

■i^m-^sii^ 



•iiiv ifn I'ttr ■aiir tt it i n r -g n g '? fl 



Vol. VI. 



82.00 a Year. 

 24 Numbers. 



CHICAGO, DECEMBER I, 1897. 



Single Copy 

 10 Cents. 



No. 126. 



BASKET OF ORCHIDS. 



Orchids. 



CYFR1FEDIUMS. 



So much admired by many and tractible 

 to manage generally, cypripediums will 

 well repay all the attention you can afford 

 them. They will much enjoy at this sea- 

 son a plentiful supply of heat and fresh 

 air, and plenty of light and moisture. 

 They should not be crowded on the 

 benches, neither should they be too close 

 to the glass, about 3 to 4 feet is the 

 proper distance. If too close to the glass 

 they are likely to throw too short stems. 

 This will be particularly noticeable in 

 such variecies is C. Spicerianum, Charles- 

 worthii,etc. If when the buds first appear 



they can be placed a good distance from 

 the glass and given plenty of moisture, 

 they will elongate their stems materially 

 and where they have gone to their utmost 

 length they may be put on benches much 

 nearer the light, when they will strengthen 

 in stem and furnish much finer flowers. 

 All those little attentions will well repay 

 growers of cypripediums. For cut flow- 

 ers the length of stem determines mate- 

 rially the value of the flowers. If you 

 desire to increase stock in numbers of 

 pots, now after the flowers are cut is a 

 good time for dividing them. I grow all 

 the cypripedium family, from little Fairiea- 

 num riscullarium to the giant Lindleya- 

 num in broken pots and sphagnum, and 

 from many years of experience I fail to 

 find a better material. I use a liberal 



quantity of broken pots for drainage, not 

 broken into too small fragments, in order 

 to insure pot drainage. Pot them tightly 

 and keep the sphagnum in as green and 

 growing a condition as possible, repot- 

 ting about once a year. My plants are 

 very strong and produce very large 

 flowers. 



I never use any stimulant except on old 

 insigne and. its various varieties. Those 

 I supply liberally with manure water, 

 when they are about half way towards 

 completion of their new growth. These 

 also do very much better with proper 

 drainage and the absence of strong soil, 

 like peat and loam mixed, which so soon 

 gets soggy and fills up the drainage. 



The roots of cypripediums delight in 

 clinging to sides of pots and as soon as 



