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INTRODUCTION 



The object of the present work is to extend greatly the popularity 

 of Orchids among that ever-increasing class of business people who 

 have a great love for plants and flowers, and find in their study 

 and culture a delightful recreation and an absorbing hobby. The 

 arrangement of the subject matter is unique. No previous attempt 

 has been made to group Orchids according to their value for 

 general cultivation, and it is believed that the system will appeal 

 strongly to those who contemplate the culture of Orchids, as well 

 as to those thousands who have newly fallen under the fascination 

 of these wonderfully beautiful and interesting plants. This 

 arrangement should be the means of saving beginners from much 

 vexation of spirit, and from the disappointment and loss that are 

 sure to follow a bad selection of kinds to start with. 



In the first group the best kinds with which to commence 

 Orchid culture are indicated clearly, and in the selection due regard 

 has been paid to beauty, interest, ease of culture, and cost. The 

 best methods of culture are described, and many of those little 

 details that make all the difference between success and comparative 

 failure are pointed out. For those who, after achieving some 

 success, are willing to incur the expense of obtaining and cul- 

 tivating them, the rarer and more highly-priced Orchids are also 

 described ; while Orchid genera of secondary importance, and 

 those that appeal by their quaintness and botanical interest, are 

 included towards the end of the book. 



^ This style of arrangement may not please the Orchid specialist, 



22 A 





