3 62 



THE POPULAR SCIENCE MONTHLY. 



ferent ways of growing. Some, like the lady's-slippers (Cypri- 

 pedium) and the superb Odontoglossums, are ground-plants ; oth- 

 ers, perhaps most of the class, are epiphytes, attaching themselves 

 to the bark of trees, where they live at considerable heights above 

 the soil. Of this class are the fragrant Cattleya and the splendid 

 Plialcenopsis, so elegant with great bunches of white or rose- 

 colored flowers. 



It follows from this great diversity of exigencies that orchids 

 lend themselves readily to all possible combinations in the orna- 

 mentation of rooms. Some are cultivated in pots and help in the 

 decoration of jardineres (Fig. 2); others, which live on the trunks 





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Pig. 2. Orchid-Growing in a Room. 



Fig. 3. Corsage Bouquet of Orchids. 



of trees, can be placed in hanging baskets, or fixed in front of a 

 mirror which will reflect their graceful figures. 



Orchids will last a long time in a room if proper care has been 

 taken in cutting and transporting them. The flower will some- 

 times keep its freshness for two or three weeks. Their preserva- 

 tion may be prolonged by covering them every evening with a 

 sheet of silk paper, which will protect them from dust and excess- 

 ive evaporation. They lend themselves remarkably well to the 

 formation of bouquets, where their quality of keeping fresh for 

 weeks gives them much value. An effective bouquet shown at 

 a horticultural exhibition in Paris, which was formed by attach- 

 ing orchids mingled with branches of asparagus to moss-covered 

 bamboo sticks, is shown in Fig. 4. On account of their enduring 

 freshness orchids are favorite flowers for bouquets to be worn on 



