The Culture of Greenhouse Orchids 



gorgeous of all the species not to say of all orchids 

 gives no trouble generally. There are houses, 

 indeed, where it will not flourish under the most 

 skilful treatment, as there are others where it per- 

 sists in thriving like a weed with very slight 

 attention. The reason is mystery, but the fact is 

 not surprising when we recollect how many Disas 

 refuse to live with us on any terms. Accident 

 often reveals a situation where the plant finds 

 itself at home when perhaps all that seemed likely 

 have been tried in vain ; it may bs an outhouse or 

 an old frame. Accordingly there are amateurs and 

 nurserymen who enjoy great renown for their suc- 

 cess with Disa grandiflora ; but they commonly 

 own that the cause is as much a secret to them- 

 selves as to any one. In France and elsewhere 

 the same puzzle is noted. But all this refers to a 

 wild exuberance of growth. In most houses the 

 plant will " do " with reasonable care, and the 

 amateur may always cherish a hope that his will 

 prove to be one of the favoured situations. 



Disa grandiflora lives upon Table Mountain, and 

 nowhere else, as is asserted, in South Africa. Every 

 autumn those grassy slopes take fire, and con- 

 stantly the universe is agitated by an announce- 

 ment that the plant has been exterminated burnt 

 up. Such a disaster, they say, is possible, but 



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