1880. 



AND HORTICULTURIST. 



73 



dia Dendrobiums do best in turfy peat and chop- 

 ped moss, although true Epiphytes (or air plants) 

 in tlieir natural haunts. Most of the Cypripe- 

 diums will grow in turfy loam, but the more 

 fibre it contains the better. But with these, as 

 with all other composts, free riddance of super- 

 fluous moisture must be provided for, otherwise 

 any compost will become quickly sour, and then 

 the roots will decay. But if fresh and open, and 

 the drainage perfect this can never happen. 

 Those on blocks should be plunged into soft 

 tepid water until thoroughly saturated with 

 moisture at their roots, that is, all healthy grow- 

 ing plants. When stopped growing or evincing 

 a tendency to rest, gradually withhold water, 

 allowing only enough moisture to prevent shriv- 

 eling. For cool Orchids in pots the best com- 

 post is good fresh fibrous peat with one-fourth 

 partially decayed cocoanut fibre, or in lieu there- 

 of well dried horse droppings, with one-eighth 

 part chopped live sphagnum moss, and a liberal 

 quantity of coarse well-washed river or other 

 sand, not fine, half filling the pots with crocks 

 covered with small broken charcoal for drainage, 

 next a layer of moss and then the prepared soil 

 finished off" with moss at top. The pot and all 

 the materials being sweet and clean. Good cul- 

 ture simply means not thwarting but assisting 

 ZsTature's efforts, and those who do this most 

 will succeed the best. Those who do not watch 

 her efforts carefully will seldom succeed for any 

 length of time, even with good instructions and 

 the best materials, and appliances for perfect 

 success, unless following some accepted treat- 

 ment. Such as the following : keep the sphag- 

 num moss on the pot tops and blocks growing 

 as fresh and freely as if in its native swamps. 

 For wherever we find sphagnum, Dionfeas and 

 Dorseras, growing freely on the top of the pots, 

 we also find the Orchids growing green and 

 healthy; simply because the Droseras, sphag- 

 aum, will only grow in a moist, moderately 

 shaded situation. The same conditions being 

 also necessary to the vigorous health of the or- 

 chids. 



The following species and families all furnish 

 some very showy and fine varieties of cool and 

 intermediate orchids thriving well in a tempera- 

 ture of 40" to 50° Fahr. as a minimum, and only 

 requiring from 60° to 70° as a maximum tem- 

 perature. Space will only permit the naming of 

 one or two^of each family. Some being notably 

 cool, or fine varieties of intermediate kinds, al- 

 though not the scarcest, costliest or choicest ; 



yet such as are readily obtainable at moderate 



chrysanthuni^ 



prices : 



Acineta Barkerii. 



Ada aurantiaca. 



-T^rides crispuni, odorat uin, etc 



Angia?cuni falcatum. 



Ai)giiloaClowesii,uniflora,etc. 



Ansellia Africana, etc. 



Arpophylluni giganteuiu and 



spicatum. 

 As|)asia lunata. 

 Burkeria elegans and Skin- 



nerii, etc. 

 Bletia Sherrattiana and Tan- 



kervilleae. 

 Brassavola Pecatorei, etc. 

 Cattleya amethystoglossa and 



>ro.«si£e, etc. 

 Chysis aurea and Isevis. 

 Coelogy ne barbata, cristata, etc. 

 Cymbidium Darganuiu, Mas- 



tersii. 

 Cypripedium barbatum, in- 



signe, and many other va- 



Dendrobiuin 



nobile, etc. 

 Epidendrum cuspidatum. vi- 



tellinum, etc 

 Lselia anceps, Perrinii, and 



others. 

 Lycaste lanipes, Skinnerii, and 



many others. 

 Mesospinidium sanguineum, 



Vulcanicum 

 Miltonia spectabilis and all 



the Tarieties. 

 Masdevallia amabalis, cocci- 



nea, etc. 

 Odontoglossum cirrhosum, 



Alexandrse, and almost all 



of this fine family. 

 Oncidium aurosum, cuculla- 



tum, and others. 

 Trichopilia tortilis, etc 

 Zygopetalum aromaticum, 



Mackayi, etc. 



rieties. 



In some of the above families, the varieties 

 could be extended into dozens that might all 

 be grown cool with advantage to the plants, and 

 satisfaction to the grower. 



[We are much obliged to Mr. Grieves for this 

 article, and have given illustrations of some of 

 the more popular genera, that those who are not 

 well acquainted with orchids may see how curi- 

 ous they are. — Ed. G. M.] 



DESTRUCTION OF GREENHOUSE IN- 



SECTS-THE PETER HENDERSON 



PRIZE ESSAY. 



BY JOSEPH A. DAVIS, .JERSEY CITY HEIGHTS, >'. J. 



The following article is offered in competition 

 for the S25 special prize offered by Peter Hen- 

 derson, for the best essay on prevention and de- 

 struction of insects under glass : 



There are few of the insects that attack plants 

 grown under glass, but such as are to a greater or 

 less extent injurious to the gardener ; but in this, 

 as in all other ills that affect plants, prevention 

 is of more importance than cure. One of the 

 most common insects attacking plants is the 

 Aphis or Green fly. In any well regulated green- 

 house this should never be seen, for a complete 

 prevention is tobacco, either in solution made 

 by steeping the refuse stems in water until of 

 the color of strong tea, and syringing it on the 

 plants twice a week, or in the form of dust or 

 snuff, which after syringing may be dusted on 

 the plants; or by burning the dampened stems 

 twice a week, in quantity of, say (1) one pound 

 to every 1000 square feet of glass. This last is 

 rather the best method where greenhouses are 



