NoVEMBER, 1922.] THE ORCHID REVIEW. 329° 
He was always intensely interested in ‘‘crispums,” and to him we owe the 
thousands of lovely varieties we have had during a quarter of a century. 
His immense energy stimulated all the other firms to do likewise, and 
resulted in the great number of natural crispums, both blotched and 
plain, which are still to be seen in many collections. 
7 LA&LIAS. 
I purchased three plants of Lelia peduncularis on December 23rd, 
1880, as my:introduction to Mexican Lelias, a genus in which I was to 
become deeply involved and interested. Some small bits of Lelia majalis 
were also obtained; these two difficult species grew for a time and were 
then discarded. On February 7th, 1881, I saw Lelia anceps in bloom at 
Stevens’ Rooms. The plant came home with me that evening, and I can 
clearly remember putting it on a table in the drawing room and “ gathering 
around” it in admiration. I felt that L. anceps had come to stay. It was 
a bad variety, and when I had much better ones it was discarded at a profit.. 
L, albida and L. autumnalis were acquired soon after, but they never had a 
chance alongside L. anceps. On July 28th, 1881, I bought three plants of 
L. anceps at Stevens’ Rooms, and one of them was subsequently figured in 
the second volume of the Orchid Album, an occurrence of which I was very 
proud indeed. : 
Lzlia anceps came slowly, as there were no importations, or else the 
price was too high for me. Mr. Sander imported some enormous masses of 
L. anceps Hilliana, which were sold at Stevens’ on January 13th, 1881, one 
being purchased at a high price by Sir Trevor Lawrence. In the Batten sale 
of March atst, 1883, I secured my first white anceps, a little plant of this 
pretty variety at one-third of what it cost Mr. Batten in the imported state. 
It is a peculiar thing that a plant when first sold on arrival should almost 
invariably fetch a higher value than it would realise as an established plant 
even though still unflowered. On February and, 1884, a small importation 
of L. anceps appeared at Messrs. Protheroe & Morris ; Ge Snape as large 
as a front-door mat of the variety Percivaliana fell to my bid of 19 guineas. 
The following winter it bloomed—a good typical anceps, so the importer, 
Mr. F. Horsman, Senr., fully compensated me. 
In 188s, Mr. Sander steps in again and begins importing white anceps 
by the shipload. Those who to-day remember the enormous masses of 
what became Schroederiana, Stella, and Sanderiana will recall sales of 
intense excitement and long prices. On January 23rd, 1885, he offered a 
grand plant in bloom of Williamsiana, the first of that variety, which fell 
to Baron Schréder at go guineas. Fancy such a price to-day for a —. 
Segmented anceps, otherwise a starry thing, such as 1s decried owing to the 
florist’s flower form having been adopted as correct. ; 
In the winter of 1885-6 the Liverpool Horticultural Co. 
began 
