281 
JOURNAL OF HORTICULTURE AND COTTAGE GARDENER. 
r April 3, 1890, 
useful kinds suitable for home decoration. That selection is no easy 
matter becomes apparent when we call to mind the great number of 
Orchids now known, numbering, according to different authorities, 
from 3000 to GOOO species. 
By “ popular Orchids ” I mean those that are most appreciated by 
the general public, admired for the beauty or fragrance of their flowers 
alone, and not for their money value. The high prices realised by 
some of the varieties that have appeared amongst imported plants have 
helped, to a large extent, to draw the attention of plant lovers to this 
quaint and varied family. And it is curious to notice that once the 
attention is drawn to Orchids, and their beautiful and curious flowers 
are examined, the more one sees of them the greater is the desire to 
know more about them. Whether this may be owing to the diverse shape 
and size of some of the flowers, to the rich and various colours to be found 
amongst them, or the delicious perfumes given off by some of the 
flowers, or all combined, I am not prepared to say ; but certain it is 
there is a great fascination in Orchid flowers and in Orchid growing, 
and the passion expands as though destined to become universal. In 
no class of plants do we And mimicry carried to a greater extent than 
in Orchids. Here we may see rude representations of the bee, the butter¬ 
fly, the dove, the swan, beetles and flies, and even man himself is not 
omitted from the range of resemblances. 
In colour the most fastidious in taste can be pleased, as nearly all 
colours and shades are to be met with in Orchid flowers. The perfume 
of the flowers is varied; in some species it is most pleasing, and in 
others so strong—or, as some people I know put it, so offensive—that it 
is best inhaled at a distance. When we consider we have all those 
advantages combined in one class of plant, it is not surprising to find 
that their culture is increasing year by year by “ leaps and bounds,” as 
their treatment and requirements become better understood. 
We often hear it said we “ kill our favourites with kindness.” In no 
class of plants does this apply with more force than with Orchids. 
There have been more Orchids killed by attempting to grow them in a 
too hot and dry atmosphere than all other causes combined. This, to a 
large extent, may be the fault of the plant collector in the first place, 
who may find some plants in a tropical country, and in sending them 
home forget to say they were found growing so many thousand feet up 
on a mountain side, in a cool and moist temperature, or whether they 
were found growing in the valley below, where the atmosphere was 
both hotter and drier. This, unfortunately, may be considered one of 
“ the secrets of the trade,” to prevent other collectors discovering the 
locality where certain species or varieties are to be found. Whatever 
may be said to the contrary, I consider that to know the native 
habitat of a plant and its surroundings must be a guide to a certain 
extent to its successful cultivation, although it would not always 
be correct to conclude that the conditions were everything the 
plant desired, but rather the conditions were the best to be had under 
the circumstances. 
When the cultivator has no reliable information of a plant’s natural 
habitat to guide him in its culture on its first introduction, often many 
plants are lost until a mode .of treatment is found under which they 
will grow and thrive. But we are living in an age of rapid progress, 
and let me say, to the credit of gardeners generally, that when once 
they discover the cultural requirements of any plant that has been 
found diSicult to establish and grow, there are few amongst them but 
would let it be known for the benefit of their fellow workers. Possibly 
in no other class of men will you find this kind and friendly spirit so 
freely carried out as you will amongst gardeners. With this friendly 
spirit so prevalent, and with the aid of the horticultural press, any' 
diflSculty in plant growing once understood and explained, soon the 
information spreads throughout the length and breadth of the lani, and 
all are benefited by the publicity. 
The cultivation of Orchids in private gardens is often carried on 
under great difficulties, either as regards the houses they have to be 
grown in not being of suitable construction, or having to grow them 
along with other plants. Yet we often meet with examples of success¬ 
ful culture where Orchids have to be grown with a miscellaneous col¬ 
lection of stove plants, and many of the grand collections of Orchids 
now to be met with throughout the country were first started in this 
way. Where Orchids have to be grown with other stove or intermediate 
house plants, as we often find them in places where there are no houses 
devoted entirely to their culture, it will be found advisable to keep the 
plants as well up to the light as possible, and away from the dry air 
coming direct from the hot-water pipes. It will be found that growing 
the plants in baskets suspended from the roof of the house, where the 
house is large and the plants would be a considerable distance away 
from the glass if left on the stage, is one of the best ways to obtain 
satisfactory results. Most of the epiphytal Orchids will be found 
amenable to this treatment, and where the house is lofty it is surprising- 
what can be done to add to its attraction in this way. Where the planta 
are kept near the glass as here recommended, it will be found that they 
will grow better and bloom more freely than plants grown further from 
the light, and with more substance in the flowers, consequently lasting 
a longer time in perfection. 
If it is desirable to grow the Orchids in pots on the stage amongst 
other plants, and the stage of the house is made with the usual wooden 
battens, and the hot-water pipes underneath, it will be found a great 
advantage to fill in the open spaces, and cover with shell shingle, broken 
coke, or ashes, to retain the moisture amongst the plants when neces¬ 
sary, as will be the case during their growing season and the hot summer 
months. 
Where Orchids are grown in quantity it will be necessary and of the 
utmost importance to have suitable houses, and the small span-roofed 
house running east and west has been found the most adapted for their 
requirements. For the culture of what are termed cool-housd Orchids, 
a house not exceeding 12 feet wide will be found the most convenient, 
just allowing room for a path down the centre of the house, and side 
stages from 3 to 4 feet wide on either side. Some horticultural builders- 
have adopted the system of double stages, but where water tanks are 
formed the length of the house on both sides the double stages are not 
at all necessary. For cool-house Orchids I would strongly recommend 
the formation of those tanks. It is not necessary they should be more 
than a few inches deep, with perhaps a deeper part about the middle of 
the house, to allow the dipping of a can for watering purposes. I ans 
strongly in favour of the shallow tanks in preference to deeper ones, as- 
they are more readily cleaned out. The stages should be kept well up 
to the light, yet leaving room for the plants to be stood on inverted pots, 
as this allows more room for using the syringe freely amongst the plants 
iu damping down. 
In the heating arrangements of the house there should be sufficient 
hot water to keep up the necessary temperature without having the- 
pipes too hot. The ventilation of the house should be ample ; there 
should be means of admitting plenty of air opposite the hot-water 
pipes, as well as at the ridge of the house. The question of air is a 
most important one in Orchid growing. To be a successful cultivator 
it will be found beneficial to have a plentiful circulation of fresh air 
amongst the plants, even when it is necessary to apply a little more 
fire heat to keep up the required temperature. I do not go so far as to- 
advocate, as some growers do, the admission of cold air even when it is- 
freezing sharp. I do not believe that air admitted under such circum¬ 
stances is beneficial to the plants, but rather otherwise. If air is ad¬ 
mitted at all other times the plants will suffer no ill effects by the house 
being closed at night during frosty weather. Again, in the neighbour¬ 
hood of London, where fogs are so prevalent, a sharp look-out will 
have to be kept to guard against them finding an easy entrance into- 
the houses. The houses should be closed on its first appearance, other¬ 
wise the effect of a dense fog will be most disastrous to the flowers and 
flower buds, causing them to wither up and drop wholesale. Som& 
species are found more liable to the injurious effects of the fogs than 
others. The Phalaenopsis, Calanthes, Dendrobiums, Lrnlias, and Onci- 
diums flowering during the autumn and winter months suffer to a larger 
extent than perhaps any other genera. 
Let us now turn our attention to the house just described, and see 
what may be done with it. Having agreed to adopt a minimum winter 
temperature of 50° to 55°, with a proportionate rise with sun heat 
during the day, and a minimum summer temperature of 60°, with the 
corresponding rise in the daytime, we will have a house in which a 
great many of the most beautiful of our popular Orchids may be suc¬ 
cessfully grown. 
Odontoglossttms. —Coming first on the list of popular Orchids- 
would be Odontoglossum crispum (perhaps better known as 0. Alex¬ 
andra), one of the most beautiful and useful of Orchids. This, along- 
with its other varieties, will always form a very attractive feature in the- 
house, for wherever a quantity of it is grown the house will seldom be- 
without some plants in flower. Other Odontoglossums that would find 
a place amongst popular Orchids would be Andersonianum, Cervantesi, 
Chestertoni, cirrhosum, citrosmum, Edwardi, gloriosum, grande, Halli, 
Insleayi, and its varieties, splendens and leopardinum, luteo-purpu- 
reum, maculatum, Qirstedi, Pescatorei, Phalsenopsis, pulchellum, Kossi 
majus, triumphans, and vexillarium (this last at the warm end of the 
house). 
Of Cypkipediums, Boxalli, barbatum and its lovely varieties, Harris- 
