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  AMERICAN 
  HOMES 
  AND 
  GARDENS 
  

  

  February, 
  1907 
  

  

  A 
  Group 
  of 
  Rare 
  Odontoglossums 
  

  

  A 
  Particularly 
  Fine 
  Specimen 
  of 
  Miltonia 
  Vescilaria 
  

  

  work 
  is 
  now 
  being 
  done 
  in 
  this 
  direction, 
  and 
  there 
  can 
  be 
  

   small 
  doubt 
  that 
  fine 
  forms 
  will 
  be 
  brought 
  to 
  light. 
  

  

  It 
  is 
  an 
  utter 
  impossibility 
  within 
  the 
  limits 
  of 
  a 
  descriptive 
  

   article 
  to 
  give 
  anything 
  more 
  than 
  the 
  most 
  general 
  hints 
  as 
  

   to 
  the 
  cultivation 
  of 
  such 
  an 
  immense 
  group 
  as 
  the 
  orchids. 
  

   In 
  a 
  broad 
  sense 
  the 
  general 
  treatment 
  should 
  consist 
  in 
  keep- 
  

   ing 
  up 
  the 
  periods 
  of 
  rest 
  and 
  activity 
  natural 
  to 
  each 
  variety, 
  

   and 
  rigidly 
  observing 
  these 
  whatever 
  the 
  plant 
  may 
  seem 
  

   inclined 
  to 
  do. 
  When 
  passing 
  into 
  its 
  dormant 
  condition 
  the 
  

   specimen 
  will 
  naturally 
  demand 
  a 
  great 
  slackening 
  in 
  the 
  

   water 
  supply 
  i 
  and 
  with 
  the 
  return 
  of 
  active 
  growth 
  the 
  amount 
  

   of 
  moisture 
  must 
  needs 
  be 
  increased. 
  The 
  beginner 
  is, 
  no 
  

   doubt, 
  wise 
  if 
  in 
  the 
  first 
  instance 
  he 
  accustoms 
  himself 
  to 
  the 
  

   growing 
  of 
  fully 
  established 
  specimens. 
  The 
  newly 
  imported 
  

  

  examples 
  call 
  for 
  a 
  considerable 
  amount 
  of 
  attention 
  if 
  they 
  

   are 
  to 
  be 
  successfully 
  started. 
  As 
  soon 
  as 
  received 
  all 
  old 
  

   leaves 
  must 
  be 
  removed 
  from 
  the 
  pseudobulbs, 
  and 
  the 
  plants 
  

   placed 
  just 
  as 
  they 
  are 
  in 
  the 
  shady 
  part 
  of 
  a 
  cool 
  house. 
  

   Here 
  they 
  should 
  be 
  allowed 
  to 
  remain 
  for 
  two 
  or 
  three 
  days, 
  

   the 
  atmospheric 
  moisture 
  being 
  all 
  sufficient 
  for 
  their 
  needs. 
  

   After 
  the 
  lapse 
  of 
  the 
  stated 
  period 
  the 
  plants 
  may 
  be 
  potted 
  

   and 
  nursed 
  until 
  they 
  start 
  into 
  growth. 
  Of 
  course 
  even 
  the 
  

   most 
  careful 
  grower 
  will 
  lose 
  a 
  number 
  of 
  his 
  plants 
  at 
  times, 
  

   and 
  one 
  can 
  in 
  nowise 
  be 
  sure 
  of 
  the 
  fate 
  of 
  a 
  specimen 
  until 
  

   it 
  has 
  been 
  fully 
  established. 
  Still, 
  orchids 
  are 
  such 
  eccen- 
  

   tric 
  things 
  that 
  the 
  amateur 
  often 
  rejoices 
  in 
  the 
  "beginner's 
  

   luck," 
  which 
  falls 
  to 
  his 
  share, 
  while 
  the 
  old 
  hand 
  is 
  mourning 
  

   the 
  loss 
  of 
  many 
  treasures. 
  

  

  The 
  Interior 
  Color 
  of 
  Walls 
  

  

  , 
  OLOR 
  is 
  the 
  quality 
  which 
  gives 
  agreeable- 
  

   ness 
  to 
  walls. 
  The 
  pattern 
  of 
  the 
  covering 
  

   material 
  is 
  a 
  matter 
  of 
  the 
  primest 
  impor- 
  

   tance; 
  but 
  a 
  good 
  pattern 
  may 
  be 
  ruined 
  by 
  

   a 
  bad 
  coloring. 
  The 
  importance 
  of 
  color 
  

   is, 
  therefore, 
  supreme. 
  It 
  is 
  not 
  only 
  the 
  

   first 
  step 
  toward 
  making 
  the 
  room 
  agree- 
  

   able, 
  but 
  it 
  is 
  the 
  decisive 
  step. 
  Once 
  fix 
  the 
  color 
  of 
  the 
  

   walls, 
  and 
  it 
  will 
  be 
  impossible 
  to 
  avoid 
  the 
  chosen 
  tint 
  if 
  an 
  

   harmonious 
  ensemble 
  is 
  to 
  be 
  obtained. 
  

  

  The 
  selection 
  of 
  the 
  colors 
  for 
  a 
  series 
  of 
  rooms 
  is 
  a 
  matter 
  

   dependent 
  on 
  many 
  circumstances. 
  Professional 
  decorators 
  

   are 
  apt 
  to 
  view 
  the 
  subject 
  by 
  rule 
  of 
  thumb, 
  and 
  glibly 
  give 
  

   advice 
  as 
  to 
  the 
  best 
  colors 
  to 
  use 
  in 
  north 
  rooms, 
  south 
  

   rooms, 
  well-lighted 
  rooms, 
  dark 
  rooms, 
  rooms 
  for 
  men 
  and 
  

   rooms 
  for 
  women. 
  For 
  one 
  who 
  has 
  no 
  idea 
  what 
  to 
  do 
  

   such 
  advice 
  is 
  very 
  heartening, 
  no 
  doubt, 
  but 
  it 
  entirely 
  

   ignores 
  the 
  personal 
  element 
  which, 
  after 
  all, 
  is 
  one 
  of 
  the 
  

   most 
  important 
  things 
  in 
  the 
  decoration 
  of 
  the 
  house. 
  

  

  One 
  good 
  general 
  rule 
  lays 
  at 
  the 
  foundation 
  of 
  all 
  in- 
  

   terior 
  color 
  schemes, 
  and 
  that 
  is 
  that 
  the 
  first 
  thing 
  to 
  be 
  con- 
  

   sidered 
  in 
  choosing 
  the 
  color 
  of 
  a 
  room 
  is 
  the 
  quantity 
  of 
  light 
  

   within 
  it. 
  Rooms 
  lighted 
  from 
  the 
  north, 
  for 
  example, 
  are 
  

   very 
  differently 
  lighted 
  than 
  those 
  facing 
  the 
  south, 
  even 
  if 
  

   the 
  amount 
  of 
  opening 
  surface 
  be 
  identical. 
  Warm, 
  bright 
  

   colors 
  are 
  suited 
  to 
  north 
  rooms, 
  cool 
  soft 
  tints 
  to 
  south 
  

   rooms. 
  That 
  is 
  to 
  say, 
  warm 
  reds, 
  golden 
  browns, 
  and 
  golds 
  

   are 
  colors 
  for 
  north 
  rooms, 
  while 
  blues, 
  water 
  greens, 
  and 
  

   silvery 
  hues 
  are 
  adapted 
  to 
  south 
  rooms. 
  The 
  whole 
  phi- 
  

  

  losophy 
  of 
  household 
  color 
  schemes 
  is 
  summed 
  up 
  in 
  these 
  

   differences. 
  

  

  Within 
  the 
  limitations 
  thus 
  set 
  there 
  is 
  wide 
  scope 
  for 
  indi- 
  

   vidual 
  treatment. 
  The 
  home 
  maker, 
  intent 
  on 
  arranging 
  her 
  

   color 
  schemes, 
  may 
  now 
  draw 
  on 
  her 
  individual 
  preferences 
  

   and 
  choose 
  the 
  colors 
  she 
  likes 
  best, 
  always 
  keeping 
  in 
  view 
  

   the 
  basic 
  conditions 
  set 
  by 
  the 
  quality 
  of 
  illumination. 
  If 
  

   one 
  is 
  completely 
  at 
  sea 
  — 
  and 
  a 
  good 
  color 
  sense 
  is 
  by 
  no 
  

   means 
  so 
  common 
  as 
  many 
  suppose 
  — 
  it 
  will 
  be 
  necessary 
  to 
  

   depend 
  on 
  professional 
  advice, 
  a 
  very 
  good 
  thing 
  in 
  itself, 
  

   but 
  its 
  following 
  takes 
  away 
  much 
  of 
  the 
  individuality 
  which 
  

   comes 
  from 
  personal 
  choice 
  and 
  direction. 
  The 
  color 
  of 
  a 
  

   wall, 
  however, 
  is 
  too 
  important 
  to 
  experiment 
  with, 
  for, 
  once 
  

   chosen, 
  it 
  is 
  apt 
  to 
  be 
  retained 
  until 
  the 
  end. 
  

  

  There 
  is 
  still 
  another 
  very 
  important 
  matter 
  to 
  be 
  con- 
  

   sidered, 
  and 
  that 
  is 
  the 
  relationship 
  of 
  the 
  colors 
  of 
  various 
  

   rooms 
  to 
  the 
  immediately 
  adjoining 
  apartments. 
  The 
  ten- 
  

   dency 
  of 
  the 
  modern 
  American 
  interior 
  is 
  to 
  be 
  as 
  open 
  as 
  

   possible, 
  the 
  rooms 
  often 
  not 
  separated 
  at 
  all, 
  but 
  connected 
  

   with 
  spacious 
  openings. 
  This 
  is 
  particularly 
  true 
  of 
  the 
  mod- 
  

   ern 
  hall 
  which 
  is 
  apt 
  to 
  be 
  a 
  central 
  apartment 
  into 
  which 
  all 
  

   the 
  others 
  open. 
  

  

  The 
  single 
  final 
  rule 
  to 
  be 
  observed 
  is 
  that 
  of 
  harmony, 
  ab- 
  

   solute, 
  general, 
  perfect. 
  There 
  must 
  be 
  no 
  discordant 
  notes. 
  

   There 
  must 
  be 
  no 
  clashing 
  of 
  tints 
  and 
  tones. 
  There 
  must 
  be 
  

   no 
  sudden 
  changes. 
  There 
  must, 
  in 
  short, 
  be 
  a 
  harmony 
  that 
  

   can 
  be 
  seen 
  and 
  be 
  felt. 
  It 
  is 
  impossible 
  to 
  generalize 
  far- 
  

   ther; 
  but 
  this, 
  the 
  most 
  difficult 
  task 
  of 
  all, 
  is 
  the 
  wall 
  deco- 
  

   rator's 
  supreme 
  test. 
  

  

  