1161 



ORCHID 



ORCHID 



turn. In nearly all Orchids the stigmas and anther are 

 carried up by an elongation of the floral axis, to which 

 in this instance the name "column" is applied. In Gon- 

 gora the petals and dorsal sepal are carried far away 

 from their normal position. 



The fruit of Orchids is a dry capsule requiring a long 

 time to ripen, so that if an Orchid is fertilized during 

 one rainy season its seeds are not disseminated until 

 the next wet season. Very few fleshy fruits occur in 

 this family. The seeds are minute and extremely nu- 

 merous, thus compensating, perhaps, for the uncer- 

 tainty of fertilization. 



The Orchids are distributed over the entire world. 

 They are most numerous in the tropics, becoming rare 

 in the cold zones. They are chiefly collected in three 

 regions, the South American region embracing Mexico, 

 South America and the neighboring islands. Most of 

 the large genera are found in this region (Epidendrum, 

 Pleurothallis, Oncidium, Odontoglossum, etc.). The 

 second region, embracing India and the Malay Islands 

 to Australia, is rich in genera, but most of them are 

 small, containing far less than one hundred species. 

 The largest genus of this region is Dendrobium, with 

 300 species. The South African region contains few 

 terrestrial Orchids, of which Disa is the only one of 

 importance in cultivation. HEINRICH HASSELBRING. 



PART III. THE CULTURE OF ORCHIDS. 



Introductory. During the early days of Orchid cul- 

 ture the treatment of the plants under glass was imper- 

 fectly understood, and with the meager knowledge of 

 the natural conditions surrounding them in their native 

 habitats, little successful 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 our houses in America, where the 

 winters are severe and changeable and the heat of our 

 summers more intense and less humid, necessitating a 

 different mode of treatment. With a more satisfactory 

 understanding of their requirements during the last 

 25 or 30 years, Orchid culture here has made a rapid ad- 

 vance and most of our best collections have come into 

 existence, many of which offer a very favorable com- 

 parison in fine, well-grown specimens with those of the 

 Old World. 



Orchid Houses and Their Construction. Various are 

 the opinions of cultivators regarding the proper con- 

 struction of Orchid houses to obtain the best results. 

 Twenty-five or more years ago many fine specimens of 

 Orchids were grown without a special house, along with 

 general stove and greenhouse plants, and we still find 

 many good plants cultivated in this manner, but where 

 a general collection of Orchids is grown four separate 

 houses or divisions will be found necessary to obtain 

 the best results. These are known as the " East Indian," 

 "Brazilian," "Mexican" and "New Granadan," or Odon- 

 toglossum departments. 



The East Indian department requires a winter tem- 

 perature of 65 to 70 F. by night and 70 to 75 P. by 

 day; a few degrees' rise with sun heat will do no harm. 

 The temperature should be gradually increased 10 de- 

 grees toward midsummer and gradually decreased toward 

 late fall. This is the warmest house and is used for the 

 cultivation of Aerides, Angra3cums, the warmer tropical 

 Cypripediums, Phalsenopsis, Calanthes, Dendrobiums 

 and Thunias while growing. 



The Brazilian department should range during winter 

 from 60 to 65 F. at night and about 70 F. during the 

 day, allowing a few degrees more with solar heat, and a 

 rise of 10 degrees toward midsummer. This department 

 is for Bulbophyllums, Cattleyas, warm Epidendrums, 

 Brazilian Lselias, Miltonias of the cuneata and specta- 

 bilis sections, Odontoglossum citrosmum, Stanhopeas, 

 and various genera and species requiring a like tem- 

 perature. 



The Mexican department is used chiefly for the culti- 

 vation of Ccelogyne cristata, Mexican Lselias, growing 

 Lycastes, Anguloas and Acinetas, many species of Max- 

 illaria, a majority of the Oncidiums and warm Odonto- 

 glossums, Phaius and allied species which require a few 

 degrees lower night temperature and usually a little 

 more sunlight to ripen their tissue for flowering than is 



afforded in the Brazilian department. It is also invalu- 

 able for resting Dendrobiums and many other deciduous 

 and terrestrial Orchids. 



The New Granadan or Odontoglossum department 

 must be kept as cool as possible in summer, and during 

 winter should range from 55 to 60 by night and 60 to 

 65 F. by day, and as cool as possible during summer; 

 it is used principally for Masdevallias, Odontoglossums, 

 more especially O. crispum, and allied genera, Disas, 

 cool Oncidiums, such as O. ornithorhynchum and O. 

 varicosum, Lycastes in warm weather, and many other 

 individual species from high altitudes which require a 

 cool house at all seasons or they suffer from the heat 

 of our summer. 



The fundamental principle in building an Orchid house 

 is to get a structure that can be easily heated and which 

 has a naturally moist atmosphere, without excavating 

 deeply, for houses built much below ground lack circu- 

 lation and almost always prove detrimental to Orchid 

 culture. The houses ( excepting the New Granadan house) 

 should be built to run north and south with an east and 

 west exposure, in order that they may receive the bene- 

 fit of the early morning and late afternoon sun, with the 

 least possible heating effects from it at noonday, thus 

 making little ventilation necessary; atmospheric mois- 

 ture will be more easily retained in such a structure. 

 The houses maybe as long as required (with the potting- 



1571. Section of a small, well-constructed Orchid house 

 heated by hot water. 



shed at the north end to avoid unnecessary shade and 

 protect the houses in winter against severe north wind), 

 and about 16 ft. wide, which will allow two side beds of 

 2% ft. each, two walks of the same width, and a center 

 pit 6 ft. wide. From floor to ridge should be 10 ft. and to 

 the eaves 4/^-5 ft. Top ventilators should extend along 

 both sides at ridge, thus affording protection from direct 

 cold winter drafts in airing by using the sheltered side. 

 Side ventilation is unnecessary and often injurious, 

 the direct drafts causing plants which are out of condi- 

 tion to shrivel. 



In glazing Orchid houses the glass used should not be 

 less than 12 x 14 in., and larger if possible. It is also im- 

 portant that only the best quality procurable be used, free 

 from lenses which would burn the leaves when shading 

 is removed. Plate glass is much to be preferred when 

 it can be had, as it contains no lenses and gives a pure 

 even light. If this is used a size about 16x24 in. will 

 be found very serviceable. Poor glass should not be 

 used in any case, as it necessitates shading long before 

 this is beneficial to the plants. 



The outside walls should be built of brick or stone 

 when possible, and the beds and pits within should be 

 of the same material, 8 in. thick and about 3 ft. in height, 

 filled solid to the top, using stone or rubble for drainage 

 in the bottom, following it up with finer material and 

 finishing with an inch or two of fine gravel. Wooden 

 benches may be used if desired, often with first-class 

 results, by covering them 2 or 3 inches deep with ashes, 

 sand or gravel, but the solid benches are more sure to 

 give better satisfaction. They give off moisture more 

 gradually and offer a cool footing for the plant both 

 winter and summer, which is essential and natural. 



Good results will follow from either steam or hot water 

 heating when both are properly conducted, steam neces- 

 sitating, perhaps, more care. Unless the range of 

 glass is large and a night fireman is kept, the old-fash- 



