OCTOBRB 11, 1906. 



ThcWcckly Florists* Review. 



J32? 



dttleya Mouke. 



This floriferous orchid may be obtained 

 in quantity at a low figure. Its graceful 

 spikes lend themselves to artistic treat- 

 ment. It should be grown in a moder- 

 ately cool house, on the benches. A lit- 

 tle leaf-mold added to the peat would 

 benefit this species, as its free-flowering 

 propensities rapidly weaken the plants. 



Cypripediunu. 



Among the many cypripediums, only 

 one is suitable for the trade. This is 

 C. insigne, which blooms just after the 

 chrysanthemum season. This is a good 

 Christmas flower. It must be given 

 bench-room, but otherwise treated as 

 other orchids. It is a mistake to try to 

 grow the plant in leaf soil. 



The Phalaenoptes. 



The most beautiful of all orchids, the 

 phalsenopses, Schilleriana, the pink, and 

 amabilis and its large-flowered variety, 

 Bimesteadiana, the whites, would un- 

 doubtedly command good prices and at- 

 tract much attention if they were more 

 successfully cultivated. The phaleenopses 

 are not really difficult to raise and are 

 extremely prolific. They require a high 

 temperature and should not be disturbed 

 at the roots any more than is absolutely 

 necessary. If they are grown in shallow, 

 broad baskets, in extra select soft orchid 

 peat, and given a moist atmosphere, with 

 no draughts, and a rather strong but 

 subdued light, there should be no diffi- 

 culty in attaining complete success. The 

 plants should be hung not more than one 

 foot from the glass. 



The broad roots cling with such ten- 

 acity to the pan or basket that it is 

 almost impossible to separate them with 

 success. Therefore, it is better to place 

 them in broad, shallow baskets, which can 

 be built up each year, if necessary, to ac- 

 commodate the growing plants. Before 

 the growing season, and just after the 

 moderate rest, which the phalsenopses re- 

 quire, it is well to carefully remove all 

 the old peat and dead roots, washing 

 out, with a small, strong si ream from a 

 hose, all the old material. Allow the 

 plants to dry and then stuff carefully 

 with the best peat obtainable. It is 

 also well to place a wad of sphagnum 

 on the surface (not all over, m it often 

 induces a growth of algee) to act as an 

 indicator to make sure that the plants 

 have sufficient water durio^ the growing 

 season. The whitish appearaqce of the 



sphagnum will quickly indicate the dry 

 condition. 



Cttltfire and the Future. 



]^any more might be added to this 

 list of commercial orchids, but a suffi- 

 oienrt number have been enumerated to 

 supply flowers at almost every season of 

 the y«ar. It also is easy to obtain speci- 

 fic directions for the culture of each 

 species, but common-sense, coupled with 

 a little knowledge of the condition un- 

 der which the plants grow in a state of 

 nature, will soon be the sole guide for 

 the successful orchid grower. 



The orchid has come to stay and the 

 heavy demands of recent years have 

 made such inroads upon the natural sup- 

 ply that it will not be many years before 

 we will be unable to obtain the large- 

 flowering orchids from the tropics. But 

 there always will be a good supply of 

 hybrids, which each year are getting to 

 be cheaper and which will soon be within 

 easy reach of the progressive florist. 

 The chief value of the hybrid lies in the 

 fact that it blooms, in many cases, sev- 

 eral times each year, and therefore re- 

 quires a much shorter, if any, season of 

 rest. 



In conclusion it is the opinion of the 

 writer that the chief reason why orchids 

 are barred from culture by most florists 

 lies in the fear of failure, and not be- 

 cause they do not desire to have the 

 prestige which a window full of orchids 

 would bring them. The remarkable fact 

 about the orchid trade is that it has de- 

 veloped in spite of the opposition it has 

 encountered, and the record of the past 

 few years shows that it will not be long 

 before orchids will be considered as 

 staple as the commoner flowers of the 

 day . George E. McCluke. 



A GOOD BOUVARDIA. 



Bouvardia Humboldtii corymbiflora is 

 one of the few fragrant members of the 

 bouvardia family. Although it has been 

 in cultivation over thirty years, it is 

 rarely seen in either private or trade 

 collections. It is, however, coming back 

 into publicity, like many other old and 

 half-forgotten plants. It comes into 

 flower earlier than the other members of 

 the family, blooming continuously from 

 August until November. Its large. 





* JL. >» 





PhalaenopsU Schilleriana. 



.._.^ ^-^^^-j^ 



