288 



HENDEKSON'S HANDBOOK OF PLANTS 



ORC 



Phalcenopsis Stuartiana, Vanda ccerulea, Vanda 

 Sanderiana, Zygopetalum Mackayi. (For de- 

 scription of the various species, see Orchid 

 Catalogues.) 



" Of these the best suited for growing in pots 

 are, Cattleyas, Dendrobiums, and Odontoglos- 

 sums, all of which do well in coarse chopped 

 peat, the pots nearly filled with crocks ; Ccelo- 

 gyne and Lycaste, coarse, sandy peat, with 

 chopped, half-decayed leaves ; Cypripediums, 

 Phaius, and Zygopetalums in peat and loam, 

 and a little rotten manure ; Phalcenopsis, Van- 

 das, and Lcelias do well in baskets, pots, or 

 small pans, in chopped sphagnum ; the drain- 

 age must be perfect. Calanthes, chopped sods 

 of sandy loam, with not over-fine leaf mould. 

 The plants must be made steady with stakes 

 and copper wire. 



"The kinds suited to grow on bark or cork, 

 or other such material, are Cattleyas, Lcelias, 

 Phalcenopsis, Vandas, and Dendrobiums. These 

 all do well on blocks of cork, rafts, cylinders, 

 etc., with sphagnum or other moss ; but take 

 more care as they dry so quickly. A plant on 

 a block will take water twice a day ; the same 

 in a basket only once in two days. Blocks 

 can be hung overhead, and dipped twice a day 

 in hot, dry weather. 



" The temperature should be for such varie- 

 ties as Phalcenopsis, Vandas, Dendrobiums, and 

 Cypripediums, in winter, sixty to sixty-five 

 degrees at night, to seventy-five degrees by 

 day, with air; in summer, seventy degrees 

 at night, ninety or more degrees by day, with 

 plenty of air and ventilation at night. Cattleya, 

 Lcelia, Phaius, Calanthe, Ccelogyne, and Zygo- 

 petalum, in winter, fifty-five or sixty degrees 

 at night, seventy degrees with sun by day ; in 

 summer, sixty-five degrees at night, eighty- 

 five degrees by day, with plenty of air. Odonto- 

 glossums, in winter, fifty-five degrees at night, 

 sixty-five degrees by day; in summer, as 

 cool as they can be kept. All want abun- 

 dance of atmospheric moisture night and 

 day. 



"Some kinds, such as Phalcenopsis and Van- 

 das, grow at all seasons; Cypripediums, Cat- 

 tleyas, and Lcelias in spring; Calanthe, 

 Ccelogyne, Phaius, and Zygopetalums in sum- 

 mer. When any plant grows in winter 

 (except Odontoglossums) it should be placed in 

 a warm house. Odontoglossums do best at a 

 temperature of fifty-five to seventy degrees ; 

 never hotter, if possible. 



" Cattleya Trianice, Lcelia anceps, and Cypripe- 

 dium insigne bloom during the resting period, 

 which is from December to January. Pha- 

 lcenopsis and Vandas grow all the year ; and 

 during the short dark days of fall and winter 

 less food is given by withholding water. Cal- 

 anthe, Ccelogyne, and Phaius bloom with the 

 maturity of the growth, and lay dormant 

 until spring. 



' ' The best shading for an Orchid house, when 

 ground glass is not used, is canvas raised 

 eighteen inches above the roof ; or, if that is 

 not convenient, thin paint made of turpentine 

 and whitening, or white lead. Lay it on in 

 the middle of March and brush it off in the 

 middle of October. Ground glass is too dark 

 from October to March for plants, and nothing 

 does well with me under it in winter. I use 

 first quality clear French glass. When the 

 glass is shaded with canvas it should be done 

 from March to October from nine o'clock in 



OEG 



the morning to four o'clock in the afternoon, 

 except on cloudy days. 



"Orchids when grown by a florist to pay 

 would have to be grown in quantity, each 

 species with a house to itself; but when 

 grown by amateurs, of course nearly all 

 species are usually grown in one house. The 

 most of the twenty-four species named could 

 be had in flower from November to April. All 

 plants with a tendency to early maturity 

 should be placed at the warm end of the 

 house ; or in the fall, partition off the 

 space necessary at the warmer end for the 

 most forward. The plants would have to be 

 imported from the woods at first cost, when 

 grown to sell (established plants at present 

 prices would ba too expensive), and the flowers 

 sold cheap to become popular. Orchid-grow- 

 ing to-day, is where Ros^-growing was thirty- 

 five years ago. To sum up : In the cultivation 

 of Orchids all plants, when newly potted or 

 mounted, should be made firm, or wired, 

 otherwise, if the plants move by syringing, 

 or other cause, the rootlets will be destroyed. 

 The atmosphere of an Orchid house should 

 always be moist, winter and summer, in 

 winter allowing the pottery, cork, or other 

 material to become more dry. Light and air 

 are essential to vigorous growth, delug- 

 ing with water when in active growth, but 

 never closing top ventilation ; never having a 

 stagnant atmosphere ; gradually withholding 

 water as the growth approaches maturity, and 

 then only enough to keep them from shrivel- 

 ing. As to the time for repotting, the culti- 

 vator is guided by the commencement of 

 growth. Plants should always- be under- 

 potted as long as the plant is not top-heavy, 

 for such as Cattleyas, Lcelias, Dendrobiums, etc. 

 a top-dressing is often all that is needful. 

 Calanthe, Phaius, etc., are repotted annually. 



"Insects, such as thrips and aphis, are kept 

 under by filling the evaporated pans, or other 

 vessels, with chopped tobacco stems covered 

 with water. Slugs are kept down by placing 

 lettuce leaves, sliced potatoes or carrots 

 on the pots, which examine daily and destroy. 

 Roaches and water bugs may be killed by 

 mixing roach poison with molasses, and 

 placing it on oyster shells at convenient 

 points in the green-house. These same reme- 

 dies will be found effective against insects 

 attacking any kind of green-house plant." 



ORCHID FERTILIZATION. So much interest 

 has of late years been exhibited in this subject, 

 that we would refer the reader for informa- 

 tion on this as well as other important ques- 

 tions in Natural Science to Charles Darwin's 

 work "On the various Contrivances by which 

 British and Foreign Orchids are Fertilized by 

 Insects." This must always be a book of 

 reference to those who wish to understand 

 the very curious structures that adapt many 

 Orchids, in a very peculiar degree to benefit 

 by the visits of insects, while a smaller 

 number are adapted for self-fertilization 

 alone. 



ORCHID FLOWERS IN MOTION. Great 

 interest has lately been exhibited in the 

 motion of the beautifully fringed labellum of 

 Bulbophyllum barbigerum, the numerous long 

 hairs on whick keep continually in motion. 

 A correspondent of "Garden and Forest" 

 in mentioning it also says : 



' ' The singular little Masdevallia muscosa is, 



