2390 



ORCHIDS 



ORCHIDS 



I, page 502), and in the same year at the sale of the col- 

 lection of John Russell at May field a plant of Saccola- 

 bium guttatum sold for $313, one of Saccolabium Rus- 

 sellianum for $141, and an Oncidium splendidum for 

 about $150 (G.C. 1875, II, page 467). In 1879, a fine 

 plant of Vanda cserulea sold among other orchids of a 

 large collection for about $460 (G.C. 1879, I, page 

 27). These are only instances with which the records 

 of that period are replete. Although such prices were 

 realized only for exceptional plants, there was always 

 a large demand for good plants of all types, for which 

 considerable sums were paid. The prospects of great 

 reward caused collectors to scour every part of the 

 tropics, risking their lives in the mountains, jungles, 

 and fever-haunted swamps. Vast numbers of plants 

 were imported and many died on the voyages, or 

 subsequently, for want of rational treatment; but 

 the large importations served to popularize the plants 

 and to increase the demand for them. In time the 

 climatic conditions under which they grew in their 

 native regions became better known, and the plants 

 were treated more in accordance with their require- 

 ments. Fewer orchids are imported at the present 

 time, for the rewards are not so great as formerly, 

 and other means for multiplying the stock are sup- 

 planting importation to a great extent. Yet the inter- 

 est in orchids is not abating, but is steadily becom- 

 ing more widespread. Although the large collections of 

 fanciers are not so distinctive of orchid-culture as 

 formerly in this country, the use of the plants is becom- 

 ing far more general. The flowers have become a regular 

 part of the florist's stock and thousands are annually 

 sold in the markets. The ease with which they are 

 grown, their great range of fine colors, and the wonder- 

 ful keeping qualities of the flowers insures them an 

 ever-increasing popularity. 



Literature. 



A large and special literature on orchids has grown up. 

 Many magnificent folios and smaller works have been 

 devoted to the illustration and description of these 

 plants. Notable among these are "Sertum Orchi- 

 daceum," by J. Lindley, London, 1838, a large folio 

 containing forty-nine colored plates of East Indian 

 orchids; "The Orchidacea? of Mexico and Guatemala," 

 by J. Bateman, London, 1837-1843, an even more 

 sumptuous work, with forty plates, of which only 125 

 copies were published; "A Monograph of Odonto- 

 glossum," London, 1864-1870, by the same author; 

 "Pescatorea," Brussels, 1860, by J. J. Linden; "Reich- 

 enbachia," St. Albans and New York, 1888-1890, 

 second series 1892-1894, by F. Sander, folio, two 

 volumes, with ninety-six colored plates; "A Century of 

 Orchidaceous Plants," London, 1849, by W. J. Hooker, 

 a quarto volume containing 100 plates selected from 

 Curtis' "Botanical Magazine," "A Second Century of 

 Orchidaceous Plants," London, 1867, by J. Bateman, 

 contains 100 plates of reproductions from the same 

 work; "Xenia Orchidacea," Leipzig, 1858-1900, by 

 H. G. Reichenbach, three quarto volumes containing 

 300 partly colored plates; "The Orchid Album," Lon- 

 don, 1882-1897, by Robert Warner and B. S. Williams, 

 eleven quarto volumes, containing 528 plates; "Illus- 

 trations of Orchidaceous Plants," London, 1857, by T. 

 Moore, contains 100 plates selected from the "Botanical 

 Register" and Sweet's "British Flower Garden;" 

 "Dictionnaire Iconographique des Orchid6es," Brus- 

 sels, 1897-1907, by A. Cogniaux and A. Goosens, 

 eight volumes of colored plates of flowers; and "Orchids, 

 the Royal Family of Plants," Boston, 1885, by Harriet 

 S. Miner, contains twenty-four plates with a popular 

 account. Two periodicals, "L. Orchidophile," Paris, 

 1881-1892, and "Lindenia," Ghent, 1885-1906, were 

 almost wholly devoted to the illustration of orchids, 

 while "The Orchid Review," London, 1893, and continu- 

 ing, is a more popular journal devoted to the interests of 



orchid-culture in general. Many plates and descrip- 

 tions of orchids have appeared in other serials like 

 Curtis' "Botanical Magazine" and Lindley's "Botanical 

 Register." Many of Reichenbach's species were 

 described in the "Gardeners' Chronicle." A great 

 many large manuals and handbooks have been pub- 

 lished. Among them may be mentioned "A Manual of 

 Orchidaceous Plants Cultivated under Glass in Great 

 Britain," by James Veitch & Sons (A. H. Kent), Lon- 

 don, 1887-1894, a very comprehensive manual of two 

 volumes, containing many engravings; "Orchids: Their 

 Culture and Management," by W. Watson, London, 

 1890, new edition, New York, 1903, with twenty colored 

 plates and numerous engravings; "Les Orchidees 

 Exotiques et Leur Culture en Europe," by L. Linden, 

 A. Cogniaux and G. Grignan, Brussels, 1894; "The 

 Orchid-Grower's Manual," by B. S. Williams, seventh 

 edition, London, 1894, a large manual with numerous 

 illustrations; and "Die Orchideen," by R. Schlechter, 

 Berlin, 1914, 1915, a comprehensive handbook and 

 manual giving the most recent taxonomic treatment 

 of the cultivated orchids. Besides these larger works 

 suited to the technical needs of the cultivator, a large 

 number of popular works have appeared. Among these 

 are: "Orchids for Everyone," by C. H. Curtis, London 

 and New York, 1910, a beautifully illustrated popular 

 handbook; "Woodlands Orchids," by F. Boyle, London, 

 1901, a popular account of orchids with stories of their 

 collecting; "The Book of Orchids," by W. White, 

 London and New York, 1902; "Culture of Greenhouse 

 Orchids," by F. Boyle, London, 1902; and "Orchids," 

 by J. O'Brien, New York, 1911; "Our Native Orchids," 

 by W. H. Gibson, New York, 1905, a popular account, 

 with illustrations; and "Lilies and Orchids," by Rosina 

 C. Boardman, New York, 1906, contains color-sketches 

 of seventeen native species. Among the works of a more 

 technical and monographic character containing plates 

 of orchids should be mentioned "The Orchids of the 

 Sikkim-Himalaya," by Sir George King, Calcutta, 1898, 

 448 engraved plates (in "Annals of the Royal Botanic 

 Garden," Calcutta, Volume VIII); "Icones orchidearum 

 austro-africanarum extra-tropicarum," by H. Bolus, 

 London 1893-1911, 250 partly colored plates with 

 descriptions; "Orchidacese," by O. Ames, Boston and 

 New York, 1905, five fascicles giving illustrations and 

 descriptions of new or recently described species which 

 had been inadequately figured up to the time of the 

 appearance of the work; and "Die Orchideen von 

 Java," by J. J. Smith, Leiden, 1905-1914, one volume, 

 text and one volume plates. Finally may be mentioned 

 the work of F. A. Bauer, "Illustrations of Orchida- 

 ceous plants," London, 1830-1838, an account with 

 thirty-five colored plates showing the structure and 

 morphology of the various genera. 



The illustrations accompanying the present article 

 are in part borrowed or adapted from German sources, 

 as follows: Figs. 2631, 2638, 2650, 2651, 2652, from 

 Pfitzer in Engler & Prantl's "Die Natiirlichen Pflanzen- 

 familien," II. 6; Figs. 2625, 2626, 2627, 2630, 2632,2633, 

 2634, 2641, 2643, 2644, 2645, 2646, from Pfitzer in 

 Grundz. einer Vergl. Morph. d. Orch., and Morph. 

 Studien u. d. Orchideenbl. ; Fig. 2653 from J. G. Beer, 

 Betr. Morph. u. Biolog. d. Orch.; Figs. 2654, 2655, 

 from Burgreff, Anz. Tropisch. Orch. Samen. 



HEINRICH HASSELBRING. 



The general culture of orchids. 



In the early days of orchid-culture, the treatment of 

 the plants under glass was imperfectly understood, and 

 with the meager knowledge of the natural conditions 

 surrounding them in their native habitats, little suc- 

 cessful progress was made for many years. The few 

 cultural directions to be found were in works of foreign 

 publication, scarcely applicable to plants grown in 

 houses in America, where the winters are severe and 



