872 



Retarding Orchids 



AllhoiiKh tlio rotnrdInK of florists' 

 flowers Ims bcoii largi'lv practised for 

 many years with coiislilcriibli* commer- 

 cial success. It Is only recently that 

 attention has boon given to the sub- 

 ject by orchid growers. With the ever 

 Incroaslng niiiltltude of hybrids flower- 

 ing, as they do. throiigliout every weelt 

 of Uie year, It may bo nskod why there 

 Is any necessity to attempt tlie produc- 

 tion of orchid flowers outside their 

 natural season. With tlie amateur who 

 has but one desire, and Uiat to see 

 things OS and when Nature demands, 

 there Is, of course, no need to attempt 

 the alteration of the plants' respective 

 seasons of flowering: but with the 

 large trade growers, who have to pro- 

 duce a quantity of bloom during the 

 certain seasons of the year when mar- 

 ket prices are at Uieir best, it is at 

 once evident that every means must 

 be ultlltzed to meet the demand. 



Although many species may be 

 equally beautiful to the eye. and may 

 probably have the same decorative ef- 

 fect, there is a vast difference in their 

 lasting qualities, and for this reason 

 some species have a higher market 

 value than others. For instance, dur- 

 ing the summer months the demand 

 tor Cattleya Gaskelliana is good, but 

 it ceases directly C. labiata makes its 

 appearance; and although the supply 

 of the former may last well into the 

 autumn months it is practically unsale- 

 able on account of the better lasting 

 qualities of the latter species. No one. 

 therefore, ever thinks of attempting 

 the retardation of C. Gaskelliana. 



The flowers of Cattleya Trianse. 

 which open during the late winter 

 months, are of a comparatively thin 

 and delicate structure, and make poor 

 subjects for cut-flower purposes, but 

 they fill up what is oftentimes a wide 

 gap between the autumn flowering C. 

 labiata and the spring flowering C. 

 Mosstse. To cover up this gap with 

 better material is where the retarding 

 of C. labiata proves very useful and 

 effective. The process mainly consists 

 of starting the plants into growth late 

 in the spring months and delaying the 

 production of the flowers by placing 

 the plants, as soon as their bulbs are 

 matured, into cooler surroundings. A 

 cool corridor or house where the at- 

 mosphere is fairly free from moisture 

 proves the most suitable place, for 

 when the plants are in a comparatively 

 dry state they safely withstand a much 

 lower temperature. 



The first year's treatment of this 

 kind may only cause the plants to 

 flower about a month later, but their 

 resting season being proportionately 

 retarded causes them to commence 

 their new growth at a later period in 

 the following year, and their season of 

 flowering will then be two or three 

 months later than the normal time. 

 Thus it is possible to ensure a supply 

 of Cattleya labiata right through the 

 winter season, and. as many have 

 found to their advantage, good Cattle- 

 yas make high prices during Christmas 

 week. — The Orchid World, London. 



H R T 1 C U L T U H E 



.Mnr< h :o. 1916 



New Cattleyas 



Pkkiivai.i.v.na vak. tiu: Kaisek 



The accompanying picture shows a 

 most remarkable cattleya with very 

 broad, wavy petals of firm substance. 

 The lip is of the brightest purple color 

 with a paler margin. All in all it is 

 the finest formed Percivaliana we have 

 ever seen. The photograph was made 

 at the orchid houses of Julius Roehrs 

 Company at Rutherford, N. J. The 

 flower is of enormous size, the engrav- 

 ing being greatly reduced in diameter. 



CATTLEYA TR I AN AE— "M RS. AL- 

 MIRA COOLEY." 

 Amongst the thousaiuls and hun- 

 dreds of thousands of Cattleya Triana- 

 which have been imported from their 

 native habitat to this country, there 

 have been found some extraordinary 



varieties, but the above mentioned is 

 the finest we have ever been fortunate 

 enough to see in flower. It belongs to 

 the Albino type. The flower is extra- 

 ordinary in size, perfectly round In 

 form, and is of an unusually heavy 

 substance. The petals are very broad, 

 of the purest white imaginable, and 

 beautifully frilled at the edges. The 

 sepals are of the same color, and an 

 inrli broad, whirli fills the flower com- 

 pletely. The lip is round and open, 

 white, with a most delicate pink 

 shade hardly visible. Tlie throat Is 

 marked with a bright yellow blotch 

 and veining. This plant is in the 

 collection . of W. A. Manda, South 

 Orange, N. J. Mr. Manda has dedicated 

 this extraordinary flower to Mrs. Al- 

 mira Cooley, the mother of one of the 

 most ardent collectors of orchids In 

 America. 



CCELOGYNE CRISTATA. 

 The beautiful specimen of this useful 

 orchid which adorns our title page this 

 week was grown by iGeorge Jacques, 

 superintendent on the estate of Mr. 

 William G. Mather, Cleveland, Ohio. 

 It was grown in a 9-inch pan, had 

 forty-three trusses of bloom, the num- 

 ber of flowers being two-hundred and 

 fifteen. Coelogyne cristata and cristata 

 alba are very desirable for florists' \ise 

 in bridal and other choice work. It is 

 one of the easiest orchids to grow. 



Dr. Felt, state entomoglst, told the 

 Western New York Horticultural So- 

 ciety, at its recent meeting in Roch- 

 ester, that there had been a decrease 

 of 48 per cent, in the number of native 

 birds, in the last 15 years, and that it 

 is reasonable to believe that there has 

 been a corresponding increase in the 

 number of insect pests. He declared 

 that the farmer and fruit grower can 

 well afford to accord due protection 

 to the insectivorous birds. 



