REPORT OF THE COMMITTEE ON GARDENS. 241 



our visits — .lanuar}' 10 and April 2 — little else was to be seen. 

 For several years past the exhibitions of this Society have been 

 made more attractive by the magnificent plants from Mr. Ames's 

 collection. No prizes ever offered have been more worthily 

 bestowed than those given for orchids, and no other class of 

 plants ever commanded the attention and elicited the admiration 

 of the public as they have. This Committee have appreciated 

 fully the liberality of Mr. Ames in allowing his best plants to 

 adorn our tables, but we have desired that a more extended notice 

 might be given of this superb collection than could be bestowed 

 upon the few sent in from time to time as the different exhibitions 

 occurred. Much attention is now being given to their cultivation, 

 since it has been demonstrated that the art of growing them is not 

 so much of a mystery as at one time was supposed. The fact 

 that many varieties can be grown for their flowers at a good 

 profit has induced florists, as well as wealthy amateurs to culti- 

 vate them quite largel}'. 



The unique as well as the superb character of the specimens of 

 new and rare varieties in Mr. Ames's collection commanded our 

 attention. 



The Cattlej'a house, where most of the blooming plants were, is 

 span-roofed, one hundred feet long by twenty feet wide, and is 

 built in the most thorough and substantial manner. There is no 

 woodwork at all ; the material is all iron and glass. The benches 

 are of slate, the floors of cement, and the steam-heating apparatus 

 is of the latest and most approved make. It is not too much to 

 say that this is as complete a house in all its appointments for 

 practical use, and at the same time as good a show house, as we 

 have ever seen. 



In a communication from William Robinson, the skilful 

 gardener, he remarks that: "There is a generally accepted idea 

 that the best time to view a collection of orchids is in February 

 or March. While those are certainly good months in which to 

 see a good display of orchids, I do not for my part know whethier 

 from January to June there is any one month better than another. 

 Each month is interesting, as there are species which follow each 

 other so regularly that as the blooming time of any one is closing 

 others are in bloom even more brilliant than the preceding ones." 

 It would take more space and time than we can command to 

 enumerate even one-half of the plants in this collection, but we 

 7 



