68 THE WOODLANDS ORCHIDS 



of their baskets smaller plants were poised, and so they stood, 

 one above another, like a child's house of cards — I am afraid 

 to say how high. A labouring man stood first at one end, 

 then at the other, and cheerfully plied the syringe. They 

 were not taken down nor touched from month to month. 



Seeing and hearing all this, I cried — but the reader can 

 imagine what I cried. 



' Well,' replied the market-gardener, ' I don't understand 

 your orchids. But I shouldn't ha' thought they was 

 looking poorly.' 



Poorly ! Under these remarkable circumstances some 

 scores of Phalaenopsis were thriving as I never saw them 

 elsewhere. 



In this house they do very well, growing and flowering 

 freely, giving no trouble by mysterious ailments. We have 

 most of the large species — amabilis, Stuartiana, Schilleriana, 

 Sanderiana, etc. No description of these is required. 

 Hybrids of Phalaenopsis are few as yet. Here is Hebe, the 

 product of rosea x Sanderiana, rosy white of sepal and petal, 

 bright pink of lip, yellow at the base. 



On the left is a ' rockery ' of tufa, planted with the 

 hybrid Anthuriums which Messrs. Sander have been pro- 

 ducing so industriously of late years. To my mind, an 

 infant could make flowers as good as Anthuriums, if 

 equipped with a sufficient quantity of sealing-wax, red and 

 pink and white. Their form is clumsy, and grace they 

 have none. But when they recognise a fashion, the wise 

 cease to protest. Anthuriums are the fashion. 



Since that is so, and many worthy persons will be 

 interested, I name the hybrids here. 



Of the Andreeanum type, raised by crossing its various 

 forms : — Lawrenciae, pure white ; Goliaih, blood-red ; Sal- 

 moniae^ flesh-colour ; Lady Godiva, white faintly tinged with 

 flesh-colour ; Albanense, deep red, spadix vermilion — this 



