PREFACE, COOL-GR WIS O G R CHIDS h ave a, grea8t future before them. Many of them may be grown to perfection with the same trouble and expense that - are required to grow a, Heath or an Azalea. The house in which they will succeed best should be one mhoso dimatme resembles that of a genial promenade ratber than a vapour bath - an atmosphere peculia, r to the East Indian House. We have yet to import some fine additions to the group of cool Orchids generally, Eor many of the best of the Masdeva, llias, Cypripediums, and Odor toglossums yet linger unseen in their native habitats. Who shalI say whet novelties will be brought to light when the western slopes of the Andes or the mountains to the north of Tndio have been thoi oughly explored by collectors The works of Bateman, Warner, Anderson, Williams, and others having created a love for Orchids, we oBer this little hand-book as an easy and simple guide . to the general culti a tio o n f such as will luxuriate freely in a cool or intermediate temperature. The frontispiece here figured was originally published in the first volume of the JozcrmaZ 9f the Royal Eorfimltz ral S ociety of London. PAGE INTRO C D TIO U K ... ... ... ... ... ... . h . 1 PURCHMINORGC HIDS ... ... - . . ... ... 10 POTTIN A G ND WATERING ... ... ... ... ... 15 RESTIN O G R CHIDS . .. ... ... ... ... ... 19 SPECIF V IC A RIATIO . X .. ... ... ... ... ... 24 ORCHID H OUSES .. . ... ... ... . . ... 27 ORCHID S OU I S N E TH S E N ATURA S L T YL . E .. ... ... 31 XXPO TING Onc ms ... ... ... ... ... 37 ORCHIDS Fo a TIIE SITT-G-ROO . M .. ... ., ... 41 HYBRIDISIN O G EC HIDS ... ... ... ... ... 43 PROPAGAT O I F O ONR CHIDS ... ... ... ... . . . . 49 Noxrons INSEC .. T . S... ... ... ... ... 53 DESCRIPTI L V IS E T ... ... ... ... ... ... 56 HARD C Y Y PRLPEIIIU . R .. I S ... ... ... ... 136 GESERAL IN DEX ... ... ... ... ... ... 141 ILLUSTRATIONS . SPAT-ROOFE O D R CHID H OUSE ... ... ... ... 28 COOL O RCHID H OUS A E T FERNIEL URST .. . ... 29 ... a.. L AN-T O O R C ID H OUSE s e ction ... ... 30 VINER . Y A K D ORCHID H OUS s E ec tion ... ... ... 31 COOL ORCHID GROWING. INTRODUCTION. THEN Orchids were first imporked into this country, from tropical and subtropical regions, an idea that they all required excessive heat to grow them, appears to have been promulgated and accepted ss gospel truth by horticulturists of all classes. To the earlier Orchid-growers it mould appear to have been a matter of but little moment where a plant might havecomefrom, or under what climatic conditions it grew in its native habitat The Qrchids under their management might come from ths humid valleys of the Indian archipelago, the arid regions . of South or Africa, the m0uuta. h chains of 31exico or Peru, or even the snow line of the towering Andes, but their treatment was the same, and they vere placed in the hottest temperature at command and eTen now the highest tempera ture often means the driest, and this was speciaIly so under the old fllze system of heating. Under these advcrse conditions me can hardly yonder that many of the newly imported Orchids died in n, fern months, more or lesa, after their intro duction. Now and then, however, they produced a few flowers, often the last effort of expiring nature, and scarcely properly developed still their delicate colours and grabeful fragrance soon began to be spoken of from mouth to mouth, ss they flowered at internalsin the early collections. At one time it would be the celebkted Loddiges who would summons B 2 COOL ORC13ID GROWIKG...