342 
TIIS COTTAGE GARDENER AND COUNTRY GENTLEMAN, September 4, 1860. 
perhaps from some particular spots—then diffused equably through 
the wide and restless air, and afterwards precipitated again in 
refreshing showers or in long mysterious dews ! But how much 
more beautiful the contrivance, I might almost say the instinctive 
tendency, by which the dew selects the objects on which it delights 
to fall; descending first on every living plant, copiously minister¬ 
ing to the wants of each, and expending its superfluity only on 
the unproductive waste.”—( Agricultural Chemistry .) 
Shelters such as we have mentioned, or the slighter agents, 
sprays of evergreens, placed before the branches of wall-trees, or 
other plants, as already noticed, operate beneficially in another 
way—checking the rapid passage of the air over them—such 
passage is detrimental in proportion to its rapidity, for the more 
rapid it is, the greater is the amount of evaporation, and, conse¬ 
quently, of cold produced. Mr. Daniell says, “ That a surface 
which exhales 100 parts of moisture when the air is calm, exhales 
125 parts when exposed to a moderate breeze, and 150 parts 
when the wind is high. During all high winds, but especially 
when blowing from points varying between the east and the 
south—for they are the driest in this country-—the gardener will 
always find shelters beneficial to his plants whether in blossom 
or with fruit in its first stages of growth, for these winds cause 
an evaporation much exceeding in amount the supply of moisture 
afforded by the roots.” In March such shelters are much re 
quired, for the winds are then violent and dry even to a proverb; 
but it is during the days of its successor, April, that sets in the 
only periodical wind known in this island. It comes inter- 
mittingly, and with variable force, from points ranging from E. 
toN.E., and is one of the most blighting winds we have. It 
continues until about the end of the second week in May, though 
often until its close; and it is a good plan to have the trees 
during the whole period, by day as well as by night, protected. 
This periodical wind is occasioned, probably, by Sweden and 
Norway remaining covered with snow, whilst England is some 
20 or more warmer ; an upper current of warm air is conse¬ 
quently flowing hence to those countries, whilst a cold under¬ 
current is rushing hither to supply its place. This wind, and 
its consequent cold weather, is so regular in its appearance, that in 
Hampshire and some other parts of England the peasantry speak 
of it as “ the Blackthorn winter ”—that bush being in blossom 
during a part of its continuance. 
Colour has very considerable influence over a body’s power 
of absorbing heat. If a thermometer on a hot summer’s day be 
exposed to the sun, it will indicate a temperature of about 100° ; 
but if the bulb be blackened with Indian ink, or the smoke of a 
candle, it will rise from 10° to 20° higher. The reason for this 
is that the polished surface of the glass reflects some of the sun’s 
rays, but the blackened surface absorbs them all. Blue absorbs 
all but the blue rays ; red all but the red; green and yellow all 
but those of their own name; and white reflects all the rays. 
The lightest coloured rays are the most heating ; therefore, light- 
coloured walls, but especially white, are the worst for fruit trees. 
Tile thermometer against a wall rendered black by coal tar rises 
5° higher in the sunshine than the same instrument suspended 
against a red brick structure of the same thickness; nor will it 
cool lower at night, though its radiating power is increased by 
the increased darkness of its colour, if a proper screen be then 
employed. The elevation of the temperature of a dark-coloured 
fruit compared with that of a lighter coloured of the same kind 
is often remarkable, as in the instance of the Muscle Plum and 
G.reen Gage growing on standard trees. But there are other 
causes than colour for fruit often remaining of a cool temperature 
in the hottest weather, and among these causes is their covering. 
Every one must have noticed the delicious coolness of the Peach’s 
flesh compared with that of the Nectarine grown on the same 
wnll and in the same bright sunshine ; and the reason of this is 
that the dense woolly cuticle of the first, like all other downy 
coverings, is one of the worst conductors of heat. Similar cover¬ 
ings are found on Mexican and Cretan plants which have to 
endure exposure to a torrid temperature.—J. 
(To he continued.) 
DESTROYING CABBAGE BLIGHT. 
Under date June 16tli, 1860, my Australian correspondent 
writes as follows :—“ The Gisliurst Compound kills the Cabbage 
blight effectually ; but whether it may remain permanently useful 
cannot yet be determined. The difficulty will be to get at the 
vermin, which secrete themselves in the innermost recesses of 
the plants and leaf-buds.” 
Any further information received I shall gladly communicate. 
—James Thomson, Kilmarnock. 
Large Eem Tree.— The largest tree in the State, it is said, is 
an American Elm, on the Hubbard farm, in North Andover. It is 
110 feet in height, and its branches spread 100 feet in width, 
and its girth, 8 feet from the ground, is 22 1-2 feet. A Currant 
bush, which has taken root in a notch about 15 feet from the 
ground, can be recollected for nearly half a century.— (Boston 
Cultivator.) 
HAEDY OECHIDEOUS PLANTS. 
If any enterprising cultivator is desirous of making himself 
famous in the gardening world he should try to cultivate these 
elegant plants: if successful he would be doing a great service 
to his brethren by making known the means he has employed to 
succeed. Many have tried and failed, I verily believe, for want of 
perseverance. The means hitherto used for most of the British 
lands has been to take them up with balls when in flower, and 
transplant them to the flower-border, where they soon die; or to 
put them in pots, and keep them in a cold frame, where they 
languish for a year or two, and then appear no more. On the 
other hand, some growers have been successful in growing some 
North American species very well. I remember my friend, Mr. 
Wm. Barnes, now a nurserymen at Peckham, exhibiting, some 
years ago, a large pot of Cypripedium spectabilis as well grown as 
need to be wished, with nearly twenty fine blossoms expanded 
at once. This instance shows that hardy Orchids can be grown 
if only due pains be taken. I remember, also, when I was a 
youth, obtaining a large plant of our English Lady’s Slipper, 
gathered near Settle, in Yorkshire; it had upwards of a score of 
what is technically called “rises” on it—that is, shoots ; and 
every shoot I made into a plant by division, and every one grew 
and flourished as long as I had the care of them. The secret of 
this success arose from the fact, that I took heed to plant the 
divisions in a similar soil to that in which the plant had grown 
in its native habitat, and planting them also in a similar situa¬ 
tion to that in which they grew wild. This method must be 
adopted with every species in order to succeed in growing and 
keeping them. But then, again, they must be removed when 
perfectly dormant; for their fleshy, tuberous, or fibrous roots are 
so fragile when in a state of excitement, that to move them then is 
almost certain and early destruction. It may be asked, How are 
we to find them when no leaves are visible to show where the 
roots are ? In answer I say, Look for them when in flower or 
foliage; mark the place securely, by driving a stake by their side, 
and then search for and remove them when they are in a dor¬ 
mant state. They are well worth this extra trouble. 
Many of the species seed freely. Now, if the seed is gathered 
when ripe, and sown in a similar soil and situation to that where 
the parent plant grows, the seedlings will thrive well also. This 
is not an untried plan, for I have raised them so, and bloomed 
them too when they had acquired the proper age and strength. 
By these two methods—namely, collecting the roots when at 
rest, and packing them in moist soil, and by gathering the ripe 
seeds, a great number of foreign hardy Orchids might be sent 
home by collectors ; but then the collector should also send us 
some account of the localities each species was found in, and 
what sort of soil the plants grew in. Some are found on dry, 
chalky hills ; others in loamy pastures; some in low thickets, and 
others under lofty trees in forest land ; some in strong soil, others 
among decayed leaf mould, and others in sandy peat. 
Now, if we receive plants from these different soils and localities 
of growth, and subject them to one uniform soil, is it likely that 
they will thrive and bloom well ? Every experienced cultivator 
of any kind of plants would immediately answer in the negative. 
What, then ? Are we to give up the attempt to grow these singular 
and beautiful plants ? I say, Most certainly not. Let us try again 
and again, till success crowns our efforts. A partial success has 
been achieved, as I have mentioned above, and it only needs a 
determined spirit to make that success more complete. But, 
says the reader, “ Though I am quite willing, nay, desirous to try 
my hand at growing them, how am I to proceed, and where am 
I to procure the plants ? Is there any work on this particular 
branch of horticulture ?” In answer to these reasonable queries 
I reply, that in the following pages I will give the best in¬ 
struction I can on their culture, giving a description of the dif¬ 
ferent soils they require, the season and mode of potting or 
planting, watering, shelter, summer and winter treatment, diseases. 
