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1160 



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The Weekly FIoHste* Rfeviiw. 



Mabch 7, 1907. 



the summer, under the same conditions, 

 I water it then. I have found it a good 

 rule, not only with orchids, but also with 

 the other plants. Of course, weather con- 

 ditions have a great deal to do with the 

 amount of water needed. In the summer- 

 time with outdoor plants and good drain- 

 age tuere is not much fear of overwater- 

 ing, twice a day not being too much for 

 established plants or plants in baskets or 

 blocks. Of course newly potted or im- 

 ported plants would not require it so 

 heavy until they commence to grow 

 freely. 



Resting;. 



Resting is also important with many 

 varieties, especially cattleyas, Iselias and 

 dendrobiums, also some varieties of the 

 oncidium. When a plant has about fin- 

 ished its growth is the time to reduce 

 the watering by degrees until you give 

 just enough to keep the bulbs plump. 

 Keep them in that condition until they 

 commence to show flower, when they 

 require a little more water; but never 

 get them soaked or the buds are liable 

 to turn yellow and fall before opening. 

 Especially with a low temperature after 

 flowering they generally commence to 

 grow, and this is a good time to pot them 

 or change them in any way needed. 



General Management. 



As we cannot grow any of the cool 

 orchids in the southern climate, we need 



should be much moister and needs less 

 ventilation. This class, most of them 

 not having bulbs, cannot be allowed to 

 become dry or they will lose their foli- 

 age, except dendrobiums, which may be 

 wintered in the same house as cattleyas, 

 as they require about the same treatment 

 while resting. 



The American varieties do better out- 

 doors under slat shades from the first 

 part of April until they have completed 

 their growth, when they must be brought 

 under cover, as a wet season would 

 start them into growth again. I have 

 not .given the East Indian varieties a 

 thorough trial outdoors during the sum- 

 mer months; but with most of the vari- 

 eties we can make more growth in one 

 year than they can in the north in two 

 without interfering with their bloom- 

 ing. 



List of Varieties. 



Cattleya Trianse, from Colombia, is 

 considered one of the best varieties for 

 florists' use, being one of the easiest 

 to grow, varies in color from pure white 

 to deep rose, and blooms here from No- 

 vember to April and sometimes twice. 



Cattleya Mendelli, from Colombia, 

 about the same color, somewhat larger, 

 and blooms a little later than C. Tri- 

 anae. 



Cattleya Mossia?, Venezuela, varies 

 much in size and color, some varieties 

 being almost double the size of others. 



Store of the Schoen Floral Co., Toledo, O. 



only to divide them into two houses, one 

 for the East Indian varieties and the 

 other for the American varieties. There 

 need be little difference in the tempera- 

 ture of the two, but the one for the 

 East Indian varieties, such as the cypri- 

 pedium, phalacnopsis and dendrobium, 



Blooms after C. Mendelli. A good vari 

 ety of C. Mossia) is hard to beat. 



Cattleya gigas, Colombia, is the larg- 

 est flowering variety, and in its native 

 country is one of the freest bloomers, 

 having as many as seven flowers on a 

 single spike; but under cultivation it 



is not often seen in this condition. By 

 iffrowing it in pans or baskets hung 

 r 'Close to the glass and given a little more 



heat, it will bloom quite freely during 



July and August. 



Cattleya labiata, Brazil, is the best 

 for autumn flowers and an easy one to 

 manage; while not so fine a variety as 

 some, it comes in when flowers are 

 scarce, and should be grown on that ac- 

 count. 



Cattleya Percivaliana is considered a 

 small variety of C. Mossise, with a shade 

 darker Up, and is' the latest of the large- 

 flowering cattleyas to bloom. 



Cattleya Skinneri, Central America, is 

 the best of the smaller flowering cat- 

 tleyas; blooms in the spring, is of a 

 deep rose color, and bears as many as 

 eighteen flowers on a spike. 



Lselia purpurata, Brazil, is a fine va- 

 riety, blooming in the summer months, 

 but is becoming scarce. 



Lselia anceps, Mexico, and its many 

 varieties, is easy to grow; blooms in the 

 fall with long spikes, which makes it 

 always useful in any kind of work or 

 decorations; in color from pure white 

 to deep rose. 



Phaleenopsis amabilis, Philippine is- 

 lands, is one of the finest orchids to 

 grow in this section, bearing large 

 spikes of almost pure white flowers in 

 the spring months, when they are always 

 in demand. It is considered rather hard 

 to manage, and, as it comes from a hot 

 climate, is grown too close and confined 

 in the attempt to keep up the tempera- 

 ture, especially in the winter time, where 

 much fire heat is required. But here we 

 have plants which only receive fire heat 

 a few times during the winter, the tem- 

 perature often going below 45 degrees, 

 and still these plants do not seem to 

 suffer in the least. They are grown in 

 an open house all the time, where every- 

 * thing is left open night and day, ex- 

 cept when there is fear of a frost; and 

 they have been grown that way for 

 years. 



Phalaenopsis Schilleriana, from the 

 same country as the last, is a stronger 

 grower, bearing a spike with as high as 

 100 flowers at one time; color, from pale 

 to dark pink. 



Vanda cserulea, northern India, is one 

 of the few blue orchids, varying from 

 light to dark blue. It is always salable. 



Dendrobium nobile, India, is one of 

 the oldest varieties, easy to grow and 

 flower. 



Dendrobium Wardianum, Burmah, is 

 also an old favorite. 



Dendrobium Phalsenopsis, New Guin- 

 ea, is one of the best for cut flowers, 

 giving spikes sometimes two feet long, 

 with from twenty to twenty-four flowers 

 of various shades of pink, and lasts a 

 long time in bloom. 



Dendrobium formosum, Burmah, is a 

 good one to grow, bearing white flow- 

 ers which are much used for bridal bou- 

 quets. 



Odontoglossum citrosmum, Mexico, is 

 about the only one of this class we can 

 manage here; should be given the same 

 treatment as Lselia anceps, and gives 

 long spikes of light pink flowers. 



Oncidium crispum, O. spendidium and 

 O. varicosum are three good varieties 

 to grow, bearing long spikes of yellow 

 or spotted flowers which are fine in deco- 

 rations. 



There are, of course, many others 

 which may be grown, but I think this 

 list will give as good results as a larger 

 one. 



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