Vlll INTRODUCTION. 



a record of personal experience, many hundred spe- 

 cies are described which we have never grown at 

 Glen Ridge. The object has been to render the 

 book one of ready reference, both for cultural direc- 

 tions and for descriptions of species. To accomplish 

 this, it has been necessary to draw largely from all 

 sources of information, such as the volumes of Eng- 

 lish and French writers and numerous articles in 

 foreign horticultural journals. Chief among these, 

 have been the " Orchid Grower's Manual," by Benja- 

 min S. Williams, and " Culture des Orchidees, par 

 Ch. Morel." 



The greater portion of the cultural directions, and 

 most of the descriptions, are original, drawn from the 

 experience of the writer, now extending over many 

 years. As it is often very desirable for a beginner 

 to see what the flower of his plant looks like, a list of 

 illustrated books, in which Orchids are figured, is 

 given, and reference is made to the figures of each 

 species under the respective descriptions. 



The list of species and varieties will be found very 

 full ; it is often most desirable to know what not to 

 grow, and no plant is recommended for general cul- 

 ture unless it possesses beauty of flower, fragrance, 

 or marked singularity of form. A good Orchid re- 

 quires no more room and calls for no more care than 

 a poor one, but as long as cultivators fill their houses 

 with the mass of trash kindly sent to them by friends 

 in the tropics, we shall find those who are disgusted 

 with Orchid culture. We call to mind a certain large 



