October 2, 1909 



HORTICULTURE 



467 



Three Good Orchids 



Vamla i?aiKleriaua. 

 TANDA SAXDERIANA 



Vanda Sanderiana is no doubt one of the most beau- 

 tiful orchids known, but owing to the high prices gen- 

 erally asked for imported plants it is still quite rare in 

 collections and it certainly would not be a profitable 

 plant for the commercial man to grow either as a flower- 

 ing plant or for cut flowers. However, it is possible 

 that plants could be raised from seeds and distributed 

 amongst the different collections at a price within reach 

 of all. Of course it would require a good deal of pa- 

 tience until the plants would be of flowering size, but 

 the final reward would pay for all the trouble taken. 

 Under ordinary circumstances plants ought to be big 

 enough to flower in five to sis years and perhaps sooner 

 as orchids raised from seed grow away much faster 

 after the first year or two than imported plants. 



The flowers of this lovely Vanda measure about four 

 inches across, the dorsal sepal and petals are pink, the 

 two lower petals are pale nankeen outside, yellowish in- 

 side, veined and reticulated with dull crimson and bor- 

 dered with the same color as the dorsal sepal and petals, 

 and the lip is of a reddish-purple suffused with dull 

 green at the base and of a bright chocolate purple toward 

 the tip. 



Being a native of Mindanao, Philippine Islands, it re- 

 quires stove temperature to grow it well ; broken pots- 

 herds covered with living sphagnum moss is all the com- 

 post required. A light shading during the hot summer 

 months will keep the leaves from getting yellow, but too 

 dense a shade will mean fewer flowers. Keep moder- 

 ately dry in winter, else the roots are very apt to rot. 



The photograph represents only a small spray. A fine 

 specimen plant which carried 127 flowers was figured 

 in the Orchid Review, Vol. IV; it must have been a 

 beautiful sight, and if the plant is still alive it ought, 

 by this time, to beat anything in existence in this line. 



Deudrobium formosum. 



TRICHOPELIA TOETILIS. 



The subject of our cover illustration is a pretty little 

 summer flowering orchid, native of Mexico. The large, 

 solitary flowers have the sepals and petals spirally 

 twisted, yellowish green with brownish blotches along 

 the middle part : the lip pure white outside, the throat 

 blotched witliin with yellow and rose. It is a very 

 neat little plant, growing only about six inches high 

 and gives a good deal of satisfaction for the small 

 amount of room it takes up. Here it grows well sus- 

 pended from the roof in a partly shady situation in the 

 cattleya house. 



DENDEOBIUJI FORJIOSUil 



Dendrobium formosum is a fine fall-flowering Den- 

 drobe of the nigro-hirsute section. Its beautiful white 

 flowers measure from 4 to 5 inches across and are very 

 fragrant, reminding one of the odor of water lilies. For 

 the commercial man it is one of the best paying orchids 

 to grow for it flowers at a season when other white or- 

 chids are scarce and therefore a good market for them 

 is easily found. Xew imported plants can be bought at 

 a reasonable figure and if taken care of will well pay 

 for themselves the first season. They should be watered 

 very sparingly during the winter months, but in sum- 

 mer, after the young growths are well rooted until the 

 flowers are open, plenty of water should be given and an 

 occasional dose of weak liquid manure. They are best 

 grown in full sun all the year with plenty of fresh air 

 at all times. They do not require as much heat as other 

 Dendrobiums ; in winter from 50 to 55 degrees at night 

 with a rise of 5 to 10 degrees through the day will be 

 about right ; in summer as near 60 degrees at night and 

 65 degrees through the day will suit them well. When 

 potting use small pots and just a little osmunda fibre 

 on top of the crocks. 



Naugatucl-, Conn. 



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