FLASKS 
B-t2etonths old. 
Cars o 
laptenths old. 
THE VARIOUS STAGES OF THE CATTLEYA SHOWING YEARS TO FLOWERING 
Votes for Beginners 
A desire to own a few or many plants, and a modern, even- 
ly heated home with a strategically located window are all 
that are needed to grow orchids. Our increased knowledge of the 
growth habits, together with the increased supply of the plants 
with the resultant lower prices have made it possible for any- 
one who is interested to grow orchids right in his living room. 
To those of you just beginning, or thinking of beginning, we 
suggest that you purchase only reasonably priced, mature plants 
at the start. The list on pages 8 and 9 presents an excellent 
Lase from which to grow. All listings are mature, flowering- 
size plants, requiring similar environment and care, and their 
season for blooming is spaced so that you will have at least one 
plant in flower throughout the year. Later, as your desire to 
branch out strengthens, try some of the other types on pages 
10 and 11, or if you prefer to specialize in the Cattleyas, make 
your selections from our mature plant listings on the pages 
immediately following. 
Brief, cultural notes are given with each type listed, and you 
will note that in almost all cases, the Cattleya is used for our 
yardstick, since it is the best known of all the orchid family. 
Following, you will find as much detail on the culture of the 
Cattleya as this brief space permits. Deviations in care for 
other genera are noted with the individual listings. 
From the many hundreds of letters we have received from 
new growers, we have found most of them have trouble with 
the terminology used in culture books and orchid catalogs. Some 
of the more common words in use in orchid circles are as fol- 
lows: The leaf, fleshier and more drought-resistant than most 
plant leaves, is supported by the pseudobulb, often called the 
bulb for short. The function of the bulb is storage for water 
and food. The pseudobulb grows from the rhizome, which creeps 
along the osmunda (O. cinnamomea) in which the plant is pot- 
ted, in a horizontal position, and is formed when the buds, or 
“eyes” at the base of the pseudobulb sprout out (something like 
the eyes in a potato), grow along the osmunda horizontally for 
about an inch, then turn up to form another pseudobulb and 
leaf, when the growth is matured. 
Page Four 
This type of growth is called a sympodial growth, which 
may be divided when the plant develops enough bulbs (three 
per division), and is self-perpetuating, living indefinitely with 
proper care. Cattleyas, Odontoglossums, and the majority of 
the orchid plants are this type, while the Phalaenopsis is an 
example of the monopodial plant, which adds to its growth con- 
tinually on a single, upright stem. 
An epiphyte is a plant which is “air-rooted”’, growing non- 
parasitically upon another plant. Most orchids listed in this 
catalog belong to this category, except the Cymbidiums, which 
are semi-terrestrial, or “earth-rooted”’. A specie is a domesti- 
cated jungle-type, a pure strain, not crossed with any other 
type or variety of orchid plant, as distinguished from the hybrids, 
the result of crosses between two or more species, often involv- 
ing several genera. These progeny of the species have as many 
great-great grandparents as you have, for thousands and thous- 
ands of crosses have been made. 
The stages of the Cattleya are pictured in the photograph 
at the top of this page, and you will note that it takes about 
seven years to produce a flowering plant. Other plants flower 
more quickly, as the Phalaenopsis and Dendrobiums, which pro- 
duce blooms in about three years, but most need the full seven 
years. Beginners should buy only adult or mature plants that 
are ready to bloom, because mature plants are tough and so easy 
to care for. 
Watering 
The Cattleyas like a thorough wetting, then a chance to 
dry out somewhat to encourage root growth until the next wa- 
tering. For a five inch pot, a cup of water every five or six 
cays during normal weather should prove sufficient. This 
amount will be increased or decreased according to pot size, 
larger pots taking more water less often, and smaller pots tak- 
ing Jess water more often, as the greater the amount of osmunda, 
the longer it takes to dry out. The cup of water will run into 
and through the osmunda, but more will be retained by the 
porous, absorbent material than you would realize. Do not 
