766 



HORTICULTURE 



May 21, 1910 



urns and suspended from the roof Oneidium ornithoryn- 

 chum, 0. luridiim, Bifraneria Harrisonia, Dendrobium 

 formosum giganteum. D. Pierardi, D. Findleyanum and 

 some botanical orchids thrive here. On the other side 

 bench Cattleya Trianae, C. Mendelii, C. Schroederae, C. 

 Mossiae and several others do well, as they get more sun 

 there. At the end of this bench a place is found for 

 the taller growing Dendrobiums. such as D. muschatuin. 

 D. calceolaria, D. limbriatum and others, also Phaius 

 ffrandifolia and Zygopetalum ]\rackayi. At the other 

 end of this house" a jjlace is reserved for the difFerenl 

 varieties of Schoraburgkias (the beautiful S. tibicinis 

 being in bloom at this writing.) Laelia ancops and I., 

 xnutumnalis, Brassavola Digbyana. B. glauca, B. cnrdata, 

 "^lYichopilia suavis, T. tortilis. D. thyrsiflorum and 

 densiflorum, D. Farmeri and D. Falconeri. also Onei- 

 dium splendidum and Odontoglossum citrosmuni. All 

 these are suspended from the roof and all receive )irac- 

 tically the same treatment. On a bench in a corner at 

 ibis end of the house are found Cymbidium Lowianuni 

 •and C. Tracyanum, Brassia verucosa, Epidendrutii 

 radicans and "several other species of less importance. 

 All these plants receive no shade save what little the 

 ;ground glass affords. Several varieties of Stanhopeai. 

 are suspended at the shady side of this house. The 

 center table is used for growing an assortment of 

 shrubby begonias, ferns and various other plants which 

 can stand a good deal of sun and do not mind to be 

 watered overhead. 



HEAT AND SHADE LOVING SPECIES 



In the other range, the temperature of which is kept 

 ■during winter from 60 degrees to 65 degrees at night 

 .a]id from 65 to 75 during the day, all heat and shade- 

 inving orchids are boused. l)ut the south end is but littl': 

 fchaded, for the benefit of the Cattleya gigas, C. 

 f-peciosissima and other heat and light-loving orchids. 

 Laelia pur|:)urata. Sehomburgkia undulata, ChlSl^ 

 aurea. Dendrobium superbum, Oneidium Papilio and 

 various Cattleva and T.aelio cattleya seedlings are also 

 grown at this, "the south end of the house. The center 

 -.ables in this house are used for growing a general line 

 of decorative plants which will succeed in a warm and 

 shady position; for instance, anthuriums, crotons. mar- 

 iintas, ferns, Eucharis amazonica and many others. 

 One end and part of one side of the center table is occu- 

 pied by huge specimens of Oneidium sphacelatum ami 

 Cypripedium insigne which grow like weeds here. Over 

 tlie center table and over part of the side benches are 

 suspended from the roof about 450 Phalaenopsis ama- 

 liilis and Schilleriana and a few other varieties and they 

 are certainly doing well here. The plants growing un- 

 tlerneath keep the atmosphere just moist enough to suit 

 the Phalaenopsis and these in turn provide plenty of 

 shade for the plants on the bench; the Phalaenopsis are 

 also benefited by the extra heat and light which they 

 receive from being so near the roof. When in bloom, 

 as many as roomcan be found for are put on the 

 Ijcnches" and they make a beautiful display. They cer- 

 tainly are worth' all the trotible it takes to grow them, 

 which after all is not more than it is with any other 

 orchid; the main thing is to prevent the atmosphere 

 from getting stagnant. It has often been advised to 

 close the houses'^ early in the afternoon in summer, 

 damping down the floors at the same time, in order to 

 store up some heat and get up a nice balmy atmosiihero 

 for tlie night; the ventilators to be opened up again 

 before leaving the place for the night. I have tried 

 this treatment on numerous occasions and each time 

 with fatal results. I have found out by experience that 

 it is just such atmospheric conditions which cause 

 Phalaenopsis and sometimes other orchids to rot off over 



night. It is not on account of water lodging in the 

 heart as is generally supposed, for if that was the cause 

 of it I would liave killed every Phalaenopsis on the place 

 long ago. I^Ioreover the rot very often starts on some 

 part of the leaf, sometimes at the very end where it 

 would be impossible for water to lodge for any length 

 of time. I water my plants overhead with the hose 

 every time; splashing the water all over them an:l 

 syringe them almost daily in order to keep them fre-j 

 from insect pests; I frequently do this the last thing 

 before closing up for the night, but I never lost a 

 Phalaenopsis from having water standing in the crown. 

 Keep the ventilators open just enough to allow of a 

 free circulation of air and there will be no trouble from 

 plants rotting off. It sometimes happens that the young 

 growths of Dendrobiums and other orchids rot off ; 

 this is, in my opinion, usually caused by overwatering 

 as one generally finds the roots decayed in such case. 



One side bench in this house is used in part for grow- 

 ing Calanthes, the atmospheric conditions suiting them 

 to perfection ; they are allowed more light than the 

 Phalaenopsis by not letting down the blinds over them. 

 These should not be allowed to dry out after they have 

 started to grow until the flower spikes are well de- 

 veloped; they are potted in a compost consisting of 

 three parts well decayed cow manure and one part 

 filn-ous loam with the fine soil well shaken out. The 

 jiots are filled with crocks to within about 2 inches of 

 the rim and the bulbs set deep enough to prevent their 

 being knocked over when watering. Tlie other part of 

 this bench is used for the various species and varieties 

 of Vandas, Aerides. Angraecums, Cypripediums and a 

 large variety of interesting botanical orchids, too 

 numei-ous to mention here for I am afraid my notes 

 liave already been stretched too far. There is so much 

 of interest in a collection of orchids that one can't help 

 1nit love Ihem and try to encourage others to do like- 

 wise. T hope to live to see the day when every gardener 

 is an orchid grower as well, for orchids are destined 

 to be the most popular flowers of the floral kingdom. 



Naugatuck, Conn. 



200 FT. House or Catti.eyas at.Tos. Heacock's. Wyncote. Pa. 



