Missouri Botanical 
Garden Bulletin 
Vol. XII DECEMBER, 1924 No. 10 
THE ORCHID EXHIBITION 
The orchid exhibition was opened on Sunday, November 
80, and despite the cold weather the response on the part 
of the public to it was very gratifying. Between the hours 
of one and five o’clock eight thousand people passed through 
the floral display house to view the debut of the Colombian 
orchids in St. Louis. This exhibition, resulting from the 
expedition into the Andes of Colombia, South America, dur- 
ing 1923, marks an epoch in the floral displays at the Gar- 
den. 
During the latter part of October the outlook for the 
orchid exhibition was not very promising. The city at that 
time was enveloped in a dense smoke cloud which continued 
for the entire week, and the Garden greenhouses were like- 
wise filled with the fumes. The effect upon the orchids was 
the loss of all buds which had penetrated their protective 
sheaths, and the open cattleya flowers soon succumbed, being 
unable to withstand the noxious atmosphere. The plants 
in the economic and citrus houses also showed the damaging 
effect, as they lost half of their leaves in much the same way 
that they are defoliated when an overdose of fumigant is 
applied by the novice. The only immediate remedy for over- 
coming this condition is the removal of the entire collection 
outside the smoke area. The smoke forced most of the florists 
out of the city many years ago, and the Garden is looking 
forward to the not-distant time when all of the growing 
houses may be located in the country. The cattleyas, not 
being subjected to such adverse atmospheric conditions in 
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