FENNELL’S ORCHID NEWS 
Published by 
FENNELL ORCHID CO. 
Homestead, Florida 

Orchid Growing Notes 
SEED DISINFECTION 
Many of ‘our readers have written us 
asking of our experience with seed 
disinfecting agents. 
Our experiments with various disin- 
fecting agents have so far shown us 
that both Chlorox and Peroxide are 
more caustic to orchid seed than is 
the Calcium hypochlorite solution we 
use. At any effective disinfectin 
solution these two materials kille 
most or all of the seed. 
Our old standby, Calcium hypochlor- 
ite, is still the best thing we have 
found though we are still looking md 
will continue to do so. 
We prepare our Calcium hypochlorite 
solution by stirring 10 grams of the 
chemical into 140 cc of water, to 
which has been added 5 drops of 
Hexylresorcinol (ST,.) as a wetting 
agent. We then filter the solution 
through 6 or 8 thicknesses of facial 
tissues (they're easier to get and 
cheaper than laboratory filter paper 
and do a quicker job.) The filtered 
solution is kept in a qises stoppered 
bottle until used but fresh solutions 
are made for use each day. 
After shaking the seed in the 
solution fifteen minutes, we allow 
them to settle on the top or at the 
bottom of the solution as the case 
may be and then pour or draw off the 
hypochlorite, replacing it with 
sterile distilled water or sterile 
nutrient solution. We use either the 
water or the nutrient solution with 
about the same results though we 
believe the nutrient solution is a 
bit hetter than water, We use the 
same solution as in the jelly but 
omit the agar. We then plant the 
seed with a sterile medicine dropper. 
Vanilla Planifolia 
We were interested to read the 
other day, in the Bulletin of the 
American Orchid Society, that a 
number of people are trying to find 
plants of the commercial vanilla 
‘Vanilla Planifolia or V. fragrans*. 
We have a whole fence covered with 
this vine and can mR Ly Sar ae in 
almost any quantity. od 30" cut- 
tings are priced at $3.00 each. 
Liberal discounts on quantity orders. 
When in doubt about watering, don't. 
A plant that’s loose in the pot is 
on its way to the cemetary. 
Poor drainage ---- Dead roots. 

C. TRIANAE VAR NARANJA 
This picture is a poor one but will 
give you an idea a this wonderful 
variety. This plant produced during 
the Christmas-New Year season six 
large beautiful flowers on one lead. 
We obtained $6.50 each, wholesale, 
for the flowers. $39.00 from one 
THE NEW LOOK 
This issue of the ‘News is done by 
a new process to us, offset litho- 
graphy, instead of letter press 
printing. The change was made 
necessary by the irregular and slow 
deliveries of our printer. We ees 
our many friends like our ‘new look‘ 
AND THE 
plant is not bad and particularly for 
a species. In addition the plant 
carried a seed pod during the year. 
The variety is a strong, robust 
grower, producing many large flowers 
at Christmas. You will find Naranja 
mentioned often in our crosses. 
“NEWS ‘ 
as it will mean more frequent and 
regular visits from the ‘News . 
We will also have, in each issue, 
our plant,seed and flask price lists 
together with photographs of inter- 
esting plants and various articles. 
WHAT OUR CUSTOMERS THINK OF US 
Mr. Adolph C. Jordahn, Pres. of the 
South Florida Orchid Society, says - 
‘Fenorco D.D.T. Spray is good and it 
is effective. ollow directions 
closely. ° 
ae 
‘I believe Fenorco to be the finest 
complete orchid spray that I have 
found. * -- Florida 
eee 
‘Please send me another gallon of 
your good Fenorco Orchid BER t, 
-- California 
wee 
‘Using Fenorco Spray - Fine! * 
-- California 
‘Community pot arrived in very good 
condition and am well pleased.’ 
-- California 
hk 
‘I have a couple of your cross #58 
(seed) which makes my neighbor's 
winter grass look sick. I would 
recommend sowing lawns with your #58 
if you would bring the price of the 
seed dow just a little. The flasks 
would run about (and this is a very 
rough guess) I should say four to 
five hundred seedlings each.’ 
-- Alabama 
wee 
‘I think every Phalaenopsis seed must 
have come up. I am delighted. ° 
-- Florida 
ner 
‘The #87 are the fastest germinating 
seed I have ever planted; showing 
green in one week.‘ -- Califormia 
eee 
‘I believe Fenorco to be the finest 
complete orchid spray that I have 
found. * -- Florida 
‘Please send me another gallon of 
your good Fenorco Orchid SPE 
-- California 
‘Many thanks for the way my order of 
100 bulbs of C. Lueddemannia arrived. 
They were in the best shape I have 
ever seen newly collected plants. °* 
-- California 
att 
‘500 C. mossiae bulbs arrived in good 
shape. *‘ -- Illinois 
ere 
‘The way you packed the flasks for 
shipment and the care you gave them 
is something I haven't seen since I 
have been getting plants sent to me. 
They arrived in perfect condition and 
I surely want to compliment you. ° 
-- California 
