COOL-HOUSE ORCHIDS. 
A GREAT many of our amateur horticulturists would 
be a little startled at the idea of growing Orchids for 
their own delectation ; many who grow Dracaenas, 
Palms, and other greenhouse plants successfully, fear 
to attempt this class. Really, there is no difficulty in 
the way ; only the usual rules for health in plants or 
their owners should be observed. The rooms should be 
well-ventilated, the air rather moist, and the tempera¬ 
ture moderate, from 60° to 70°. Of course, these rules 
do not apply to Orchids from the hot, moist jungles of 
Many of the Mexican epiphytes may be grown in an 
ordinary room, being fastened to wooden blocks, and 
hung up in the window. They are nearly all subject to 
a period of rest, taking place during the dry summer 
months. One of the prettiest families of cool-house 
Orchids is that of Odontoglossum. Some members of 
the tribe are air-plants, others terrestrial, all ever¬ 
green, throwing out their leaves from short bulbs. 
They are natives of Mexico and South America, some 
of them growing at a considerable elevation. The 
Odontoglossum Cirrhosum. 
the tropics, with which we have nothing to do in the 
present paper. Excessive heat or impure air will affect 
any plants ordinarily used in house decoration, just as 
it will affect the plant’s owner. I am often called upon 
to prescribe for some delicate, spindling little plants, 
when the poor things were really suffering from 
anemia, just like human beings, and all they re¬ 
quired was fresh air and plenty of sunlight. Of course, 
some of the Orchids which may be grown in a room 
are costly, compared with other plants, but many lovely 
varieties are within the reach of a moderate purse. 
And I may truthfully say this—there is no more fasci¬ 
nating class of plants in existence, and a taste for them 
once acquired, is like the opium habit, it becomes 
almost insatiable. 
name Odontoglossum is from two Greek words, mean¬ 
ing a tooth, and a tongue, in allusion to the form of the 
lip. Many of the flowers show 7 a marvelous resem¬ 
blance to a winged insect. Some of Holland’s lines to 
the Tulip may well apply to the family : 
“ No favorl boast, though in beauty I shine, 
And variety’s garb, ever charming, is mine.” 
One of the most popular and easily grown of the 
family is 0 Rossii majus. I must apologize to my non¬ 
professional readers for favoring them with such 
names— 
“ Which like a wounded snake, drags its slow length along,” 
but it is unavoidable, as these plants have never 
received any popular christening. Our plant has 
large, white flowers, marked with transverse bars of 
