46 



Garden and Forest. 



[Number 31a, 



variable of Orchids as to color. A figure of a pale-flowered 

 form of it is now published in Reichenbachia, t. 69, where 

 Mr. Rolfe says it is closely allied to P. grandifolius, P. Wal- 

 lichii and P. bicolor. Sir Joseph Hooker, in his Flora 0/ 

 British India, goes further than this, reducing all four of 

 them to one species, for which he retains Lindley's name 

 of P. Wallichii. From what I know of these plants, I am 

 inclined to accept Sir Joseph Hooker's decision. It is quite 

 clear that P. Wallichii is a widely distributed plant, and, 

 consequently, shows considerable variation, and that it is 

 probably nothing more than a form of the Chinese P. 

 grandifolius. Of course, for garden purposes, distinguish- 

 ing names are necessary for all the well-marked forms. 



The Royal Horticultural Society's arrangements for the 

 coming year are of exceptional promise. The usual num- 

 ber of bimonthly meetings and exhibitions will be held, 

 and the committees of experts selected to adjudicate honors, 

 etc., to the exhibits, comprise none but representative men. 

 There are four committees, namely, Scientific, the members 

 of which are chiefly botanists and entomologists, the func- 

 tion of this committee being diseases and the phenomena 

 of plant-life generally. The Floral Committee deals with 

 all new plants except Orchids, for which there is a special 

 committee, while a subcommittee looks after all that ap- 

 pertains to Daffodils. There is also a committee for fruit 

 and vegetables. The following is the list of lectures and 



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Fig. 6 — The Humboldt Monument in Berlin. — See page 42. 



The plant called Assamicus, and figured in Reichenbachia, 

 is exactly P. Wallichii in everything except color, in which 

 respect it differs in having buff-yellow sepals and petals 

 and a white and yellow labellum, the yellow being re- 

 stricted to the tubular portion. At Kew there is a plant in 

 flower which resembles that figured, except that the color 

 is a shade darker and the lip is more yellow. We have no 

 more useful Orchid than this P. Wallichii and its forms, for 

 it is as easily cultivated as a Eucharis and it flowers freely 

 every year. At Kew we have numerous forms of it, includ- 

 ing bicolor, Mannii, Sanderianus and Blumei. The best of 

 all Phajuses is, of course, the hybrid P. Cooksoni, which is 

 also, in my opinion, the best hybrid Orchid yet raised. It 

 is well figured in the last number of Williams' Orchid Album. 



papers promised for the bimonthly meetings. These pa- 

 pers are afterward published in the journal of the society, 

 "The Deciduous Trees and Shrubs of Japan." by Mr. J. H. 

 Veitch ; " Rare Trees and Shrubs in the Arnold Arboretum. 

 U. S. A.," by Monsieur Maurice deVilmorin ; "Hybrid Nar- 

 cissi," by the Rev. G. Engleheart, M. A. ; "Botanical Ex- 

 ploration in Borneo," by Mr. F. W. Burbidge, M.A. ; 

 "Orchids," by Sir Trevor Lawrence. Bart., President Royal 

 Horticultural Society ; " Flowering Trees and Shrubs," by 

 Mr. G. Nicholson ; "The Fertilization of Pansies," by Mr. 

 J. D. Stuart; "On Cactacese," by Mr. John W. Singer; 

 "Filmy Ferns," by Mr. J. Backhouse; "Fruit-culture in 

 France," by Monsieur Charles Baltet ; " Relations between 

 Gardeners and their Employers," by Mr. Malcolm Dunn;. 



