Marrli, 191 3- 1 
THK ORCHID WORLD. 
133 
ORCHIDS: THEIR POPULARITY AND CULTURE. 
THE Bath Gardeners' Mutual Improve- 
ment Association had the pleasure, on 
February 13th, of hearing Mr. H. G. 
Alexander give a lecture on " Orchids -. Their 
Popularity and Culture." The following are 
some of the principal points touched upon by 
the lecturer : — 
In the early days, Orchids, as soon as 
received, were consigned into houses wherein 
a hot, steamy atmosphere without ventilation 
was maintained at all times, a method 
adopted to imitate the damp, close jungle in 
which all tropical Orchids were then supposed 
to have their home. It was towards the 
middle of the nineteenth century v^'hen a 
change of system in growing Orchids was 
brought about by cultivators, who, grasping 
the truth that more attention should be paid 
than hitherto to the climatic conditions under 
which the plants grow at the various altitudes 
in the Tropics, altered their cultural treatment 
accordingly, and kept a more reasonable 
temperature by admitting fresh air into the 
houses. 
There is no branch of modern horticulture 
that exhibits such wonderful progress as that 
of the cultivation of Orchids. Their popu- 
larity to-day IS greater than any other class of 
plants that require to be grown under glass. 
It is by no means necessary to have a com- 
plete range of greenhouses before embarking 
on their culture. True it is that numerous 
structures, with their various atmospheres and 
temperatures, may be necessary for the man 
who grows a thoroughly representative collec- 
tion of the family, but, as many of the plants 
requiring this extreme treatment are more 
curious than beautiful, it will readily be seen 
that such elaborate preparations are not really 
necessary. Anyone wishing to add grace to 
the ordinary run of greenhouse plants will 
find one or two houses amply sufficient 
to successfully grow a very large and 
representative collection of beautiful Orchids. 
If only one house is devoted to their 
culture, the amateur would be well advised in 
keeping this at an intermediate temperature, 
that is, a minimum winter temperature of 
50 to 55 degrees at night, and 55 to 60 degrees 
by day ; these figures to rise in summer 
5 degrees by artificial heat, and up to 
80 degrees when the sun is bright. In this 
house it is possible to grow a great variety of 
Orchids, including some of the showiest and 
most beautiful kinds in existence. Cattleyas, 
Laslias, and their numerous hybrids, are a 
host in themselves, keeping up a succession of 
gorgeous flowers the whole year through. 
Dendrobiums of many beautiful kinds may 
also be included, leaving out such kinds as 
any that require the strongest heat. The 
beautiful blue Orchid, Vanda coerulea, and 
that other lovely autumn-flowering kind, 
Vanda Kimballiana, will both make them- 
selves at home in this temperature. Cypri- 
pediums are, perhaps, amongst the most 
useful Orchids under cultivation. In short, 
there is no lack of beautiful and easily-grown 
Orchids, be it for the cool, intermediate, or 
warm house. In contrast to the very high 
price paid for novelties is the very cheap rate 
at which these popular species and hybrids 
can now be obtained. 
Taking into consideration the nature and 
general character of Orchids, especially the 
epiphytic species, one does not wonder that to 
master the essentials of their successful culti- 
vation a longer time is required than is the 
case with other plants. Growers fail to 
recognise the treatment necessary to enable 
them to keep their plants in a thriving state 
for an indefinite period. It does not require 
more than an ordinary acquaintance with 
Orchids to see by the character of their 
growth that Nature has made a special pro- 
vision for their continual existence. In the 
bulbous species the roots which nourish the 
plant are confined to the newly-made pseudo- 
bulbs, while the roots of the back bulbs die 
after a lapse of time, but the better the 
cultivation the slower the decay. 
In the bulbless species, Vandas, etc., the 
natural provision for their existence is equally 
apparent. The lower part of the stems, after 
the leaves and roots they produced are 
decayed, die gradually upwards, but the upper 
