February S, 1888. ] 
JOUE^^AL OF HORTICULTURE AND COTTAGE GARDENER. 
89 
of experiencing. The man who has no love for flowers or music, or who 
does not feel a thrill of satisfaction and an exaltation of the mind in 
contemplating a beautiful landscape, is a near approach to a souldess 
creature. 
But Orchids are more than mere luxuries, for they comprise some 
of the most useful plants that can be grown for durability of their 
flowers and decorative value. Take, for instance, such an old favourite 
as Dendrobium nobile, which stands unrivalled for beauty of flowers, 
floriferousncss, and ease of culture. Another old inhabitant of our 
houses, Cypripedium insigne, the flowers of which will last for weeks 
when cut, is a similar example. The graceful Calanthes of the Veitchi 
and vestita types are almost indisponsp.ble, together with the lovely Loslia 
autumnalis and L. anceps for winter use, while Lycaste Skinneri and 
a host of grand Cattleyas furnish floral charms that cannot be over¬ 
rated. Some of the crimson coloured Cattleyas .are now great favourites 
for table decoration, as under artificial light their marvellous colours 
are seen to perfection, possessing a richness that is quite unique in the 
floral world. For bouquets and buttonholes the exquisite Odontoglossum 
of the crispum type are general favourites, and the supplies of these 
now sent into the London flower market would have been considered 
extraordinary a few years ago. When market growers take a plant in 
hand it is certain that no fantastical qualities have caused them to do 
so, but it affords a proof that a demand exists which is difficult to 
satisfy. There are now hundreds of houses devoted to Odontoglossums, 
and in some extensive nurseries they may be seen i.n hundreds of 
thousands planted out in the side beds and watered with a hose, like 
bedding plants. 
This brings us to another part of the subject, which deserves a few 
observations—namely, 
ORCHID GEOWIHO. 
^ henever plants of any kind have j ust come into notice there has 
aiways been a tendency to exaggerate the difticulties attending their 
culture, and if one or two people become fairly successful they attained 
a proportionate degree of fame. 
In what might be termed the early days of modern horticulture there 
was not the same readiness to communicate for the general good the 
experience thus gained as there is as at the present time. Cultural 
secrets were often guarded as jealously as possible, and, as in a few very 
rare instances, they are even now. Happily, however, the horticultural 
press has ass.sted in dissipating such prejudices, and encouraging a true 
freemasonry amongst gardeners. Until quite recently the culture of 
Orchids was regarded as of exceptional difficulty, but many have helped 
to prove that such id as are completely erroneous, and the o ily danger 
now is that growers may go to the opposite extreme and become 
careless. 
The chief key to successful Orchid growing is close, thoughtful ob¬ 
servation, and the same key will be found an exceedingly useful one in 
every department of the gardener’s art whatever a man’s experience or 
position may be. General rules can be readily furnished, but the suc¬ 
cess or failure of their application must depend upon individual experi¬ 
ence, which will modify them according to the varying circumstances 
under which they may have to practise. I am familiar with many 
examples of able cultivators who have made considerable fame in one 
garden by their successful productions, but who, when removing to 
other localities have for a time completely failed in the culture of the 
plants they had made a special study, until they had become accus¬ 
tomed to the jieculiarities of their new situ.ation. In a somewhat 
similar way we find an Orchid or some other choice plant thriving in 
one garden, while perhaps in a neighbouring place it is never satisfactory. 
Even in the^ same establishment and in one house there are certain 
situations w’nich seem to suit some plants better than others, and which 
ean only be discovered by a man who takes a sincere interest in his 
work, and who watches his charges closely. 
. instance of this is afforded by the lovely Vanda cocrulea which 
is found in many gardens, but too seldom in its best condition, and as 
the result of his large experience Mr. B. S. Williams says that it is- 
most strange in its likings and dislikings, sometimes succeeding in a 
warm house sometimes in a cool one, and the only way when a place is 
found that appears to meet its requirements is to let it remain there. 
_ V e often wish that collectors and travellers who have such excep¬ 
tional adva,ntages for noting the local surroundings of Orchids in their 
native habitats would favour us with more particulars than they do. 
This could easily be accomplished without betraying the exact where¬ 
abouts to rival trade collectors, and it would be an immense assistance 
to cultivators at home, who often have to sacrifice some of their plants 
in experimental search for the right conditions to provide. 
In his most entertaining book of travels, “ The Himalayan Journals,” 
bir Joseph Hooker has given a very interesting reference to the plant 
just noted—viz., Vanda coerulea, which is worth repeating. It is as 
follovvs :—“Hear the village of Lernai Oak woods are passed in which 
anda cmrulea grows in profusion, waving its panicles of azure flowers 
in the wind. As this beautiful Orchid is at jiresent attracting great 
attention from its high price, beauty, and difficulty of culture, I shall 
point out how totally at variance with its native habits is the cultivation 
thought necessary for it in England. The dry grassy hills which it 
inhabits are elevated 3000 to 4000 feet: the trees are small, gnarled, and 
very sparingly leafy, so that the Vanda which grows on their limbs is 
fully exposed to sun, rain, and wind. There is no moss or lichen on the 
branches with the Vanda, whose roots sprawl over the dry rough bark. 
T he atmosphere is on the whole humid, and extremely so during the 
I’ains ; but there is no damp heat nor stagnation of the air, and at the 
flowering season the temperature ranges between 60° and 80°. There is 
much sunshine, and both air and bark are dry during the day. In July 
and August during the rains the temperature is a little higher than 
above, but in winter it i falls much lower, and hoar frost forms on the 
ground. Now this winter’s cold, summer’s heat, and autumn’s drought, 
and, above all, this constant free exposure to fresh air and the winds of 
heaven, arc what of all things we avoid exposing our Orchids to in 
England : it is under these conditions, however, that all the finer 
Orchideaj grow.” 
One evident requirement of Vanda coerulea is plenty of light, and 
Mr. J. Godseff, who has lately been travelling in the United States for 
Messrs. Sander & Co., tells me that he saw some hundreds of plants of 
this Vanda in the house at Mr. W. S. Kimball’s establishment, Rochester, 
New York, with a profusion of fine blue flowers such as are never seen 
in this country. Under a clearer sky the colours of most Orchid flowers 
are much more intense than here, and this is seen even in Belgium, and 
some well-known varieties or hybrids would be scarcely recognised as 
seen there, so much richer do the colours become. These facts point to 
the necessity of admitting all the light possible to plants grown in our 
thick atmosphere, but even this has led to extremes and bad results. 
Diffused light is what is required, and shading cannot be altogether 
dispensed with in the summer under any circumstances. Of course 
most Odontoglossums and other cool house Orchids always require pro¬ 
tection from the direct rays of powerful sun, but some experiments have 
been tried with Cattleyas and other tropical Orchids that have been 
rather discouraging to growers. I remember visiting a private collection 
of Orchids in the north of England a few years ago which contained 
some remarkably fine Cattleyas and Lmlias with leaves almost as hard 
as leather, of a dark bronzy green colour in some cases. The plants 
were exposed to an unusually free ventilation, and were very rarely 
shaded, indeed I believe for some time it was dispensed with altogether. 
The plants flowered in an astonishing manner, and during several 
seasons they came under my observation were extraordinary in that 
respect, but a short time afterwards they were sold, passing into the 
hands of several growers, and in my wanderings I have found them in 
widely separated gardens both north and south. All alike had found 
they were seriously defective in the number of roots, and some have 
since collapsed even under the best management. This rootless condi¬ 
tion might be attributed to several circumstances, but the most probable 
seems to be that the continual exposure to bright sun, combined with a 
very free ventilation, had necessitated such frequent and excessive 
supplies of water that the roots had been gradually destroyed. It seems 
strange to talk about giving an Orchid too much water, but it can be 
done under such conditions, and it is an atmosphere regularly charged 
with moisture that is chiefly required to meet the demands of the plants 
in the hottest weather, rather than frequently deluging the roots in the 
pots with water. Ventilation in suitable situations might be much 
more liberally provided than is usually the case with advantage, and a 
little morning and evening sun is beneficial also, but the results I have 
seen do not encourage the adoption of a generail system of non-shading. 
In the flowering of Orchids, which is apparently so greatly encouraged 
for a time under the system alieady described, there is also another point 
worth consideration. It is an extremely weakening pi-ocess, and small 
plants of anything choice should not be allowed to retain their flowers 
long, nor to expand many, or they are apt to terminate their existence 
rather abruptly, and it is not agreeable to see a few £5 or £10 notes 
vanish in this way., Phalmnopses in particular are very liable to flower 
abundantly for a year or two, which the delighted owner regards as a 
convincing proof of his cultural skill, and then they sink into a rapid 
decline, or dwindle for several jears before they recover. The fogs 
which play such havoc in town and suburban gardens save the lives of 
many weakling Phalrenopses by destroying the flowers which their owner 
cannot bring himself to voluntarily sacrifice. But with many Orchids 
the flowers last nearly as long when cut and place 1 in water as when 
remaining on the plants, and there is then no excuse for allowing them 
to suffer. There is another part of the subject to which I wish to 
devote a few remarks— i.c., 
ORCHID GROWERS. 
A week or two ago a writer contributed to one. of the gardening 
papers a letter containing an expression that is very much like a deli¬ 
berate slander. Referring to the constitution of the Floral Committee, 
he remarks concerning the orchidists that “ the bulk of these know 
little and care less about other flowers.” Either this writer knows very 
few orchidists, or his mind is clouded with very dense prejudice, and 
strangely enough in the same letter he pays a well deserved compliment 
to one of the best examples that could be adduced in controverting his 
statement—viz., Mr. James ,Douglas. 1 have a wide circle of Orchid- 
growing friends and acquaintances, and respecting nine-tenths of them 
that assertion is absolutely without fonndation. There has alw.ays 
been an ignorant prejudice again.st specialists of all kinds, and it is only 
the advancing knowledge of the present time, with the corresponding 
development of wider views that is di.ssipating this. Young men would 
do well to remember the aphorism, “ Know something of everything and 
everything of something.” It is advantageous, indeed essential, to have 
as wide a general knowledge as possible, but to give any man a chance 
of excelling in these days he must descend to the minute details in some 
one study or branch of his business and become a specialist. This is 
necessary, not only for individuals, but for the benefit of society, as it 
requires a life’s study to masier any particular subject now ; the accu¬ 
mulated knowledge of centuries has often to be analysed before a 
