THE FLORISTS* MANUAL. 



159 



ted with pink. This is one of the best 

 for market purposes and requires the 

 same treatment as above. 



Phalaenopsis grandiflora, a beautiful 

 species, that comes from Java and re- 

 sembles amabilis in every way except 

 that the lip of the flower is marked 

 with lemon yellow instead of pink. 

 This plant grows well on a rack with 

 sphagnum moss at the back and is a 

 very prolific bloomer. 



VANDA. This beautiful genus re- 

 quires a temperature of 60 to 65 de- 

 grees at night and delights in the 

 sun, unless very strong, and then a 

 light shading for an hour or two will 

 be sufficient. All the species will 

 grow in pots, well drained, and potted 

 in clean, fresh sphagnum and broken 

 charcoal, with plenty of moisture 

 about them, and lots of water at the 

 roots in summer, but be very careful 

 in winter, unless the pot is very full 

 of roots and growing freely. Give a 

 little air when possible in winter and 

 plenty in summer. Some species bloom 

 twice and even three times a year. 

 The flowers have a delightful odor and 

 last about a month if kept dry. All 

 vandas are subject to scale, and should 

 be kept free from these pests, or the 

 plant will soon be ruined. 



Vanda caerulea, the beautiful blue 

 orchid, should be in every collection. 



Group of Vanda Caerulea. 



Vanda Suavis. 



It is of easy culture and a very free 

 bloomer. A temperature of 55 degrees 

 at night suits it well, as the flowers 

 are a much better color than those 

 grown in a higher temperature. It is 

 a native of northern India and blooms 

 in autumn. Do not over-pot this plant 

 and suspend as near the glass as pos- 

 sible. 



Vanda insignis, a grand old sort 

 from the Malayan islands, blooms in 

 May or June. It has large spikes of 

 flowers of a magnificent combination 

 of colors, is of easy culture and a 

 very free bloomer. 



Vanda suavis. One can hardly say 

 enough about this old favorite from 

 Java, blooming at all times of the 



year, large spikes of beautiful white 

 flowers spotted with crimson. I have 

 seen this plant in bloom ten months 

 out of the year. 



Vanda tricolor is similar to suavis, 

 of the same habit, and requires the 

 same treatment, only the flowers are 

 lemon yellow, with crimson spots, 

 purple and white lip, and last a very 

 long time. It also is a native of Java. 



MEXICAN ORCHIDS 



Leading species of Oncidiums, Lselias 



and Odontoglots for florists Will 



send collection of 12 plants, parcel 

 postpaid, for $5.00. 



j. A. MCDOWELL, 



Apartado167. CITY OF MEXICO. 



OTHONNA. 



The species crassifolia is worthy of 

 notice. Because of its succulent, fleshy 

 leaves it is one of our very best bas- 

 ket plants. It withstands the heat and 

 drying-out process which our hanging 

 baskets undergo better than almost 

 any of the plants we use for that pur- 

 pose. 



It is most easily increased by cut- 

 tings at any time of the year. A 

 rather light, sandy soil suits it best, 

 and when its pendant growth is any 

 length you should find some place for 

 it on a shelf. Don't give it a cold, 

 damp place in the greenhouse, but 

 keep it warm and growing, and you 

 can multiply it indefinitely, as the 

 small pieces of the stem will root any- 

 where. 



