VII 

 ORCHIDS 



THERE are few flowers that give us such an infinite 

 variety of artistic lines and delicate colourings as 

 the Orchid, and although it is a flower that can only 

 be grown by those who have fairly large establish- 

 ments, no book on Floral Art would be complete 

 without a chapter on them. Many of the colours 

 found in this family exist in no other flower. 



They are specially suitable for table decorations, 

 Court bouquets, and personal adornment, but as cut 

 flowers they are, owing to their price, of somewhat 

 restricted utility, though, as many of them last for 

 several weeks in water, they are really not so 

 expensive as they appear. 



One of the greatest charms that Orchids possess 

 lies in the fact that they never produce two sprays 

 of flowers of exactly the same line ; like the human 

 race, every one is different in some slight detail 

 either of colour, shape, or size. 



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