naked—that is, 
without their bark, chiefly for the reason that the bark as it 
decays is a harbour for woodliee, cockroaches, and other root¬ 
eating insects. Having, then, procured the branches, cut them 
into suitable lengths and thickness, according to the size of the 
plants; then procure some copper wire of a moderate strength. 
Cut it into lengths, make a small loop at each end, and drive a 
copper nail into the block at each end through the loops. The 
block is then ready for the plant. Have ready some nice green 
moss ; fix the plant on the upper part of the branch; hold it 
there, and place some of the moss around it, and then tie the 
moss and the roots of the plants firmly to the branch with some 
fine copper wire. With a pair of scissors clip off any loose moss, 
leaving the plant in a neat tidy state. Then suspend it from the 
roof, either on a long iron rod well painted, or on large-headed 
copper nails driven into the rafters. The logs should hang down 
at least eighteen inches from the glass, so that none of the leaves 
will be close to it. Here they require no further care, excepting 
syringing, on which point I shall speak more fully hereafter. 
In Baskets. —There are not many species that will thrive in 
a greenhouse temperature that require baskets ; but as there are 
some which the reader will find grouped together hereafter, I 
must briefly describe the kind of basket that will grow them best, 
and the mode of making those baskets. Rods of Hazel about 
the thickness of a man’s finger are as good as any, and most 
easily procured. The baskets should be made of a size suitable 
to the size of the plants : one four inches square is suitable for 
the smallest plants, and two inches increase of size will answer for 
the next size of plant, and so on as the plants are or become larger. 
I prefer baskets made of rods of Hazel, or any other wood 
most easily procured, to any other material. Rods well dried 
are better than green ones, because they are not so liable to 
split. Cut the rods into suitable lengths ; pare the ends smooth, 
and bore holes with a wire borer through each end of the rods. 
Then cut some copper wire into four suitable lengths, make a 
loop at one end of each so that it will not slip through the holes ; 
then lay two rods parallel to each other, and upon them lay 
three others. Nail these to the two rods, and then you have the 
bottom of the basket in a form something like the bottom of a 
raft. Turn this over, and then lay two other rods, to form the 
other two sides. Draw the four wires through the holes at the 
four corners, and then slip rods alternately down the wires till 
a sufficient number are laid to form the basket. Then bring the 
wires together at the top, give them a twist or two, and the 
basket is finished. Four inches are a sufficient depth for the 
smallest size, and add more in proportion as the greater size is 
required, making the rods at the sides and bottom thicker and 
longer in proportion to the size. 
In putting the plants in the basket follow this plan :—Cover 
the bottom with moss, then put in a layer of the rougher part of 
the compost, and then place the plant in the middle, and fill 
round it with the compost exactly the same as for those in pots. 
Practice will make all this easy enough—much easic-r than it 
is for me to describe it. As soon as the plant is placed in the 
basket give it a good watering, and hang it up in its place. 
WatekinG.- —There is no point of Orchid culture that is so im¬ 
portant as due supplies of water. Two implements are necessary 
—viz., the garden-pot and the syringe, and I may add a third, 
a cistern. The first is to be used for plants in pots, the second 
for blocks, and the third for both blocks and more especially 
baskets. In applying this necessary element, due regard must be 
given to the state of the growth of the plants. In pots, water 
should be given in small quantities at first, and always with the 
chill off. When the growths are young give water round the 
edges of the pots so as not to wet the young shoots. After¬ 
wards when the pseudo-bulbs are half swollen, give water more 
freely, and when they are nearly full grown, give water abun¬ 
dantly to cause large and free growth. Then, when the pseudo¬ 
bulbs are fully grown, begin to reduce the quantity of water, and 
gradually lessen it till symptoms of rest nre perceptible. After 
that only give sufficient to keep them from shrivelling. Let the 
same ideas guide the cultivator in using the syringe. Plants on 
blocks when growing should be syringed morning and evening; 
but when the growths are young, and the days short and dull, 
syringe only in the morning. When the plants on logs are at 
rest, once a-week will be sufficient to keep them from shrivelling. 
Plants in baskets should be taken down, when growing, every 
other day, and dipped in the cistern; and many plants on logs will 
he benefited by a bath in water occasionally in addition to the 
daily syringing. 
In dry, dusty, hot weather, a due supply of atmospheric 
moisture should be attended to constantly. This may be attained 
by wetting the floor and walls. In such weather the plants 
will be greatly benefited by washing the leaves once a-week with 
a wet sponge. This cleanses the surface and clears the pores of 
the leaves, also keeps down various insects—such as red spider, 
scale, and thrips, and also gives a freshness and tidy appearance 
to the plants. Nothing looks more untidy and careless than 
seeing leaves covered with dust, green moss, or any other kind of 
dirt. This sponging is beneficial at any time of the year; only in 
winter, or when the plants are at rest, squeeze the sponge very 
hard before using, in order that no water may lodge in the hollows 
of the leaves. When the plants are in bloom, then the syring¬ 
ing must be dispensed with, as the flowers are easily spoiled by 
the application of water over them. T. Appleby. 
(To be continued.) 
CORNUS SUECICA—THE SEASON AND ITS 
CONSEQUENCES. 
I see in The Cottage Gardener, No. 613, page 202, the 
following answer to a correspondent:—“ Dwarf Plants for a 
Rockery (E. E. S.). —The species of plants of dwarf habit suit¬ 
able for rockwork are very numerous, and may be easily pro¬ 
cured from any respectable nurseryman, &c.” 
In the list of plants “ easily procured,” I see Cornus succisa. 
Is succisa a false print for Suecica ? If it is, I shall be very much 
obliged to the gentleman who answered “E. D. S.,” if he will 
give me the name of any respectable nurseryman from whom I 
can procure it— i.e., from whom I can procure a strong plant. I 
have made many inquiries about it, and have had two or three 
plants sent to me, consisting of one or two bulbs ; but I have not 
been able to keep them. I have applied to several, indeed to 
many, professional gentlemen, and to amateurs in England. 
Application has been made at nurseries or gardens at Inverness, 
Aberdeen, Glasgow, and Dublin, still Cornus Suecica is upon my 
list of desiderata. 
I used formerly to cultivate and piropagate this plant without 
any difficulty, so that I had many pots of very healthy plants ; 
but at last I lost all my plants in one or two seasons ; and since 
that time I have had no success with this Cornus, though I am 
not conscious of having made any change in my treatment of it. 
The same is the case with many other plants. This is to me 
most unaccountable. 
I think it is probable that you never experienced a summer 
much colder than the present. I am now (August 3rd) writing 
by the fireside, and at the same time looking out upon the hay¬ 
cocks in my meadow. But I remember a summer much colder, 
much wetter, and in all respects much more inclement than the 
present—viz., that of 1816. In that year the corn in this 
neighbourhood was not all earned till the middle of October, and 
in some places it was, I believe, left to rot in the field. There 
was ice on the 6th of June, and again on the 3rd of September. 
I am sorry to say that the Potato disease seems this year to be 
