1373. Maryland. Tlio stn 



Slllli- 



MARYLAND 



interest^j are on lines more or less distinct from those 

 outhe Eastern 81iore. Greater liarmonv obtains between 

 the conditions of the Eastern Shore and of Delaware ; 

 hence it niiturally follows that horticultural relations 

 between the Eastern Shore of Maryland and the state of 

 Delaware arecluser and more intimate in many respects 

 than those between the two 

 "shores" of Maryland, and 

 doubtless will remain su 

 unless counteracted by thr 

 establishment of an aetivi.' 

 and well-equipped sub sta- 

 tion on the Eastern Wliort^. 

 The entire peninsula, com- 

 prising Delaware's three, 

 Maryland's nine and Vir 

 ginia's two counties, should 

 properly constitute one 

 state, as nature seems to 

 have intended. If tliese 

 fourteen peninsula counties 

 were banded together by tht? 

 ties of statehood, and thus 

 governed solely by their 

 own citizens, it could nut dn 

 otiierwise tlian promote ami 

 accelerate the progress in 

 horticultural advancement, 

 and make it Vjy concentrated 

 art and practice what it is 

 by nature, America's Eden. 

 It is capable of supporting 

 a population ten times as 

 large as at present inhabits it, witli au i»\-i^i 

 cient to feed five times as many mure in the large 

 near-by cities with choice fruits and vegetables, easily 

 grown in endless variety. 



Maryland's metropolis, with its rapidly improving 

 facilities for distributing to other cities and towns, 

 affords much encouragement and gives impetus to all 

 horticultural operations. Baltimure market is the main 

 dependence of the Western Shore and western Mary- 

 land fruit-growers and truckers; while a huge share of 

 the horticultural pro<lucts of the Eastern Siiore, owiug 

 to convenient accessibility, are consigned to New York, 

 Philadelphia and Wilmington. The General Assembly 

 or Legislature of Maryland has never, until quite re- 

 cently, done anything to promote or protect, by appro- 

 priation or otiierwise, tiie great horticultural interests of 

 the state, while it has expended hundreds of thousands 

 of dollars to exploit and protect the oyster and tisb in- 

 dustries. The value of the small-fruit crop reaches into 

 millions of dollars annually. Add to this the i)eaches. 

 pears, apples, plums, cherries, etc — then couple to all 

 the vast volume of vegetable protJuction throughout the 

 state — grasp all this, and crowd it into the two words — 

 horticnlturiil /nferest.'<, and here are the data in the form 

 of unmanufactured material, and the nearest approach 

 to synthetical statistics that is available. That horti- 

 culture takes rank with the greatest industries of the 

 state is obvious to any unclouded comprehension. The 

 soil of fifteen of the twenty-three counties comprising 

 the commonwealth, reveals unmistakable evidence that 

 nature, in loving pride, planned a brilliant horticultural 

 destiny for them, holding out conspicuously, among 

 numerous other incentives, a climate promotive of 

 health, pleasure and prosperity. Violent extremes of 

 heat and cold, so troublesome, annoying, and even 

 disastrous in many other sections, are rarely if ever 

 esperienceil hern. Industrial evolution is steadily giving 

 trend toward higher development of horticulture in the 

 ^*^*e. j^ -^Y^ Kerr. 



MASDEVALLIA (Joseph Masdevall. a Spanish phv- 

 sician and botanist). Orchiddrea', tribe A'/)/(J''i)dr'^(f'. 

 Masdevallias are inhabitants of the American tropics. 

 There are more than 1.50 species, and various hybrids 

 and garden forms. They are not showy orchids, but are 

 odd and often grotesque. The petals are small and usu 

 ally hidden in the calyx-tube, but the '^ calyx lobes are 

 greatly developed and give character to the flower. Often 

 these lobes end in slender tails several inches long. Lip 

 of the corolla short, articulate with the base of t!ie 



MASDEVALLIA 



987 



winged or wingless column, in some species sensitive 

 Pollinia 2, without caulicles. The Masdevallias have no 

 pseudobulbs; the leaves are variable in size, oblong to 

 linear, thick, sheathing at the base; the peduncles bear 

 from 1-.) or more flowers. The species of the jV. rocrin. a 

 group are relatively simple in form, br.t ai'e usually priz. d 





'ng llu« si-t.s (jIT the liorlifullui'.'il rcgimis In llii- sonlli. 



fur their brilliant eolnrini,'. Those of the M. Cliiiihiru 

 Kr(JUpare reiuurkable tor their fantastic shapes. (Jf hile 

 years many new kinds liave been introduced, and the 

 Kenus is somewhat confused as to the specitie limits .jf 

 the various fm-ms, Masilevallias are poiymorphous, anil 

 herbarium specimens <lo not show specific characters 

 well. See "The LJenus .Masdevallia," by Florence H.Wni.l^ 

 ward (189111. " L. H. K. 



Masdevallias are found growing at high elevations, 

 ranging from li,000 to la.OUO feet above sea level, in 

 northtt-estern .South America and Central America, with 

 a few sparingly distributed elsewhere over tropical 

 America. These regions are generally subjected to twu 

 rainy seasons annually, often with very short intern)is- 

 sions. The atmosphere, though somewhat raritied, is 

 very humid, the temperature in the shade seldom risi]ig 

 abin-e (j.'i" v., and often dropping to 40'^ in some dis- 

 tricts. Heavy fogs are frequent, especially in the fore- 

 part of the day, and during the greater portion of the 

 year the under-vegetatiou is in a saturated condition: 

 the high winils prevalent in these districts, however, 

 c.unteract to a great extent any evil iutluence which 

 might otherwise arise fivuti it. 



The heat of our summer makes it quite impossible to 

 imitate wholly the above conditions, but with a proper 

 house, such as is afforded Odontoglossums of the cris- 

 |ium section, very satisfactory results may be obtaineil 

 and the many species will be found of comparativelv 

 easy culture. A low, well-ventilated, half-span house of 

 northern exposure, with an upright stone or brick wall 

 on the south side, is best adapted to them. The house 

 should be pj-ovided with canvas roll-shading, supported 

 on a framework elevated Lo or 18 inches al)ove the 

 glass in order that the cool air may pass freely beneath 

 it. Tliis will help to guai-d against solar heat during 

 summer. Houses built partly below ground are not to 

 be recomuu'uded, as the atmosphere soon becomes 

 stagnant and inactive, causing the leaves to fall pr<-- 

 maturely. Where it is convenient, solid beds are pref- 

 erable; benches, however, will answer the purpose very 

 well, and when used should be covered about 2 inches 

 (leep with sifted ashes, sand or gravel; the l»enches ami 

 tloors should be hosed down once or twice daily to af- 

 ford all the cool moisture possible. 



In winter the teinperature should range between oli^ 

 and 55° F. at night and about G0° during the day or ."j' 

 more on mild days, w^ith w'eak solar heat and ventilation. 

 -Artificial heat must be dispensed with as early in spring 

 as possilile, anil during summer the temperattire ke]>t 

 as low as the weather will ]iermit, ventilating freely, 



