House and Garden 
and recrossed to such an extent that the family is 
almost too numerous to mention. 
“What the insect does to aid propagation of the 
plants in their native state, we do by touching a 
sharply pointed pencil or instrument to the pollen 
and then inserting this pollen into the opened seed 
pod, where it is caught and retained.” 
The Cypripediiifn Spicertaniitn, a native of Assam 
and Borneo, which a few years ago was worth 
^500.00, to-day sells at $2.00. When the flowers 
of this extraordinary plant expand, they are only 
about one inch long, hut in a few days they extend 
two feet or more and actually trad on the ground. 
The sepals and petals are a yellowish brown, the hp 
a reddish brown. Mr. Ames, of North Easton, 
Massachusetts, had in his conservatory a short time 
ago, as many as sixteen varieties of this species. 
“Our tiniest blossom is this Oncidiiim oriiithorhyn- 
chiau, grown in Mexico-- its blooms, as you see, are 
no larger than the finger-tip, its center a salmon tint, 
and its petals a delicate mauve. The most curious 
of all is this baby orchid, from (Guatemala,” a plant 
we found in the last of the houses. The flower itself 
resembled the outline of a crab;—yellow-green and 
spotted with brown, hut its center was an exact 
reproduction of a miniature Japanese doll. “And 
here is the Vanda ccerulea from North India, its blos¬ 
soms an azure blue, the only color, botanists have 
said, which did not exist in the orchid family. 
“The story of the Coryanthes, a superb orchid 
from Santa Comapan, Asia, is interesting. It grows 
at the tops of trees that lean over ravines or 
rivulets. Its labellum is shaped like a pitcher, 
which contains a nectar so delectable that it at¬ 
tracts vast colonies of ants. The natives, fearful of 
the wasp-like sting of these insects, cut down these 
trees and drag them to the water’s edge, where 
they are pushed in and allowed to remain until the 
ants are drowned. But the plant once removed from 
its natural habitation, refuses to thrive—thus causing 
us to believe with all good Darwinians, that the ants 
are absolutely necessary to its existence.” 
In concluding, let us call attention to the plants 
that may he grown with cool orchids—such as ferns 
and small palms, begonias, hydrangeas, azaleas, 
camellias, and the foliage plant, asparagus. 
But the orchids must have always the first consider¬ 
ation and should be given a position that \\ dl keep 
them above the other foliage, insuring in this way the 
best ventilation and freest circulation of air. 
126 
HOUSE OF DENDROBIUM PHAL^NOPSIS SCHRCEDERIANUM 
