PREFACE TO THE SEVENTH EDITION. 



Since the issue of the last edition of this work in 1885 our father, the 

 late Mr. B. S. Williams, has passed away deeply regretted by his many 

 personal friends, and indeed by the whole Horticultural World, who 

 have received such benefit from his various works and writings, and 

 more especially the Okchid-Growees' Manual, which has gained 

 notoriety throughout the civilised world, and is even now the text-book 

 •of the majority of Orchid Growers, notwithstanding the numerous books 

 •on Orchid Culture in existence at the present day. The Sixth Edition 

 having for some time been completely exhausted, it has devolved upon 

 lus, the only son and successor to the late Mr. B. S. Williams, in 

 response to many requests, to prepare and issue a new Edition. The 

 enormous increase of this family of late years in both species and varieties, 

 as well as hybrids, has so enlarged this work that it was necessary to 

 consider the advisability of either increasing the size of the book or 

 issuing it in two volumes ; believing the latter course to be unacceptable 

 to our readers, we have decided to adopt the former course. These 

 novelties, so far as they have been considered worthy, have been in- 

 corporated in these pages. 



We have introduced many new illustrations representing as far as 

 possible each genus, and most of the more popular species and varieties ; 

 many of these are original, others have been very kindly lent by the 

 Editors of The Gardeners' Chronicle, The Journal of Horticulture, The 

 Gardening World, The Garden, The Gardeners' Magazine, A. H. Smee, 

 Esq., Messrs. James Veitch & Sons, Mr. W. Bull, and other kind friends, 

 to whom we have to record our most sincere thanks. 



To our old friend and coadjutor Mr. W. H. Gower we are indebted 

 for assistance with the references and new descriptions of some of the 

 plants here enumerated, also to Mr. E. A. Eolfe, of the Eoyal Herbarium, 

 Kew, for information and assistance with the bigeneric hybrids, and to 

 our colleague Mr. G. K. Gude for assistance with regard to the 

 references, figures, and reading of the proofs. 



