84 ORCHIDS FOR EVERYONE 



now in finding certain kinds in or near the localities where they 

 were once abundant. Some species come from the South-west of 

 India, some from Ceylon, and others from Southern China, Cochin 

 China, the Malayan Peninsula, Java, Sumatra, Borneo, and a 

 number from the Philippines, while yet others hail from Timor 

 and New Guinea — notably the lovely and very useful D. Pha/ce- 

 nopsis^ and some from the Western side of Australia and as far 

 South as Tasmania. This brief reference to the geographical 

 range of a useful family of orchids will at once suggest the need 

 of a whole range of hot-houses, each house kept at a temperature 

 different from the rest, for the proper cultivation of Dendrobiums. 

 But such a need does not exist. There are a few species that may, 

 without any stretch of imagination, be classed as cool orchids, 

 indeed one at least, i.e. Dendrobium japonicum., is occasionally 

 catalogued as hardy. It may manage to keep alive out-of-doors 

 in exceptionally favoured parts of the South-western counties, but 

 it is never heard of as a real success under out-door treatment. 

 Where a collection rather than a selection is the aim of the grower, 

 then some trouble will be experienced in finding the right condi- 

 tions for the various members of the family. But where the 

 desire is to have a set of the most beautiful kinds for flowering in 

 the spring and early summer, that desire may be fulfilled provided 

 there is a hot-house (a stove), and a heated vinery at disposal. 

 With such structures, and with the same care and attention paid 

 them as are given to any other indoor crop, there is no good 

 reason why Dendrobiums cannot be successfully managed. 



Most of the Dendrobiums worthy of general cultivation are 

 deciduous, but there is a small and important group of evergreen 

 species with showy flowers. As a general rule Dendrobiums 

 require a very high stove temperature and a moist atmosphere when 

 growing freely, a season of rest in a cooler house and a drier 



