2400 



ORCHIDS 



ORCHIDS 



Should the last-mentioned institution decline the 

 legacy, then to the Grayean Herbarium in Harvard 

 University, Cambridge, Mass. If declined by that 

 institution, then to the Jardin des Plantes, at Paris, 

 but always under the same conditions, viz., of being 

 sealed up for twenty-five years, in order that the 

 inevitable destruction of the costly collection, resulting 

 from the present craze for orchids, may be avoided." 

 See Bailey, "Annals of Horticulture," 1889, with por- 

 trait, of Reichenbach, from "Gardeners' Chronicle." 

 In the meantime, after the first lamentations, and the 

 gathering of the available living types, cultivators 

 began work with such authentic material as they had 

 until now we have plants with three to four genera in 

 their parentage, and the end is not yet. It will readily 

 be understood that the recording and taking care of the 

 nomenclature of these results as they occur week by 

 week, is no simple matter, but it is being undertaken in 

 such a way that for the present we know the origin of 

 the many plants that have been raised . There is no other 

 record in plant hybridization to compare with that of 

 the orchids. In most cases, drawings have been made of 

 the originals for filing in the archives. The Mendelian 

 theory will surely find much material in the work of 

 the orchid-cultivators, because of their painstaking in 

 the matter of pedigree. It was early decreed that a 

 plant without a pedigree could not be considered for 

 recognition with a name. This seemed hard at times, 

 because of special merit, but the cultivator had to be 

 content with the result rather than with the honor. 

 It is a curious circumstance that in the raising of orchids 

 from seeds, many appear where they were not sown and 

 in the most unexpected places. These are later placeable 

 where they belong if there are other forms with which 

 to connect them, but failing this there is no admitted 

 reason for giving a name. 



In past years, large prices were paid for forms of 

 orchids that were unique, as for albinos, specially 

 marked, or highly colored variations, all being imported 

 forms. It was thought that these could be reproduced 

 from seeds; this has not been true in most cases, even 

 albinos having reverted to the normal and in most 

 cases very poor forms. It is now a recognized principle 

 that none but the very best varieties should be used 

 as parents, and from these there are always a number 

 of degenerates. 



Orchid-hybridization is not prosecuted in America 

 to the extent that it was at one time. It requires years 

 to secure results that are obtained at far less cost in 

 Europe, where the plants are more easily obtainable. 

 We may mention a case in which nineteen years was 

 required to flower a plant, the only one that survived 

 from a certain cross, and when it bloomed it was of 

 no value although true to its parents, one of which was 

 of poor constitution. 



General cultural requirements. 



Most tropical orchids of cultivation are epiphytal, 

 very few growing on the soil, and the requisite condi- 

 tions are largely a matter of atmosphere, not neces- 

 sarily temperature. Heat is necessary, but only to be 

 taken seriously in winter when it is generated arti- 

 ficially, sometimes from superheated pipes, which is 

 always detrimental to the well-being of the plants. It is 

 better to have a number of pipes heated to a moderate 

 degree. In summer the heat is not a factor except with 

 the cool Andean plants like the odontoglossums. If 

 plenty of ventilation is given from the time frosts cease 

 at night, one cannot imitate easily the night atmos- 

 phere outdoors, and the more the plants get of it when 

 genial, the better they thrive. 



Another factor under glass is shade from the sun. 

 This must be governed by the amount of direct light 

 admitted. It must be understood that a house running 

 north and south will not get so much heat from the 

 sun's rays as one built east and west. In a house hav- 



ing full exposure to the sun in winter, orchids will 

 need shading to some extent most of the winter, while 

 one running north and south will not have to be shaded 

 from the month of October until March. The plants 

 are injured by the loss of green in the foliage due to 

 exposure. Part of this will return when shade is given, 

 but some of the older leaves will turn yellow and drop 

 off. It is the medium course that conserves vitality, 

 while ripening the growths perfectly, that the cultivator 

 needs to bring about. The successful grower gives 

 intensive study to each individual plant. We have had 

 the experience of miltonias that thrived perfectly at the 

 end partition of one structure, but never prospered 

 when they were removed to other similar conditions. 

 It was a question of exposure. So it is that cultivators 

 often place a plant in a particular position in a house, 

 seemingly the purest empiricism, but a practice not to 

 be despised by those who want to succeed. It is not 

 surprising that plants collected from the odd corners 

 of the tropics, placed together in a small house where 

 the temperature is to be maintained largely by artificial 

 heat, require careful and individual study. With many 

 difficult orchids, one cannot imitate the atmosphere of 

 the Andes when the dog-days come, or when zero 

 temperatures obtain outdoors and the wholesome 

 atmosphere disappears by the exhaustion from super- 

 heated pipes. 



Orchid-culture in America will be largely confined to 

 a few genera, the "cool" kinds will rarely succeed, but 

 those from Mexico to Brazil and most of the East 

 Indian and Philippine kinds can be made to thrive 

 better here than in Europe. 



A number of American terrestrial orchids are ame- 

 nable to cultivation. Cypripediums lend themselves 

 kindly; and most of the others, as the calopogons, 

 spiranthes, pogonias and habenarias, are plants essen- 

 tially of the swamps or woods where moisture is secure 

 all summer, but are not easily tamed in the usual way 

 as are other plants, and yet their essential conditions 

 may be met by the careful and thoughtful gardener. 



The main cultural groups. 



The orchid family is usually classified by growers 

 into at least three divisions, for providing suitable 

 temperatures and other conditions, especially atmo- 

 spheric, although a closer analysis would make at least 

 four cultural groups. 



1. The warmest division should be kept at a mini- 

 mum of -65 in winter, to take care of the vandas, 

 aerides, saccolabiums, phalsenopsis, angra3cum, ancec- 

 tochilus, habenaria, a few of the strictly tropical den- 

 drobes and other less known genera. Most of these may 

 be termed extra- (or supra-) epiphytal for the reason 

 that they secure most of their needed moisture through 

 their large aerial roots, the material that they are 

 planted in being secondary in importance as a source 

 of nourishment. There are many cypripedes that need 

 this warm treatment, such as the Malayan, Bornean 

 and some of the East Indian species, for they speedily 

 resent being chilled. The higher temperature makes 

 the cultural details in winter more difficult to regulate 

 since moisture must be kept up to counteract the dry 

 heat from the pipes; therefore it is always best to have 

 a number of pipes moderately warm rather than a few 

 superheated. Insect pests are also more persistent 

 under superheated conditions. Thrips and red-spider 

 are harder to fight, and must be kept down by frequent 

 light sprayings with approved insecticides containing 

 nicotine, applied with an atomizer once a week in case 

 of an invasion. Troughs on the heating-pipes for the 

 evaporation of water are essential, and sometimes, in 

 large structures, open tanks are used under the stages 

 on which the plants stand filled with water which is 

 heated by coils. Too much emphasis cannot be placed 

 on the keeping of a proper atmosphere as well as heat 

 for these tropical plants. This can be brought about 



