A Small Orchid Greenhouse 
HOW TO RAISE ORCHIDS CHEAPLY—PERTINENT SUGGESTIONS FOR THE MANAGEMENT 
OF A SMALL GREENHOUSE AND SPECIAL DEVICES THAT HAVE WORKED WELL 
by Mary Nelms 
MONG the many beautiful blooms dis¬ 
played in the florist’s windows none 
appeals more strongly to the lover 
of exquisite blending of color and 
grace of outline than the orchids. 
We are apt to think of them in a 
vague, indefinite sort of way as liv¬ 
ing on air, hanging in some mys¬ 
terious manner from the roof of the 
greenhouse, or attached to an old 
dead branch in a tropical forest. 
But, like most mysteries, they be¬ 
come exceedingly real and practical 
as soon as we come face to face 
with actual facts and conditions. 
The small greenhouse in the illus¬ 
tration has proved a most encourag¬ 
ing example of what can be ob¬ 
tained under thoroughly amateur conditions. It is entirely of 
home construction and was built several years ago at a cost 
•of between eighty-five and ninety dollars exclusive of the heat¬ 
ing apparatus. The 
present high prices of 
lumber, etc., would of 
course make the figure 
somewhat higher. The 
piping cost between 
forty-five and fifty dol¬ 
lars and a good heater 
can be bought for about 
thirty. If you have a 
friend at court, it is 
often possible to obtain 
a perfectly sound sec¬ 
ond-hand boiler for very 
much less. It was such 
an outfit as this that 
■was used during the 
first six or eight years 
and for which was paid 
just twenty-five cents, 
the cost of hauling it 
away. 
The measurements of 
the house are eleven by 
sixteen feet, five feet 
at the eaves and nine 
at the peak, and it is 
entered from a small glass-enclosed piazza on the south side of 
the dwelling. This in turn stands on the southern slope of a 
slight elevation, thus affording the best possible protection from 
the winter winds. Running the length of the conservatory are 
three benches, two feet wide on the sides and three in the center, 
with an extra piece set in across the far end of each passageway. 
These benches or shelves are made of slabs two inches thick, 
molded from ashes and cement in the proportion of one to five, 
.and supported on one-inch gas pipes along the passageway, and 
by one of the heating pipes along the wall. These cement slabs 
not only tend to equalize the temperature, but also retain the 
moisture much longer than wood and require less frequent 
renewing and attention, once they are made and put in place. 
Under the benches run the sixteen lengths of two-inch iron pipe 
which carry the heat from the boiler in the cellar of the dwelling- 
house, and are amply sufficient to keep up the temperature. The 
boiler also supplies other radiating pipes so that the exact cos': of 
producing the orchids is purely a matter of guess-work. It is, 
however, very low on account of the protected position of the 
greenhouse; but even with that advantage, it is necessary to keep 
up some fire from October fifteenth to April fifteenth, varying 
slightly according to the season. 
The problem of watering is solved most satisfactorily by the 
standard pipe clearly shown in the illustration. The end is fitted 
with a universal swing gas fixture to which is attached a regular 
spray nozzle. This throws a very fine, drenching shower which is 
an excellent substitute for rain and can be directed toward any 
corner of the house and allowed to run as long as desired. The 
wooden handle shown close to the left of the water pipe is at¬ 
tached to the small ventilator in the roof and is arranged with a 
series of slots by which the exact amount of outside air can be 
regulated. Except in warm weather, however, this is not called 
into play, the open door supplying all the necessary ventilation. 
The daily care of the orchid house, beyond looking after the 
fire, is nothing as com¬ 
pared with the time and 
labor required by other 
plants. In three import¬ 
ant details the methods 
of the regular growers 
in handling their plants 
are departed from. The 
temperature is kept at 
62 F. rather than 55; 
sphagnum moss or peat 
is used for potting in¬ 
stead of fern fiber, and 
the plants are watered 
only about once a week. 
This last condition is 
probably made possible 
by the fact that the moss 
contains the moisture so 
much longer than the 
fiber. As soon as the 
pots become dry, how¬ 
ever, the spray is turned 
on and allowed to play 
over each section of the 
house until every leaf 
This greenhouse, although it measures but eleven by sixteen feet, and is entirely 
home built, has proved very successful for orchid culture 
and rootlet is thor¬ 
ough 1 y saturated 
with water. This 
weekly shower is not 
sufficient for the 
palms, rubber plants, 
etc., which stand 
about in corners, 
making a most ef¬ 
fective setting for 
the brilliant colors 
of the flowers. 
Of insect enemies 
A Dendrobium well adapted to limited space 
