H ouse and Garden 
K...’.' 
^r-xlSf 
D E N D R O BIU M INFUNDIBULUM 
CYBRIBEDIUM CALLOSUM VAR. SANDERS 
charcoal, to form ef¬ 
fective drainage. 
Over this is placed a 
layer of sphagnum 
moss and the plant, 
held in position 
by one hand, should 
be lightly packed in, 
especially in the cen¬ 
ter between the roots 
so that no hollow 
space is left. Over 
the s p h a g n u m i s 
placed a top dressing. 
Plants are greatly 
henehted, especially 
during the summer, 
by occasional damp¬ 
ing; but full-gro\Mi 
orchids benefit by 
fre(|uent watering. 
“ Coming as nearly 
all orchids do from 
hilly and mountain¬ 
ous countries, fresh 
air is vital to them 
and may be admitted 
in the greenhouse or 
conservatory on all possible occasions.” The sun¬ 
shiny American climate is much better adapted than 
that of the dull English atmosphere, hut the more 
severe cold means a need of better top ventilation. 
In our climate an orchid section can be constantly pro¬ 
tected by means of ground glass or white lead shading 
for eight months of the year. Shades and blinds are 
as useful in keeping out cold at night as the hot sun in 
the day time, hut it must he remembered that 
with hut fcnv exceptions, the orchid “requires and 
enjoys light and sunlight,” hut not the sun’s direct 
rays. 
“ 1 he raising from seed requires considerable pa¬ 
tience as several years may elapse in some species 
after the tiny seeds have germinated, before their flow¬ 
ering stage. I he Cypripediums and Calanthes, 
under good treatment, bloom m three to four years; 
the Dendrohiums requiring a longer time; while 
the Cattleyas and Lielias do not bloom in less than 
f. om seven to tw'elve years. 
“ Hybridization is one of our chief arts,” continued 
our host. “ It is absolutely useless to cross flowers 
belonging to different genera, such as, for instance, 
an Odontoglossum with a Cattleya, or a Dendrobium 
w ith an Oncidium. But genera having a close re¬ 
semblance in form and structure, as the Cattleyas, 
T.ielias, Sophronites and Epidendrums, fertilize read¬ 
ily. Oncidiums and Odontoglossums cross freely, 
hut few' hybridists are successful in raising plants 
from the seeds. Cypripediums have been crossed 
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