srir~i  a.  i-r. 
JOURXAL  OF  HORTICULTURE  AXD  COTTAGE  GARBEXER. 
197 
There  is  one  plant  which,  in  its  cheerful  rone  of  colour  and 
graceful  dinner  of  growth,  stands  pre-eminent  for  the  purpose, 
:ni  is  Panicum  vartegatutn.  So  far  as  its  foliage  is  concerned  it* 
character  is  not  aggressive,  and  it  forms  an  admirable  setting, 
setting  off  rather  than  hiding  out  anything  else  employed.  It  is  so 
-common  this  Panicum.  so  well  known,  that  one  U  diffident  of 
further  ex:olli~g  ita  merits,  but  they  are  many,  and  to  those  who 
have  no:  seen  it  thus  grown,  gracefully  hanging  some  d  feet  deep 
from  a  long  length  of  staging.  I  weald  especially  commend  it  to 
tlieir  notice.  The  white  and  the  red- veined  Fittonias  are  charming 
when  ejtablisheo  between  the  joint*  of  the  cork,  to  which  they  take 
kindly.  One  other  plant  only  will  I  mention  here,  that  is  Pilea 
muscesa.  the  Artillery  plant,  which  grow*  apace  under  these  con¬ 
ditions.  and  is  in  every  way  admirable  for  the  purpose,  and  which 
is  too  amenable  to  any  restriction  if  inclined  to  grow  too  strong. 
Under  the  stages  not  an  inch  of  bare  space  need  obtrude  itself 
to  catch  the  eye,  provided,  of  course,  that  the  hoc-water  pipes  do 
not  interfere,  and  even  in  this  case  much  may  be  done  by  the 
crudest  form  of  rockwork.  According  to  space  and  position  many 
thing*  will  nourish  here,  from  a  carpeting  of  the  common  Lycopod 
to  handsome  Begonias  of  the  Rex  type.  Panicum  plicatum  is  a 
plant  more  seldom  me:  with  than  its  merits  deserve,  and  if  planted 
in  odd  corners  near  the  margin  of  the  walks,  will  often  be  found 
useful  for  cutting,  its  bold  plaited  foliage  being  well  adapted  for 
decoration.  Where  this  plant  is  established  leedlings  spring  up, 
which,  if  potted  and  gr^wn  as  specimens  for  house  decoration, 
take  on  much  of  the  character  of  Chare uligo  recurvata,  for  which  I 
have  seen  it  mistaken.  That  ubiquitous  plan:  Saxifraga  ssrmen- 
tosa  (Mother  of  Thousand*  or  Hen  and  Chickens)  is  as  happy,  if 
not  happier,  under  a  stage  in  any  temperature  as  it  is  in  its  natural 
element — the  open  air.  and  gives  a  kind  of  alpine  feature,  growing 
among*:  a  few  rough  stones  or  boulders.  The  tricoloured  leaved 
variety  is  a  gem  when  it  retains  its  character. 
Our  subject  is  sufficiently  comprehensive  to  include  and  beautify 
all  the  plain  features  of  our  plant  houses  internally  at  a  minimum 
of  expense  of  either  time,  labour,  or  material.  1q  one  small  stove 
hon*e  a  large  iron  water  tank  set  on  the  floor  supported  the  central 
stage.  As  it  monopolised  as  much  space  as  could  well  be  spared 
we  could  not  *ee  our  way  to  hide  it  by  even  *o  much  as  a  wood 
casing,  which  could  again  have  been  covered  by  cork.  It  was  an 
eyesore,  to  me  at  least  :  but  Ficus  repens,  a  plant  which,  if  it  ever 
had  a  popular  name  bestowed  upon  it.  should  be  called  the 
Gardeners'  Friend,  came  to  our  aid.  and  a  few  rooted  pieces  inserted 
in  the  joint*  of  the  flooring  close  up  to  the  tank  went  onward  and 
upward,  covering  with  delicate  tracery  the  unsightly  object  until  it 
ceased  to  offend. — Inyicta. 
[c  The  mess  referred  to  has  long  been  kuown  as  Hypnum 
prolifer  m.  or  the  Proliferous  Feather  Moss.  It  is  probably  the 
handsomest  of  our  native  Hypna.  of  which  we  have  in  Rritaiu 
about  seventy  described  species.  This  species  is  common  in  most 
shady  woods  and  moist  hedgebanks,  its  fruiting  season  being 
November  and  December.  It  is  kuown  and  acknowledged  by 
'recent  authorities  on  moss  as  Thuidium  tamariscinum  .] 
Deciocovs  Den PKomr ms. 
Like  many  other  Orchid  genera,  this  favourite  genus  does  not 
lend  itself  to  collective  cultivation  exactly,  but  most  of‘  the 
deciduous  species  may  be  growu  together  under  very  similar 
conditions.  They  are  a  beautiful  class  of  plant,  their  colours  rich 
and  striking,  of  exquisite  texture,  and  delightful  form.  Few 
things  are  more  pleasing  than  a  well-grown  and  profusely  flowered 
specimen,  say  of  D.  P  erardi,  its  long  pendulous  stem*,  wreathed 
with  the  »eft  pink  blossoms,  having  a  remarkably  tine  e fleet.  The 
showy  P.  orassiuode  again,  when  in  good  condition,  fluds  a  host  of 
admirers,  any  of  whom  seeing  it  for  the  first  time  will  assuredly  be 
lavish  with  their  praise. 
Even  such  pigmy  forms  as  the  little  B.  Loddigeai,  or  pulohellum 
as  it  is  generally  known  in  gardens,  have  most  exouisite  flowers, 
produced  moreover  in  great  abundance  considering  the  size  of  the 
plants.  Similar  to  these  in  colour,  but  totally  diflerent  iu  habit,  is 
IL  Povoniamnu  ^tig.  41),  a  plant  worthily  named  after  the  founder 
of  one  of  the  most  celebrated  collections.  This  produces  a  perfect 
shower  of  bright  and  telling  blossoms,  and  no  collection  of  Dendro- 
biuius  can  tv  complete  unless  thi*  grand  species  is  well  represented. 
And  so  one  may  go  on  ia  praise  of  this  section,  bat  possibly  most 
of  oar  readers  are  more  anxious  to  know  how  to  produce  these 
lovely  flowers  than  to  read  a  dissertation  upon  their  charms. 
One  of  the  first  necessities  for  their  culture  is  a  well-heated, 
lighted,  and  ventilated  structure,  for  from  the  time  the  young 
shoots  appear  at  the  base  of  the  flowering  stems  until  the  new  pseudo¬ 
bulb  has  attained  full  size  no  check  of  any  kind  must  be  allowed.  A: 
first  these  young  shoots  are  rather  impatient  of  sunlight  :  it  is  apt 
to  scald  them,  as  the  term  goes,  especially  if,  through  neglect  of 
early  marning  ventilation,  any  of  the  night  moisture  is  still  about 
them.  But  after]  they  have  made  a  little  progress,  when  the 
FIG.  41 . — DEXDROBICM  DEVON  l  A  XU  M. 
leaves  have  commenced  to  unfold  and  the  base  of  each  is  getting  a 
little  hardened,  they  will  stand  with  impunity  a  good  de.il  more 
sun  thau  most  Orchids. 
As  hinted  above,  early  morning  ventilators  should  never  be 
1  neglected,  in  bright  weather  more  especially.  Before  the  sun 
reaches  the  house  a  chink  of  air  should  be  put  on,  and  this  mast 
!  be  increased,  and  every  part  of  the  house  thoroughly  damped  as 
soon  as  a  slight  rise  in  temperature  can  be  noticed.  The  atmo- 
|  sphere  will  then  feel  buoyant  ani  fresh,  aud  will  more  nearly 
|  approach  the  conditions  that  obtain  iu  the  native  habitat  of  the 
plants  than  would  be  the  case  were  the  ventilators  kept  close  uutil 
some  stated  temperature  was  reached.  If  amateur  cultivators  would 
|  use  this  sense  of  feeling  more,  and  rely  less  upon  hard  and  fast 
rules,  hydrometers,  thermometers,  and  other  so-called  useful  aids 
to  Orchid  culture,  we  should  hear  less  complaints  as  to  Orchids 
j  being  difficult  t  >  grow. 
Soon  after  midday — more  or  less  according  to  the  aspect  of  the 
house —will  be  "shuttiug  up  time,"  aud  the  floors,  stages,  and 
|  walls  of  the  house  must  be  thoroughly  damped,  first  taking  off  the 
air,  and  last  of  all  removing  the  shadiug.  The  plants  in  most 
|  cases  are  better  for  a  sprinkling  at  the  same  time,  and  if  bv  these 
|  means  the  temperature  of  the  house  runs  up  to  90°  or  even  100°  all 
'  the  better.  Growth  will  be  very  rapid,  yet  owing  to  the  amount 
j  of  light  and  air  received  the  texture  of  the  forming  bulbs  will  be 
firm. 
The  length  of  time  the  plants  remain  in  this  heat  must  depend 
to  a  great  extent  upon  the  species.  Some  finish  up  their  growth 
much  earlier  than  others,  one  of  the  first  being  the  popular 
j  D.  Wardianum.  One  of  the  last  may  be  mentioned — viz., 
D.  superbum,  which  takes  a  long  time  to  mature  its  immense 
stems  :  but  I  will  cite  no  more  instances,  aud  rather  leave  reader* 
to  observe  for  themselves  the  peculiarities  of  iudividual  kiuds.  As 
a  rale,  as  soon  as  the  last  leaf  is  matured  slightly  drier  conditions 
of  the  atmosphere  are  advisable,  aud  iu  every  case  the  plants,  if 
they  have  been  grown  as  described,  will  by  this  time  be  better  for 
full  exposure  to  the  sun.  It  is  not  more  important  to  ripen  a 
Peach  shoot  thoroughly  thau  it  is  to  ripen  the  stems  of  these 
deciduous  Dendrobium*.  They  cannot  flower  properly  without  it, 
and  although  this  matter  has  been  mentioned  time  after  time  in 
the  horticultural  press,  one  is  always  coming  across  instances  of 
the  advice  being  disregarded. 
t^aite  as  important  is  a  thorough  rest  after  ripening,  indeed  it 
may  almost  be  described  as  part  of  the  ripening  process.  During 
