too rambling. One ounce of Peruvian guano, and two good handsful of soot, will make a gallon sufficiently strong for anything. This must be applied in a clarified state, taking care to give enough to moisten the soil completely.

Temperature.-Kidney-beans enjoy a vast amount of heat, provided a due amount of atmospheric moisture is kept up; without which, indeed, they will soon become a nursery for the red spider. They will not thrive in less than 60°, but should, if possible, be guaranteed 70° in the day time; if 80° by sun heat, so much the better. We advise the use of sulphur on the flues, or piping, according to advice we have formerly given. We practice this sulphur painting three times a-year, and we scarcely ever find a red spider in our houses.

Atmospheric Moisture-The kidney-bean delights in a moist, as well as a warm atmosphere; in these respects, it may be classed with the pine, the cucumber, and the melon; it may, therefore, combine with these at an early season, or even with flower-forcing. At a later period, kidney-beans may be grown in ordinary frames or pits, without bottom heat, or other wise with a very small amount. For this purpose, they should be sown in boxes or pits, in the middle of February, and transplanted. The pit, or frame, for their reception, must be made up about the first week in March, and the plants kept as near to the glass as possible-the lights being clean washed. After planting, they must be carefully matted up every night.

PINES. Little can be done amongst pines at present; little handling can take place with these. Towards the end of the month, however, or the beginning of March, most gardeners rearrange their stock in general for where the old pot system is pursued, such a course becomes indispensable. Bottom-heats require some renewal, and early fruiters want a warmer situation, and are separated from the general stock, if possible, for the sake of system; added to which, many gaps will exist in the fruiting pit, through the removal of ripe fruit. All these arrangements require forethought; and it becomes the pine grower, at this perid, to make up his mind as to how many he will keep through the ensuing year; and consequently, what structures will be requisite. It not unfrequently happens, that a greater stock of young plants is in hand than is necessary for the system pursued; and when such is the case, the best way is to weed them out, and dispose of them in the end of February. This surplus of young stock is sometimes a serious evil-inducing the cultivator to cram his necessary stock too closely together, or to widen his system, at the expense of some other useful thing, which also require glass. Those on the Hamiltonian plan will now be much refreshed by having some clean new tan, in a dry state, thrust amongst their steins. Before this is done, however, it will be well to examine the stools, all over the pit, and see how the suckers are placed. We think it not well to encourage more than two healthy suckers at once, on a given plant. Still we would not tie the cultivator's hands in this respect; sometimes a third will also appear, so promising, that with those who study convenience (and not the mere eclat of winning a prize at some Exhibition), even a third may be left, if well placed. It is well to have those suckers somewhat in succession; not all of the same age-thus, whilst one will be ripening, a second will be swelling off, and a third not yet shewing fruit. Where a selection offers itself, those should in general be chosen which come through the soil, or tan; and which Mr. Hamilton

terms "ground suckers." By those means, the Hamiltonian system may be carried on for any length of time, provided the preparation beneath is of an enduring character. By resorting to a ground sucker, after working the old stem for three or four years, the system is brought back to its original starting point, as far as the plant in question is concerned; which is now as young as ever, and starting for a new race, and a new progeny. Those who adopt the Hamiltonian system, should be very cautious in their watering; so little is required. We have a pit of black Jamaicas on this system (with some trifling modifications), which has not received a drop of water by by hand, since last September, when they were soused all over with warm water from the pot's mouth : some scores of gallons being tossed all over them. Since then, they have received plenty of atmospheric moisture, and a free circulation of air; and our heating apparatus being quite inadequate to proper pine growing, we have not been able to sustain a temperature above 50° average, throughout the winter; the bottomheat having descended gradually from 80° in September, to about 60° at the present period. Now, this is not choice, as may be readily guessed; yet we have cut, at least, three a week since the beginning of December, and richer flavoured pines were never eaten. Several of the stools have had two perfectly ripe (and exactly equal in size, height, and general character,) at the same time. We shall have much more to say about pines shortly.

FIGS. The fig-houses require putting in order, in a similar manner to the peach-house; and the commencement of forcing must be somewhat gradual. If dry at the root, which is almost sure to be the case, they must have a good soaking of weak warm liquid manure, as recommended for the peach. After this has settled for a week or so, we would advise a good coat of mulch to be applied, if not too rotten in character; this will exercise a controlling power on the moisture in the soil; for the fig is very impatient of sudden drought, and neither can it, on the other hand, succeed in stagnant soil. As for pruning, little is needed; some shoots will get too long for their situation; they must be removed. Some shoots may have been laid in too close, in the summer; these must be thinned away, removing all the longest jointed, or naked portions, and reserving plenty of compact, short-jointed, and hard-looking wood, of the last year's growth. The wood should receive a dressing, as antagonistic to the visits of the red spider and the scale. Three ounces of soft soap, three handsful of sulphur, and some clay to thicken the whole, added to a gallon of water, will, when beat up, make an excellent paint, which may be applied all over the wood, rubbing it into every crevice.

FIGS IN POTS.-These we must treat of as not belonging to the fig-house, for they are generally forced in some of the houses, or pits, containing vines, pines, &c.; or, they may be in a pit by themselves. The most successful we have ever known were in large pots or tubs, plunged in a small bottom-heat of leaves, and the roots allowed to penetrate through the bottoms of the pots, &c. Indeed, we should say, that a bottomheat of 70° to 75° ought to be provided for them. The main business is to have strong, well-grown plants of some age. The limits of our present paper will not permit us to go into the subject of preparatory culture. The wood of these should be dressed with the mixture recommended for the fighouse; and if any are very much pot-bound, they must be shifted, taking care to drain them thoroughly. If no bottom-heat is provided, they may stand on the

kerb-stonee of houses at work, or on a back shelf; and their forcing may proceed at first with a temperature of 60°, advancing gradually to 70°, by the time that the leaves are fully developed. The young shoots require stopping when about five or six leaves are developed; this will cause them to form fruit at almost every eye. As before observed, drought is fatal to them; they, therefore, require regular watering, using occasionally weak liquid manure, especially when swelling their fruit.

R. ERRINGTON.

THE FLOWER-GARDEN. PROPAGATION. Of all things connected with gardening propagation on a large scale, whether by seeds or by cuttings, to furnish the annual supply of flowergarden plants, is the most enticing. To convey to the comparatively uninformed on such subjects, a clear idea of the processes connected with busy propagation, even for one week, is altogether impossible for the pen of the most ready writer. The machinery must be seen in active operation to be rightly understood or appreciated. I have seen ladies of the highest rank willingly undergo the fatigue of standing by the hour, in a cool potting shed, to witness the stirring scene; and I can testify from a long experience, and the oldest and best practical gardeners in the country look forward to the time of spring propagation with renewed interest, year after year; even the dullest boy on a large establishment, who one would hardly trust to draw a handful of radishes last June, is now sure to be smitten with the fever of propagation, and must try his luck on cast away pieces of plants from under the potting bench, as soon as the coast is clear for his private experiments, or when the men retire for their meals; and he will have his pot full of cuttings, in some out-of-your-way corner, at all hazards. Amateurs, too, in their own way, are just as much excited in this way, as any of us; but, unfortunately, their hobby but too often takes an uneconomical turn, and, instead of pushing on a really useful process, to multiply a host of good common plants, they must expend their energies in endeavouring to rear seedlings of such things as are perfectly useless. Coffeetrees, tamarinds, dates, sugar-canes, ginger, cotton plants, and a thousand others of no better stamp, are the only things which are worth spending time and money on, according to the creed of seedmongers; and, after failing annually, for the last twenty years, to rear one single useful plant from a thousand packages of foreign seeds, they will renew their wonted attempts this very spring, with all the ardour of new beginners. And as all that can be said, by the rest of the gardening world, against such folly can have no effect on this passion for new seedlings, let us drop the theme, and rather endeavour to direct part of this enthusiasm towards such plants as we know to be more suitable for the sober flower-gardener, and address a new class of aspirants; as, no doubt, there are many of our readers who may reasonably be so termed. Perhaps, a general sketch from actual practice, on a large scale, as carried on in the gardens here at Shrubland Park, this present season, will be as instructive as any other we could mention by way of introduction. More so, at any rate, than to trace out one from the imagination, including in it all the best points of practice which prevail in the present day; because in no plan, however extensive, can a gardener embrace all the best practice of the day in any one season; and nothing is so well con

ducted in one place, but it may be improved on-more or less-in another.

I mentioned last week, that we have given up here our former practice of propagating a large stock of soft wooded plants in the autumn, and now we only keep a sufficient stock over the winter, to supply the first batch or two of spring cuttings; and it follows then, that, with our extensive grounds, we are obliged to make a strong effort early in the spring, to get up many thousand plants in a short time. Some years since, we erected a long range of tank pits, by which we can command a steady bottom-heat, day and night, for a whole season; and one division of this range we call the "propagating-house," and it is as convenient as any propagator could wish for: there is a potting bench at one end of the passage, with conveniences for pots, crocks, and soil, so that, as soon as a cutting pot is ready for the cuttings to be potted off, the whole process of dividing the cuttings into sizes, potting them in nursing pots, wattering them, and arranging them on shelves or in bottom-heat, is done without moving from the same apartment. And this is the way our propagation was performed, when the greater part was increased in the autumn. But my propagator now calls this the "old way," and yet he has adopted a much older plan, indeed, the oldest on record, and a great deal less inconvenient for himself. But, so it is, and all our propagation is now carried on nearly on the old hot-bed system, but without linings: the beds are made of one-third stable dung and two-thirds leaves, prepared just as Mr. Errington mentioned the other day; and by the middle of January, the beds were made in deep brick pits, about seven feet wide, having two-inch hot-water pipes running close under the front glass, supplied from a panboiler, such as is used in "back kitchens;" it contains twelve gallons of water, and costs something like ten pence the gallon, and is very efficient. On the top of the dung we place a thickness of three inches of pure white sand, such as is sold at five shillings a bushel in some parts of the country; but we have a pit of it not a hundred yards from the garden. There is no kind of covering for a dung hot-bed for cuttings so good as this sand; no steam or bad smell can rise through it, and the hot vapour from the dung keeps it partially moist for a very long time, so as to be an excellent conductor of heat. One division of the range, that next the boiler, is appropriated to cutting pots, and the next division for forcing plants, in order to produce young tops for cuttings, and for nursing the young stock, as soon as the plants are in a condition to be removed from the cutting-bed. The light next to the boiler, or end light, has almost always a bottom-heat from 90° to 100°, owing to the flue passing across the pit at that end to a chimney in the back corner of the pit. The top-heat of this division, which, by the way, has pipes all the way round it, is not allowed to fall below 75°, day and night, as no resting time is allowed to the inmates; and sometimes, on a sunny day, the heat is above 100°. It will thus be seen, that the growth for cuttings, the striking of them, and the next stage of nursing, are all effected by a damp close dung-heat principally; and if I had not witnessed the effects, I confess I could hardly believe that the difference between this mode and the new way, by close tanks, could be so great. You may vapour-bath a tank-house three times a day, and use ammonia water for that purpose, only be careful not to use it strong, and yet you cannot obtain anything like the growth that is obtained by this dung heat; and not only that, but the young shoots formed in a close hot-bed will strike

nearly in half the time required by others grown in a stove or vinery. I have repeatedly seen a 'pot of verbena cuttings put in the last thing on Saturday evening, and they were ready to pot off on the Tuesday following; but the bottom heat was above 90° all the time.

The compost we use for striking soft wooded things, as verbenas, calceolarias, anagallis, and the like, is one-half peat and one-half leaf-mould; and to a heap of this compost an equal quantity of sand is added; and this is exactly the compost we use for every thing in cutting pots, and in the nursing pots, except the small lobellias, and for them one-half sand and one-half peat is given; over this compost a slight covering of sand is placed, to insert the cuttings in, but these things will strike very well without a covering of sand, where it is difficult to be had; but as we have it here in abundance, we use it in all cutting pots. When sand is not used for cutting pots, our other compost would hardly answer; the peat should be discarded, and sandy loam used in its place, as, if the pots should get dry, the sandy peat is very difficult to water through and through, as the pots are almost quite full, as these kinds of cutting pots, ought always to be; although I dare say many of the cottage gardeners never thought on that essential point in propagation. Whenever I had been permitted to see their domestic way of growing cuttings, I never failed to be surprised how they could get one-half of them to do at all; invariably, in my experience, their cuttings were put into pots three times too large, and generally an inch space or more was left unfilled at the top, so that a careless or inexperienced waterer might give the pot such a dose at once as would kill one-half of such cuttings as we make; but the worst part is yet to be told. I never yet saw a regular compost for cuttings in the hands of such gardenersnothing better than the common mould, in which the plants would succeed when they were old; but after all they manage to root many things.

Now let me say how we gardeners do our cutting pots, that is, for common flower-garden plants. We never use one larger than a five-inch pot, or what used to be called 48's, and for every five-inch pot we fill with these cuttings, I think I am near the mark if I say, that we use 100 three-inch pots; so that suppose I had 150 cuttings of one sort ready, and that a three-inch pot could only hold 50 of them, I would prefer putting them in three of these small pots, instead of planting them all in one pot that was large enough to hold them; well, then, threeinch pots are partially drained, one crock is quite enough for a cutting pot of this size-indeed, I have seen hundreds of them used without any crocks at all, nothing but the above compost; but let us say one small crock, to keep up the old rule-then the pot is filled brim full with the compost, without the least pressing; then hit the bottom against the potting-bench, this will settle down the compost, and if there is more than a quarter-of-an-inch of the pot not filled, add as much us will bring the soil to that point, and see that it is in that state we call "not wet nor dry;" then lay as much damp sand as will quite fill the pot, and with a round stick, or one with a straight edge, make a "strike measure" off, by passing the stick over the mouth of the pot; and when you thus fill as many pots as you think you can fill in one day, set them all down on a level place, and give them a gentle watering, with a very fine rose pot; this watering will settle the sand a trifle, so that the pots are not quite full this time; now this should be the first job in the morning, so that the pots have time to drain,

and get a little dried-up, while you are looking for and making your cuttings.

Now, let us suppose that you bought in six new verbenas lately, that you cut out the mere points of all the shoots they had, and that they have since made a double shoot from each of the points, so stopped in a close hot-bed, or some very warm moist place; when the new growth has made two clear joints, and is just on the point of developing the third joint, in the proper time to cut them off for propagation. Nurserymen, and very skilful florists, who pay very dear for new verbenas, would not wait so long for the first cuttings, nor would they stop the shoots as I have said, but it is of no use for ordinary people to try to compete with such knowing customers, many of whom can make two plants out of every joint any verbena would make, through all the spring months. The way they manage so cleverly, is thusa verbena, as every body knows, puts out its leaves in pairs, one on each side of the stem at every joint; and, like all other common leaves, each of them has a bud or eye close to the bottom of the petiole or footstalk; and by cutting the shoot a little above and below a joint, and by splitting this joint down through the middle, then by inserting each portion, and fixing it so that the bud is just within the sand, they get a new plant from every leaf and bud; of course all this requires the most particular attention, else the least neglect or mishap would be sure to end in the loss of the whole. However, if one was sure of a good stock of cuttings, without going to this nicety, this experiment might be tried, for we never know what we really can effect without we have recourse to various experiments-many plants will even grow in the spring for mere leaves, without a bud at all. In taking cuttings of verbenas with two joints, we need not cut under a joint, as is really done with such cuttings as take some weeks to root; we may rather cut just above a joint, and if we insert the internode, or that bare portion of a shoot between two joints, so as to bring the bottom of the two leaves just within the sand, it will be sufficient; the internode will keep a firm hold of the sand, and the roots will issue from the bottom of the leaves in less time than if the cut was made close to the joint, and the joint itself placed deeper in the sand.

D. BEATON.

GREENHOUSE AND WINDOW
GARDENING.

GREENHOUSE MANAGEMENT.-Although numerous answers have been given to the varied and multiplied number of questions, as to constructing, heating, and general management of greenhouses, whether it was desirable to make them subservient to the culture of greenhouse plants alone, or to serve the purpose of an omnium gatherum-embracing within their little dimensions something of almost every. thing, not only in the way of flowers, but even of fruit; still the inquiries that are made respecting these matters-such, for instance, as the mode to be adopted in a small greenhouse, heated by a flue, and which is now merely used for the excluding of frost; for having forced geraniums, cinerarias, fuchsias, tulips, hyacinths, narcissus, verbenas petunias, strawberries, &c.; the amount of temperature requisite for starting and blooming; the degree, and the frequency of steaming the house, by throwing water upon the hot flue; when, how often, and how, the syringe is to be used for the different plants? &c., &c. Such continued inquiries we look upon as proofs,

either that previous statements have not been sufficiently attended to, or that these statements have not been sufficiently explicit; and, judging that a little blame may rest both with readers and writers, we shall glance at the subject thus brought before us, and give it a greater degree of prominence than it could have received in the correspondents' column. First, then, we premise, that to make the most of such a single house, for such a variety of purposes, it is necessary to have at least one cold pit, built of brick, turf, or wood, for the purpose of retaining those plants designed for succession, and also for the purpose of hardening-off those which are removed from the house, either when it is intended to place them out of doors, or take them to a cool sitting room; though, in general, for the latter purpose an intermediate position will seldom be necessary. Where such a desirable convenience does not exist, and nothing can be done except within the walls of the house, then anything like forcing at an early period, and yet keeping in the same place a quantity of plants, as successions for blooming and fruiting, must at once be relinquished. All that can be done in such circumstances is, to obtain flowering plants of the kinds indicated moderately early in spring; strawberries, three weeks or a month earlier than from the open ground; and grapes, if the house is furnished with vines in the beginning of September, or the end of August; the effects obtained being more the result of fostering protection than of absolute forcing. If, however, instead of having a succession of fuchsias, verbenas, &c., the object be to have these things early, and then the house to be decorated during the summer months with tender annuals, achimenes, &c., then the case is altered; and unless, during a few dull months of the year, you may give your house the temperature midway between a greenhouse and stove, and thus you will not only obtain a greater variety of flowers, but, by commencing after the turn of the day, be enabled to have several successions of strawberries and earlier grapes, either from vines on the rafters, or vines in pots. We would again advert to the importance in such circumstances the having a single house-of the dividing it into two compartments by a glass or glazed calico partition, as described at page 337 of our last volume. Upon a smaller scale, much might be done (as stated in answer to correspondents, 2 col., p. 204 of the present vol.,) by enclosing a part of the flue at the hottest end, as a sort of hot-bed or pit. If the flue runs round the front of the house-which is a general thing-the enclosing of the space above it, and between it, and the front wall, would give you all the advantages of a small separate house, by having a glass partition from the flue to the roof, made to slide at pleasure. The side of the flue next the middle of the house might thus be left exposed; and, if properly constructed, would emit from thence a sufficiency of heat for greenhouse plants in bloom, or when slowly growing. The whole of the flue by the front of the house might thus be enclosed, and if covered first with brick, then rubble, and then sand, and the place then separated from the rest of the house by a calico or glass partition; the part so enclosed might again be divided, so as to afford different temperatures-beginning, of course, at the warmest end. A flue for such a purpose is just inferior to a tank or a hot water pipe, because it will want cleaning, and be apt at times to get out of order, and the more likely if, however well constructed, water is thrown upon it when hot; but with the covering we have indicated, plenty of steam

and moisture may be obtained with comparatively little injury.

Now, as to cinerarias, and fuchsias, and calceolarias, &c., we do not think we could, at present, add to the definite directions given lately, by which a person will be enabled, at once, to act according to the circumstances of his position. Geraniums, though they will bear as high a temperature as we lately said the fuchsia would do, can only do so in bright weather, and with a fair portion of air. A temperature higher than 50°, in dull weather, will make the shoots spindly, and the flower-buds small. As the days lengthen, and the sun gains power, the temperature in the middle of the day may be gradually increased, when bloom is wanted very early; keeping the plants, however, near the glass, and giving them fresh air. As to syringing, no plants like a slight dusting, morning and evening, better; but heavy syringing should seldom be given; and, in all cases, the water should be clear, as, otherwise, a sediment will soon be formed on the leaves. Where this pure water cannot be obtained, syringing the stage, and watering the paths, so as to keep up a moist atmosphere, should be substituted in the room of wetting the plants overhead. Many young hands make sad havoc by a rather free use of the syringe: the surface of the soil in the pot is frequently thus kept wet, and the plant becomes sickly, diseased, and insect-attacked, not only because the surface-soil is soured and potched, but because the lower portion is as dry as if baked in an oven.

Steaming. The advantage of effecting this, by scattering water over a hot flue, or pipe, is, that every part of a plant is enveloped in a moist, misty vapour; and thus parts of the bark, &c., are softened, which the syringe might not reach. It is of most service in an evening, after a sunny day; and in a morning, before a day that is expected to be bright. Its advantages, however, we consider over-estimated in general circumstances. Resorting to it in dull weather is absolutely injurious; the foliage, by means of the heat applied, when anything like forcing is attempted, is, in such circumstances, thin, and the shoots inclined to be spindly; because, during the absence of the sunbeam, there has been little assimilation of fresh matter to their substance, and giving plants a vapour-bath in such circumstances only aggravates the evil; and no wonder, though there be hurrying and scurrying to shade from the brunt of the sunbeam, after the poor plants have been petted and coddled like sickly invalids. With few exceptions, instead of steaming flues, we consider the furnishing flues and pipes with vessels for holding water, fitted closely to each, respectively, without any intervening body of air, as being the safest and the most natural course to adopt; as then you may always be certain that the moisture in the atmosphere of your house will be in proportion to its temperature. Do not be satisfied, however, with merely placing the evaporating pans on the flue and pipe; see that they are so placed that no air is enclosed between them. A clever scientific mechanic fixed some zinc pans on iron pipes for me, by merely putting red lead at their sides and ends; and would not be convinced of his error until he saw that others on the same pipe, with a coating of red lead all over their bottom, and squeezed firmly on to the pipe, evaporated themselves dry in less than half the time. In steaming use the syringe instead of the water-pot, and refrain from touching the warmest end of the flue, especially in cold weather, when the fires are strong.

Bulbs we cannot now enter upon; look over back

numbers. See that they are well filled with roots before you introduce them into the house, and then give them the warmest place until they show bloom.

Petunias and verbenas, whilst in the house, should not have above 55° from fire heat; both make splendid pot specimens, when well managed.

Strawberries.-Those plunged in the ground in 32-pots, protect alike from wet and frost. These precautions, along with having the buds well matured in the autumn, are the secrets of success. For early work-such as producing in the end of February and the beginning of March - we prefer 48-pots, such as our correspondent used last year, chiefly because in them growth is sooner perfected in the autumn; 32's will answer admirably now; begin with a temperature of 45°, raising it to 60° when in bloom, and 5° more when swelling their fruit. Air give freely; pots keep near the glass; water, whether from pot, syringe, or steam, give sparingly, until the flower trusses appear; but keep them rather damp than dry afterwards, until the fruit begins to change, when the water must be withheld, so that the leaves do not droop, nor the fruit shrivel. We would have entered more into detail, but our space is more than filled. R. FISH.

HOTHOUSE DEPARTMENT.

EXOTIC ORCHIDACEE.

PLANTS REQUIRING PECULIAR TREATMENT.

CYRTOPODIUMS.-These are noble and splendid orchids, when grown well, especially C. punctatum. They belong to the division we have described as "terrestrial"-growing on the ground. They are natives of various parts of the South American continent. We have had plants of this genus sent from Guatemala, Brazil, Demerara, and Venezeuala. C. Andersonii has been found in the island of St. Vincent. These habitats (native places) show that these plants do not require the heat of the Indian house: the Mexican one will grow them better. Even in a common stove they will grow satisfactorily, provided they are kept quite dry when at rest. We published, several years ago, in the Botanical Register, an account of a successful mode of cultivating them. As that work may not be in the hands of all our readers, we quote it here for their benefit, premising, that we have seen no reason to suppose that any better method can be followed. It is as follows:

"As soon as I perceive the buds springing at the bottom of the pseudo-bulbs, I take the plants, and carefully shake off all the old soil, and cut off all the decayed roots. I then put them in large pots, well drained, in a compost of rough turfy loam, chopped into pieces about the size of a pigeon's egg, peaty turf broken in the same manner, and leaf mould about half rotten, all in equal parts; to which I add about one-eighth of bones, broken into small pieces. I inix all these well together, and place the plants on a level with the rims of the pots, and finish, by giving a good watering to settle the compost. The plants are put in the warmest part of the house, and watered very moderately at first, increasing the quantity as the plants increase in growth, until the leaves are fully developed. I then give them manure-water once a week, to encourage the production of strong pseudo-bulbs, without which it is in vain to look for flowers. In this I succeeded to my entire satisfaction, and last year had the pleasure of perceiving the flowerstems appearing at the same time as the bulb-shoots. I had, eventually, flower-stems five feet high, with numerous side branches, making a bundle of flowery-stems in one shoot of more than eighteen inches in diameter. As soon as the present stems (that is, the stems of that year) were

perfect, I gradually reduced the water; and when they are at rest, I give no more. To induce a more perfect quiescence, I have them removed into a cool, dry, house; average temperature, 55°. The essentials of this method are, to use a rich, but open compost, to give plenty of water during growth, and a season of complete rest. Those who attend to all these points need not fear flowering orchids."

In addition to the above, we have only to remark, that the season of rest must be attained, at least, by the end of September. Every pseudo-bulb must then be completely formed, and the growth finished, so as to be sound and perfect. If in a crude state, it is more than probable that the tops of the pseudo-bulbs will, during the winter, begin to rot. To arrest this decay, we have found the application of a coating of powdered chalk very effectual. Cut away the decayed, or rotten part, down to the sound, living, healthy part; and then place upon it a covering of the chalk, pressing it with the finger into the pores of the pseudo-bulb. By this application we have often preserved the greater part of the bulb through the winter; and the spring following, after potting, had as good-or nearly so-shoots as those that had been perfectly ripened. Still, we advise, by all means strive to have the bulbs perfectly ripened, and then there is no necessity to use such remedies.

B.

BARKERIA LINDLEYANA, B. MELANOCAULON. SKINNERI, B. SPECTABILIS.-There is no genus of orchids more deserving of culture than Barkeria, and no collection, however small, but ought to include, at least, the two latter species, though they are all beautiful, elegant plants when in flower, and last a considerable length of time in bloom. We have already (at page 155 of the present vol.) alluded to the B. Skinneri exhibited by Mr. Plant, gardener to H. Schroder, Esq., at the Horticultural Society's meeting on December 4th of last year.

BARKERIA-so named after the late William Barker, Esq., of Birmingham-LINDLEYANA (Lindley's Barkeria) a native of Casta Rico, is a truly elegant species, but very scarce and dear. The flowers are larger than those of B. Skinneri, the sepals and petals of a deep rosy purple, the lip is of the same colour, but darker, except in the centre, which is of a beautiful blush.

B. MELANOCAULON (Dark stemmed B.).-We have not seen the flowers of this species, but they are described as being very beautiful, with rich, darkcoloured stems, as the name implies.

B. SKINNERI. G. (Mr. Skinner's B.) is from Guatemala. Sepals and petals of a most lovely rosy-pink colour, produced thickly on a stem sometimes two feet high, nine inches of which stems are densely covered with its lovely blossoms. We have had the same spike in flower for two months and upwards at a time. There is a variety named major with large, deeper-coloured flowers. Barkeria Skinneri was formerly named Epidendrum Skinneri, but is now generally known by the former name, and we think it quite correct that it should be so. In habit, in florescence, and culture, it is to all intents a Barkeria.

BARKERIA SPECTABILIS (Showy B.) is also from Guatemala. We quote the following account of this splendid plant from Mr. Lyons, whose work on the culture of orchids is a most excellent one. Amongst the Guatemalese, this plant bears the name of Flor de Isabel, and is one of their votive offerings. It forms a tuft of cylindrical stems, about four or five inches high, each bearing two fleshy lanceolate acute leaves, separated from each other about an inch; the raceme rises out of some dry brown sheaths, and, in the plants that have flowered,