March 24, iS9S. 



The Weekly Florists* Review. 



673 



Mass of Cattleya Trianae, grown on wooden block. 



Percivalliana, Laelia anceps, *Cypri- 

 pedium insigne, cypripediums in varie- 

 ty, *Dendrobium Plialaenopsis, *D. 

 formosum giganteum, *D. Wardianum, 

 *D. fiobile, *Vanda caerulea, *Onci- 

 dium varicosum Rogersii, *0. splendi- 

 dum, *Oncidium tigrinum, *Plialaeiiop- 

 sis Scliilleriana, *P. amabilis, *Cyml)i- 

 (iium Mastersii, *C. eburneum, *Odon- 

 toglossum crispum, O. Roezlii, O. 

 grande, *Calanthe Veitchii, C. vestita 

 rubro-occulata, Miltonia vexillarium, 

 Coelogyne cristata." 



"Does it require a special house to 

 grow these kinds?" 



"Emphatically no." 



"What orchids will do well in a car- 

 nation house in the winter?" 



"Cypripediums, coelogynes, cymbi- 

 diums, Miltonia vexillarium and Laelia 

 anceps." 



"What orchids will do well in a palm 

 house during winter?" 



"Cattleyas, dendrobiums, oncidiums, 

 calanthes, phalaenopsis." 



"What houses do tliey require in the 

 summer?" 



"Any house that is fairly shaded. 

 Those mentioned for the carnation 

 house will do well in frames, or even 

 out of doors if supplied with shade." 



"Which varieties do you consider the 

 most difficult to grow?" 



"Odontoglossum crispum and pha- 

 laenopsis, the former requiring the 

 lowest and the latter the highest tem- 

 perature." 



"How do you grow your cattleyas?" 



"Chiefly on boards and in baskets. 

 V/e have dispensed with pots entirely." 



"What are the advantages of 

 boards?" 



"Cheapness, simplicity, ease in hand- 

 ling and shipping, and the greater 

 thriftiness of the plants, the latter due 

 to the large surface for root action and 

 approaching nature more closely than 

 any other artificial means. The results 

 are larger bulbs (even beating the 

 natural growth in the woods) and su- 

 perior flowers. We find the board sys- 

 tem the best in every way." 



"What size boards do you use?" 



"Hemlock, 5x10 feet and smaller, 

 with ordinary lath attached to the 

 sides." 



"How do you attach your plants?" 



"By non-corrosive wire staples, plac- 

 ing a small piece of peat between them 

 and the rhizomes of the plants." 



"How do you arrange your boards?" 



"In the middle bench at an angle of 

 about 30 degrees, and about three feet 

 from the glass. They can also be 

 placed on side benches, or be hung up 

 on the sides of houses." 



"Do you advocate this for other spe- 

 cies?" 



"Yes, for laelias, dendrobiums, On- 

 cidiums. odoutoglossums, miltonias 

 and coelogynes. For others baskets 

 and small blocks are preferable." 



"Do you feed your plants?" 



"Yes, decidedly. Our baskets and 

 blocks we dip in a tub of liquid natural 

 sheep manure, and for our boards, in 

 the growing season, we make a com- 

 post composed of three-fourths moss 

 and chopped peat and one-fourth nat- 

 ural sheep manure." 



"What are the results?" 



"Better flowers, better bulbs and 

 better plants. The system we have 

 worked under has so far exceeded our 

 most sanguine expectations." 



"What do you consider the right 

 temperature for cattleyas?" 



"In winter 55 degrees at night with 

 a rise of 10 degrees for the day. The 

 summer heat can not be controlled so 

 the outside temperature usually gov- 

 erns. Plenty of air should be given 

 on every favorable occasion, both day 

 and night, and in winter when the sun 

 is strong enough to allow it. A slight 

 shading should, however, be used to 

 break the rays of the sun at all times." 



"Is not watering a very great factor 

 in orchid growing?" 



"Not more so than with other plants. 

 Too much coddling has been practised 

 in this direction. We water our plants 

 overhead and leaves and growths are 

 alike wet in the process. It helps to 

 keep down vermin and scale, and our 

 plants have not so far suffered any ill 

 effects. Of course watering shou'd be 

 done early in the day to give the 

 plants a chance to dry off. In the 

 resting season, that is before and after 



