Orchid Culture Is No Magic Art 



By W. R. Fowkes, New Jersey. 



The orchiil family is not generall}' accordcil the posi- 

 tiiin is deserves in the floral kingdom, for, althdugh large 

 quantities are grown commercially, a great man}' gar- 

 deners shrink from their culture claiming that orchid 

 growing does not properl\- come under the ordinary gar- 

 dener's vocation. 



1 he primary notion is that orchids are very expensi\e, 

 require great heat, s];ecially constructed houses for their 

 successful culture and that a life-long study has to lie 

 gi\en to them; in short — that the}' are in a class all by 

 t-iemselves and require a specialist. 



Some people also contend that an nrchid only flowers 

 once a year. So do many much commoner plants. Take, 

 f(_)r instance, the chrysanthemum ; it has to be grown for 

 a year in order to get a beautiful show of tl(j\\ers in the 

 autumn. 



Orchids can be had in bloom every day in the year, are 

 not expensive to purcb.ase ; in fa^t, are v^ry reasonable 



SI I (.nil N l'I..\\T OF C.\TTI.F,Y.\ rKRCUWLI .\X.\ 



when their usefulness and beauty are taken into con- 

 sideration. If a proper selection is made no one need 

 despair of having orchids regularly. They are the aristo- 

 crats of the floral world and are unrivalled in splendor 

 by any other species. 



Many years ago orchids were in the hands of a few 

 rich people in England, and were expensive because the 

 collecto-rs in the wild forests had not learned the proper 

 methods of preparing the green leaved sappy bulbous 

 plants in order to enable them to withstand the long 

 journey of many weeks. The first cultivators also had a 

 set idea, which is still adhered to by many, that the orchid 



nUistrations from cat.'ilugue of Julius Roehrs Co. 



requires great heat and a sweltering atmosphere in the 

 plant house. Xo wonder these children of the free and 

 open forests rebelled at such unnatural treatment. Some 

 growers treat them in a careless manner and the plants 

 struggle along, and if a flower appears it is a marvel and 

 a wonder. They deserve good treatment and will repay 

 any little attention paid to them. One of the main things 

 in their culture is to keep them clean. 



<.)rchids can be bought from the importers from one 

 ilollar ujnvards, or a few dollars a case, as they arrive 

 from their native habitat and it is a most interesting and 

 fascinating hobby to watch them grcjw and to look for 

 their beautiful blossoms expanding from w hat appears to 

 most people to be nothing more than miserable dried up 

 sticks. Unbounded pleasure occasionally occurs from 

 these imported plants when one of unusual \ariety turns 

 out to he very valuable and a decided aci|uisition to one's 

 collection. 



Orchids c an be 

 grown in any ordi- 

 nary glass house \\ itli 

 ferns and palms and 

 some of them even 

 with geraniums. In 

 fact, there is not a 

 greenhouse that some 

 variet\' will not thrive 

 in. 



A few words about 

 their culture. When 

 first received cut away 

 any dr_\- bulbs or roots 

 and suspend from the 

 bench, the roots up- 

 permost, or place un- 

 derneath where water 

 does not touch them. 

 A point to remember 

 is this, that too nnich 

 heat, light and mois- 

 ture are fatal to or- 

 chids. 



With proper treat- 

 ment thev will soon 

 throw out a few roots, 

 and when these roots 

 begin to grow a little 

 they must be spra^-ed 

 overhead once daily, 

 still k e e p i n g the 

 l^ilants in the shade. 

 ^^'hen the roots have 

 gniwn aliout one inch long they must be potted. 



]Most varieties will succeed in pans or -iij-inch pots. Do- 

 V.I I use one size larger than will contain the respective 

 plant for they will be better off under potted. Compost 

 for a mixed lot will be three-quarters peat and one- 

 quarter sphagum moss, with a handful of shredded cow 

 n'lanure to eight parts of the mixture. Firm potting is a 

 ver\ imiiortant item, for an orchid loosely potted will not 

 l]iri\e hut will dwindle away, due to the open nature of 

 the compost. 



A good collection of useful orchids that will give a: 

 succession of blooms are as follows : 

 Catlhxas. namel\- — 



