﻿February, 
  1907 
  

  

  AMERICAN 
  HOMES 
  AND 
  GARDENS 
  

  

  73 
  

  

  The 
  Cult 
  of 
  the 
  Orchid 
  

  

  By 
  S. 
  Leonard 
  Bastin 
  

  

  HERE 
  is 
  surely 
  nothing 
  in 
  the 
  world's 
  his- 
  

   tory 
  which 
  will 
  quite 
  compare 
  with 
  the 
  or- 
  

   chid 
  rage, 
  which 
  has 
  taken 
  gardening 
  circles 
  

   by 
  storm 
  at 
  the 
  present 
  time. 
  Only 
  the 
  tulip 
  

   craze 
  in 
  Holland 
  surpassed 
  the 
  present 
  

   craze; 
  but 
  we 
  may 
  question 
  if 
  there 
  was 
  not 
  

   more 
  sordid 
  money 
  making 
  at 
  the 
  bottom 
  

   pi 
  that 
  historic 
  movement 
  than 
  wholesome 
  love 
  of 
  tulip 
  grow- 
  

   ing. 
  But 
  the 
  orchid 
  has 
  not 
  always 
  enslaved 
  the 
  hearts 
  of 
  men; 
  

   fifty 
  years 
  ago 
  the 
  great 
  family 
  had 
  not 
  attracted 
  any 
  large 
  

   amount 
  of 
  attention, 
  and, 
  comparatively 
  speaking, 
  few 
  of 
  

   the 
  varieties 
  then 
  known 
  were 
  in 
  general 
  cultivation. 
  Now 
  all 
  

   this 
  is 
  altered 
  and 
  the 
  corners 
  of 
  the 
  earth 
  are 
  being 
  ransacked 
  

   for 
  new 
  species 
  to 
  satisfy 
  the 
  cravings 
  of 
  the 
  great 
  collectors. 
  

   After 
  all 
  it 
  is 
  no 
  matter 
  for 
  great 
  surprise 
  that 
  orchids 
  

   have 
  come 
  into 
  their 
  present 
  position 
  in 
  the 
  popular 
  regard. 
  

   There 
  is 
  some 
  subtle 
  fascination 
  about 
  the 
  whole 
  group 
  which 
  

   almost 
  every 
  one 
  feels. 
  To 
  begin 
  with, 
  their 
  habits 
  as 
  plants 
  

   are 
  quite 
  unlike 
  any 
  other 
  members 
  of 
  the 
  vegetable 
  kingdom. 
  

   They 
  are 
  found 
  growing 
  in 
  all 
  sorts 
  of 
  strange 
  ways, 
  and 
  

   under 
  a 
  host 
  of 
  different 
  conditions. 
  Indeed 
  it 
  would 
  be 
  safe 
  

   to 
  say 
  that 
  there 
  is 
  no 
  group 
  of 
  plants 
  more 
  widely 
  dis- 
  

  

  tributed. 
  And 
  when 
  one 
  comes 
  to 
  orchid 
  blossoms, 
  they 
  

   simply 
  pass 
  the 
  bounds 
  of 
  the 
  wildest 
  imagination 
  in 
  the 
  char- 
  

   acter 
  of 
  their 
  colorings 
  and 
  designs. 
  It 
  would 
  be 
  useless 
  to 
  

   attempt 
  to 
  describe 
  the 
  extraordinary 
  beauty 
  of 
  form 
  in 
  some 
  

   varieties, 
  the 
  exquisite 
  tinting 
  of 
  others, 
  and 
  the 
  grotesque 
  

   and 
  quaint 
  designs 
  exhibited 
  in 
  such 
  a 
  number. 
  

  

  The 
  fact 
  that, 
  generally 
  speaking, 
  it 
  is 
  not 
  an 
  easy 
  plant 
  to 
  

   grow, 
  has 
  only 
  seemed 
  to 
  add 
  to 
  the 
  popularity 
  of 
  the 
  orchid. 
  

   True, 
  some 
  species 
  are 
  very 
  much 
  more 
  accommodating 
  than 
  

   others, 
  and 
  are 
  amenable 
  to 
  simple 
  treatment; 
  others, 
  with 
  

   the 
  care 
  which 
  any 
  lover 
  of 
  plants 
  will 
  gladly 
  accord, 
  may 
  be 
  

   grown 
  with 
  considerable 
  success, 
  while 
  yet 
  again, 
  a 
  certain 
  

   number 
  should 
  be 
  undertaken 
  only 
  if 
  one 
  is 
  sure 
  that 
  the 
  

   right 
  conditions 
  can 
  be 
  fully 
  supplied. 
  In 
  the 
  last 
  category 
  

   may 
  be 
  included 
  the 
  epiphytal 
  species, 
  which 
  do 
  not 
  root 
  in 
  

   soil, 
  but 
  flourish 
  on 
  tree 
  trunks 
  in 
  the 
  hot, 
  damp 
  atmosphere 
  

   of 
  the 
  tropical 
  forests. 
  To 
  imitate 
  these 
  conditions 
  a 
  specially 
  

   equipped 
  glasshouse 
  is 
  absolutely 
  essential, 
  and, 
  even 
  with 
  

   the 
  advantage 
  of 
  every 
  conceivable 
  appliance, 
  there 
  are 
  in- 
  

   stances 
  on 
  record 
  in 
  which 
  for 
  some 
  reason 
  or 
  other 
  there 
  has 
  

   been 
  poor 
  success. 
  Not 
  that 
  one 
  would 
  for 
  a 
  moment 
  wish 
  

   to 
  discourage 
  the 
  small 
  grower, 
  or 
  drive 
  the 
  amateur 
  with 
  

  

  A 
  Beautiful 
  Spotted 
  Variety 
  of 
  Odontoglossum 
  Crispum 
  

  

  A 
  Fine 
  Pink 
  Orchid 
  Worth 
  About 
  One 
  Hundred 
  and 
  Fifty 
  Dollars 
  

  

  