Jamaky 20. 1903. 



The Weekly Florists^ Review. 



359 



CYPRIPEDIUMS AT FLORHAM 

 FARMS. 



Probably Cypripedium insigne is the 

 best-known of any orchid in cultivation 

 today and the reason for this is nut 

 far to seek. It is comparatively easy 

 to prow and under almost any condi- 

 tions will produce some ilowers. When 

 well grown it is a fairly profitable 

 crop, as the crop of flowers in the 

 house depicted in the illustration will 

 testify. 



This house is a narrow lean-to, 168 

 feet long and U feet wide, facing due 

 north, and contains about 500 plants. 

 Tlie cut this year was 6,000 flowers 

 and the quality of the very best. Tlie 

 lioiise has often been the subject of 

 flattering comment on account of the 

 healthy appearance of the plants, and 

 the size and length of stem of the 

 flowers. Man}' flowers were cut with 

 stems 18 inches in length, but the 

 average length was froni 12 to 15 

 inches. This length of stem in the 

 present age of long stemmed flowers 

 greatly enhances the value of the flow- 

 ers and the crop went oil with a rush 

 as soon as cutting commenced. 



Undoubtedly much (jf the success 

 that has attended the culture of C. 

 insigne at this establishment is due 

 to the house the plants occupy. As 

 before stated it is a lean-to, facing 

 north and this permits of the plants 

 being grown without any shade what- 

 ever, for seven months in the year. 

 The path is dug out and the beds are 

 down to tlie ground level outside. This 

 keeps the house cool and moist during 

 the hot summer months, and a uniforni 

 degree of moisture is one of the most 

 important points to look out for in 

 growing cj'pripediunis. 



The plants are top-dressed in the 

 spring with a mixture of moss chopped 

 fine, horn shavings and a little leaf 

 soil, and the way the roots come up 

 and run through this mixture is am- 

 ple evidence that they like it. Potting 

 is done in the spring, when necessary, 

 which is about every three years. Cyps 

 flower much better when pot-bound, 

 but when the foliage runs small it is 

 a sign that the plants are starved and 

 need a move. We pot in peat only, 

 with all the fine particles retained that 

 fall out when the peat is being pulled 

 to pieces. In the early fall when the 

 nights are getting cool and the flower 

 buds are just appearing in the 

 growths we run the house warm for a 

 little while. 65 to 70 nights. This 

 draws up the stem considerably and 

 will not harm the flowers or plants if 



not too long continued. \Mien flow- 

 ers are open, 50 at night is ample, 

 and this temperature can be maintained 

 all the winter. 



It is a common practice among grow- 

 ers to put the plants out in frames 

 during the summer with a little shade 

 on the glass, "to ripen up the growth," 

 as they say. We don't like this idea. 

 It ripens up the growth too good, and 

 while the plants flower freely enough, 

 the stem is very short and stubby, 

 and the crop not nearly so satisfac- 

 tory as when the plants are kept in- 

 side all the season. 



One often sees a lot of plants here 

 and there on commercial places through 

 the country, but it is an exception to 

 find them in good shape. The foliage 

 should he of a glossy dark-green in- 



it hardly shows up as good as the in- 

 signe house, the crop was nevertheless 

 a very fine one. C. Leeaniun is a gar- 

 den hybrid between C. insigne and C. 

 Spicerianum and while it costs more to 

 stock up on than insigne, it is a good 

 thing to handle. It is very attractive, 

 with its broad, pure white dorsal sepal, 

 and wholesales readily at 20 to 25 cents 

 each. 



C. Leeanum succeeds admirably with 

 the same general culture as C. insigne. 

 with the exception that it should he 

 kept warmer during the winter months. 

 The plants illustrated are growing in 

 a cattleya house and seem to like their 

 position. These jilants were received 

 from Belgium two years ago and were 

 potted in the leaf soil compost that is 

 now almost universally used for or- 

 chids in that country. With the excep- 

 tion of 50 plants that were re- 

 tained in the leaf soil for the purpose 

 of making a good test as to its merits 

 as a potting medium, the whole of the 

 plants were potted in peat." 



There is no difference today in the 

 plants, all being equally good, so that 

 it is an act of simjde justice to record 

 that the leaf soil has proven as good 

 as the peat, and this, in view of the 

 fact that it is admitted that cypripe- 

 diums show less beneficial results from 

 the use of leaf mold than other orchids, 

 I would not from this say that I prefer 



House of Cypripedium Insigne, at Florham Farms, Madison, N. J. Photo by A, Herrington. 



stead of looking like a peach tree 

 struck with "yellows." I believe too 

 much direct .sunlight and not sufficient 

 water responsible for this condition. 



The second illustration shows a well- 

 flowered typical plant of this species. 

 It is in a six-inch pot and carries 19 

 flowers. These flowers wholesale at 

 15 cents, which makes such a plant 

 worth $2.85. with the comforting as- 

 surance that every year it will increase 

 in value if rightly handled. 



The third illustration shows a bench 

 of C. Leeanum, 100 feet long, and while 



leaf mold to peat. Extreme care in 

 watering is not necessary in the case 

 of plants potted in peat and, therefore, 

 peat will remain, in my humble opinion, 

 the standard potting medium for the 

 American climate and conditions. 



The plant illustrated, showing four 

 flowers, is a very handsome type of 

 the variety and is even finer in reality 

 than it looks in the picture. 



A correspondent recently asked in 

 this paper for a cure for thrips on his 

 orchids. Cypripediums are very sub- 

 ject to thrips of various kinds, the 



