OcTOBER, 1922.] THE ORCHID REVIEW. 295 
ever seen.”” New buyers were then carefully nursed, and I recall a letter 
from Mr, J. C. Stevens announcing the fact that the celebrated John Day 
collection was coming up for sale, and suggesting that I keep a few open 
spaces for it. 
On February 7th and 2tst, 1881, I bought my first two Odontoglossum 
Alexandras, as they then were called, for 21s. and 25s. They were bad 
varieties, like all others of similar name. I kept those plants until the 
disposal of my collection in October, 1919. From an importation of 
Anguloa Ruckeri I purchased a big plant for ten shillings, and on taking it 
to the Royal Horticultural Society in June, 1844, I gained my first First- 
class Certificate, the plant being recorded as A. Ruckeri sanguinea. 
During February, 1882, I commenced buying imported plants of 
Odontoglossum crispum in small quantities, and in May of the following 
year I bloomed my first spotted one—a fair variety of O. crispum Triane. 
This name, I may mention, denotes a section in which the spotting is 
confined to a few spots on each of the three sepals. Looking over my 
collection catalogue No. I, it is astonishing to see the variety of plants, 
from Ada to Zygopetalum, that were all grown in two houses; a second one 
having arisen with three divisions for various temperatures. At this period 
Lelia anceps began to appear in some quantity. It became a favourite of 
mine, and I wished in after years that I had kept many of my early ones. 
On July r1th, 1881, I had my first revel among an importation. I bought 
152 plants of Cattleya Mossiz from Mr. William Bull. They had all been 
specially picked out by him to keep, and had been placed in a private shed 
with a few more large plants. When they were in bloom, Mr. John 
Dominy said he had never seen such grand varieties in quantity in any 
importation before. I would like to say that Mr. Bull was one of the two 
Orchid lovers who offered to help the tyro the first day I appeared at 
Stevens’ Rooms, the other was the Rev. J. B. Norman, and both gave me 
many a valuable wrinkle. At the Allan Edwards’ sale at Stevens’ Rooms 
in April, 1882, I picked up a little unbloomed Mexican Lelia. In the 
following December it flowered, and seeing that it was peculiar I sent it to 
Professor Reichenbach, who named it Lelia Crawshayana. That was a 
proud day for me when I had mastered his almost impossible caligraphy 
Naming it after the tyro. 
On July 31, 1882, my first direc 
It was sent by my brother-in-law, 
t importation arrived from British Guiana. 
Dr. C. G. Young, sometime Mayor of 
Georgetown. Some big masses of Epidendrum fragrans were the chief 
things in the case, but as they came “direct,” the event gave me great 
Pleasure. In 1883 a fine case of Cattleya superba came from the same 
Source. In those early days I bought several plants in bloom, heavily 
disbudded, and “much smaller” was the note that I made when they 
