46 orchid-grower's manual. 



prevents draughts from reaching them, and thus the roots 

 are not subjected to any great check through change of 

 temperature. 



An opportunity occurs here to remark upon the paucity of 

 Orchids at our great London exhibitions of the present day, as 

 compared with former years. It is true several of the large 

 contributors are dead, and their collections are dispersed; some 

 few have relinquished their culture, and others have removed 

 to a distance, but there still remains ample material in the 

 numerous rich collections in the vicinity of the metropolis to 

 again furnish a glorious bank of flowers, such as formerly 

 greeted the eye at famous Chiswick and the Regent's Park 

 Botanic Gardens on exhibition days ; and I am fully persuaded 

 it is only from the want of encouragement in the matter of 

 prizes, that we do not now see these gorgeous displays at our 

 London shows. That such is the case, we have only to turn 

 to the great Whit-week show at Manchester, and then we find 

 a proof of the fact. There the prizes are good, and not only 

 do the cultivators in the immediate vicinity bring their plants, 

 but some from a considerable distance can be seen staying 

 their productions for competition against the celebrated growers 

 of the " Cotton Metropolis ; " indeed, the display made in 

 1870 I never saw surpassed, if equalled, at any show. This 

 may be readily imagined when I state that a double row. of 

 these plants alone extended a distance of over three hundred 

 feet, and amongst them were many of the grandest Lcelias, 

 Cattleyas, Vandas, Trichopilias Odontoglossiims, and a host 

 of other things it has ever been my lot to behold. Some may 

 say that this only proves the love of gain to be the chief 

 motive power ; but this is a wrong conclusion to draw, for 

 although gentlemen and gardeners do sometimes exhibit for 

 the honour only, such cannot alwa3'S be the case. Indeed, 

 the cost of obtaining a proper conveyance, the packing, the 



