224 



THE CANADIAN HORTICULTURIST 



"Success with orchids," said Mr. 

 Hill, "lies with the man and the condi- 

 tions under which he works. Great 

 judgment must be exercised, and their 

 method of culture must be adapted tu 

 the conditions under which they are 

 grown. 



"The best way for a beginner to make 

 a start is to buy established plants and 

 if he finds that they do well he can 

 undertake to propagate for himself. 

 Growers have to depend on importations 

 from Mexico, South America, India or 

 other tropical or sub-tropical countries, 

 to increase their stock quickly. One of 

 the Cattleya can be made to produce 

 flowers in two or three years from root 

 division, while if grown from seed from 

 eight to twelve years would be required. 



"In potting orchids the main object 

 should be to have free drainage. Fern 

 fibre and sphagnum moss is the most 

 satisfactory potting material, but success 

 can be had by planting them in leaf mould. 

 The differing habits of growth and the 

 varying climatic conditions and mois- 

 ture conditions of the countries to 

 which they are native makes it impos- 

 sible to lay down strict rules regarding 



watering. The amount <>i water sup 

 plied should be regulated according to 

 the rainfall of the country from which 

 specimen came. If their native country 

 was one having a long rainy season 

 the plants will need liberal watering. 



"Most of the orchids are parasitic on 

 trees or grow on rocks, and so do not 

 thrive in ordinary potting soil, as such 

 soil retains too much moisture around 

 the roots. The watering given, too, 

 must depend pn the weather conditions 

 and on conditions in the house. Gen- 

 erally speaking, orchids need less fre- 

 quent watering than other plants. They 

 do not need so much water as do ferns. 



"Some varieties thrive well in house 

 culture. Frequent spraying would be 

 required to make the conditions more 

 congenial, as they do best when there is 

 moisture in the surrounding atmosphere. 

 They absorb considerable quantities 

 through the leaves. Those species that 

 are terrestrial naturally require more 

 root watering. They will stand hard- 

 ships and neglect but like other plants, 

 do not thrive under adverse conditions. 

 Special attention after a period of neg- 

 lect soon brings them into thrifty con- 



dition again. The Cypripedium is the 

 most common and is most easily grown 

 in an ordinary living room. Cattleya 

 and Oncidium also arc plentiful. 



THE VALUE OF ORCHIDS 



"The fact that they are slow growers 

 makes them costly. Members of the 

 Cattleya family retail in Canadian stores 

 at $2.50 to SIO.OO each, according to 

 the size and the number of leaves. Ex- 

 tra large healthy specimens realize as 

 high as $25. Rare varieties have sold 

 at fabulous prices, even by auction. 

 In England $4,600 was realized for a 

 single specimen. When the plants be- 

 come established, and blossoms appear, 

 however, the successful grower makes 

 handsome returns. Single blooms sell 

 at 50 cents to $1.00 each, while Oncid- 

 ium and others with few blooms in a 

 cluster easily bring $1.00 to $2.50 a 

 spray. Some varieties produce sprays 

 with 15 to 150 blossoms on a stem." 



No window collection should be with- 

 out a few specimens of these beautiful 

 plants. Their rare delicacy merits extra 

 care and attention, and if once estab- 

 lished thev will never be discarded. 



Seasonable W^orK in tKe -Amateur GreenKouse 



IF you have a greenhouse or a piazza 

 conservatory, repair the benches 



and heating apparatus, and put 

 it in good condition before the end' of 

 the month. There is always some- 

 thing to do, and the amateur florist, 

 who is enthusiastic, never tires of do- 

 ing it. 



Lilium Harrisii, the Bermuda Easter 

 lily, may be potted now. When pot- 

 ting, throw a handful of sand under 

 the bulb. Place the pots in a shady 

 place, until they make roots. Lilium 

 longiflorum, the Japan Easter lily, is 

 an excellent type for spring flowering. 

 It is easier grown than the Bermuda 

 lily, and is freer from disease. 



A limited quantity of freesias are use- 

 ful for cut bloom, and should be potted 

 at once. They may also be grown 

 along the edge of the benches. The 

 foliage being small, they do not inter- 

 fere with another crop grown on the 

 same bench. 



FERNS 



Ferns may be successfully grown in 

 the amateur greenhouse. Fern dishes 

 are filled to replace on the table the 

 garden bouquet of the summer. A 

 good ^supply of these useful plants 

 should be obtained now. Seedlings in 

 flats"^will do, if of a fair size, or buy 

 small ones in pots. Keep in a par- 

 tially 'shaded part of the house and 

 never allow to become dry. Moisture, 

 and a temperature of about 65 degrees, 

 is 'about all the special care they re- 

 quire. Do not place them on a bench 



where the heat from the pipes is near 

 the bottom. This often causes them 

 to dry up at the roots, while the sur- 

 face would indicate plenty of moisture. 



CALCEOLARIA AND CINERARIA 



Seeds of calceolaria and cineraria may 

 be sown any time this month. These 

 plants are grown to best advantage in 

 a cool temperature. The coolest place 

 in the greenhouse should be selected in 

 which to place the pans. Calceolaria 

 seeds are so small that they should not 

 be covered when sown. Press the soil 

 firmly and water from the bottom to 

 prevent washing the seeds out. Cin- 

 eraria seed should be covered with finely 

 sifted leaf mould. Do not sow thickly. 

 After the seedlings are up, keep in full 

 light. Give as much air and keep as 

 cool as possible. 



STOCKS FOR WINTER BLOOM 



Seeds of stocks should be sown at 

 once. Princess Alice has been found 

 to give the best results. Sow the seeds 

 broadcast in a flat. When the seed 

 leaves have developed, transplant into 

 two-inch pots, afterwards shift into 

 four-inch pots, in which they may be 

 flowered. When the first bloom is 

 forming the plants may be transplanted 

 to the bench to remain for the season. 

 By waiting until the flowers are form- 

 ing, the doubles can be selected and 

 the single plants discarded. 



SWEET PEAS FOR CHRISTMAS 



Sow the pink Christmas and the 

 white Miss Florence Denzer sweet peas 



in the first part of September, three to 

 five seeds to one square foot in the 

 bench. If not room ready this time, 

 sow in four-inch pots outdoors, but 

 never allow to become {jot bound. When 

 three or four inches high, plant inside 

 one square foot apart, in good comjxjst 

 soil. Keep moist steady. Give as much 

 air as possible. The temperature should 

 be 45 to 50 degrees at night, 55 to 68 

 in the daytime. These sweet peas, if 

 attended well, will bloqm from Christ- 

 mas to late in spring. 



CARNATIONS 



We would not advise amateurs to 

 undertake the culture of carnations, 

 either in the house or the amateur 

 greenhouse. The results usually are 

 unsatisfactory^ and disappoint pi ent fol- 

 lows. Some enthusiasts, however, are 

 occasionally successful. Carnations that 

 have been outside all summer should 

 be potted the first of the month. Use 

 small pots, pot firmly, water well, and 

 shade. Spray the foliage until the 

 plants become well established;, then 

 give plenty of sun and spray every 

 sunny day. Water the plants only 

 when the soil shows the need of it. 



Shower the plants occasionally to 

 keep off the red spider. 



Few plants do well in a north window. 

 But palms, the aspidistra and ferns will 

 flourish there, if particular attention is 

 given to watering. 



